What’s worse than being enslaved? Being free and not knowing it, while your captors do. That’s what Juneteenth reveals. On June 19, 1865, two years after President Lincoln had already signed the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas finally received word: slavery was over and they were free, technically.
But what do you call “freedom” when it comes two years late? What do you call justice that has to be begged for, protested for, and still doesn’t arrive? In Nigeria, we have a few words for it. Injustice. System failure. Normal.
A Historic Delay That Still Echoes
Juneteenth is now a federal holiday in the U.S., filled with parades, cookouts, and speeches about freedom. But the story behind Juneteenth was far from a celebration, it was about delay, denial, and how systems protect power at the expense of people.
Here’s what actually happened:
On January 1, 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all enslaved people in Confederate states free. But because America was in the middle of a civil war, that freedom only existed on paper. In many Southern states, including Texas, enslavers simply ignored it, and no one came to enforce it.
Fast forward two and a half years later: On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers finally arrived in Galveston, Texas, with enough military force to back the law. That was when General Gordon Granger announced that slavery was over and that all enslaved people were now free.
Two. Whole. Years. Late.
Imagine still being forced to work the fields, not knowing you were legally free. Imagine your enslaver knew, and said nothing. Juneteenth commemorates: not just the end of slavery, but the delay in that freedom reaching the people who needed it most.
And in that delay, we find the real story. Because freedom, when postponed, is just another form of control. In all honesty, Nigeria is full of its own Juneteenths because we’ve mastered the art of delayed justice.
Our Own Delayed Freedoms
Ask the families of EndSARS victims. Ask them how it feels to mark another year without justice, without accountability, without even a permanent memorial to the lives lost. Ask the millions of Nigerians born into poverty who were promised “dividends of democracy” yet still fetch water from wells and pray for NEPA to bring light.
Ask the student who dreams of graduating, but can’t, because ASUU is on strike. Again. We are told we are free. But the lived reality tells a different story. We are told Nigeria is a democracy. But peaceful protesters get teargassed while corrupt politicians get honorary degrees.
We are told we are the “giant of Africa.” But somehow, we are still asking Britain to help us recover the Abacha loot, nearly 30 years after he stole it.
Justice That Waits Is Justice Denied
The danger of delayed freedom goes beyond the waiting. It’s what the waiting does to you. It teaches you to lower your expectations, to adjust, to smile through oppression and normalize dysfunction.
When justice is delayed long enough, people stop expecting it. And that’s when the real loss begins, not just of rights, but of hope.
Nigeria’s Youth Aren’t Waiting Anymore
But something is shifting, young Nigerians are tired of asking permission to exist. We’re making our own platforms, documenting our own stories, and calling out injustice in real time.
- TikTokers are breaking down court cases and police abuse.
- Podcasts are spotlighting corruption with receipts and fire mics.
- Artists are turning pain into protest songs that trend across continents.
We’ve seen what happens when you wait. Now, we’re choosing to move, even if the system stalls. Because freedom shouldn’t require patience. Not when lives are on the line.
So What Can Be Done?
We don’t have to wait 2 years, or 20 to demand change. Here’s what we can do:
- Refuse silence. Keep naming the injustice. If they erase the headlines, rewrite them on walls, on shirts, on timelines.
- Support the watchdogs. Journalists, lawyers, activists, the people still choosing to fight deserve more than applause. They need resources.
- Hold the line on memory. Don’t let EndSARS, Chibok or Benue killings fade into “old news.” Commemoration is resistance.
Freedom isn’t given, it’s fought for and built often, it’s built from below.
Who’s Still Waiting?
Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom for not only the Americans. It’s also a reminder of how long it can take, how easily it can be delayed, and how dangerous silence can be. We all have our own Juneteenth story. Some of us just don’t know it yet.
And maybe that’s the real work, not just celebrating freedom when it finally arrives, but recognizing the places where it’s still missing.
For more bold takes on Nigeria’s future, visit our website and follow us @Insidesuccessng for more updates and info. Subscribe to ISN for exclusive content, expert-led events, job opportunities, and more.
Leave a Reply