Which Way Nigeria at 66?
The 66-year journey of the world’s most populous Black nation reads like a mixed bag of success, failures, missed opportunities and sometimes contradictions. How has Nigeria fared as a nation since October 1, 1960? What are the prospects of Africa’s most populous nation? THISDAY LAWYER sought the views of Lawyers, on the constitutional and governance record of the last 66 years, the state of the nation, and what must change
As Nigerians, We must take our destiny in our hands –
Olisa Agbakoba, SAN
Nigeria is faced with extremely existential challenges. Insecurity is rife. Affordability is a massive issue. People confront poverty on a grand scale, yet, I feel we can be better than this. As we come to another election cycle it will be absolutely important that voters understand and decide how we can come out of this dire situation. I have carefully followed the presidential candidates as they campaign up and down the country for our votes. My advice will be to vote for the candidate who demonstrates a clear vision of the challenges. That candidate who can convince Nigerians that he has the transformational agenda to solve many big issues around national unity constitutional reform job creation economic turnaround etc is the one to go for!!! I will strongly advise that, we resist selling our votes to support whoever can push Nigeria forward. It’s as simple as that. I believe it is time we take our destiny into our hands to make Nigeria the great country it can be.
Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, former NBA President
Nigeria Must Strengthen Institutions and Improve Security – Tunde Olowu, SAN
Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has achieved some progress in democratic governance, law, and economic development, but, these gains have often been undermined by corruption, insecurity, weak institutions, and policy inconsistencies. While important advances have been made in sectors such as banking, telecommunications, and technology, significant challenges remain in ensuring justice, security, economic opportunity, and effective governance. Going forward, strengthening institutions, improving security, diversifying the economy, and promoting accountable leadership, will be critical to Nigeria’s future development.
Tunde Olowu, SAN, Managing Partner, Aelex Law Firm
I See a Greater and Better Nigeria Ahead – Paulyn Abhulimen- Okpalefe, SAN
Today, I celebrate Nigeria with a heart filled with love, gratitude and hope. Since 1960, our beloved country has experienced triumphs, trials and many turning points. We have made progress, but we also know that the journey has not been easy. From the rule of law and our economy, to security/insecurity and development, there is still much work to be done.
I remain ho because I believe deeply in the Nigerian spirit. I see it in the resilience of our people, the creativity of our young men and women, the sacrifices of families, and the determination of ordinary Nigerians who continue to build, work and dream, despite the challenges. For me, loving Nigeria means believing in her possibilities and having the courage to contribute to her progress, while praying for true and genuine revival of our hearts/souls. In other words, our renewed awakening, restoration, and deepening of a personal relationship with God from the inside out.
My prayer for Nigeria is that Almighty God in His endless mercies will heal our wounds, restore our hope, strengthen our leaders with wisdom and integrity, and give our people peace, justice, security and prosperity. May He protect every Nigerian, bless the work of our hands, unite us beyond tribe, religion and region, and guide us towards a nation where every child can dream, every citizen can live with dignity, and every generation can be proud to call Nigeria home. May God continue to bless, preserve and prosper our beloved Nigeria.
Happy Independence Anniversary to our beloved Nigeria! May God heal our land and make Nigeria great again.
Paulyn O. Abhulimen- Okpalefe, SAN, MCIARB (UK), Notary Public of FRN & the State of Georgia, USA
Nigeria Must have Unwavering Commitment to the Rule of Law, Judicial Independence and Accountable Government – Richard Ayodele Akintunde, SAN
66 years after independence, Nigeria’s journey reflects both the strength of our people, and the distance between our national promise and everyday reality. From 1960 to 2026, our legal system, economy and democratic institutions have evolved considerably, but persistent insecurity, economic hardship and weaknesses in governance, continue to constrain development. The task before us, is to ensure that our laws and institutions deliver justice, protect lives and create opportunities. The true measure of nationhood lies in the security, dignity and prosperity enjoyed by its citizens.
The way forward begins with an unwavering commitment to the rule of law, judicial independence and accountable government. A productive economy requires predictable regulation, consistent policies, reliable infrastructure and the timely resolution of commercial disputes. Our security framework must also become more responsive to local realities, with stronger intelligence, coordination and accountability, so that communities and businesses can thrive. These priorities are closely connected: investment needs confidence, confidence depends on functioning institutions, and lasting development requires both justice and security.
