Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has said Nigerians deserve more than ceremonies, speeches and promises as the country marks its 66th Independence Anniversary.
Nigeria is celebrating 66 years of independence from British colonial rule on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
The Federal Government declared the day a public holiday to commemorate the anniversary.
In his Independence Day message, Sowore argued that political independence had not translated into the freedom, dignity, prosperity and justice Nigerians were promised.
‘Independence without freedom is not independence’
Sowore titled his message, “Nigeria AT 66: Independence Without Freedom Is Not Independence,” and said millions of Nigerians continue to face poverty, hunger, unemployment, insecurity and other challenges.
He said, “We cannot celebrate independence while our people are trapped in poverty, hunger, unemployment, insecurity, darkness, and hopelessness.”
According to him, the country cannot be described as truly independent when children lack access to quality education, workers struggle on inadequate wages, healthcare facilities deteriorate and electricity remains unreliable.
He also criticised the handling of public resources, alleging that those entrusted with managing the country’s wealth have continued to loot public funds with impunity.
‘Nigeria’s problem is not its people’
Sowore said Nigerians themselves were not responsible for the country’s challenges, describing them as hardworking, creative, resilient and resourceful.
He blamed what he described as successive ruling establishments for failing to properly utilise Nigeria’s human and natural resources while placing the burden of sacrifice on ordinary citizens.
“At 66, Nigerians deserve more than ceremonies, speeches, flags, and further empty promises. They deserve equal rights and revolutionary justice,” he said.
He listed living wages, accessible education and healthcare, reliable electricity, improved opportunities for young people and safer conditions for farmers among the changes he said Nigerians deserve.
Calls for a ‘genuinely independent’ Nigeria
Sowore also called for an end to what he described as internal forms of domination, including corruption, oppression, poverty, injustice, ethnic manipulation and religious bigotry.
He said the country’s independence struggle should not be viewed as having ended with the lowering of the Union Jack in 1960.
“The task before our generation is not merely to celebrate the independence handed to us in 1960. Our historic duty is to redo it,” Sowore said.
He added that Nigeria should be built to serve all citizens rather than what he described as a privileged few.
“The struggle for a truly independent Nigeria continues,” he concluded.
Sowore’s remarks came as President Bola Tinubu also delivered his Independence Day address on Thursday, with the Federal Government marking the anniversary under the theme “From Reforms to Stability: Consolidating Nigeria’s Renewed Hope for Shared Prosperity.”
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
