2 MONDAY , OCTOBER 3 , 2016
Vox pop
Nigeria @ 56 : Is there cause to celebrate ?
There is no cause for us to celebrate because the country is battling with a series of problems . All the problems that preceded independence are still there .
We now have hope , going by the speech delivered by the President on the occasion of the independence anniversary . Generally , it is the most comprehensible , articulate speech by any Head of State .
This is inspiring . But the situation we are in now , can we trust him ? The situation has gone so bad that you hardly can trust anyone . Speeches have been made before and they have not been implemented .
President Buhari ’ s speech has reassured us but is the capacity to change the country there ? This is the question we need to ask ourselves .
• Pastor Femi Emmanuel , ( A former Deputy Speaker , Oyo State House of Assembly )
We have had some elements of development , though not as much as we expected .
This is in contrast with the opportunities that we have in the country . Unfortunately , the situations that should have called for excitement on the part of Nigerians are not there .
The average Nigerian is disenchanted with the pace of development and government in the country . Nigerians are more divided along ethnic and political lines .
There is fear and hardship in the country . The dollar exchange rate has gone up from N200 , to as high as N450 .
This is not a call for celebration . Nigerians should just hope and pray that things do not get worse .
For now , I am not going to be unfair to Nigerians that they have a reason to celebrate , except we want to deceive ourselves .
• Balarabe Musa ( A former Governor of old Kaduna State )
That we are alive as a nation is a good reason to celebrate . But expectations are unmet . The dreams are not met . The people are unhappy and in pains . But the fact that we still exist as a nation shows that there is hope .
As to whether Nigerians are not happy , fulfilled or excited , I will say no .
We are far from the dreams of our founding fathers .
We are not anywhere near the dreams and goals .
Owing to the economic situation , there is a backlog of unpaid salaries . Food prices are also on the increase .
The government should live up to expectations by fulfilling its responsibilities . We should , however , appreciate God . Being alive calls for thanksgiving .
• Gani Taofik ( PDP Publicity Secretary Lagos State ) will say we have a reason to
I celebrate because of how far we have gone .
There are many problems but I think we have a reason to celebrate .
We appreciate God that we are still together at 56 . I will pray that God should remove ignorance and negligence from our religious and political leadership .
May God have mercy to remove the cloud of ignorance and negligence .
We need leaders to do justice . We need leaders with a sense of equity . We need truthful leaders who would work according to the oath they have taken .
• Joe Igbokwe ( APC Publicity Secretary , Lagos State )
There is a cause to celebrate . A lot of Nigerians may be passing through difficult times now , a dollar may be selling for N450 , a bag of Thailand rice may be selling for N20,000 , a lot of young Nigerians may be out of jobs now , our infrastructure may be in dilapidated shape now but there is hope that tomorrow will be better because we see responsive and responsible actions in place that tell us that our leaders are not sleeping .
The days of the locusts are gone and gone forever . The impunity of yesterday
Of course , we have a reason to celebrate . How many nations like Nigeria are still together and not at war ? The major problem with Nigerians is that we are extremely impatient with ourselves . We are also extremely impatient with our leaders .
We also no longer trust our leaders and take them for their words . At 56 , we have to be thankful to God . The road ahead is rough . We have a lot of work to do to restore the country to its due place .
Unless we appreciate the difficulties that we have had as well as the landmarks and achievements that we have been able to make , we cannot chart the road to the future .
There are many people who talk about the good old days but if you check those good old days , complaints were abundant .
My take is that we have a lot of
• Sarah Jubril ( Nigeria ’ s first female presidential candidate )
is disappearing with frightening speed , the system and systemic corruption we were saddled with yesterday are beginning to give way for a transparent and committed leadership , the shameless and irresponsible governments we witnessed in the past are giving way to a sensible and robust leadership , the shame of yesterday is gradually and meticulously being turned to glory today .
We appeal from the bottom of our hearts that you should not be discouraged even at a time like this . There is light at the end of the tunnel and there is hope that dead bones shall rise again .
The foundation we did not lay yesterday is haunting us today but the good news is that the foundation for tomorrow is solidly being laid today and we know that Nigeria will bounce back in the fullness of time . Please , take this as a promise .
If you can see what we are seeing now , if you can see the future of our country clearly now , if you can feel the wind of change from our old ways , if you can see what a few Nigerians did to our common patrimony , if you witnessed the huge amount of cash and property recovered , if you can see how corruption , insecurity and infrastructure deficit is being tackled and if you can see the silent development in the power sector and the serious attempt to generate jobs even in recession , please , fill up your glasses and let celebrate Nigeria at 56 .
• Prof . Kayode Makinde ( A former Vice-Chancellor of Babcock University )
work to do . Let us not relent . We have to press on .
Compiled by : Toluwani Eniola