Building a nation is never a smooth road. It requires patience, vision, and the determination to bring together people of different cultures, histories, and expectations under one common identity. For Nigeria, that journey has been filled with both hope and hardship.
Dr. Austin Orette, reflecting on Nigeria’s past and future, argues that the real foundation of a united and progressive country lies not in the military, but in the rule of law and democratic institutions.
Lessons from Other Nations
Orette notes that countries like India and China, despite their vast ethnic and religious divisions, rose to greatness because they resisted the temptation of allowing military takeovers. Their persistence in protecting civilian rule helped them build stability and institutions strong enough to withstand crises.
Nigeria, on the other hand, spent more than five decades under military rule. Those years, Orette describes, were “the years of the locust,” when mistrust was deepened, ethnic rivalries hardened, and the idea of the rule of law was trampled under decrees.
The Problem of Military-Induced Mentality
Even today, some Nigerians still look to the military for solutions in times of national distress. Orette calls this attitude Military-Induced Mental Retardation (MIMR) — a mindset that prevents people from embracing democratic problem-solving.
“No soldier can develop any nation. Nigeria is a testament to that foolery,” he writes, warning that looking backward to military interventions is both infantile and dangerous.
Where the Legal System Fails
Perhaps the most serious impact of military years is on Nigeria’s legal system. Orette laments that lawyers and judges have not risen to their true roles as defenders of citizens’ rights.
Despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of movement, Nigerians are harassed daily by security agents on highways. Governors seize or destroy properties without compensation. Soldiers raid villages, sometimes leaving destruction and death in their wake, yet no cases are brought on behalf of the victims.
“Our courts harbor judges who suffocate justice under their robes,” Orette argues, stressing that many judges still operate as though they were bound by military decrees of the past.
This failure of the legal profession, he says, weakens democracy and leaves ordinary Nigerians unprotected.
Building Tomorrow’s Nigeria
The way forward, Orette believes, is not in revolutionary shortcuts but in evolutionary progress—step by step, building institutions that outlast individuals. Good leaders and bad leaders will come and go, but the strength of a nation lies in the durability of its laws and institutions.
If Nigeria strengthens the rule of law, ethnic and religious tensions will soften, because every citizen will know that justice does not depend on tribe or religion.
“Tomorrow is not a destination; it is a state of our being,” Orette reflects. “The futuristic tomorrow may never come, but our collective struggles will build monuments that last beyond our time.”
A Call to Endurance and Hope
For Orette, the Nigerian journey is not just about correcting the mistakes of the past. It is about committing to a future where truth, justice, and fairness guide national life. It is about building frameworks that will protect generations yet unborn.
“The nation we dream of should always be a continuous journey for those who believe in tomorrow,” he concludes. “That is the tomorrow we seek — a place where our dreams will never die.”
