Editorial By Dr. S.B Adams
In every Independence Day speech, every national anthem sung in stadiums, and every trending hashtag that rallies citizens around a moment of national pride, one message is always pushed: love your country. But how do you love a nation that rarely shows love in return? How do you pledge loyalty to a system that gives more burdens than opportunities? In Nigeria today, patriotism feels like a one-way street, citizens are expected to sacrifice everything for their country, while the country struggles to fulfill even the basics of its social contract.
We tell young people to “believe in Nigeria''. At the same time, the brightest minds are forcefully exported by ‘Japa’ not out of disloyalty, but self-preservation. We ask families to endure hardship “for the sake of the nation”. At the same time, their children sit at home during endless strikes or drop out due to rising school fees. We preach resilience to those who queue for hours for fuel in an oil-producing nation. The call for patriotism is loud, but the benefits are silent.
So the real question is not, "Why aren’t Nigerians patriotic?" It is: Why hasn't Nigeria earned their patriotism?
Patriotism Is Earned Through Dignity and Deliverables
Across the world, nations that enjoy high levels of patriotism did not achieve it through emotional blackmail. They earned it by providing:
(i) Quality education
(ii) Affordable healthcare
(iii) Personal safety and security
(iv) Decent wages and job opportunities
(vi) Reliable infrastructure
(vii) Fairness and justice
These are not privileges. They are rights that build loyalty. When people feel protected, valued, and seen by their country, patriotism becomes effortless - even natural.
In Nigeria, however, citizens often build their lives despite the system, not because of it. They drill their own boreholes, fund their own electricity with generators and solar, secure their homes with private vigilantes, and crowdfund medical bills. The struggle to survive becomes personal; therefore, national pride becomes optional.
The Paradox of Demanding Loyalty While Neglecting Welfare
We tell Nigerians: Be patriotic. Pay your taxes. Love your country.
But many ask: What exactly are we buying with our patriotism?
(i) A system where insecurity keeps farmers away from farms?
(ii) Where policy flips crush businesses overnight?
(iii) Where public servants become richer while the public becomes poorer?
(iv) Where corruption is rewarded and merit is punished?
Real patriotism cannot flourish in a system that makes the loyal suffer and the exploiters prosper.
Like any relationship, love must be mutual.
The Human Cost of a Country That Doesn’t Give Back
Behind every headline, there are real people:
(i) The unemployed graduate with good honours, riding keke to survive
(ii) The teacher whose salary cannot feed the family she educates
(iii) The doctor saving lives by day and job-hunting abroad by night
(iv) The farmer afraid to return to his land due to bandits
(v) The young entrepreneur crushed by taxes, inflation, and inconsistent policies
These are the reasons patriotism is bleeding.
Nigeria’s greatest resource is not oil, it is its people. And yet, people are the most neglected pillar of nation-building.
Where Patriotism Goes to Die: Broken Promises
Government after government promises: Better life. Security. Prosperity. Opportunities.
What citizens feel instead is:
(i) Inflation at record highs
(ii) Cost of living rising faster than wages
(iii) Healthcare and education slipping out of reach
(iv) Power supply still unreliable after decades of reforms
(v) Security that still depends on prayers
How do you love a country that seems indifferent to your well-being?
When public trust collapses, patriotism follows.
The New Nationalism: Nigerians Love Nigeria, But Expect Better
Here is the irony: Nigerians actually love Nigeria. The culture, the music, the humour, and the resilience- unmatched. Naija spirit is global. What citizens no longer love is the governance experience.
They want a Nigeria worth defending:
(a) A Nigeria that rewards hard work, not connection
(b) A Nigeria where justice is not sold to the highest bidder
(c) A Nigeria that protects dreams, not kills them
(d) A Nigeria where the only barrier is laziness, not the system
Patriotism thrives when people feel they belong and they matter.
How Nigeria Can Earn the Loyalty It Demands
If Nigeria wants unwavering patriotism, it must:
#1. Invest in People First
Education, healthcare, and job creation must stop being slogans and become guaranteed rights.
#2. Make Security a Social Priority
Citizens cannot love a country they are afraid to live in.
#3. Let Merit Lead
Reward excellence and innovation, not godfatherism.
#4. Reduce the Cost of Survival
Strong currency, stable economy, lower taxes for struggling families and SMEs.
#5. Practice What It Preaches
Leadership must show patriotism in actions, not speeches, lead by example, not instruction.
When the benefits of citizenship are visible, patriotism becomes unstoppable.
Love is a Two-Way Street
Nigerians are not asking for luxury, just dignity. Not privilege, just fairness. Not miracles, just governance.
Patriotism is not a debt owed to the state; it is a reciprocal outcome.
Before citizens can proudly say: I will die for my country.
The country must first prove: We will live for our people.
Nigeria must love its people first, sincerely, visibly, and consistently.
Only then will the love return.
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