G????? ?? 60: from economic collapse under nationalisation, debt and brain drain; to recovery through liberalisation and rebuilding; to gridlock marked by political instability and stalled reform; and now to transformation driven by oil, infrastructure and structural expansion. But the next phase cannot be built by government alone while too many still expect everything on a platter and fail to fully value and use what they already have. We must convert our constraints and challenges into opportunities. Complaints must give way to result-driven action. We have a responsibility to educate, mentor and nurture the younger generation,
to inculcate values, discipline and generational responsibility. Above all, our young people must understand that the future will not be handed to them; it must be earned through effort, character, discipline and a commitment to building something greater than self. Our business leaders likewise have a duty to move beyond narrow extraction and short-term gain, and to invest in people, standards, innovation and enterprise that deepen national productive capacity. We must engage in self-introspection, reflect honestly, and undertake a behavioural and attitudinal shift as a people. We must reorient how we think about country, opportunity and responsibility, and awaken to the full weight of this moment. In the final analysis, independence must now be expressed not only in what we celebrate, but in how we think, act, build and prepare the next generation to carry the nation forward with purpose and maturity.