Former National Interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief Bisi Akande shocked guests at a book presentation in his honour when he declared that Nigeria may never celebrate 100th anniversary.
The guests, who were earlier mesmerised by speeches from Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola, his Ondo State counterpart, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu and University of Lagos Vice Chancellor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, were left dumbstruck.
They, however, took solace in Chief Akande’s suggestive ways out.
The mild drama played out on Thursday at the public presentation of the book titled “The Bisi Akande Phenomenon: Governance, Economics and Politics”, at the Jelili Adebisi Omotola Hall C, University of Lagos, Akoka.
Akande identified three factors sabotaging the progress of the nation.
He said they are education, military decree-based laws and religion.
According to him, until all these three are looked at and addressed, Nigeria may not celebrate 100th anniversary.
He recalled how Nigeria was a place to be over five decades ago.
The former governor of Osun State said: “Fifty years ago, Nigeria was most enjoyable; we had freedom of what a true democracy was supposed to be, at least individually, I don’t know about the government then. But today, it appears everybody live in fear.
“I think the phenomenon of the country must be examined around three things. First, our education – It seems to me that Nigeria’s education is colonial. It ended only literacy without numeracy.
“Education of a community that is not science-based can never be technologically based. And a community without technology cannot be industrial and when you are not industrial, you may end up in poverty.
“Secondly, I think our laws are military decree-based and military decree based laws cannot be used to sustain democracy. As long as we remain or we use these military decree based laws, our democracy will never prosper.
“Thirdly, our religions are mostly imported and because of that, we seem neither to be good Christians, nor good Muslims or good atheists.
“We merely live in fear and when there are problems, we have no laboratories to go, we all retire to churches and mosques for vigils.
“A country that remains like this may celebrate 60th anniversary of Independence but may never celebrate 100th anniversary.
“I think until all these three are looked at and addressed, or let me use the word; restructured.
“All these ethnic restructuring, political restructuring and so on, I believe in them but they are not difficult to restructure like the three I told you.”
