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I Am No Saint https://nairametrics.com/2021/01/14/nigerias-total-public-debt-rises-to-n32-2-trillion-84-57-billion-as-at-september-2020/ Disgusted by how they acted in public, We advised them privately - devoid of optics. Had to be the bigger person. But should I stay big? Look around. What do you see? If you relish my destruction, do not expect gentle scolds. I am no saint. Some screamed in public view, still no change. Sweet words and soft pokes ushered cages. Had to be the bigger person. But should I stay big? Look around. What do you see? If you plan to be subjective, do not expect me to be objective. I am no saint. By Sylvanus Nabena Twitter: @slynabena

Saving My Mother https://freedomhouse.org/country/nigeria/freedom-world/2022 Like a 'fat man' struggling to get out of a stampede, my efforts seem futile But I try - I must because this is my home I am resolute because maybe this next act saves my mother, Like a mad man sailing against the wind, my dedication seams pointless  But I care - I care because this is my home I am resolute because maybe this next sacrifice will save our mother. By Sylvanus Nabena Twitter: @slynabena

What Must Be Done https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/hands-pointing-corrupt-lying-politician-bad-1880693971 They entered through the back door! But are household names now. Increasingly desperate and restless, To keep what was never theirs. But their facelift has gone wrong. Sweet talk is now gone. I can see through it. I know what must be done. By Sylvanus Nabena Twitter: @slynabena

Let Go - I Will Catch You https://thenounproject.com/icon/trust-fall-26969/ Trust me - close your eyes, I am right behind you, Let go - I will catch you. … If I don’t get to you on time, You surely wavered, Still, calmez-vouz – 3 2 1. … It is your duty to forget but mine to store, I say, you do, Let go - I will catch you. By Sylvanus Nabena Twitter: @slynabena

I am your god https://reasons.org/explore/blogs/reflections/explaining-pagan-gods-and-human-idolatry Join me my child, and I will make you rich. Take this snack, smile, don’t twitch. I am your god - my presence is a gift, Dare to peer through, and I will shut the blinds. The path you heard about lead nowhere.  I am your god - there is no one better. By Sylvanus Nabena Twitter: @slynabena

Know Your Place https://pnghut.com/png/g8XRkMzrGP/creative-commons-license-share-alike-attribution-smile-copyright-transparent-png Only my children will keep the power, To transform thorns into flowers. But I have a task for you, Say cheese - smile on cue. You are my poster boy - my pretty face. Have peace and know your place. By Sylvanus Nabena Twitter: @slynabena

No Cover Up, No Photoshop She woke up to the metallic taste of the red liquid in her mouth. Head to toe, her body felt sore, damaged, washed-out. Attempts to move attracted tears like unlike poles on a magnet. Unending waterworks that burned as it streamed down to the earth. Tomorrow come, so sorrow goes away. No longer gleeful but consumed by grief. Safety and self-worth now make-believe. Memories shattered by the ever-present souvenir. Scars engraved like tribal marks; spread all over. A piece of her constantly fades away. The heavens, far from calm. She could see hails of thorns. Surely angels are evil. Cos, they hurt just like demons. Pain has morphed her skin harder than the armadillo’s. She has become obsessed to inflicting loss. So, pieces of you and I slowly decay. But what must be today to push sorrow away? Today, to make sure she does not pass away. The way out is not cover-up, not photoshop. The right path is listen, action a...

She Is All We Have https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Nigeria She hurts my eyes whenever I look around. Forcing me to close them. Breaks my heart when I listen to friends. Coercing me to cover them. Hunts me down when I speak the truth. Pressing me to shut them. Destroys my hopes with inaction. Pressuring me not to dream. She is a shadow of glory once told. Simpler times of peace and games. Splendour that never was. Maybe a product of make believe. But she is all I have. She is my one true love. She is all I have. Sometimes I wonder, will she gladly trade us for powder? Who really loathes us? Our mother or her caretakers? Custodians who take pleasure in pillaging our silver. Tell me. Who steals food from his or her shelter? Our babies inherit debt but theirs get treasure. They refuse to see hints but I read it crystal clear. I see the ticking time bomb; seven, six, five, four. Still she is all I have. She is my one true love. She is all you have. Our roads ...

