Nigeria, My Country!!!

My name is Noble Favor and I am from Nigeria, some of you may know Nigeria and some of you may not. Well, Nigeria is a Country, Yes a Country in Africa!!!

For the past 16 years, I have lived my life in this country always wondering if things will ever change. I may be advancing in years but my country seems to be going backward. I have tried to look at the better aspects of the country but when I do there is always something or someone that destroys it. What made my country this way.

Date: 1851

Location: Lagos State, Nigeria

Lagos had been occupied by British Forces in 1851 and formally annexed by the British in the year 1851.

Date:1901-1963

Location: Nigeria

Nigeria had become a British protectorate in 1901. The period of British rule lasted for 59years (1960). We finally got our Independence in 1960 but are we truly Independent.

 We became a republic in 1963 but succumbed to military rule in 1966 after a bloody coup-d'etat.

Date:1967- 1998

Location: Unknown

A separatist was formed which would be later called "The Republic of Biafra" in 1967 leading to a three-year Civil War and this is after we gained Independence.

Nigeria became a republic once again after a new constitution was written. However, just like in the past military rule was enforced and governed for ten years

A new Republic was made in 1993. but was aborted by General Sani Abacha.  Abacha dies in 1998 and a fourth republic is made was later established the following year, which ended three years of intermittent military rule.

Even after Independence, We never became a nation, as you can see above, we have had four republics after Independence signifying that even though the people have freedom and choice they still choose to fight and kill each other and for what, Wealth, Fame, Power. These things are only temporary, When a man dies you have lost everything, absolutely everything but why do we keep on holding onto things that aren't even real.

Every Human being dreams of being rich, famous, and powerful but when you come to think of it "Is that happiness?"  

So many people do evil and treacherous things just for the sake of being rich and famous not considering how many people they have hurt in the process.

I think everyone should consider what I am saying and ask yourself this question "Would you truly be happy if you had all these things" "What is Happiness to you". 

( Back to my Country)

In 2007, we were lucky to have the best rulers, I think we have ever had in our country and that person is, Umaru Yar'Adua and Vice President GoodLuck Jonathan.

Sadly in November 2009, the country received a deal of bad news when it was revealed that the president suffered from kidney and heart disease. It was sure to happen even though he was a great president he was a man that loved drinking and smoking.

He was immediately flown out of the country to Saudi Arabia for medical attention.

In February 2010, GoodLuck Jonathan his vice took over from him and became the acting president in his absence. In May 2010, the country was taken by surprise by the announcement of Yar' Adua's death. I could remember the sad expression I saw on my mother's face as we watched the news that Wednesday morning. I didn't know what was going on for I was still a child, but I could tell something was wrong even in the classroom the teachers didn't seem to be as happy as usual.

This lack of communication left the new acting President Jonathan with no knowledge of his predecessor's plans. Yar'Adua's Hausa-Fulani background gave him a political base in the northern regions of Nigeria, while Goodluck does not have the same ethnic and religious affiliations. 

This lack of primary ethnic support made Jonathan a target for militaristic overthrow or regional uprisings in the area. This sparked fear in the country as citizens packed their bags expecting another military rule, Parents putting their children in Airplanes and flying them off, Mothers praying and Fathers Protesting.

Goodluck Jonathan called for new elections and stood for re-election in April 2011, which he won. However, his re-election bid in 2015 was truncated with the emergence of former military ruler General Muhammadu Buhari, mainly on his inability to quell the rising insecurity in the country.

General Muhammadu Buhari was declared the winner of the 2015 presidential elections. General Muhammadu Buhari took over the helm of affairs in May 2015 after a peaceful transfer of power from the Jonathan-led administration.

General Muhammad Buhari promised the citizens "CHANGE" but we never really asked ourselves what "CHANGE" he meant. Nigeria has had a bad history of leaders but this man was the one to "CHANGE" Nigeria.

Muhammad Buhari had governed the country once before, In 1983 he overthrew the Second Republic and emerged as the leader of the Supreme Military Council.

