CurrentReport Blog Former Senator Shehu Sani has shed light on why former non-African British colonies have excelled, while Nigeria continues to struggle with nation-building. In a post on his official X handle on Tuesday, marking Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary, Sani addressed the lingering issue of colonialism and Nigeria’s inability to move past it.
Drawing comparisons between Nigeria’s colonization by the British and similar experiences in other parts of the world, Sani noted that while non-African British colonies have learned to embrace their diversity and focus on building for the future, Nigeria is still stuck blaming Lord Lugard for uniting the country.
He stated, “The British forcefully brought us together to form what is now called Nigeria. But that was exactly what the French, Portuguese, Belgians, and the Spanish did in other African countries. That was also what the colonialists did in the Americas and many Asian states.”
Sani went further to highlight how countries like the US and Canada, also products of British, French, and Spanish colonialism, have progressed by accepting their diversity and working towards nation-building, despite challenges of nationhood.
“The difference between them and us is that they are not stuck in blaming their own colonial masters or the condition of their births. They have learned to make use of their diversity and build their country for the future,” he tweeted.