Difference is Only Artificial What will I lose from defying stereotype? Will I stop being me if she is valued more? Will my brain shrivel? Or my bones break? With perfect makeup but tense nerves, she struggles to excel. She strongly believes that women must never make errors. The day she slips, she may lose it all. So, fear pushes her on. Plastered smiles all day but rains of tears at night. Her motivation is that it won’t be like this forever. The irony is that she births all but is bound second class. She nurtures all but is relegated on and on. What will you lose from defying stereotype? Will you lose your essence if she has opportunity? Will the heavens rumble? Or the earth quake? She does not want preferential treatments. O no! She only wants the opportunity to contribute, To be, to grow, to shine and to be successful. But everywhere she turns, she is pulled by gravity. One day, maybe, just one day, we will think equity, equality. One day. let’s make that on...

The Ticket to Soar Photo Credit: https://aviaryrecoverycenter.com/let-it-go/ Blue sky above, grey clouds below, Yet I feel trapped in a place where I do not want to go. Dry sky above, jagged rocks below, I am falling to a place where I do not want to go. How do I break free? How do I grow? How do I transcend this now and glow? Their reflexes have forced us to our knees. Warmth and peace has faded to a place that isn’t is. They lie all day, no sign of going back, Right has rotted to the point of being one - same with left. How do we break free? How do we grow? How do we transcend this now and glow o? Basic things are ignored. They’re losing easy grounds. So, we’re free-falling, sinking to a place of no sensation. Choices must be made; the right action must be taken. So, we know right now, présent we would have done our all and all. How do you break free? How do you grow? How do you transcend this now and glow o o? Let your conscience remain your l...

Long Live Nigeria Long live Nigeria! Our caretakers provisionally value us. Should we return the favour? They loot our silver to fortify their houses but act like our saviour. O! I dread the day when more death hawk-ers will come to prey. My home was porous yesterday and bleeding profusely today. Long live Nigeria! Today I take responsibility         for my fate.      I will achieve for me       and not delegate. Today I break the routine           and close that chapter.      No more dopamine         from fake laughter. Long live Nigeria! Where is the architect capable of transforming idea to design? I must increase my worth. No one should stall what is mine. I will build myself to convert brilliant plans to reality. I stand tall and proud; aware of my new identity. Long live Nigeria! Today I take responsibility    ...

Green or Grey Nigeria Photo Credit: https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-tree-growing-old-dead-dying-rotted-tree-image-symbolizes-rebirth-reborn-new-birth-overcoming-obstacles-image68357891 She was once proud, the home of gods and royalty. Now, people under her care depend on charity. If they are not displaced, they live in fear. Conflict up North, robbery down South. Terrorism coated with religious biases, And armed with ethnic prejudices. Who will paint her vibrant green white and green? True peace will not remain an elusive dream. Nightmares will not hunt me if I stay awake. I may be slow but I am far from weak. She has become drier than the Atacama Desert. Water and life only appear as mirages. She has become like quicksand. Struggle and go down faster. Fight the wind at your peril. To your ever-sure doom. Who will paint her vibrant green white and green? Poverty cannot continue to reign supreme. To me, 'dawn' is but minutes away. Alive! ...

Democracy, Elections and Nigeria: Problems and Way Forward (1) Continued from previous post on democracy and elections Can cosmetics help me to hide my ulterior intents? Everyone sees right through me. Domage! Maybe, I need a better make-up kit. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that as at 2015, the proportion of Nigerian children (aged 15 and lower) was more than twice the percentage of adults and elderly combined [7] . Children and youths make a significant chunk of the population, as such, the impact of manipulations of under-aged voting is astronomical. During the 2015 general elections, it was argued that under-aged voters participated and cast votes. Recently in Kano, there were complaints that under-aged voters (voters below the 18-year-old cut off), participated in elections and skewed the outcome of the State’s council elections. Some persons even insisted that INEC officials colluded to escalate this illegal practice. This is being investigate...

Democracy, Elections and Nigeria: Problems and Way Forward (1) You have given me the power to make and unmake.  Go to sleep, I will decide on your behalf.  The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (now amended), states that “the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice... It … declared that: (a) sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority; (b) the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government: and (c) the participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution” [1] . Building on this knowledge, can citizens confidently say that their intentions would naturally shape their leadership in Nigeria? Has Nigeria been experiencing true democracy only on paper? Has our form of democracy been diluted to emasculate citizens...

