Growing up Nigerian

Growing up Nigerian may not make sense to anyone that did not grow up in Nigeria, but I decided to go back memory lane especially since today 1^st October 2020 is Nigeria 60^th Independence Day.

A little bit of history here for people who do not understand why or what we are celebrating. If you grew up in any of the commonwealth nations such as India, Pakistan, Ghana, Jamaica etc you will understand why as Nigerians we celebrate Independence Day.

Nigeria 60 years ago was a colony of the British empire from around 1901 to 1960. Nigeria before colonization by the British had its rich history which dates to the early 700 -1100s’ with great civilizations such as the Borno, Oyo and Benin Empire.

As a nation we boast of great female and male leaders and warriors such as King Jaja of Opodo, Queen Amina of the Hausa Kingdom, Oduduwa of the Oyo Empire, Queen Idia of Benin Kingdom, Queen Moremi, Usman Dan Fodio, the list is endless, but what was common about all these great Nigerians was their determination for their voice to be heard, the ability to raise up even when they were down and their determination never to give up even when faced with hardship and sometimes defeat.

All these great men and women are no more, but generations still know about them or their stories can be researched and read about. History has not erased their impact and the difference they made in their generation. Growing up Nigerian I learnt about being proud of my rich heritage, to appreciate the diverse culture and strive to make an impact within my world just like the leaders and warriors of the past.

Nigeria may be made up of over 200+ tribes but what makes us stand out anywhere in the world is our boldness. We may be faced with the worst situation, but we always find a solution, it may not always be smooth sailing, but we are a strong and determined people.

Growing up as a child in Nigeria it was a place of freedom which I do not take for granted. I grew up happy and content, I was surrounded and loved by my family and friends. Most household operated an open house policy where everyone was welcomed, integrity was key, hard work was always rewarded. We dreamt big and achieved greatness.

I grew up believing I can be anything I want to be irrespective of my class, race, or gender. Even as a country with two major religions – Christianity and Islam, we lived in relative peace and mutual respect of each other differences and belief.

Like everything in life there will always be the tough stories and Nigeria has had its share of this, but today I chose to remember the good memories of growing up Nigeria, where my name or face did not matter in the scale of things as long as I am willing to stand for what I believe. I grew up believing that if I live my life with ethics and common respect for my fellow person then I am impacting my nation positively and making the world a better place for the future generation.

Therefore, as Nigeria continues to evolves as a country and do its best to retain its status as the giant of Africa, I join with every Nigerian both aboard and at home to say we have come far as a nation these 60 years. There is still much work to be done, but as much as we have history, let us also endeavour to make new tangible, viable and sustainable memories for the present and future generations.

Let us not lose our identity as a people, may we always remain proudly Nigerian despite the negatively we face, may we pass on our rich culture to our children, may we remember the good memories and history to give us the motivation to still make a difference within our little space and may we always have a positive memory of growing up Nigerian.

Thank you for walking down memory lane with me 😊until next time, wishing all the Nigerians in the house a Happy 60^th Independence Day, let us continue to shine brightly the greatness of being Nigerian (All photos courtesy of the world wide web).