As we mark this anniversary, I remain confident in the ingenuity and enterprise of the Nigerian people. However, national renewal requires deliberate choices, sustained beyond electoral cycles, to strengthen institutions, invest in education and healthcare, and make public service answerable to the public. Leadership must earn trust through fairness, transparency and measurable results, while citizens must insist on accountability. With that shared commitment, Nigeria can translate its considerable resources and human talent into enduring prosperity, and give future generations greater reason to celebrate.
Richard Ayodele Akintunde, SAN, Lagos
Nigeria at 66: Crossroads and the Way Forward – David Oreoluwa Ati-John
At 66, Nigeria’s story is also a story of the development of its legal system. From independence in 1960 to the present, our courts, statutes and legal institutions have evolved alongside the country itself. Constitutional development, commercial legislation, human rights jurisprudence, electoral law, criminal justice reform and the increasing use of technology in the administration of justice all demonstrate that Nigerian law is not static. It continues to respond to the changing realities of our society. There is, however, a continuing need to ensure that the law remains accessible, predictable and capable of supporting economic activity, while protecting rights and maintaining public confidence in our institutions.
The future of Nigeria’s development will depend, in considerable measure, on the strength of the rule of law. A growing economy requires enforceable contracts; investment requires confidence in property and commercial rights; technological development requires appropriate regulation; and a just society requires institutions capable of protecting the rights of citizens. The legal profession and the Judiciary therefore, have an important role beyond the determination of individual disputes. They are participants, in the continuing development of the Nigerian State. Recent reforms across different areas of law show that progress is possible, and there is reason to be optimistic about what a more responsive and modern legal framework can achieve.
Going forward, however, we must be careful about the direction in which the law develops. Reform should not merely produce more legislation; it should produce clearer, more effective and more accessible law. New technologies, artificial intelligence, emerging commercial practices, security challenges and changing social realities, will present questions for which existing legal frameworks may not always provide adequate answers.
Nigeria therefore, needs a legal system that is willing to evolve, but equally careful to preserve constitutionalism, due process, institutional independence and fundamental rights. At 66, the task is not simply to look back at how far the law has come, but to consciously shape the legal foundations upon which the next generation of Nigeria will be built.
David Oreoluwa Ati-John, Secretary, NBA, Eti-Osa Branch
At 66, Needs Obedience to Rule of Law by Government – Anthony George Ikoli, SAN
Nigeria at 66 is a classic dystopian nightmare, where the forms of democracy exist without its defining substance constituting its core and constituting element.
From 1960 to 2026, we have moved from a people freely choosing our leaders to leaders choosing themselves, and our Courts consecrating these democratic oddities, with the ballot box as mere formality. The primary sovereignty of the citizen as elector guaranteed under Section 14(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitutional prescriptions that “sovereignty belongs to the people”, has been effectively usurped and ceded to that institution, which is by constitutional order as envisaged by the founding fathers, designed for functions otherwise than that. Elections and electoral outcomes are, by and large, no longer determined at the polling units, but at the Tribunals and Supreme Court, where technicalities triumph over actual numbers, and the Judiciary, now over-burdened with political cases has bewilderingly become almost our de-facto electoral college.
When the Courts determine who governs more than the voter does, the rule of law no longer protects democracy, it effectively subverts it by unwitting replacement.
The second contradiction is economic and not being a trained economist, I venture this view not with conscious aplomb, but rather with trepidation; what our trained economists call growth without development, or corresponding visible reflection in the appearance and apparent circumstances of the people.
Our GDP rebasing, debt to GDP ratios and stock market capitalisation paint an impressive picture of a burgeoning $400billion economy, yet, the average Nigerian household is more pauperised in 2026 than in 1960. We celebrate impressive statistics, while 133 million of our fellow citizens are multidimensionally poor, because the economy rewards rent, not production; connection, not competence. It is pauperisation by default (because unlike in times past, the announcement of the policy by near diktat, had no accompanying safety nets) – the removal of the pernicious subsidy, but without safety net, hollowed out our people; floating exchange rate without cognisable industrial base, and tax reforms without productivity. The State, now a true leviathan, extracts more from the citizen than it returns in service, and I dare say, that is the classic or textbook definition of a predatory economy.
