Nigeria facing institutional adolescence at 66, says cleric

On Nigeria's 66th Independence Anniversary, a religious leader is urging the nation to engage in serious introspection. Dr. Rasheed Akinbile, the Founder and Spiritual Master of the Caring and Sharing Sufi Centre, asserts that Nigeria has moved past its "oil childhood" and now faces an "institutional adolescence." He emphasizes that the country must look inward and determine the kind of nation it wants to become, rather than relying on past achievements or external factors.

Akinbile highlights three crucial challenges for Nigeria: maintaining peaceful political transitions, ensuring food security, and fostering a unified national identity. He warns that between 60 and 70 years after gaining independence, countries often struggle with institutional challenges where institutions must operate without the emotional connection to independence that earlier generations had.

Nigeria, at 66, is seen as navigating its way through these tests, with the hope of emerging as a "true giant and economy engine of Africa."