Ifeoma Chuks-Adizue 
Every October 1st, Nigeria celebrates her independence. The flags go up, the speeches are made and once again we are reminded of the gift of freedom – the freedom to govern ourselves, own our resources and shape our destiny without a colonial master dictating the terms.
However, for me, October 1st is not just about celebrating a historic milestone, it is a reminder of a principle. It’s a reminder of the need to stand on your own two feet, taking full responsibility for your growth and boldly owning your story.
While a nation may fight once for independence, we as career women who desire MORE from life must fight for ours daily.
Daily against society’s boxes…
Daily against cultural expectations..
Daily against fear, doubt and even our own excuses.
So, as Nigeria celebrates her independence today, let me ask you:
Are you truly living independently or are you still letting others hold the pen to your story?
Hold that thought first for a minute as I share first, 3 parallels Between National Independence and Personal Independence…
1. Breaking Free From External Control
Nigeria’s independence meant decisions were no longer made in London but now in Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu and Kaduna. In the same way, independence for a career woman should mean refusing to let society dictate her choices.
Too often we’re told – “Stay in your lane. You can’t have it all. You can’t grow in a career and birth your dreams without dropping the ball somewhere.”
True independence is reclaiming the right to define your lane or heck yeah, create a new one if that’s what you need!
Reflective Question: As Nigeria celebrates independence, can you boldly say you have broken free from limiting voices?
2. Owning Your Resources
Independence gave Nigeria ownership of her land, oil and produce – to mine it and maximise benefit from these resources. For you as a career woman, independence means recognising that your greatest resources are within – your gifts, your vision and your voice; and you own the right to mine them all and maximise the benefits from them.
Waiting for someone else to approve your use of what God has already given you is acting like a colony.
Reflective Question: Are you truly taking ownership of ALL the gifts God has placed in you and maximising them for impact; or are you leaving one or more dormant while waiting for “someday”?
3. Charting Your Own Course
At independence, Nigeria began charting her own future, drafting economic blueprints, shaping policies and positioning herself globally.
But here’s the truth, even after independence, many nations still lean heavily on their former colonial masters. Some wisely reframe the relationship into partnerships and allyship. Others, like Niger, were short-changed – selling resources for a fraction of their value while enriching others.
The same is true for career women. Independence means charting your own course, setting your own “Vision 2030.” Who are you becoming? Where do you want to be and how do you plan to get there?
By the way, your job is not supposed to be a colonial master. If you’ve been treating it that way, letting it dictate your destiny, define your value or decide your path, then you are not independent.
You need to flip the script and begin to see and treat your job as an ally, a platform and partner in building your dream.
In addition, don’t let yourself be cheated. If you are consistently giving more value than you are receiving, if your role underpays or under-recognises your worth, then you’re reliving Niger’s mistake.
Independence means knowing your value and refusing to sell yourself short. It means being bold enough to move, negotiate or pivot when the terms no longer honour your worth.
Reflective Question: Have you charted your own “Vision 2030”; and in the equation of career and calling, is your job truly an ally or are you still treating it like a colonial master?
Whose lens are you still allowing to define your worth or possibilities?
So how do we move from talking about independence to living it?
1. Define Your Narrative. Don’t let culture, stereotypes or titles decide your story. Write it yourself with clarity about who you are and what you want to leave behind.
2. Take Ownership of All Your Gifts. Don’t hide behind one talent while ignoring others. Steward your voice, skills, experiences and networks – all of them are resources available to be mined to enrich you and the lives tied to you.
3. Align Career With Calling. Your job isn’t your master, it’s a platform. Use it to fund your dreamsGod has placed in you and expand influence for His glory.
4. Build Systems and Support. True independence doesn’t mean doing it alone. Create systems, delegate wisely and surround yourself with a community that fuels your growth, even as you fuel theirs.
5. Live With Legacy in Mind. Freedom becomes powerful when it translates into impact. Don’t let this celebration come around again without you starting to build something that outlives you, blesses others and glorifies God.
In closing, as Nigeria marks another year of independence, let us also declare our independence too from cultural scripts that shrink us and from fears that silence us.
Happy 65th anniversary to our dearly loved country Nigeria. I pray that God will strengthen your foundations, purify her leadership and release a new generation of builders. May she rise into the fullness of her potential, and may we -her daughters, rise with her, birthing the MORE we were created to carry in ways that deeply impact and accelerate Nigeria’s growth. Amen!
Ifeoma Chuks-Adizue, fondly known as Iphie, is a seasoned professional with a rare mix of experience in brand management, sales, media and over 20 years’ experience building global brands across Africa. Iphie is the Managing Director Africa at Global Citizen – an international advocacy organisation focused on ending extreme poverty now. She is the author of two books – The Uncommon Woman and Made for More, and is Founding President of the Uncommon Woman Movement.