Nagging Questions – For Nyanya, For Chibok……A Poem By Eghe Osadolor [@euphoria9ja]

Growing up in the North was fun;
People that spoke different from me were my friends and brothers.
In the East, I could not understand their language too
But I never had to watch my back around them; we were like family.

 

The West didn’t scare me with its tales of ‘gbomo-gbomo’
Instead their masquerades captivated me and their music taught my feet to dance
The beauty of the South appealed to my entire senses;
Food, cities, culture, tradition.
I was proud of this country Nigeria.
Words like ‘militant’ , ‘terrorist’ , ‘kidnapper’ , ‘ritualist’ were completely foreign to me.
I could sleep in a total stranger’s home when stranded in a remote town and wake up alive.

 

Now we have turned into a soul-less country where getting rich by any means possible, spitting in our fellow man’s source of livelihood and being nonchalant about our friends in distress has become the order of the day; an acceptable norm.
How do we sleep at night?

 

Daily our babies are raped right from their cribs to their nursery classes to the safety of their rooms by familiar strangers.
Daily our religious heads fuel their jets with our sweat and tour the world, sleeping on scented satin sheets while we huddle under trees; hoping to sleep well and dream of God’s face.
Daily we lose our lives to demons in wolves clothing that move like sheep and catch us unsuspecting.
Where are the mothers of the 70’s and 80’s? Where are the fathers teaching honour, hardwork and consideration for one’s fellow man?
Where are our daughters; seized from school in the dead of the night by faceless cowards?
Where are our sons when it is time for supper and they are not at the table?
Where are the leaders that swore to protect, defend and uphold our PEACE and UNITY?

 

When did it all go wrong?
Where did our humanity go?
Why are we so indifferent to this disaster?
What are we going to tell the future?

 

For Nyanya, for Chibok, for Borno…….for a Nigeria in flames.

 

 

A poem by Eghe Osadolor, follow her on twitter @euphoria9ja