Nigeria at 65: Sober Reflection on the Enduring Spirit of Its People
Nigeria at 65: Sober Reflection on the Enduring Spirit of Its People
By:Bamgbose Adedamola
Sixty-five years after independence, it might sound hollow,or a poor choice to ask Nigerians to keep believing in their country. After all, what has Nigeria given back for their loyalty, patience, and resilience? Year after year, ordinary citizens wake up to new hardships,fuel price hikes that double the cost of transportation overnight, a currency that loses value faster than salaries can catch up, and insecurity that leaves families afraid to travel on highways or sleep peacefully at night.
Students endure months-long ASUU strikes, small business owners watch their investments collapse under erratic power supply and inflation, while communities displaced by flooding or violence rebuild their lives from scratch with little or no support. To many, Nigeria feels like a country that demands endless sacrifice without reward.
And yet, Nigerians endure. They do not give up. Against all odds, they continue to live, to hope, to create. They are the reason this country still stands.
Look at the world stage today: Afrobeats has become a global sound, carried by Nigerian voices from Lagos to London to Los Angeles. Nollywood continues to tell our stories, reaching millions across continents. Our athletes defy the odds — from Tobi Amusan breaking world records to the Super Falcons dazzling at the World Cup. Nigerian tech entrepreneurs have built unicorn companies admired worldwide, while young innovators keep finding solutions in a system that often works against them.
These victories may seem small against the weight of our struggles, but they are not. They are proof that the Nigerian spirit is unbreakable, that in the darkest moments, our people find a way to shine.
At 65, sober reflection requires honesty: Nigeria has failed its people too often. Leadership has stumbled, institutions have decayed, and promises have been broken. Yet, hope endures not because of government, but because of Nigerians themselves.
So yes, it may sound naïve to say: believe bigger, dream again. But if any people can drag a broken nation back from the brink, it is Nigerians — the traders who refuse to shut their shops, the students who return to school after endless strikes, the workers who endure salaries that cannot stretch to the month’s end, the doctors and engineers who excel abroad when given the chance, and the millions at home who, in spite of everything, still wave the green and white flag with pride.
Nigeria at 65 still dey waka with heavy load, dragging leg like person wey wear oversized shoe. But Nigerians? We no dey ever gree break. We go cry today, laugh tomorrow, hustle the next day. From fuel wahala to blackout, from strikes to skyrocketing prices, we still find ways to survive — sometimes with memes, sometimes with prayer, sometimes with pure stubborn resilience. If e fit sound foolish to say “believe bigger,” na only because this country don tire us before. But if anybody fit turn struggle into story of survival, na Nigerians.
So as we mark this milestone, make we no only count scars, make we also count strength. For every darkness, Nigerians still dey shine light. For every setback, we dey find comeback. One day, history go talk say Nigeria nearly scatter, but Nigerians no gree. And just like jollof rice wey sweet pass for bottom pot, maybe our best flavour still dey cook. Until then, we go endure, we go hustle, and yes,we go still laugh small, because giving up no dey our dictionary.