Immortal Nigeria Credit: Wilson Atumeyi, 2017; Vwiere Irikefe, 2017 I am the current running down the mountain. Obstacles may bar my path. But I will break through. I am resilient and immortal Nigeria. My guardians conveniently use me for private gain; unguarded plundering. They dig their graves. They don’t know that there is no greater hunger than one which can’t be satisfied. My rich ethnicity is manipulated to raise false allies and regional enemies. They create pain that can’t be undone. There is no greater deception than one that leads you to conflict. My appreciation for the supernatural is distorted for division. They have strangled my offspring for too long. Leaving me vulnerable; easy prey for hunters and scavengers. But the fog will dissipate; friends and foes will be made known. I am water trapped underneath rocks. Soon to become a spring. I will break free. I am resilient and immortal Nigeria. By Sylvanus Ebiegberi Nabena Twitter: @slynabena

What the Future Could Be They take three steps forward but hundreds backwards. A vicious cycle, Sinking us to penury. Three right actions, many wrong. A plaguing vehicle, Birthing daydreams of times long gone. Gideon lives in the past, the perfect yesterdays. When he believes honest leaders were countless. And officials were not endlessly self-centred. Maybe, he lives in an era that never existed. Three steps forward, hundreds backwards. His world is in chaos, When he hears about Death's meals. Strangers are gone, loved ones are heaped. Meaningless slaughter, Nursing daydreams of the good old days. Fatima longs for the past. Blissful former times. It was rare to witness 'no conscience'. Visitors valued locals and their friendliness. Maybe, she craves an era that never existed. Three steps forward, hundreds backwards. They long for yesterdays, Which shouldn't be. Maybe the regression will come to an end, If they do not stay, Where man...

The Lunacy of Inaction Credit: https://clipartxtras.com/categories/view/4d94fde5e5e890bed9148d2e7dc39cb7b853ae85/wolf-eating-clipart.html Various packs of wolves are hunting and gathering prey. Prey so many to feed generations unborn. Ravaging one deer, then two, then thousands. Several groups are doing it. The bandwagon effect continues. But greed will fade when the deer act differently. Like fast trains with no brakes, the hunters are rampaging. Gunning down pigeons. Ignoring wolves and hyenas. Preaching of lack whilst their pot bellies are jiggling. Eating up everything like a restless volcano. But greed will fade when the pigeons act differently. The commanders are puppets to the highest bidder. Who prefer that the voices from their subjects stay on mute. Trading people for less than silver is more routine than breathing. The quality expected from their job is now a mirage. But greed will fade when the subjects act differently. Greed will ...

We Own the Crown Credit: http://clipart-library.com/crown-cliparts.html Every day we sing praises to our kith and kin Our local leaders, who seem to have no sin Brothers of before, but cruel gods of now How did we get to this point? Na juju? We cherish their tight-fisted charity They give us peanut and we reflexively ‘jaiye’. The remaining gold, they freely plunder Unwillingly given. But who can question them? Wake up! We have refused to recognise dishonesty Even from hypocrites in authority Who sandwich deceit in piety When will we see people as they are? We rather blame others for our demise Those whose crime is that they are not ‘one of us’ Countrymen or not, we can’t but despise Rioting cancer. Is there no cure to this virus? Wake up! “This country will never improve". A passive man's mantra We complain unending but do nothing “Our opinions do not count”. Another blasphemy! Eternally indifferent. No will to act. Na so common sense dey sc...

Nigeria Wake Up Credit: http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ctv-morning-live/wake-up-call They come to us in times of election But flee from us afterwards as though we have infection Excuses are their steady companion Devious so we resolve with prayer but no action Wake up my people! Their mistakes have become law They are always never listening Stolen wealth, they gladly harbour Only sweet doom is beckoning Wake up! The condition of ‘before’ is clearly not the same as ‘now’ Yet they stick to an unending doctrine of lies and tricks Night and day, eternal pain, our future has been strangled bleak Yet they dare to flaunt their elegant crown so everyone would bow Wake up Nigeria! Do we have recurring amnesia? Or we want to sleep and not wake? Is the solution always militia? Why must we allow them to take our cake? Wake up! Remember who you are for Nigeria’s sake Citizens. Born royalty Renowned bedrock of any society With the power to make and unmake U...