Nigeria at 66: Sanwo-Olu Reflects on Nation’s Journey

Nigeria at 66: Sanwo-Olu Reflects on Nation’s Journey

says nation's ability to survive challenges a testament to citizens' resilence

By Our Reporter

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reflected on Nigeria’s 66-year journey, saying that the country’s ability to survive war, military rule, economic hardship and political upheavals remains a testament to the resilience of its people.

Governor Sanwo-Olu made this remark on Thursday, while speaking at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, during the state’s celebration of Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.

The celebration featured a colourful Independence Day parade by the Nigeria Police Force, paramilitary agencies and students, while the Governor Sanwo-Olu took the salute. The ceremony also featured the cutting of the Independence Anniversary cake.

For Sanwo-Olu, the choice of venue carried particular historical significance as he quickly recalled that just a short distance from the arena, the Union Jack was lowered at midnight on October 1, 1960, while the Nigerian flag was raised to mark the country’s independence.

“Sixty-six years ago tonight, a few hundred metres from here, the flag came down.

“At the stroke of midnight, in the eyes of the world on this city, the Union Jack was lowered for the last time, and the green-white-green went up for the first time,” he said.

Reflecting on the thousands of ordinary Lagosians who gathered to witness the historic moment, Sanwo-Olu said independence was not simply the achievement of political leaders but belonged to the people.

“In Nigeria, it did not begin at the top. Nigeria began with ordinary people who decided on a night like this one, and they stood to begin,” he said.

The governor said the significance of Nigeria’s 66th anniversary should be viewed in the context of the country’s difficult journey, including the civil war and decades of military rule.

He noted, however, that Nigeria had remained one country and had now recorded 27 uninterrupted years of constitutional democracy,  the longest stretch of civilian rule in the country’s history.

“Here we are, 66 years, one country, one flag,” he said.

Governor Sanwo-Olu acknowledged that recent economic reforms had imposed significant hardship on Nigerians, saying the rising cost of food, transportation and other necessities had affected households across Lagos.

“I’ve asked a great deal of ordinary families. The price of a bag of rice, the price of a bus to work, every household in Lagos has felt it, and I’ve felt it," he said, adding that the focus should now be on ensuring that the benefits of economic reforms translate into improved living standards for Nigerians.

Turning to Lagos, Sanwo-Olu described the state as a microcosm of Nigeria, where people from virtually every part of the country live, work and pursue their aspirations.

“Lagos does not succeed in spite of Nigeria, and Nigeria does not succeed without Lagos,” he declared.

Sanwo-Olu also used the occasion to highlight his administration’s investments in transportation, healthcare, education and digital governance, citing the Blue and Red rail lines, road and bridge projects, healthcare infrastructure and the expansion of tertiary institutions.

The governor credited Lagos residents for the achievements recorded by his administration, saying government could not take sole credit for the state’s progress.

“I did not build these things, Lagosians built them with me.

“With your taxes, your patience, your complaints, your holding us to account, the governor’s name fades on the plaque, but what remains is the people,” he stated.

As he approaches the end of his tenure, Sanwo-Olu said his priority was to leave behind institutions that would continue to function beyond the tenure of any individual governor.

The governor identified youth development and democratic participation as critical to Nigeria’s future, noting the significant contributions of young Lagosians to the country’s creative, technology and entrepreneurial sectors.

On the 2027 General Elections, Governor Sanwo-Olu declared his support for the All Progressives Congress (APC), calling on Lagos residents to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term and Dr Kadir Obafemi Hamzat as his preferred successor as Lagos Governor.

Sanwo-Olu, while urging voters to participate peacefully and exercise their franchise.in the coming polls, said Lagos had recorded peaceful transfers of power since the return of democracy in 1999, describing the record as one of the state’s most important democratic legacies.

“Vote peaceably, vote in your numbers, vote with your eyes open,” he said.

As the ceremony drew to a close, the governor returned to the symbolism of the Nigerian flag, which he said had remained flying despite the country’s difficult history.

“Sixty-six years after, those flags are still flying through war, through hardship, through long nights of trial, through every prophecy of collapse that clever people have written about this country since 1960,” he said.

“The flag has never come down,” he declared.

Sanwo-Olu urged Nigerians, particularly the younger generation, to protect the country’s unity and build on the legacy handed down by previous generations, adding: “It is not our hour to retire, it is our hour to build."

The governor also paid tribute to the officers, men and women of the security and paramilitary services who participated in the parade, as well as the schoolchildren who represented the next generation.

“To the school children in this arena who’ll see the 100th anniversary, this is your inheritance. Guard it, protect it, improve on it, and hand it to your own next generation,” Sanwo-Olu said.

The event brought together government officials, traditional rulers, security agencies, students, members of the diplomatic community and other residents to commemorate Nigeria’s 66 years of Independence.