Happy 100 Birthday Nigeria: Here is why we are celebrating

WHY WE ARE CELEBRATING - http://fmi.gov.ng/c/nigeria-centenary/

The Centenary celebration will present an opportunity for us to count our blessings as a nation, celebrate our dexterity and resilience as a people, and resolve to launch into the next century with renewed determination, hope and expectations. Accordingly, we must make bold to advance the following reasons as why we must celebrate:

1. This is 100 years of a cohesive nation that is rich in human resources, uncommon biodiversity, diverse cultural offerings and economic opportunities that few countries can boast;

2. The Centenary celebrations offer us a unique opportunity to affirm the obvious truth that Nigeria is not a historical accident, rather “the product of a long and mature consideration”;

3. Our Unity symbolizes our common destiny, continued existence and development; it is also the basis for our rising global profile
;
4. Our country is the largest black nation, the 7th most populous country in the World, and the most diverse collection of languages
under one sovereign territory in Africa;

5. The social tensions of our national evolution only made us more united as a people, with the aggregation of human and material resources that has enabled us play historically significant roles in world affairs;

6. Nigeria has made very consequential contributions to the decolonization of Africa and to post-independence global peace operations;

7. The size of our domestic market, our human resources and awesome capacity for transformation is the basis for the prediction that our economy is on track to becoming the largest in the continent in the next decade;

8. It is also because of our size and awesome transformational capacity that, in a little over ten years, Nigeria now has over 100 million active cell phone lines and the largest Internet traffic in Africa both of which are having a monumental impact on our national integration, social relations and economic productivity;

9. Nigeria has over 24 million pupils in primary schools, over 6 million in secondary schools and over one million in tertiary institutions.1This figure of 31 million of Nigeria’s school population is larger than the population of several countries. While this does not represent 100% enrolment at these levels but taken together they represent major investments in human capacity development;

10. Nigeria has over 100 million literate people. 2Nigeria’s literate population is larger than the national population of many countries, and represents a major national accomplishment worthy of celebration that cannot be undone by the habitual focus exclusively on the problems of the education sector;

11. As a cultural melting pot, Nigeria has embarked on a major process of global cultural expansion with consequences that were simply unimaginable at Amalgamation. This cultural expansion in the entertainment industry – with specific reference to the Nigerian home video film industry commonly known as Nollywood – is monumental in its significance. This film industry took off in the early 1990s and in less than 15 years, as attested to by UNESCO, have grown to become the second or third largest home video film industries in the world;

12. Very importantly, these Nigerian movies represent the first time in world history that Africans are telling the story of Africa by Africans from Africa;

13. Our rich biodiversity, with its varied flora and fauna, allows Nigerians to make significant scientific research breakthroughs in various spheres of human endeavor. The formulation of pharmacologically-certified herbal medicines for the management of sickle cell anemia, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, prostate and reproductive health, etc. only confirm our capacity for using human intelligence to make the best of our natural endowments;

14. Why can’t we celebrate that spirit that builds great nations and civilizations – the unfailing optimism and resilience of Nigerians who remain proud of our National Identity and strive daily to rediscover that special spirit that enables us to triumph over every adversity as a people?

In summary, the Nigerian story is one of admirable and remarkable progress. Nigeria’s 100th birthday provides a wonderful opportunity for all Nigerians to proudly celebrate and share in the nation’s story of freedom, achievements and aspirations. Nowhere, and no time, can history achieve total justice. The question is how to make the best of the present.

And the first step is to get the history right. Since January 1, 1914, the effort to move Nigeria to a higher realm of unity and progress is the common thread that links the story of Nigeria’s nationalist movement, our founding fathers, and later generations of leaders and all of us together. We are blessed with a vibrant population and our democracy is maturing. We must therefore remain together to enjoy the benefits of our unity.