The third and most dangerous, is the security/law nexus. We appropriate humongous resources, trillions in defence budgets, security votes, military hardware, yet, we are in reality now presiding over a low-intensity internecine war covering almost the entire country: from the publicised banditry in the North- West, insurgency in the North-East, separatist agitation in the South-East, oil militancy and piracy in the South-South, and of course, not forgetting kidnapping, which is now the most vibrant and thriving cottage industry in our country. This paradox exists, because force cannot substitute for justice. The near collapse of the fundamental rule of law disobedience to court orders from the FHC and High Courts of the States to the Supreme Court, weaponisation of Police for civil matters, pre-trial detention as punishment – has regrettably caused an atrophy of both the economy and security. No investor trusts a country where contracts are unenforceable, and no citizen respects a State that does not obey its own courts. Until, we restore court as the sanctuary of the common man, not the sanctuary of the powerful, neither our economy nor our security, will recover.
Respectfully, nothing in the foregone “conclusions” is original and I may not, just because a worthy colleague has afforded me a credible platform, fulminate or ventilate endlessly without offering or at least attempting to prescribe (itself not original) a way forward: let’s return sovereignty to the voter through credible, transparent elections (2027, uploading and on my mind) that reduce judicial determination, return economy to production through rule-based governance, and return security to justice by making obedience to law, the first duty of government itself. Nothing else is demanded, by the harrowing realities of these times.
Anthony George-Ikoli, SAN, former Attorney-General of Bayelsa State
Let’s be Optimistic at 66 – Jean Chiazor-Anishere, SAN
From 1960 to 2026, Nigeria’s story is one of resilience, immense potential and unfinished promise. We have made progress in democracy, education, technology and professional development, but political instability, weak institutions, economic dependence on oil and insecurity, have slowed our development.
Law and Economy: Nigeria needs clear, predictable and modern laws, stronger institutions, faster justice and less regulatory duplication. Economically, we must diversify beyond oil, strengthen manufacturing, agriculture, technology and the blue economy, while improving infrastructure, power supply, ports and human capital.
Security: Nigeria must adopt stronger intelligence-led policing, secure its borders and maritime domain, improve inter-agency cooperation and strengthen community engagement. Ultimately, strong laws, a productive economy and effective security must work together to build the Nigeria we envisioned at Independence.
Jean Chiazor-Anishere, SAN, Lagos
Corruption is Our Major Challenge as a Country – Chief Philp Umeh, SAN
Our beloved Country, Nigeria is a great nation, with immense potentials for growth and prosperity. However, from 1960 to date corruption, tribalism and cronyism, have continued to grow, up to the point of choking our growth and prosperity as a nation.
y suggestion is that we need to vote massively in 2027 for progressive candidates, that can usher a new Nigeria. Therefore, we must vote without ethnic sentiments, and for persons who are competent, honest, educated and healthy, at all levels, to move the nation forward.
Chief Philip Ndubuisi Umeh, SAN/Bencher
President Tinubu’s Independence Day Address is Optimistic –
Okechukwu Nwaguma
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Independence Day address presented an optimistic picture of Nigeria’s economic trajectory, but, the real test of economic progress is whether improving statistics translate into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians. For millions of citizens struggling with the cost of food, transportation, housing, healthcare and education, macroeconomic gains have meaning only when they improve purchasing power and household welfare. Nigerians who have borne the burden of difficult reforms deserve transparent accounting of the savings and additional revenues generated, and clear evidence that these resources are being invested in social protection, jobs, healthcare, education and productive infrastructure. Sacrifice must also be matched by government restraint, accountability and a visible reduction in waste and the cost of governance.
Security remains equally fundamental. Kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and other forms of violent crime continue to threaten lives, livelihoods, farming and economic activity, while allegations of arbitrary arrests, torture, prolonged detention, extortion and other abuses by law-enforcement personnel persist. Nigerians must be protected both from criminals and from unlawful conduct by agents of the State. Police reform, accountability, effective civilian oversight and implementation of the safeguards contained in the Police Act 2020 must therefore, remain national priorities. Economic reform cannot deliver sustainable prosperity without security, respect for human rights, strong institutions and the rule of law.
As Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections, credible elections must also become a central test of governance. Security agencies must remain professional, impartial and politically neutral; INEC’s independence must be respected; and political violence, intimidation, vote-buying and attacks on opposition activities must be investigated and prosecuted, irrespective of political affiliation.
President Tinubu, as both President and an interested political actor in the approaching electoral process, bears a particular responsibility to ensure that State institutions and public resources, are not improperly deployed for partisan advantage. Ultimately, Nigeria’s progress will be judged, not principally by speeches or economic statistics, but by whether citizens can afford basic necessities, live and work without fear, hold public officials accountable, and freely determine through credible elections who governs them.
Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC)
Youth Must be Given Reason to Look Forward With Confidence – Ken Ahia, SAN
As Nigeria turns 66, I can speak from personal experience only from the 1970s; my knowledge of the 1960s comes from other people’s accounts. Growing up in Asa, now in Ukwa West, I delighted in watching white visitors tow their boats to Azumini Blue River on weekends, without Police escorts. Argungu, Yankari, Jos and Obudu were celebrated tourist destinations. During my national service in the then Gongola State, I travelled freely to Mambilla, Gembu, Mayo Belwa, Hong and Mubi. I recall leaving Yola at 5 pm, to join friends at a party in Kaduna that night. Those memories speak to the security and confidence we once enjoyed.
In law, the judgements of Justices Nnaemeka Agu, Kayode Eso, Oputa, Uwais and Idigbe were a delight, while advocates such as Gani Fawehinmi, Alao Aka Bashorun, G.O.K. Ajayi and Kehinde Sofola held sway. Their courageous challenges to military actions and decrees produced memorable legal battles. I often wonder whether the law was better served in those days of resistance, than under our democratic dispensation, where the courts are busier than ever, but public confidence is more fragile. Democracy should deepen judicial independence, protect rights and strengthen respect for the law.
Economically, I recall the Naira being accepted for purchases on Liverpool Street in London, and university classmates travelling there for vacation jobs. I doubt that return tickets cost as much as ₦200 then. These memories make today’s difficulties, particularly sobering.
Our way forward must restore security, strengthen justice and build an economy that rewards production and makes decent living affordable. Development should revive tourism, improve infrastructure and widen opportunities. At 66, Nigeria must give its young people reasons to look forward with the confidence, with which some of us look back.
Ken Ahia, SAN
Significant Growth, So Far -Victoria Tokolo
As Nigeria marks 66 years of independence, concerns over the country’s economic dependence, productivity and development, have remained central to assessments of its progress since 1960. It is seen that Nigeria has recorded significant quantitative growth, with more universities, schools, professionals, States and infrastructure than it had at independence, but the country has not achieved corresponding qualitative development.
It is also seen very well that Nigeria still depends heavily on imports of food, machinery, vehicles and other goods, which help decrease domestic production that is necessary to strengthen the Naira and reduce economic vulnerability.
Victoria Tokolo, Media Practitioner, Lagos
Nigeria at 66: Beyond Survival Towards a Just Republic -Prof Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, OON, SAN
At 66, Nigeria remains a striking story of survival. It has endured civil war, decades of military rule and repeated economic shocks. But, survival is not progress. Nigeria’s defining failure is not a shortage of talent or resources; it is the weakness of institutions charged with converting both into security, opportunity and public good. Leadership recruitment remains compromised, accountability is treated as optional, and democratic power is too rarely exercised with the persistence national renewal demands.
Law and Constitutional Order
Nigeria’s constitutional history, is one of promise repeatedly interrupted. The 1966 coups dismantled the Federal balance of the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions, and military centralism still shapes the 1999 Constitution. The Judciary has often defended constitutional boundaries. Lakanmi, Inakoju v Adeleke, Amaechi v INEC and AG Federation v AG Abia & Ors (2024) affirm due process, electoral integrity and limits on executive power. Yet, judgements cannot sustain constitutional government, when compliance is discretionary.
Economy
At independence, agriculture financed national ambition. The oil boom replaced production with dependence and trapped Nigeria in cycles of windfall, waste and painful adjustment. From structural adjustment to recession, subsidy removal and exchange-rate unification, reform has reached citizens first as hardship and only later, if ever, as hope. Inflation, a weakened Naira and rising poverty, expose the price of delayed diversification. A country that imports what it can produce and struggles to feed its people, has surrendered too much economic sovereignty.
