THE NIGERIA OF MY DREAM
by Anthony Edogbo

SCENE 1
INT. UNIVERSITY HOSTEL ROOM- DAY
FADE IN:
Ade, Ifeanyi and Usman burst through the doors into a clean, well-lit students' common room.
Ade: Guys good morning
Ifeanyi: O'boy how far na?
Usman: we dey o
Ade: We never late for this programme so?
Ifeanyi: late? (Checking the time on his watch) Isn't it starting by 9am?
Ade: yes na, this is 9:30am
Usman: Then we are late already!
Ade and Ifeanyi laugh in unison
Ifeanyi: O'boy u don forget say na Naija we dey? If no be 10am, that programme no go start o.
Ade: African time abi?
Ifeanyi: Yes o, na +1hr to every programme o
Usman: look look guys,am going to that programme now! This is how u will do and spoil Nigeria for us.
Usman walks out of the common room.
Ifeanyi and Ade looks at him with a cunning smile.
Ifeanyi: leave that guy jare, na so im go dey form serious guy everytime
Ade: Hahaha, na jjc dey worry am. Make we relax for here jor.
Ifeanyi: If no be 10am, i no dey stand up o.
Ifeanyi and Ade sit in the common room until its 10am before they start moving.

SCENE 2
EXT. ON THE ROAD -DAY
Ifeanyi and Ade walking sluggishly to the venue of the programme. The programme is a transformation agenda event with the theme "THE NIGERIA OF MY DREAM".
Ifeanyi: Guy u know say this hausa boy dey mad ba (refering to usman)
Ade: I swear that boy get wahala
Ifeanyi: The boy too dey do like say na im papa get this country
Ade: Come, u dey there when im be the argue say he fit marry any girl from any tribe so far say na Naija?
Ifeanyi: I dey na
Ade: im be the claim say that one go promote peace and unity
Ifeanyi: peace ke? As i dey so, i no fit marry hausa girl o
Ade: God forbid! The boy dey tell us say im father na hausa and im mama na igbo
Ifeanyi: what! Who be that ibo girl wey gree marry hausa man? Just watch out, the father relatives go soon carry wahala come meet im mama people
Ade: No mind am, im dey claim say their parents people dey very close, say them dey visit each other wela, dey sleep for each other house sef. Na so im be the carry people along that day o, say all of us for this naija na brothers and sisters,make we the live in peace and love. Say wetin we go gain from killing ourselves? Im kon talk say if na so all of us dey live, naija for don better wel wel. Im kon dey give example say countries like canada wey de very peaceful don develop wel wel.
Ifeanyi: Hmm,make una see muslim pastor o
Ade: I tell u. The boy preach plenty things o. Im say make we tell our neigbours say make them change for good, make them stop bribery and corruption, stealing and pipe line vandalization
Ifeanyi: ehn? Pipe line vanda wetin?
Ade: lization. As in make we stop to the break oil pipe line say naija de loose billions yearly because of that thing
Ifeanyi: na wa o
Ade: Hmmh na...
Ifeanyi: e be like say wetin dey boy talk make sense
Ade: me sef reason am o. This naija na our hand e dey o, we fit make things better o, and e go food for all of us sef
Ifeanyi: If u see am sef, wetin all these bad bad things dey give us sef? Hmmm, na onto changing things now o
Ade: From today henceforth, my life don change
Ifeanyi: No be only u

SCENE 3
EXT-INT. VENUE OF THE PROGRAMME-DAY
They both approach the venue and look through the window.
Ade: O'boy this place don full o!
Ifeanyi: people don de change true true o, make we manage enter sha.
They both enter through the door and walks to the very end. Unfortunately, the whole seats are filled and they resolved to standing.
Usman who is already seated shakes his head and smiles at them in a cunning way.
The M.C of the programme rises to speak.
M.c: Thank you all for coming so early, to those of us who came late and are standing, after today, you will learn to attend programmes early.
There is great laughter in the hall and it suddenly stops as the speaker of the day walks to the stage to give his transformation speech.
Speaker: Good morning ladies and gentlemen
Hall responds gladly in unison as they notice the speaker is the minister of youth affairs ( permit me to use that for the sake of this write up)
Speaker: It is a great priviledge to anchor this programme. I can see that we are mostly youths here and i believe that by the end of this programme, we all shall know our various roles in nation building. My speech today is titled " the Nigeria of my dream".
I have a dream that one day, Nigeria shall become a peaceful and developed country. A country that crime would never be noticed, a country that poverty would have no breathing space, a country were hausa, igbo and yoruba will live as brothers and sisters, a country we can a boast of, a country were everyone of us can defend, a country were u will finish your education and be offered a job instantly, a country free from bribery and corruption.
We can all make these happen. I will be speaking on peace, security and unemployment. I urge u all to contribute your own quota to the success of this seminar.
PEACE AND SECURITY
Ladies and gentlemen, crisis and violence are the foremost factors that hinders development. No investor would waste his or her time by investing in a rioted country. The government has spent billions of money trying to cubb the problem of insecurity. Money that should have been used for socio economic development. Nigeria is not fighting any country and no country is fighting us likewise, we are fighting ourselves. The discripancy between various tribes and religion cannot help. Everybody has his or her rights in the country, u can choose which ever religion u want to belong. Lets come together and say no inter tribal wars.
UNEMPLOYMENT
The Nigeria of my dream is a country were unemployment is reduced to the barest minimum. This can only be achieved through industrialization and enterpreneural programmes and workshops. In as much as the government is seriously playing her part in terms of establishment of industries and revenue generating schemes, they can't provide jobs for all Nigerians.
The whole hall exclaims.
Speaker: yes, the government cannot provide jobs for we all. This is why we are organising workshops aimed at teaching youths certain trades like sewing, soap making, carpentary, hair dressing, pure water production and so on. The youths should learn something meaningful and establish it. With this,unemployment and crimes would be drastically reduced.
This is an interactive session and i think its high time you all start speaking...
Usman raises his hand and the speaker asks him to speak
Usman: The Nigeria of my dream is a country endowned with social amenities such as good roads, water, electricity, schools and good hospitals. Sir, what is the government doing about these?
Speaker: Thats a very good contribution from you. Nigeria is one of the fastest developing country of the world and am sure in a few years time, we shall have no problem with that. The government is trying a lot especially in the power sector
and we should all support her by being good and peace loving citizens citizens.
Ifeanyi, finding the programme interesting, also raises his hand and he is permitted to speak
Ifeanyi: A bribery and corruption free country is the Nigeria of my dream, what can we do to achieve this?
Speaker: Bribery and corruption is another major problem nigeria has. The government is fighting it from the top by the establishment of parastatals such as EFCC, CPC and so on. It is our duty to report every case corruption ranging from embezlement of public funds to the necessary agencies. Corruption should be scratched from the grass root, lecturers who collect money from students for marks should be adequately dealt with.
Citizens should also live an examplary life by abiding to the laws of the country.
The programme finally comes to an end...
The first five participants who came early are surprisingly awarded with laptops.
SCENE 4
EXT. ROAD-DAY
Ifeanyi, Ade and usman walking home..
Ifeanyi: Did u see what we missed ba?
Ade: The laptop abi?
Usman: shey i told u guys to come early. This is the reward of african time.
Ifeanyi: as from today,no more african time
Ade: u don get am be that
Usman: Don't forget to preach the gospel to your friends and relatives o. Things must change!
Yes o, the nigeria of our dream! (They all say in unison and laugh).
The end