ONE of the leading Nigerian performing poets,
Dike Chukwumerije, has lent his voice to the calls for unity in Nigeria in the midst of recent calls by styled representatives of ethnic groups calling for dissolution of the country.

Speaking ahead of his next “Made in Nigeria” performance poetry show slated to hold at
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife on July 29,
2017, Dike described the calls as unwarranted
because the average Nigerian today is a product of shared experiences drawn from multiple sections of the country and the uniqueness of the character of the Nigerian is a result of his/her interactions with other Nigerians over time.
“Call me what you will, but Nigeria is my mother.

She is responsible for it all. If I amaze you with this ability to constantly pull light out of darkness, to combat recession with a heady mixture of kokoma and gyration, to climb out of any pit you throw me into, and instantly become recognizable anywhere I go, it is also because of this, that I was shaped by her contradictions and forged in the fierce furnace of her womb, so that somewhere on my soul, burned into its very essence, is a stamp no adversity or hate-filled speech will ever erase… And it reads, simply: ‘MADE IN NIGERIA’”,

Dike said while speaking to journalists recently, emphasizing the need to avoid that dangerous tendency to stereotype others that has been at the root of many of Nigerian’s modern conflicts.