When the Buhari coup took place, the Nigerian economy was in a dire state, with unemployment, corruption, and political instability.

The country worsened by the collapse of basic Social Services like hospitals, rural health clinics, and schools. This man indeed caused one of the Worst situations Nigeria had ever been in. 

In 1985, prompted by economic uncertainties and a rising crime rate, the government of Buhari opened the borders (closed since April 1984) with Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon to speed up the expulsion of 700,000 illegal foreigners and illegal migrant workers. 

Buhari is today known for this crisis; there even is a famine in the east of Niger that has been named "El Buhari". His regime drew criticism from many, including Nigeria's first Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka, who, in 2007, wrote a piece called "The Crimes of Buhari" which outlined many of the abuses conducted under his military rule.

I was shocked to see this same man win the 2015 elections just because he promised "Change", He has made me hate that word so much. Ahead of the 2015 general election, Buhari responded to his human rights criticism by saying that if elected, he would follow the rule of law and that there would be access to justice for all Nigerians and respect for fundamental human rights of Nigerians. 

In 2011, The elections were marred by widespread sectarian violence, which claimed the lives of 800 people across the country, as Buhari's supporters attacked Christian settlements in the country's central region. The three-day uprising was blamed in part on Buhari's inflammatory comments. 

Despite assurances from Human Rights Watch, which had judged the elections "among the fairest in Nigeria's history", Buhari claimed that the vote was flawed and warned that "If what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood". What a man!!!!!!

Buhari remained a "folk hero" to some for his vocal opposition to corruption. He won 12,214,853 votes, coming in second to Jonathan, who polled 22,495,187 votes and was declared the winner in 2015.

DATE: 2015-PRESENT DAY

LOCATION:NIGERIA

In the first four years of his presidency, the economy had averaged a growth rate of 0.9% since the administration's first term, unemployment was at an all-time high of 23%, and millions entered poverty. Since 2015, Buhari had lost supporters due to his perceived un-energetic personality and contemplative decision making.

In Buhari's first year in office, Nigeria suffered a decline in commodity prices which triggered an economic recession. To source funds to close shortfall in revenue and fund an expansionary capital budget, Buhari traveled to 20 countries seeking loans. Thereby, expansionary budget allocation to finance infrastructure was pushed back to a further date.

In the first year of the administration, Naira, the currency of Nigeria depreciated in the black market leading to a gulf between the official exchange rate and the black-market rate. A resulting shortage in foreign exchange hit various businesses including petroleum marketers. 

However, the gulf between the official rates and the black market rates opened up the opportunity for well connected individuals to engage in arbitrage, making a mockery of the president's anti-corruption image. 

In May, 2016, the government announced a rise in the official pump price of petroleum to curtail shortfall in the commodity as a result of foreign exchange shortages.

In 2016, the country's economy declined by 1.6% and in 2017 per capital economic growth is projected to be negligible. Buhari's first tenure as head of state coincided with a decline in oil prices similar to his second stint but his administration has not shown dedicated effort to diversify sources of government spending. The 2018 budget signaled an expansionary fiscal policy with funds dedicated to infrastructural projects such as strategic roads, bridges and power plants. 

soure: Wikipedia

Security Issues:

Niger Delta

Nigeria has the second-largest reserves of crude oil in Africa, reserves largely found in the Niger Delta region of the country. Years of oil production have resulted negative impact on farming and fishery by oil spillage. 

The government initiated Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) to help clean up Ogoniland while other state governors within the region want a similar setup. 

HYPREP was initiated in 2005 but has been slow to commence remediation works in Ogoniland.

Nonetheless, there are still intermittent attacks on oil facilities by groups such as the Niger Delta Avengers. This has significantly affected oil production leading to cuts in exports and government revenue. The Avengers are waging conflict for greater economic and political autonomy.

