The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore, has said Nigeria cannot be considered truly independent while millions of Nigerians remain trapped in poverty, insecurity, unemployment and other hardships.
In a message marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary, Sowore said the promise of freedom, dignity, prosperity, justice and equality remained unfulfilled for many Nigerians.
“We cannot celebrate independence while our people are trapped in poverty, hunger, unemployment, insecurity, darkness and hopelessness,” he said.
Sowore said Nigerians deserved more than Independence Day ceremonies, speeches and promises, insisting that workers should earn living wages while education, healthcare and electricity should be accessible to citizens.
He also criticised successive governments for allegedly wasting the country’s human and natural resources while Nigerians continue to bear the burden of economic hardship.
According to him, farmers should be able to work without fear, while citizens should not be arrested, brutalised or imprisoned simply for challenging those in power.
Sowore said the task before Nigerians was not only to celebrate the independence gained in 1960 but also to build a country free from corruption, oppression, injustice, ethnic manipulation and religious bigotry.
“The task before our generation is not merely to celebrate the independence handed to us in 1960. Our historic duty is to redo it,” he said.
He added that the struggle for a truly independent Nigeria continues.