On the occasion of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary, the Right Reverend Professor Dapo Asaju, Anglican Bishop of Ilesha Diocese and Church of Nigeria Bishop Theologian, delivered a strong critique of the Nigeria’s progress, dismissing official optimism by government as a detachment from reality.
Speaking during Now Streaming, a morning show on ACNN TV, Bishop Asaju declared that after 65 years, the country is not evolving but regressing, stating flatly, “A fool at 65 is a fool indeed.”
The Bishop rejected the government’s self-assessment of economic growth, calling official GDP figures and claims of progress the “languages of the elite” that fail to reflect the true situation on the ground.
“We know where we are, we know where we were,” Asaju stated, pointing out that Nigeria, a nation once better off than Dubai, Singapore, and Malaysia at independence has now been surpassed by them all. He lamented the total collapse of essential services.
He noted that the majority of Nigerians are forced to provide their own essentials—food, housing, electricity, and water—a clear sign that the system has failed and the “government is non-functional.”
He recalled the “good old days” when electricity was constant, and infrastructure like roads and railways were reliable, contrasting that with the current state of decay.
Bishop Asaju attributed the nation’s failure to unchecked corruption and political impunity, arguing that the system is leading the country toward anarchy. He warned that the current climate, where politicians steal money “anyhow” and operate “above the law,” mirrors the conditions that scuttled Nigeria’s First Republic.
He stressed the need for extreme caution to avoid the fate of neighbouring countries like Mali, which have recently succumbed to military takeovers. “Be careful, Mali has gone, Burkina Faso has gone, even Guinea has gone. We don’t want to go that way. We must salvage our economy today,” he said.
“Let’s not praise ourselves, we are going backwards instead of forward. I am not being pessimistic; this is the reality on the ground.”
Addressing the persistent insecurity challenges, Bishop Asaju called the government’s claims of defeating terror a lie, he asserted that the crisis is compounded by deep-seated corruption within the military establishment, where terror sponsors are influential and equipment is compromised.
“We are vulnerable because the system has collapsed. Even Generals pay ransom, what do you expect the ordinary people to do. We need to redesign the whole architecture of Nigeria.”
To combat the chaos, he proposed a nationwide defense strategy, “the NYSC program should be modified and allow our young graduates to receive at least three months of military training and another three months of skill acquisition,” he said, citing systems in countries like Israel.
