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The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has said Nigeria cannot truly celebrate its 66th Independence Anniversary while millions of citizens continue to struggle with poverty, hunger, unemployment and insecurity.
The human rights activist argued that genuine independence goes beyond freedom from colonial rule, stressing that citizens must also enjoy freedom, dignity, justice and equality.
Sowore made the remarks in a post on X on Thursday, marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
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He noted that although Nigeria gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960, millions of Nigerians were still unable to enjoy the basic benefits and freedoms that independence was meant to guarantee.
“Today, Nigeria marks 66 years since the Union Jack was lowered and our green-white-green flag was raised. But for millions of Nigerians, the fundamental promise of independence, freedom, dignity, prosperity, justice, and equality, remains unfulfilled,” he said.
Sowore argued that Nigeria could not truly celebrate its independence while millions of citizens remained burdened by poverty, hunger, unemployment, insecurity and limited access to basic services.
“We cannot celebrate independence while our people are trapped in poverty, hunger, unemployment, insecurity, darkness, and hopelessness,” he stated.
“We cannot call ourselves truly independent when our children are denied quality education, workers earn wages that cannot sustain their families, hospitals are collapsing, the paltry electricity that exists remains a luxury, and those entrusted with public resources loot with impunity,” he said.
Sowore argued that Nigerians should not be blamed for the country’s persistent challenges, stressing that citizens have continued to demonstrate remarkable hard work, creativity and resilience despite the difficulties they face.
“Nigeria’s problem is not its people. Nigerians are hardworking, creative, resilient, and extraordinarily resourceful,” he said.
“The tragedy is that successive ruling establishments have squandered our enormous human and natural wealth while demanding endless sacrifices from those who have the least,” he added.
Sowore argued that Nigerians deserved more than symbolic celebrations and repeated promises, saying citizens should be able to enjoy equal rights, fairness and what he described as “revolutionary justice.”
The activist said Nigerians deserved a country where workers could earn a living wage, access quality education and healthcare, and enjoy reliable electricity.
“They deserve a country where workers earn a living wage; where education and healthcare are accessible; where electricity works; where young people can build meaningful lives; where farmers can work without fear; and where no Nigerian is arrested, brutalized, or imprisoned simply for challenging those in power,” he stated.
“The task before our generation is not merely to celebrate the independence handed to us in 1960. Our historic duty is to redo it,” he said.
He called for what he described as genuine independence from the forces that continue to hold Nigerians back, including corruption, oppression, poverty, injustice, ethnic manipulation and religious bigotry.
“We must build a Nigeria that is genuinely independent, not just from colonial rule, but from internal colonizers enmeshed in monumental corruption, oppression, poverty, injustice, ethnic manipulation, religious bigotry, divisive politics, and the political establishment that has held our people down for decades,” he said.
He concluded by calling for a Nigeria that serves all citizens, not a privileged section of the population.
Nigeria AT 66: Independence Without Freedom Is Not Independence
Today, Nigeria marks 66 years since the Union Jack was lowered and our green-white-green flag was raised. But for millions of Nigerians, the fundamental promise of independence, freedom, dignity, prosperity,… pic.twitter.com/af5vVKJLpE
— Omoyele Sowore (@sowore) October 1, 2026
