NIGERIA
Sited at the confluence of Lokoja With her legs spread across Niger and Benue rivers
Adorned with lush greens and blessed with natural endowments
You swam through colonial rivers
Until the staff of freedom you possessed
Nigeria of great warriors
The strength of Africa
With talented and industrious people
Rich in culture
And united in their diversities
Let me sing of your resilient strength, Nigeria!
Songs of how you never bowed or cowed
To war, tyranny and greed... Peace, you avowed
Let tales be told of your mighty men and heroes
Your own seeds who stood, withstanding your every foe
Let me dance to the songs of your numerous off-springs
Multitude of tongues, cloven in one accord, sing
Then I again dance, beholding thy glorious future
Birth pains and darkness might besiege thee now
Light and life will rise from thy bosom and blossom
I see you standing on the altar of unity
With roots stretching through WaZoBia et al
We are the future beaded around your robust waist
Where ageless drums of Batá echoes hope
Above the rich pastures stood your eagle
Still it stands. Flapping through North, south, west and east
Rest is in the arms of your sweet heritage
Like the Alasho and Abeti aja speak with a voice
Your soil is homely; I have eaten Banga with my white friend
He loves nothing else but made in Nigeria
Meaning of italicized words
*Abeti aja: A traditional Yoruba cap which, by virtue of its triangular flaps, is humorously named after large dog ears.
*Alasho: A veil or turban won by the Hausa people of Northern Nigeria
*Banga: A soup native to the Niger Delta and the South Eastern parts of Nigeria.
*Batá: A traditional drum from the land of Yoruba, located in Nigeria. Its popular functions are entertainment and to convey messages.
*WaZoBia: An acronym for the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria. Each meaning 'come'.
CO-AUTHORS from WRR College of Poetry
This poem was co-authored by Albert Seraphin, Owoicho Apochi Nelson, Showunmi Olawale Michael and Uncommon Solutionist.
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| Image Credit: productiveleaders |
BORDER LINES OF CHANGE
If our hearts be deluged
With life's lather of love
And thorny torturous thoughts
Flame up in fiery fires of friendship
When human hues paint humility
Like a rainbow sleeping in the fields
Then would guns hide their faces
And bullets be victims of still birth?
Alas! Peace peeps from curtains of war
Savouring stews seasoned with smiles
When our speeches birth praises
That fit healthy strides
In thoughts of man's attention
Singing development, instead of rancour
Where air is for
One and all, without fear or threat
Bridging vast influence and unity
That erase segregation
Then encouragement will soar
And Life would celebrate
When we paint words
In the face of the night
And touch the sun
With the grip of our pens
When we win weaklings with
Softness from our words
Then will Nature be a better man
Singing everyday
As he watches enemies dine together
At the war fronts, with smiles intimidating the sun
So let us run toward the cradle
To make the grave sure when it lies in its prime
For the gravel of the soul is tied to the wits of the cradle
Let us find a reason to embrace the cradle
Sitting close to its tent to tend
To the ribbons that is used to form its soul
For the soul that lies therein is but a plain sheet
We owe it the sacredness of all duties
To paint it right
This is the border line of change!
CO-AUTHORS from WRR College of Poetry
This poem was co-authored by Kunle Omope, Kemjy Xtien, Adedayo Adeyemi Agarau and Anakani Godswill Odatuwa.
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