Delta Students Express Pride, Demand Real Change as Nigeria Marks Independence

As Nigeria approaches another Independence Anniversary, students in Delta State have voiced a blend of national pride and profound frustration over the country’s persistent challenges, demanding urgent reforms to secure their future.

The students noted that the annual Independence rituals feel hollow amidst worsening infrastructure, bad roads, unemployment, insecurity, and a future for youth that remains largely unattainable.

Anna Chinenye Ibonye, a 13-year-old aspiring medical doctor or musician from Women Affairs Secondary School, Asaba, stated that being Nigerian is a source of pride, but she appealed to the government to tackle fundamental issues.

“My expectation to actualise my dreams is for the government to stop corruption and kidnapping, and provide adequate security for everyone, particularly in schools against kidnapping of students,” she said, also emphasizing the need for better school infrastructure and road networks.

Ojaka Joy, a 16-year-old Senior Secondary School (SSS 1) student at Zappa Secondary School, Asaba, who hopes to become a nurse, proudly described Nigeria as blessed with abundant mineral and human resources and a strategic location in Africa.

However, she lamented that the failures of the nation’s leaders are “killing my dreams,” given the widespread suffering. “I’m not happy about the way the country is today. People are suffering in the midst of abundant resources,” Joy said.

She called on the government to urgently support students and the poor to overcome the current economic hardship.

The collective voices of the Delta students underscore the expectations of young Nigerians who remain hopeful but demand immediate action to ensure the nation’s vast potential is fulfilled.