By Justice Osai Ahiakwo
It is a defining moment that Nigeria’s Independence Day should be more than a commemoration of the end of colonial rule. It should be a moment of bother on the meaning of freedom and on whether the promise of independence is being translated into security, dignity, justice and opportunity for the Nigerian people.
Nigeria is undergoing a clinical surgical operation to reclaim her national image and recalibrate her sense of self-discovery.
The metaphor is deliberate.
Surgery becomes necessary when a condition can no longer be ignored. It requires an honest diagnosis, careful intervention and the courage to remove what is harmful, repair what is damaged and preserve what is healthy.
That is the task before Nigeria.
For many Nigerians, the experience of independence remains burdened by insecurity, economic hardship, unemployment, inequality and the daily struggle to provide basic necessities. Families continue to make sacrifices.
Young Nigerians continue to search for opportunities.
Many citizens work hard yet struggle to see the fruits of their labour.
And still, Nigerians endure.
But resilience should not become an excuse for permanent hardship.
The fundamental question is therefore constitutional: what is the purpose of government if the security and welfare of the people are not at the centre of its responsibilities?
The Constitution provides an important answer. Section 14(2)(a) places sovereignty in the people of Nigeria, from whom government derives its powers and authority, while section 14(2)(b) declares that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. Section 1 establishes the supremacy of the Constitution and makes its provisions binding on all authorities and persons throughout Nigeria.
These provisions give meaning to the relationship between the State and the citizen.
Government is not an end in itself. Public power exists within a constitutional framework and is ultimately exercised in the name of the people.
The Constitution also sets out broader social and economic objectives. Sections 16 and 17 address matters including economic development, equality of opportunity, the dignity of the individual and social justice.
As provisions of the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, they provide constitutional direction for governance, although they do not operate in the same manner as the enforceable fundamental rights contained in Chapter IV
That distinction does not make them unimportant. They form part of the constitutional vision against which the conduct and priorities of government should be understood.
The citizen must remain at the centre of that vision.
Independence should mean the ability to live without fear, pursue a lawful livelihood, educate one’s children, protect one’s property, seek justice and participate meaningfully in the affairs of the country.
The law should not be merely an instrument for regulating citizens. It must also serve as a shield against the unlawful exercise of public power.
Fundamental rights must therefore remain meaningful in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
Section 42, for example, protects citizens against discrimination on specified grounds.
Our diversity should consequently be a basis for inclusion, not exclusion.
Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians.
No citizen should have to apologise for his or her ethnic origin, place of birth, religion or political opinion in order to enjoy the protection of the law.
Constitutional democracy also imposes responsibilities on citizens.
We cannot demand accountability from those in authority while excusing corruption when it serves our personal interests. We cannot demand justice for ourselves while remaining silent when injustice is inflicted upon another.
We cannot expect institutions to function properly while treating public responsibility as somebody else’s concern.
The Constitution provides the framework. Our conduct determines whether that framework becomes a living reality.
At 66, Nigeria does not need another season of grand promises.
What is required is disciplined adherence to the constitutional order.
Government must obey the Constitution.
Public institutions must perform the functions assigned to them by law.
Public officers must remember that political authority is held in trust.
Citizens must know their rights, fulfil their civic responsibilities and insist, peacefully and lawfully, on accountability.
The surgical operation cannot be accomplished by changing personalities alone. It requires attention to the structures, practices and attitudes that have weakened public confidence in government and public institutions.
Where the law is clear, it must be obeyed.
Where institutions are weak, they must be strengthened.
Where public power is abused, lawful accountability must follow. Where citizens’ rights are violated, constitutional and judicial remedies must remain open and effective.
And where government policies impose hardship, their human consequences must not be treated as mere statistics.
The true test of government is ultimately found in the condition of the people.
At 66, Nigeria must move from the language of aspiration to the discipline of constitutional responsibility.
Government must remember that sovereignty belongs to the people.
Let public officers remember that power is a trust, not a private possession.
Institutions remember that no person or authority is above the Constitution and the law.
Citizens must remember that democracy survives when citizens participate, question, demand accountability and obey the law.
And let every Nigerian make a personal commitment to the constitutional values that can hold this country together: justice, equality, dignity, responsibility and respect for the rule of law.
The work before us is not impossible.
It is difficult, but necessary.
The wounds of a nation cannot be healed by denial. They must be confronted. Their causes must be identified. What is harmful must be removed. What is damaged must be repaired. And what is worth preserving must be protected.
That is the meaning of the surgical operation Nigeria now requires.
It must be mere celebration Nigeria’s independence. Let us insist that the freedom it represents must be felt in the daily lives of her citizens.
Let government serve the people..Let the Constitution govern public power. Let institutions answer to the law.
And let citizens take responsibility for defending the Nigeria they want to inherit.
May Nigeria’s freedom become meaningful in the lives of her people, and may the Constitution speak not only through its words, but through the justice, security, dignity and opportunity that every Nigerian has a right to expect from a constitutional democracy.
*Justice Osai Ahiakwo
Legal Practitioner, Constitutional Lawyer & Public Affairs Analyst
