Nigeria At 66: From Euphoria To Anxiety – Nationhood, Governance And Citizenship
The Oasis Reporters
October 1, 2026
By Professor Kenneth Azaigba
Happy independence day Nigeria. You are now 66. Wonderful! It feels great.
If you were a man, you would have been old enough to be a grandfather, but you are tired enough to ask: What have I done with my life?
In 1960, we danced. In 2026, we worry. How did we move from euphoria to anxiety? This is the story of our nationhood, our governance, and our citizenship.
By 1960, much euphoria rented the air. In fact, hope was a national anthem. I was not born in 1960, but History tells us.
October 1, 1960 was not just the day of independence. It was resurrection. After 100 years of British conquest and humiliation, the flag of the oppressor went down, green-white-green went up.
Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa heaved a sigh of relief: “This is a wonderful day. We are now masters of our own destiny.”
What made euphoria possible?
Obviously, it was the promise of Nationhood. Over 250 ethnic groups dreamt of one country. Azikiwe spoke of Nigeria as divine experiment, Ahmadu Bello spoke of unity in diversity, Awolowo spoke of federalism as path to greatness.
We believed Africans governing Africa would be different – just, efficient, incorruptible To be Nigerian in 1960 was pride. The Passport meant dignity. Nnamdi Azikiwe in London, Jaja Anucha in Lagos – all felt they now belonged to a great country that would lead Africa. Chinua Achebe recounts it; “The Nigerian nation in 1960 was like a child full of promise, everybody wanted to carry it.”
Euphoria was real, because expectation was real. 66 years later, euphoria is gone. What we have is anxiety – anxiety over the rising cost of living, youth unemployment, insecurity, middle class with a ‘japa’ (exit) ticket. You name it.
Why?
Because three foundations – nationhood, governance, citizenship – cracked. We have a State but do we have a nation? A State is:a territory and government. A nation is a feeling of belonging. We seem to have replaced nation-building with power-sharing.
Instead of creating Nigerians, we created quota system, federal character, indigene vs settler, North vs South. Indeed, the civil war (1967-70) wounded nationhood. We never truly healed it. We declared “No Victor, No Vanquished” but never really reconciled.
Today, a child in Dutsin-Ma feels Hausa-Fulani before being a Nigerian. A child in Onitsha feels Igbo before being Nigerian. A child in Ijebu feels Yoruba before being Nigerian. And a child in Benue feels Tiv or Idoma before being a Nigerian. That is, ‘State without nation’. Yusufu Bala Usman laments; “The Nigerian ruling class manipulates ethnicity to hide class exploitation.”
Nationhood fails when people fight for the sharing of the national cake, not baking it.
On the governance plane, we appear to have moved from developmentalism to predatorism. From 1960-65, governance meant development. Regions built universities (Nsukka 1960, Ife 1961, Zaria 1962), industries, farm settlements. Competition was to develop. But after the oil boom of 1973, governance became the sharing of rent.
First Republic: Governance was about erecting structures.
Military era: Governance became about control – decrees, centralization, killing federalism.
Since 1999: Governance is about election, not performance.
The net result as facts indicate is Nigeria at 66 is richer than in 1960 but more miserable. Oil brought $800 billion since 1970, yet poverty rose from 15% in 1960 to over 63% multidimensional today.
Why? Because governance became extraction, not service. The budget for the National Assembly is bigger than the budget for 10 universities combined. Governance cost kills governance results. This is why Claude Ake is spot on; “In Nigeria, the state is not a public institution but a private instrument of accumulation for those who capture it.”
At 66, Nigerians no longer ask “What will the government do for us?” They ask “What will the government do to us this time?” Subsidy is gone. What will go next? That is anxiety.
We have transited from being active citizens to suffering subjects. In 1960, citizenship meant participation. People joined parties, unions, and debated in town halls. Today, citizenship means survival. How to survive fuel price? How to survive bandits? How to survive school fees? We have turned citizens to subjects. A hungry man does not vote conscience, he votes stomach.
Section 14(2b) says welfare and security is the purpose of the government. When citizens cannot sleep in Zamfara, farm in Benue, travel in Imo, citizenship becomes mere paperwork.
True citizenship is when a Nigerian passport gives you pride, not suspicion at the airport.
THE ROAD TO 70: CAN ANXIETY BECOME HOPE AGAIN?
History is not destiny. Nigeria can still be a nation at 70, but we must do three things Usman and Achebe would have demanded:
a) Re-build Nationhood from Bottom: Stop lying about unity.
b) Re-structure Governance for Production: Go back to federalism that rewards production, not sharing. The state that produces should benefit. Cut the cost of governance. Make public office less attractive for thieves.
c) Re-activate Citizenship: Citizens must move from WhatsApp complaint to organized demand. Public history, press, unions must hold power accountable.
Nigeria at 66 is like a man in midlife crisis. He has failed many dreams, but still has time to correct them. According to Obafemi Awolowo; “Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. I think it can become a nation if we work for it.”
Euphoria died because we thought independence was arrival. It was the only departure. Anxiety will die only when we make nationhood real, governance service, and citizenship active. Otherwise, at 70, we will not be discussing euphoria to anxiety. We will discuss anxiety. And history will not forgive us.
Fellow Countrymen, let’s keep hope alive, work for Nigeria, pray for repentant leaders.
Kenneth Azaigba is a professor of
History & Strategic Studies, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State.
