ONE NIGERIAN DREAM (SELECTED POEM)
MY NIGERIA: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE WAY FORWARD

CC: SHATTERED HOPES; WHO WILL MEND OUR NIGERIAN DREAMS?

I jerked up from the world of slumber, the land of sleep,
Only to realize I’m once again awake in a nation of the unknown,
And a state of uncertainties,
Oh! Why must I wake again this perfidious morning?
Even when the inner-me knew I wasn’t perfervid 'bout the early wake
I wanted to go back into slumber,


The boy next door asked!
What is it to jubilate about?
Or are we yet again set to dance to the melody of our shattered hopes?
A hundred and sixteen years since we emerged as one Nigeria, so called,
And fifty-six years of Independence yet we remain dependent,
What is there to roll the drums about?
A so-called giant that still crawls,
I wake up every morning full of tears,
Cos our country keeps shattering our hopes,
No good schools, no food, no power, no security, no power, no
security, no water, no medicals, Yet you want to roll out the drums,
If only I had a pistol while writing this epistle,
I won’t have spared anyone that dared to roll the drums.


They eat our flesh for food and we still wash the plate
There will be blood! One day we will rise up in rage.
We grow grey trying to catch our dreams
If some grey beards' are this nation's embryo,
Played on board, Still...
We preach freedom
But we still got leash on
Pay attention see heroes turning in graves,
I hear Awo saying, "look what my country became "
Like Jesus turned water to wine
One day our grief will turn to gain
Nigeria, quit crying. Stand up and fight
You need hope not help
We walk around in chains, you call it jewelry, I call it slavery
Like a Black Moses, one day I shall see to the freedom of my people


I wish I'm with a nation which cares
One which lends a ear
Sleep!
no!!
more!!!
NIGERIA, wake up!!!
Our kids keep dying,
Our kins keep crying,
Our graduates are scared of graduating,
No blames, our hopes are shattered and the future looks bleak,
A nation at 56, yet still begging,
A nation with first-class natural resources,
Yet its citizens still feed on crumbs.
A nation with looters as leaders,
And paddlers as lawmakers,
Our leaders have turned against us, even with the mantra of “CHANGE”
Who will bell the cat?

Contributors: Adedeji Ademola (Tennesse,USA), Lamina Ifeoluwa (Sagamu, Ogun State) Adejokun David (Ibadan, Oyo State), Akinwunmi Adewunmi (Ikirun,Osun State), Badiru Kehinde (Beach Area, Badagry)


Convener: Badiru Kehinde (Poet, Writer, Editor, Graduate Student, English and Int'l Studies, UNIOSUN)
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Contact: Onenigeriandream@gmail.com