65 Years of Wasted Opportunities ,Time to Mourn, Not to Celebrate, Says Uzuegbu
Chief Ben Chudi Uzuegbu,(SAN)
By Polycarp Ifeanyi, Onitsha
As Nigeria marks its 65th Independence Day anniversary, Chief Ben Chudi Uzuegbu,(SAN) a prominent legal practitioner based in Onitsha, Anambra State, has described the milestone as “65 years of wasted years.”
Speaking to journalists at his chambers in Onitsha, Chief Uzuegbu stated that, in his view, Nigeria’s 65 years of independence have amounted to nothing but wasted time.
Describing Nigeria as a country blessed with abundant human resources, rich raw materials, and vast natural endowments.
Uzuegbu lamented that the nation is nowhere near where it should be.
A member of the prestigious Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Uzuegbu recalled countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, and China nations which, during the 1970s, sent their citizens to Nigeria in search of better opportunities but which have since surpassed Nigeria significantly.
“These countries are not as richly endowed as Nigeria by any comparative measure,” “yet Nigeria has squandered 65 years without achieving anything meaningful.”
“Our leaders have brought the country to a deplorable state. The irony is that even today, the country’s leadership is failing to rise to the occasion. Leadership after leadership, yet the situation worsens daily. It is truly lamentable,” “We Nigerians should be mourning these wasted years. I especially pity our children. I remember my university days when education was almost free, and we were served chicken and eggs in the morning ,nearly free of charge. Our classrooms were comfortable. But today, conditions have deteriorated so badly that the places where our future leaders are trained are like ‘dog’s places,’” Uzuegbu lamented.
According to the legal luminary, no sector of Nigeria’s economy is functioning properly.
He said the economy is in ruins; security is absent, no place in Nigeria is truly safe; electricity supply is unreliable; healthcare delivery is poor; roads are dilapidated; and Nigerians lack freedom in many aspects.
“The roads are terrible. Yet suddenly, a government will announce plans for a coastal highway costing trillions of naira, while the basic roads people use daily remain in disrepair. What we learned in school as the ‘scale of preference’ has been completely ignored. Nigerian leaders only care about awarding contracts and pocketing the money, regardless of whether the roads get completed or serve the people,” he added. “They might award contracts worth ₦3.2 trillion and take about ₦250 million as kickbacks. Completion and service to the public no longer matter to them.”he stated.
Chief Uzuegbu also highlighted the high rate of unemployment and food scarcity that pervades Nigeria, although he emphasized that these hardships do not justify the rise in crime.
“However, I must say that when people are unemployed and hungry, it becomes easy to lure them into criminal activities. Many who would not ordinarily engage in crime may be forced into it by harsh conditions,” he explained.
Chief Uzuegbu who is the Deputy Chancellor of the Diocese on the Niger stated that the form of democracy currently practiced in Nigeria cannot adequately address the country’s multiple challenges.
He declared that the only authentic solution is either a genuine democratic government or a revolution led by the Nigerian people.
