The Nigerian Government has declared Friday October 1, 2021, public holiday, to mark the Nation’s 61st Independence Anniversary Celebration.
Declaring the public holiday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Shuaib Belgore, said that the challenges the nation is facing would soon become a thing of the past.
The declaration of public holiday to mark Nigeria’s independence came at a time the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, reiterated that there is nothing for Nigerians to celebrate as Nigeria clocks 61 and describing the nation’s National Assembly as a toothless bulldog and a failure.
According to him, it was regrettable that at 61, the nation was still grappling with leadership challenges, adding that it was unthinkable that hatred, mediocrity, religious and ethnicity intolerance are about to wipe out the nation out of the surface of the earth.
His words, “At 61, Nigeria is far removed from being a country that can compete favourably with other countries of the world, given its abundant resources. We cannot do the right things. At a time when other countries are talking about transparent elections, we are talking about how to rig elections in 2023, as can be seen in the rejection of electronic transmission of results”.
Further describing the legislators as disappointing, who have woefully failed to qualitatively represent Nigerians, Wike said, “The legislature approves anything brought to it from the presidency, especially on borrowing. The lawmakers can’t even ask questions about the money we are borrowing and where they are being applied. The judiciary and the courts have been intimidated. The judges have abandoned their responsibilities out of fear and because of the fear of being summoned at night, they don’t say anything, even when they see something wrong”.
