On October 1, Nigeria celebrated her 63rd year as a sovereign state, since gaining independence from Britain in 1960. But the word ‘celebrate’ is used loosely as most Nigerians barely commemorated the anniversary, with many only grateful for the leisure afforded by the public holiday and nothing more. This apathy is understandable; Independence Day presents an opportunity to take stock of the country’s progress from year to year, and the results of such an assessment are never flattering. At last year’s Independence Day, a dollar was exchanged at 723 naira unofficially, a record high and a distressing situation for an import-dependent nation like Nigeria. This year, a dollar was exchanged for 984 naira.
You don’t really need statistical data to appreciate our economic woes, as merely observing the ever-rising cost of living would leave you with enough cynicism. The general elections in March offered, as all elections do, the opportunity for a change of guard that could have enacted new policies to turn the country’s fortunes around. Those hopes, however, were dashed as the elections were mired in nationwide violence and widespread allegations of rigging. Nigeria is also facing an economic crisis. In many parts of the nation, people live in fear of kidnappers and our own police force. Unemployment rates are high, with KPMG forecasting that it will hit 41% before the year ends.
As the country takes a downturn, the year-to-year sentiments about Independence Day continue to wane. Once, citizens would assemble in stadiums in their respective states, decked in the country’s national colors to participate in merry activities like march pasts, while others at home tuned in to the live celebration that often featured displays by the country’s military academies and the Nigerian Air Force. Now these displays do not attract the attention of most Nigerians. Celebration of Independence Day is now ironically limited to the Nigerian diaspora, whose views of the country are not tainted by the experience of actually living in it.
Amid the country’s economic woes and the consequent downshift in national pride, one sector remains untouched by the general trend of decline—our music. It has become a resilient and flourishing entity, like a sturdy plant thriving in seemingly infertile soil.
While our music may only have gotten its time in the sun in the past decade, the creatives that laid the groundwork for this current boom came from long before then. It is why Rema’s speech at the MTV Video Music Award was so poignant. The Mavin signee received the plaque for the inaugural “Best Afrobeats Song” category for Calm Down with Selena Gomez, and after extolling God, his fans and his co-creator, he took a moment to recognize and celebrate forerunners in Nigerian music—Fela Kuti, 2Baba, Don Jazzy, D’Banj, D’prince, Runtown, Timaya, Wizkid, Burna Boy. His list was not exhaustive, as would be the list of any person who attempts to rattle off the country’s music heroes in one sitting, but it captured the essence of continuity and progress.
Today, the new vanguard of Nigerian artists is making their mark in ways that will undoubtedly be celebrated in the same breath as these names in the future. After Wizkid’s feature on Drake’s One Dance became Spotify’s most streamed song of all time in 2016, Davido’s Fall released in 2017 became the first song by an African artist to be certified gold in the US, Burna Boy became them in international success with 2018’s Ye, which went on to be certified Gold in both the UK and the US markets—three wins by three men in three years that unlocked the door for Nigeria’s global ascent.
Songs like Wizkid and Tems’ Essence, Burna Boy’s Last Last, and Rema’s Calm Down have built on this in more recent years, gaining certifications that make their predecessors pale in comparison.CKay’s Love Nwantiti, Fireboy’s Peru, Omah Lay’s Attention, Oxlade’s Ku Lo Sa, Pheelz, and BNXN’s Finesse have also become global anthems. These songs have paved the way for monumental concerts, like Wizkid selling out the O2 Arena three times, Burna Boy’s iconic performance at Madison Square Garden, and Asake’s impressive headline at the O2 Arena barely two years after his breakout.
The global impact of Nigerian music is further emphasized by events like Afronation—an Afrobeats-themed music festival that ships African, especially Nigerian acts, to international stages, so the pipeline that connects young artists in Nigeria to world fame is more potent than ever. Our music has given this country a significant external makeover so that our infamy as a corrupt failing state and a breeding ground for cyber-swindlers has begun to give way to other more positive notions.
As we mark another year of Nigeria’s independence amid so many trials, we fix our eyes on something that has become a balm to Nigeria’s failings. And we give thanks to the people who deserve it, who continue to strive to do with their own pockets what our paid leaders have failed to do. They are giving us a good name, a reason to hold our heads a little higher, and a reason to look up at our country’s flag with pride.