BOKO HARAM

Since 2015, the fight against the extremists has taken a new dimension, internally the groups have splintered into the traditional Boko Haram sect controlled by Abubakar Shekau and The Islamic State in West Africa Province controlled by Abu Musab al-Barnawi. Other groups supported by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb such as Ansaru, who were driven from Mali due to the French-led Operation Serval have surfaced and co-operated with Boko Haram despite being its rival. This was mostly out of necessity, as the two factions could not risk to weaken themselves by fighting each other. In February 2020, over two hundred and fifty Ansaru members were killed in a police raid in Birnin Gwari.

In October 2016, the government negotiated a deal with the terrorist group, Boko Haram which secured the release of 21 CHIBOK GIRLS.

 By December 2016, the government had recovered much of the territories previously held by Boko Haram and after the capture of Sambisa Forest.  

Buhari announced that Boko Haram has been technically defeated. The insurgency displaced about 2 million people from their homes and the recapture of the towns now present humanitarian challenges in health, education and nutrition. On 6 May 2017, 

Buhari's government secured a further release of 82 out of 276 girls kidnapped in 2014, in exchange of five Boko Haram leaders. On 7 May 2017, President Buhari met with the 82 released Chibok girls, before departing to London, UK, for a follow up treatment for an undisclosed illness.

Shekau committed suicide after his grouping was encircled by ISWAP rivals in May 2021. In the following months, hundreds of "repentant" terrorists surrendered to the government, many likely loyal to Shekau.

Source: Wikipedia

Herdsmen Violence

Over 250,000 thousand Villagers have fallen victim to the violence of the herdsmen or the Fulani people all for the sake of Cattle Rearing. I ask myself why would you kill innocent people just because you want to use their land to feed your cattles.

Ever Since the Herdsmen arrived, The Buhari Adminstration had done absolutely nothing to compensate for the lives lost and this is because he also is Fulani from birth.

The administration's effort to solve the conflict led to the National Livestock Transformation Plan to modernize cattle grazing and stabilize the Middle Belt region. 

In 2017, RUGA, an acronym for "Rural Grazing Area" but also a word meaning "settlement" in Fulani was a proposed solution that came from deliberations of the transformation plan. RUGA was to set aside grazing areas for herders as they migrate south, however, many Southern states opposed any involuntary acquisition of land for RUGA and the plan was suspended as usual.

END SARS PROTEST:

On October 2020, protest against the increase in police brutality was held by the youths of the country in Lagos and other cities in Nigeria.

On 12 October, a day after demonstrators declared their demands Buhari announced the disbandment of SARS and promised "extensive police reforms". Since independence in 1960, the Nigerian Police Force has been at the forefront of tackling organized crime in Nigeria with the recent spate of banditry, cultism, drug trafficking, fraud and kidnapping drastically affecting its personnel capacity, leaving a vacuum for SARS members to exploit and commit extrajudicial killings.

On 13 October Mohammed Adamu the Inspector General of Police announced the creation of a new unit the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) to take over the duties of SARS. This move did not satisfy most demonstrators, who expected a substantial overhaul of the police structure. 

On 14 October, the demonstrations continued with at least ten protestors being killed, and violent clashes occurring between pro-SARS and anti-SARS protesters with the elite Presidential Guard Brigade intervening in the federal capital. "They say they are meant to protect us but all I saw were dead bodies of innocent civilians on the road and blood on the pavement as I walked through the streets of Lagos"

Closing Remarks

Ever since our Independence Nigeria has never truly seen freedom and that is why I sometimes ask myself, "What is Freedom" is it the ability to do anything you want or the state of not being enslaved or imprisoned"

To me, my country is still bound by past forces and was never released until we join forces and become one. There are currently 371 tribes in Nigeria, this has posed a problem as there is rise in Tribalism, Nepotism, and Favoritism. This has been the major problem in Nigeria ever since Independence.

"Oh how I wish the British never colonized us and put all this tribes together" whether it was their plan or not I believe it is up to the Citizens to choose whether they move forward or keep going backwards because recent reports say the Nigerian economy in the past 7 years has regressed drastically causing a major reduction in economic stability. 

This is a country I have lived in for 16 years, I may be advancing in years but it isn't. God Bless Nigeria!!!!