Nigeria At 61: Nothing To Celebrate -Ijaw Group
2 min read
Edith CHUKU
Stakeholders in the oil rich Niger Delta region have said that the 61st independence anniversary of the country calls for sober reflection instead of celebrations.
According to them, it is a misnomer to celebrate Nigeria’s independence owing to the high level of insecurity, kidnapping, poverty, unemployment rocking the nation, which they said so many have lost faith in.
They posit that though Nigeria, through the efforts of her past leaders gained freedom from colonial masters, the country remains a slave to her political leaders who they believe have very little or no concern about the welfare, unity and advancement of the country and its citizens.
Speaking under the aegis of the Movement for the Survival of Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta, MOSIEND, the National President, comrade Kennedy Tonjo-West told TNN that no sector in Nigeria had done well.
The Pan-Ijaw group leader said “God said for everything we should give thanks, as a nation at 61 it’s important that we give Him thanks for binding us together as a country over the years.
“This also serve as a reminder that we need early liberation for us to go our separate ways and manage our resources ourselves. Thanksgiving differs from celebration. At 61 with nothing to secure the future of our kids calls for sober reflection, it calls for sober reflection not celebration.”
Likening Nigeria to a man at 61, Mr. Tonjo-West said “at 61, a man four years away from retirement, no house, no savings, no investment, rather huge debt, you don’t need a herbalist to predict the future of that family. No sector has done well, from judiciary to security to infrastructure.”
He further stressed that “the crop of political leaders we have around the corridors of power are unpatriotic, visionless, and are less concern about the welfare, unity and advancement of the country and its citizens.”
