In my essay I tried to trace the history of the nation since independence (Oct. 1, 1960) with emphasis on the effects of military system of governance. Nigeria as a nation has witnessed out of her nearly 38 years of existence, 30 years of military rule.
Presently the country is still governed by soldiers. As a young man, I have never had the opportunity of exercising my civic rights as a free citizen and there are indications that thousands of youths like me spread all over the nation may nevver have the dream of voting for any man or woman of their own choice come through.
The economy of this hitherto rich nation has continued to witness inconsistent policies by leaders who are selfish and very corrupt. There has been a widening gap between the poor and the rich since the last three decades and the few rich ones have continues to acquire wealth and plunge the economy to its catastrophic state to the detriment of the poor masses.
In my pictures, I tried to document the social effects of military mal-administration on the poor and the innocent people of my beloved country. I submitted many pictures unedited depicting the act of military brutality, economic and social injustice on a people. I took the high risk of my life documenting the photographs for many years now.
The price of participating in an international competition such as yours with the pictures could also be high and more risky than you can imagine but with courage and determination I want to say that Nigeria a country with abundant human and natural resources, my contry which I love so much deserves a better image than its today nationally and internationally.
And we Nigerians and our leaders can only achieve this.
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