Nigeria is a promising nation with lots of potentials and talents. Electing the right leaders who are compassionate about its citizens may restore the glory Nigeria has always been known for.

October 1st, 2022 was another day to celebrate Nigeria, it’s the 62 Independence anniversary. The anniversary is to assess how far we have come, where we are, and where we ought to be as a nation.

On this edition of signals on Lagos talks 91.3fm which fell on October 1st, the Independence Day celebration, our host, Adewunmi Oshodi – Tapa turned the microphone to Nigerians to air their views on the show.

She asked callers to share the possibilities of growing together as a nation, their expectations from the country and also share reasons for celebrating Independence.

Nigerians called in on the programme to share their thoughts about their beloved country.

Emmanuel was the first caller from Surulere, he said the independence is worth celebrating because Nigerians are a force to reckon with in different spheres of the world and the country has also produced people of great calibre and also He mentions that Nigerians still thrive despite not having the backing of the government. On the contrary, Emmanuel said insecurity, poor economy, healthcare, power and lack of social amenities are obvious reasons why the independence isn’t worth celebrating.

Ross Ideh berated the neglect of the education sector, especially the strike actions which has left the fate of the supposed future leaders hanging.

A message that came in from WhatsApp says “there is nothing to be proud of concerning this abnormal Nigeria, the country has been divided and shattered to pieces.”

Sam from Mushin, narrated how he saw some children matching with the Nigerian flag he shook his head in pity not knowing his children were part. He rated the country’s Light, security, water, and amenities as zero, he claimed not to have benefitted anything from the country in his 40 years of existence. He said people praying for Nigeria are not adding faith to their prayers.

Tony from Apapa, said Nigeria itself needs to reflect just like we do an appraisal on our birthdays, so has to know how far and way forward. He believes Nigeria has more resources to be greater than the advanced countries. He said Nigeria can only be great if we do things right with positive mind and without blaming the President or Politicians.

Peter from Shomolu said that the Independence day has become just a tradition while the country is not truly independent because many still travel to other countries for aid in search of better means of livelihood. He referred to this as the new form of colonization.

Another message from WhatsApp said, “Nigerians have no business being poor, God has given us everything but greedy politicians won’t allow advising that we let go of the abnormalities handed over to us by colonial masters.”

What started out as callers expressing their minds about the country turned out to be a call for a change of name from Independence Day to National day.

It started with Taiwo Oyebanjo from Idimu, who said it is better to say national day than independence. He took a comical jab at the eagle on the national symbol comparing him to the eagle used by America for pictorial representation of strength. He said the country has also rejected the old national anthem which laid more emphasis on uniting in our differences and was proudly professed by all.

He said people are no longer selfless and hardworking like before and politicians are greedy, embezzling and squandering the nation’s wealth. He called on all Nigerians to work hard and make Nigeria great.

Alex still has hope in Nigeria because it was created by God. He urged Nigerians to learn from mistakes, come together as like minds for positive change and vote right in 2023.

Victor believes God is at work in Nigeria that is why we are still together. He said in the past Nigerians used to celebrate, but now people hardly celebrate. He is optimistic that the country will attain its independence by the 2023 elections.

Sharing the same line of thought as Taiwo was Andrew from Lagos who feels that the term National Day can create more binding for Nigerians. He said Nigeria was on a good course till the politicians turned the nation upside down. He is proud to be a Nigerian and believes God sent him to Nigeria out of love. He said the current situation requires collective responsibility and not about the government or politicians. Nigeria will be great again if only we can work together in selfless ambition and goal. We have the best brains and the best resources; we need to do the right thing at any point.

In his contribution, Kayode said Nigerians haven’t changed in producing bad leaders. They blame the system but still misbehave when they go to other countries. He is of the opinion that there is nothing wrong with the system in Nigeria but the people in it.

Our host suggested that we start having leadership classes from primary school because everyone keeps talking about change but normalize bad attitude.

Nigeria is blessed, we all need to come together to have a country where no man is oppressed in making sure we have a country that works. If we agree to stay in Nigeria, then we must harness its potentials and make the best out of it.