Lolo Uchechi Okwu-Kanu Condemns Nigeria’s 65 Years of Independence as ‘Agonising Years of Failure’
United Kingdom – October 2, 2025
On the 65th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, Lolo Uchechi Okwu-Kanu, wife of the illegally detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, issued a scathing statement condemning the state of the nation and questioning its future.
In a strongly worded social media post, Okwu-Kanu described Nigeria’s post-independence journey as “65 agonising years of bad leadership, hunger, embezzlement, poverty, disease, kidnapping, oppression, darkness, deaths, terrorism, looting, manipulations, corruption, illegalities, unconsciousness of the mind on the rise, wickedness and treachery.”
She argued that Nigeria remains a country governed by leaders “far removed from the immediate pain and reality of their common citizens,” and concluded that it is “a contraption with no future for her citizens.”
Beyond chastising the ruling class, Okwu-Kanu challenged Nigerians to reflect on their role in sustaining the system:
“How have the citizens of Nigeria encouraged the above negativities?”
“How are they complicit in the horrid status of Nigeria?”
“How have they emboldened these treacheries?”
The ordeal of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who remains in detention despite being acquitted by the Court of Appeal, looms large over Nigeria. Abducted from Kenya in 2021 under questionable circumstances that rights groups, including the United Nations Human Rights Council, have described as an extraordinary rendition, Kanu’s continued incarceration has become a flashpoint in Nigeria’s political crisis.
In solitary confinement, his lawyers and family have repeatedly raised alarm over his deteriorating health, citing untreated heart conditions and other life-threatening ailments. Kanu himself has warned of being in “danger of sudden death” under the watch of the Department of State Services (DSS), which has on several occasions denied him access to proper medical care.
For many supporters, Kanu’s plight is more than a personal tragedy, it is a mirror of what ordinary Nigerians endure under the system: injustice, neglect, and a state that often works against its own people. His case stands as a constant reminder that Nigeria’s institutions appear designed not to protect its citizens but to suppress them.
Okwu-Kanu’s post sparked heated engagement online, with many echoing her criticisms and expressing disillusionment with the country.
Icemoney Crudemen wrote: “There’s nothing to be happy about.”
Gina Eby Okoli declared: “One Nigeria is a crime against humanity.”
Jerryjapan Jerry shared an anecdote: “Someone said to me today happy independence and I replied may your life be like Nigeria sir, and he said God forbid.”
The responses reflect a deep sense of frustration and detachment, with many commenters rejecting the idea of celebrating Independence Day altogether.
As critics intensify their condemnation, Okwu-Kanu’s intervention highlights a critical paradox: if so many Nigerians view the state as a failed contraption, how has it managed to persist for 65 years? For many, the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu is proof of a state that survives by suppressing dissent rather than addressing grievances.
Her statement, coupled with the chorus of voices online, underscores an uncomfortable truth: Nigeria’s greatest challenge is not just bad leadership, but a system that has consistently worked against the very people it was meant to serve.