Security
Section 14(2)(b) makes security and welfare the primary purpose of government. Yet, fear has become a daily tax on citizenship. Insurgency, banditry, mass abductions, farmer–herder conflict, oil theft, separatist violence and kidnapping are not isolated crises; they expose a State stretched beyond its present design. A single Police structure under Section 214, cannot adequately secure a vast Federation. Properly regulated State policing is now urgent, alongside fiscal federalism and safeguards against political abuse.
Development
Socio-economic rights remain promises without remedies because Chapter II is non-justiciable. The ECOWAS Court’s decision in SERAP v Nigeria & UBEC (2010) opened a route for enforcing the right to education, through international law. Still, millions of children remain outside school, while families bear crushing health costs despite the Child’s Rights Act, the UBE Act and the National Health Act. Rights proclaimed, but neither funded nor enforced, become instruments of public betrayal.
The Way Forward
First, restore institutional authority: enforce Supreme Court judgements, rebalance the Exclusive Legislative List, guarantee local government autonomy and establish accountable State Police. Modernise justice through digital courts, firm trial timelines, adequate funding, and zero tolerance for corruption.
Second, rebuild productive capacity by fixing power and investing in agriculture, solid minerals, manufacturing and digital services, while protecting those carrying the burden of reform.
Third, fund basic education and primary healthcare, and make core Chapter II rights justiciable. Finally, place inclusion at the centre of justice. Women confronting violence, children denied learning, and persons with disabilities excluded from civic life, cannot remain footnotes to national progress.
Nigeria first. People first. Justice first. These cannot remain slogans.
A Judge must treat a poor woman or man, the same as a powerful one. That people-centred justice is assured. It means that a widow gets her rightful inheritance, from her deceased husband’s estate. Nigeria first, means considering children’s best interests.
Leadership must reject corruption, entitlement and the empty theatre of office. National renewal begins when power is treated not as personal reward, but as solemn public trust. Our politicians and leaders are too selfish, and far from demonstrating that.
Conclusion
Nigeria at 66 is neither a failed State, nor a fulfilled promise. The diagnosis fills our laws, commission reports and court judgements. What is missing is disciplined implementation. If the next decade is devoted to strong institutions, equal justice, genuine security and human dignity, the promise of 1960 can still become the inheritance of generations yet unborn.
Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, SAN, OON, Life Bencher
Nigeria Can do Better -Prince (Dr) Richard Oma Ahonaruogho, SAN
Nigeria @ 66
I was privileged to see a video clip of Chief Obafemi Awolowo at the 1958 London Conference, at Lancaster House, where he called upon Her Majesty’s Government to set the target date for Nigeria’s Independence as 2nd April, 1960, but to which Her Majesty’s Government, through the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Alan Lennox-Boyd, settled for 1st October, 1960, as the target date for Nigeria’s Independence. I was not born at the time of the Lancaster House 1958 Conference, held from 29th September 1958 to 27th October 1958, nor at the time of Nigeria’s Independence on 1st October, 1960!
I, however, came to life some ten (10) months later, on 27th July, 1961, after my mother, Mrs Josephine Ahonaruogho, had said “yes” (after initial foot-dragging) to my father, Mr. Jeremiah Olu Oma Ahonaruogho, at the Independence Day Dance at the Railway Recreation Club, Kano on 1st October, 1960!
The above introduction is appropriate, as it demonstrates my personal connection to Nigeria’s Independence, and the joy and hope it held for her people.
Space would not permit me to delve into whether the joy and hope at Independence have been fulfilled for her people, but, by and large, Nigeria has fared well, though it could have done much better.
There is a need for our political leaders to apologise to Nigerians for the very many missed opportunities as a nation, and to pledge to henceforth, work most assiduously for the greater good of Nigeria and Nigerians. The apology is not an indictment of the present political leadership per se, but a recognition that much more could have been achieved to bring the joy and hope of a better and greater Nigeria to Nigerians, by our leaders from 1960 to date.
Happy Independence Day, Nigeria and Nigerians. We deserve to be joyous!
Prince (Dr) Richard Oma Ahonaruogho, SAN
