A social rights activist, Comrade Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu, has dismissed claims by some political leaders that Nigeria is making progress at 65 years of independence, describing such assertions as “deceitful and defeatist.” Ukegbu, a former Secretary of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Abia State branch, made the remarks while reacting to statements from political figures during Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary celebrations.“
Any claims that Nigeria is making progress should undergo serious psychiatric examination,” he said. “What’s the basis of such unfounded judgment? Is it a healthcare system operating at its lowest ebb, or the recurrent insecurity that refuses to abate, reincarnating like the character ‘Abiku’ in Wole Soyinka’s poem?”
The activist challenged proponents of such claims to provide tangible evidence of progress, stressing that rhetoric without substance only serves to mislead the public.He further criticized political leaders for engaging in what he termed “useless rhetoric” designed to divert attention from pressing national challenges.
Ukegbu blamed the plight of the Nigerian masses on what he described as the docility and gullibility of citizens, noting that the failure to question authority or build strong accountability platforms has enabled leaders to “hold the people hostage.”
