Dear Nigeria,
I come bearing gifts as you mark yet another year to celebrate your freedom
Freedom from the shackles of colonialism
From the chains of oppression
From the shadows of divisions
Division of work, one may think but that’s not it.
You celebrate your disentanglement from the shadows of division, that which held you bound and silences your voice.
But still you are imprisoned by our own selves
The shackles of tribalism, you gladly wear as your ornament
The ornaments of corruption that consistently beautfies you
And at the same time eats deep into your fabric
Draining every part of you like a vampire
Your henna of bribery can be seen on your wrist as you parade in the hallway of favoritsm
Nepotism is a recurring decimal in your life
As you seem to bring out your differences
Forgetting that there is unity in your diversity
I come bearing the gift of hope
A gift so important for your better tomorrow
A tomorrow which is much better than your current reality
A tomorrow that shows the Nigerian dream that is dear to my heart
But the better days we hope for may not come.
So these bad ones, we’ll try not to make it choke.
We would try to rise above our fears and insecurities because we know those better days would wipe away the tears of today
And rid us of the pain that came with them,
And we will try. We will try to teach our children truth. We will document our history as it is, void of lies and embellishments.
We will uphold truth, and serve justice.
We would strive together under one common bond
Setting aside our differences working together to add value and make our dear nation great
Let this day be known for good , as on the sands of our time we leave an imprint
A blueprint of our very prosperity, I hear my infant laugh, let’s pave the way for their eternal life of laughter
The struggle to set them free oh Niger area! Redemption is yours today
We do hope we get the chance to do as we’ve outlined above
We hope our words don’t fade into obscurity once it all comes to bear
And that never again would it be said that Nigeria bore the pains of neglect
And that the tears of regret flowed down our faces because of the ruins Nigeria had become
Instead we would leap for joy because Nigeria has soared so high like the eagle and she looks so gallant in the sky
©Tvotribesmen 2020
Dear Nigeria,
My mother told me you’re a diamond lost in the mud,
Waiting for a spark of light,
And yes you’ll find your shine.
Dear Nigeria,
Heartbeat of Africa, hear the voice of your seed tonight,
Listen to the rhythm of valiance from your very own offspring,
I am the ray you’ve always longed for,
The music your hearts pants for,
I am the daughter of my mother,
The son from your womb,
My feet has found rest on this soil,
So even if I travel a million miles,
You’ll always be home to me.
©Blessings
Dear Nigeria,
I know sometimes I don’t say it enough
But I love you so much
I’m proud of who you’re becoming
I’m glad that we have great people inside of you
Ready to nurture you
Raise you
Into something beautiful
I know that you’re so beautiful
There are stains and dents all over
Smirks from your enemies once in a while
It’s only for a short while.
God bless you, Nigeria.
© Victoria
Dear Nigeria,
It is often said that age comes with wisdom
But why does it seem different in your case,
Why does it seem like you have grown so much and yet nothing to show for it
Why does it seem that years have passed you by
And why does it seem like the labor of our heroes past have refused to bear fruits
And even when fruits are borne,
The trees are fenced off, reserved for the affluent few,
The few who are not the best
But like the taskmasters of old, have collectively kept the commonwealth of many,
For a few like them,
For them and their children,
Dear Nigeria,
The mother who chased her offspring rendering them vulnerable to hoodlums on the street
Leaving them to the hands of poverty
She eyes her daughters’ suitors, and she refuses to have daughters-in-law
She had displayed her prowess but now a warrior without weapons
A Nation with so much fruits now lives like a barren woman begging for bread. It is sad. But, who are we going to blame? We did this to ourselves, did we not?
Yes we did
But do we keep wallowing in self pity
Keep licking our wounds
Or abandon our Nigerian dream on the altar of secession
And keep allowing the canker worm corruption eat deep into our skin?
Though our challenges are like scarlet and they seem to put a stain on our future
But we believe that our nation would be great again
Which is why we would stand United
With one voice
From the different tribes
Through the different tongues
And work together to make Nigeria beautiful again
© TVO Tribesmen 2020
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