How did we finally get at this juncture?
How did we put our country in this mess;
Tarnished her image beyond repair,
Even To the extent of being referred to as
419ners, internet scammers and terrorists?
An object of public ridicule and opprobrium!
What exactly went wrong and why?
Who should we blame for the mess?
I thought we had a big dream?
A dream of being the giant of Africa;
A great people and a great nation.
A model black nation worthy of emulation;
Where peace and justice shall reign forever.
I thought we dreamt of building
A nation flowing with milk and honey;
With our abundant natural resources?
A model nation paved with gold;
Because we have the oil that would
Hasten the realisation of the dream.
The dream of living in that El Dorado
Where castles are built in the air
Once the independence is achieved.
Alas, that dream was smashed;
Not even by our enemies
But by our own kith and kin.
They smashed our common dream
And it shattered like an earthen bowl
That fell from an unsteady head;
Scattering all over the places.
Hopelessly and irreparably shattered
That it is proving difficult to mend.
And just before our naked eyes
Our dream quickly fizzled away
And landed at the laps of our neighbours;
Because we failed to grab the opportunity
When it was comfortably on our own laps.
Now we are back to square one still dreaming
And hoping that since the independence is gone
The oil would utter abracadabra and do the miracle.
We thought that our oil and independence
Would bring us prosperity and happiness;
A hope we carried in our bag with pride.
But that hope turned out to be a distress.
The oil in particular became a woe unto us,
A curse on our nation and generation
And the greatest obstacle to that El Dorado.
It dashed our hope; brought us absolutely nothing
But unending miseries and agonies.
Today while our neighbours are having a field day
We are busy lamenting our woes
Of not having anything to boast of.
Nothing at all!
No constant electricity
No potable water
No security
No quality education
No good healthcare
No motorable roads.
Nothing!
Just only
Corrupt politicians
Discontented populace
Riots and demonstrations
Oil conflicts here and there
Killings and shootings by armed robbers
Political assassinations and kidnappings
Bigotry and killing in the name of God
Persecution and intolerance of the minorities
Infringement of the rights of the people
A broken dream; a broken nation
And a desperate population.
Chukwunwikezarramu Okumephuna
March 1, 2010.
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