NIGERIA AT 62: DEPENDENCE OR INDEPENDENCE

Nigeria At 62: Dependence Or Independence. It's been 62 years since we had colonial masters occupy our territory as controllers. The British took full control in 1914 and established dominance for 46 years till gallant men like Anthony Enahoro, Obafemi Awolowo and other activists demanded for our freedom formally. Before the question of Nigeria's dependence or independence can be properly answered, it is logical to understand the meaning of “independent” and “dependent”. Independence is when an entity is free from outside control and does not need support from any other party before livelihood is attained. While dependence is the exact opposite of independence. In this light, we can rationalize our expectation of an independent country to being self-sufficient and internally coordinated without other countries' influence. Judging by Nigeria's happiness rank in the world according to the Guardian newspaper, Nigeria ranks 118 out of 146 countries in the world. This reflects Nigeria's inability to provide proper livelihood for the majority of its citizens after 62 years of indigenized administration. Nigeria's economy and management has depended so much on foreign countries to the extent that it has an estimated debt profile increase of 658 percent over the past twenty-one years according to a report by Thecable.ng. This tight statics comes with additional subjugation like debt servicing and forceful changes in state matters from the lender. Independent countries do not give into other countries direct or indirect command. Furthermore, a major factor of independence is the ability for the state to have local producers of utility. It is not oblivious that the world is a network that relies on each other at one point or the other. However, the majority of utilities consumed in a country should have functioning local producers. The cruciality of local producers is based on the need to achieve a favorable term of trade and self-sufficiency. Unfortunately, the 62 years old Nigerian independence still struggles with having a balanced term of trade. According to Tradingeconomics.com, From 2000 to 2022 Nigeria has an average term of trade at 99.52. That means the country is on the deficit side of trade. This figure shows that Nigeria has depended more on other countries to provide needed utility within its territory. Another necessary aspect of independence is the way citizens perceive themselves. How well do Nigeria's portray being an independent citizen? Nigerians are well known for imbibing foreign cultures while their culture fades away. Such trend have been traced to inferiority and a colonized mind set. Professor Chinyere Ohiri Aniche, a revered linguist, predicted that Nigerian languages will fade out before 2088. Such prediction expresses the level of inferiority complex amongst Nigerians. In conclusion, although it's been 62 years since the British formally handed over control to Nigerians, We have not gotten to a point of true independence where we can stand alone politically, socially or economically. Until Nigeria inflects from external need and subjugation, we will not be the description of an independent state. Name: Popoola Dolabomi Daniel Level: 100 Reg no: 21239032CA