As Nigeria marked its 66th Independence Anniversary, the Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, Apostle Johnson Suleman, called for greater accountability from political leaders and urged Nigerians to pursue economic self-reliance.

In his Independence Day message, Suleman reflected on the country’s journey since gaining political independence in 1960, arguing that the aspirations of the nation’s founding fathers extended beyond freedom from colonial rule to economic and productive independence.

He paid tribute to nationalist figures who contributed to Nigeria’s independence struggle, including Chief Anthony Enahoro, who moved the motion for self-government in the Federal House of Representatives in 1953.

According to Suleman, Nigeria’s post-independence development has fallen short of the expectations that accompanied the country’s political freedom.

“When the founding fathers of our great nation Nigeria fought for the nation’s independence, they not only wanted the country to be free politically, they also wanted her to be free economically and productively,” he said.

The cleric argued that Nigeria has struggled to develop sufficient capacity to process its raw materials locally, despite decades of indigenous political leadership.

He said the country should have developed industries capable of turning agricultural and natural resources into finished products, rather than continuing to depend heavily on imported goods.

“Our colonial masters gave governance back to our indigenous leaders with the expectation that we would convert the cornfields to cornflakes, the cotton farms to cloth, and the sugarcane plantations to sugar,” Suleman said.

He described the situation as a gap between political sovereignty and economic independence, arguing that Nigeria continues to export raw resources while importing several finished products.

“Indeed, Nigeria became free politically but bound economically,” he said. “We still have to import everything, well, almost everything, from China, America, India, or Indonesia.”

Suleman also expressed concern over the level of poverty among Nigerians despite the country’s significant natural resources, particularly its oil wealth.

He argued that the challenge was not simply a lack of resources but the failure to convert those resources into broad-based economic opportunities and improved living standards.

“We have so much as a country but have so little to show for it,” he said, adding that Nigerians “should have no business with poverty.”

The OFM leader described Nigeria as a “sleeping giant”, saying the country possesses significant human, industrial and natural-resource potential that remains underutilised.

He attributed part of the problem to what he described as a disconnect between political leadership and the people.

“We have potentials that remain untapped, not because they are hidden, but essentially because we have leadership that is unwilling and that is unconnected to the people,” he said.

Suleman further challenged public officials to remember that political authority is derived from the electorate and should be exercised in the interest of citizens.

“Our leaders act like they chose us, whereas we chose them,” he said.

“They mostly act like they are doing us a favour, not realizing that the power of the people is always greater than the people who are in power.”

He called for greater transparency and accountability in public administration, urging political office holders to focus on fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities rather than treating governance as an act of personal favour.

Suleman also stressed that improving Nigeria’s economic and social conditions would require cooperation among government, civil society, religious organisations and other sections of society.

He, however, maintained that elected officials should take the lead by establishing transparent standards of governance and ensuring that public institutions work for the benefit of the people.