Mehkurydiaries

Nigeria is 66 this year. At 66, a person is called an elder. A nation is still permitted to describe every failure as growing pains. History is a generous landlord. On 1 October 1960, the British flag came down and Nigeria’s flag rose. Political control changed hands. The harder work began: turning sovereignty into capacity. That work remains unfinished. In this year Independence Day address, President Bola Tinubu said the struggle was never merely for a flag or anthem. It carried the promise of opportunity, dignity and a better life. The Constitution is even less poetic. Sovereignty belongs to the people. Their security and welfare are the primary purpose of government. Not a charitable side project. The primary purpose. A country may control its borders while its citizens remain tenants inside it. When families must privately provide electricity, water, security, education, healthcare and sometimes the road leading home, the citizen carries a small government on his back. The...