A love letter, a reality check, and a reason to keep showing up

On October 1, 1960, Nigeria raised its own flag for the first time. Sixty-six years later, we're still writing the story.

Today we wear green and white, and we should. Being Nigerian means carrying a big, loud, brilliant identity wherever we go. We're the people behind Afrobeats filling stadiums worldwide, Nollywood telling our stories our way, and a tech scene that turns problems into products. We're the ones who can turn a power cut into a party, a traffic jam into a business opportunity, and a setback into a punchline.

But independence was never meant to be just a flag and a public holiday. Real independence is the freedom to build, to be safe, to be heard, and to thrive without begging for opportunity. On a day like this, it's fair to ask how close we are to that dream. The honest answer is that we've made progress and we still have a long way to go. Both things are true.

Here's what I believe: the Nigeria we want won't be handed to us. It will be built by the young developer writing code at 2am, the trader who opens her shop before sunrise, the student who refuses to give up on an education, and the creator who keeps posting despite the data costs. Nation-building is daily work.

So today, celebrate. Eat the jollof, play the music loud, and call your people. And tomorrow, get back to work on the country you want to see.

Happy Independence Day, Nigeria. 🇳🇬

What are you building for the Nigeria of the next 66 years? Tell me in the comments