Sola Adesakin 
Every October, Nigeria marks another year of independence. For some, it is a reminder of how far we have come as a nation; for others, it stirs questions of how far we still have to go. But beyond the flags, parades, and speeches, Independence Day is an opportunity for both individuals and our collective nation to pause, reflect, and re-channel focus.
The truth is simple: not everything is working in Nigeria, but not everything is broken either. The same is true for our personal lives. What matters most is where we choose to put our energy. If we continue to feed what drains us, we will shrink. But if we water what drives us, we will grow. This is true of financial wealth, personal prosperity, and national progress.
As we celebrate this independence, I want to call us—both as individuals and as a country—toward prosperity. Here are a few lessons to consider.
1. Look Inwards: Awaken Untapped Potentials
Nations, like people, rise on the strength of their hidden potential. Nigeria is richly blessed with natural resources, yet oil still dominates our economy because we’ve not fully unlocked the richness in agriculture, tourism, or manufacturing. Similarly, individuals often rely on one source of income, leaving untapped talents, gifts, and opportunities unexplored.
The first step to building wealth is to look within. What skills do you already have that could be monetised? What strengths are lying dormant because you’ve been too distracted by challenges? For Nigeria, looking inwards means investing in sectors outside oil and creating systems that empower local innovation. For individuals, it means identifying and nurturing dormant strengths.
2. Do an Audit: Assess What’s Working and What’s Not
Every business conducts regular audits to know its financial health. In the same way, individuals and nations must pause and assess. For the individual, this means reviewing your spending, your debt levels, your investments, and your income streams. Are you on track to financial freedom, or simply spinning your wheels?
For Nigeria, the audit is even more critical. Which policies are helping growth? Which ones are draining resources? Which industries are producing results, and which need urgent restructuring? An honest financial and developmental audit helps both people and nations make informed decisions. You cannot fix what you refuse to measure.
3. Learn from Others
No one builds wealth in isolation. Individuals who want to grow financially must learn from those who have walked the path successfully. This may mean reading books, taking courses, or seeking mentorship.
On a national level, Nigeria can learn from other developing countries that transformed their economies by making strategic choices. Think of Rwanda with its tourism and tech ecosystem, or Singapore with its global trade positioning. Pride should not keep us from adopting models that work. Likewise, personal ego should not stop individuals from learning from others who have succeeded financially.
4. Leverage Others
There is power in community. As individuals, wealth building becomes faster when we leverage networks—mentors, business partners, accountability groups, and even family support systems. A single person cannot know it all, but leveraging the wisdom, experience, and resources of others creates shortcuts to success.
Nigeria must also embrace this. Instead of functioning in silos, different sectors—public, private, and civil—must work together. Collaboration with other African nations through trade, or with international organisations in technology and innovation, can help accelerate prosperity. Independence was not meant to mean isolation.
5. Collaborate More
The final piece of the puzzle is collaboration. For individuals, this may mean pooling resources in investment clubs, joining cooperatives, or co-creating businesses with others. The risk is reduced, and the rewards are multiplied when we build together.
For the nation, collaboration across states and regions can help spread development more evenly. Collaboration between government and private sector is essential to scale innovation, infrastructure, and opportunities. A divided house cannot stand, but a united front can birth prosperity.
A Call to Prosperity
Nigeria at independence was filled with promise, and in many ways, that promise still exists. But we cannot afford to only mark years—we must mark progress. The same applies to individuals. Age is not progress. Time is not prosperity. What counts is how we use what we have to create wealth, opportunity, and growth.
As we commemorate this independence, may we all remember: wealth is not built by lamenting what is broken, but by channeling energy into what is working and what can work. For Nigeria and for every Nigerian, prosperity is possible. The focus must now shift from surviving to thriving, from draining to driving, from being stuck to building.
Because what we feed will grow. And it is time to water the right side—individually and collectively.
Sola Adesakin is a highly respected wealth coach and chartered accountant with over two decades of transformative impact in the finance industry. As the visionary founder of Smart Stewards Financial Advisory Limited and Smart Stewards Advisory LLC, she has revolutionised the financial wellbeing of countless individuals and businesses across 40 countries. Her methodical approach to ‘make-manage-multiply’ money principles has elevated many from financial stress to prosperity, and mediocrity to exceptional achievement.