Celebrating With Nigeria
As Nigeria observes her 49th Independence anniversary, we join hands in celebrating with them as brothers in a struggle starting over fifty years ago when we fought side by side to free our respective countries from the yoke of British colonial dominion.
Like Sierra Leone, Nigeria has been under the same colonial yoke which was broken, though at different times in the same Lancaster House where Sir Abubakarr Tafawa-Belewa signed for Nigeria and later Sir Milton Margai signed for Sierra Leone.
Our link with Nigeria can never be underestimated, as it spans generations and entails a reality that has with time become a strong link unbroken by different governments in both country’s governance.
Nigerian and Sierra Leone are countries that are far apart in terms of distance and location from each other, but this distance is a mere geographical expression when it comes to the close ties we maintain.
During the Biafra conflict, when Nigeria was nearly torn apart, Sierra Leone served as a refuge for nationals fleeing from that country. The then government of Siaka Stevens had also been active in ensuring that Nigerian remains one country instead of being polarized, and resulting in two separate countries.
Sierra Leone also advocated repeatedly for a peaceful resolution of the impasse and even served as a venue several times for negotiations leading to a lasting and peaceful solution. This is the function of a brother, no matter the size or the age of that brother.
Compared to Sierra Leone, Nigeria is a huge country comprising of numerous people and huge resources, but this does not stop us from helping each other. In common parlance, Nigeria is the big brother, and this has certainly been shown when Nigerian troops under the mandate of ECOWAS and later the UN came to our rescue in helping us at a time when terror had been unleashed in the country, and like the Biafra war period, we were also confronted with our own nemesis.
Numerous Nigerian lives were lost and blood shed in an effort to bring peace into Sierra Leone, and this gesture has certainly not been lost.
There is also the matter of the technical aid provided by the Federal Government of Nigeria to the government and people of Sierra Leone. All these are pointers to the ramifications that there are indeed strong ties existing between Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
Added to this link is the fact that among the four former colonies of Britain, that is The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria share the most distinct link.
The link between Sierra Leone and Nigeria started from the days of slavery when Freetown served as a depot for the detestable human trade that saw millions of healthy Africans transported across the Atlantic to serve as slaves in the so called New World in America and the Caribbean.
Great names like Bishop Adjai Crowther, who came to Sierra Leone as a little boy taken from his parents in his native Nigeria by slave traders, later helped establish Fourah Bay College. We also have the Aku Community, the Fourah Bay and Foulah Town Communities which, though from Nigerian, have today added to the rich tradition of Sierra Leonean culture, and amalgamating the two nations into a melting pot of rich traditions.
The Hunting society, the Ojeh, the Akanja, the Geledeh, the Gunugunu (Ogunugunu), the Agbadu-Agbadu is all embellishments of Sierra Leonean cultures that bear direct links with Nigeria.
Traditions like the Awujor, the Komojade , and other ceremonies add to the concept of the Nigerian-Sierra Leonean link. Sierra Leoneans and Nigerians also share similar names like Femi, Adeyemi, Olusegun, Omotayo, etc. To a new visitor to Sierra Leone, he or she might be surprised to see Sierra Leoneans bearing Nigerian sounding names. It is not strange, the history shows the links.
Today, as Nigeria celebrates her independence anniversary, we in Sierra Leone give our total support to the people of Nigeria.
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