NIGERIA @65: A Nation Rising Beyond Challenges
- Sixty-five years after independence, Nigeria remains a work in progress. A story of resilience, promise, and determination. Ours is a nation that has survived turbulence, overcome setbacks, and yet continues to stand as Africa’s most powerful voice.
This year’s anniversary is more than a ritual commemoration. It is a call to renew our sense of duty to one another and to the generations ahead. The Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration deserves recognition for the strides already made: restoring macroeconomic stability, encouraging local production over reckless imports, investing in social interventions, and reaffirming Nigeria’s leadership on the continent. These are bold beginnings that must be sustained with consistency and urgency.
I particularly commend the words of Vice President Kashim Shettima at the 80th United Nations General Assembly. His call for a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council, for sovereign debt relief, for fair access to trade and financing, for equity in resource ownership, and for closing the digital divide so that “AI means Africa Included” captures the very essence of Nigeria’s place in the world. These are not abstract declarations, they are the lived realities that define our struggle as a nation.
In the Senate, my motions and bills have been guided by these same convictions:
•That justice must be pursued, whether through reparations for historical wrongs or reconciliation for national tragedies.
•That dignity must be guaranteed, whether through attaining veto power at the UN security council, the establishment of a National Social Security Agency or by ensuring healthcare and education reforms that work for Nigerians at home.
•That sovereignty must be protected, whether by stopping crude oil theft, ending gas flaring, or reclaiming control over our mineral wealth.
•That opportunity must be created, whether through youth entrepreneurship, diaspora voting, indigenous participation in mining, or the expansion of our digital economy.
Nigeria at 65 must choose to lead, not as a country of wasted potential, but as a nation that transforms its wealth into wellbeing for its people. We must secure our communities, empower our youth, modernize our infrastructure, and build institutions that outlive individuals. We must insist that no Nigerian is left behind. Not the farmer in the village, nor the entrepreneur in the city, or the vulnerable in need of support.
Our journey is far from finished. But if we keep faith with one another, strengthen collaboration between the executive and legislature, and place people at the center of our policies, then this decade can be the turning point when Nigeria moves from survival to greatness.
Happy Independence Day, Nigeria.
As resilience meets hope, with courage we arise stronger.
*_Senator Ned Munir Nwoko*
