By Damiete Braide
“Nigeria is a great country,” declared Dr. Olatunbosun Taofeek, Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lagos Chapter. “But like anything with great potential, we face challenges. The question is not whether we will have problems; it’s how we will respond to them.” Taofeek’s words set the tone for a reflective and thought-provoking virtual meeting of Nigerian writers on October 1, 2024, marking the nation’s 64th anniversary of independence.
The meeting, moderated by Taofeek, brought together leading literary figures, including the dramatist, Professor Femi Osofisan; ANA President, Dr. Usman Akanbi; General Secretary, Dr. Dame Joan, and a host of other respected authors. The central theme was Nigeria’s present condition, its triumphs, failures, and the path forward.
Taofeek’s message was one of resilience and determination. He spoke passionately about the need for solutions rather than complaints. “
“I don’t like complaints,” Taofeek echoed. “It is the cheaper way out, an escapist solution for a lazy man, because all he has to do is talk rather than think. Thinking is hard, but it’s the only way forward.” He urged his fellow writers and Nigerians to adopt a mindset of action, to fight for the country’s betterment with passion and commitment.
However, not all participants shared Taofeek’s optimism. Dagga Tolar, a poet and social activist, offered a starkly different perspective. “Whatever can be referred to as excellence in Nigeria has been achieved by the efforts of the people on their own, not the government,” he lamented. For Dagga Tolar, Nigeria’s 64 year history was characterised by failure rather than success.
He pointed to the consistent imposition of neoliberal capitalist policies, from the austerity measures of Shehu Shagari’s regime in the 1980s to the Structural Adjustment Programme of the Babangida years, and the privatisation policies of the Fourth Republic under Obasanjo.
“These policies have not developed the Nigerian economy,” he said bluntly. “They have devalued our currency and worsened the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians.”
Professor Chris Anyokwu took the conversation in a historical direction, focusing on Nigeria’s lack of unity. “Nigeria is a collection of fragments held together in delicate claps,” he explained, referring to the 1914 amalgamation by Lord Lugard, which united disparate ethnic groups, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and others under one political entity.
He recalled Wole Soyinka’s 1960 play, A Dance of the Forests, which warned that Nigeria’s independence was not cause for celebration, as the political elites were not equipped to lead the nation toward progress. “Sixty-four years later, Soyinka’s message rings true,” Anyokwu concluded. “Our best days appear to be behind us.”
For Iquo Diana Abasi, the fundamental problem with Nigeria was governance. “When a fish starts to decay, it starts from the head,” she said, emphasising that Nigeria’s leadership had consistently failed its people.
Professor Hyginus Ekwuazi, addressing the generational divide, acknowledged that the older generation had enjoyed more opportunities than today’s youth. “The argument that the older generation foisted this suffering on the younger ones is sustainable,” he said. But he also pointed out that the younger generation, now socialised within the same corrupt system, was not exempt from blame. “They are part of the mess,” he said. “The fight is theirs now.”