A Nation In Search Of Change Poem by Oyelakin Gbolahan

A Nation In Search Of Change



In the thick heavy tropical rainforest
Stands the grandest of all heroes,
Adorned with beauty indescribable,
Treasures and resources surpassing;
That crowns him “the Giant of Africa” –
The largest Negro in the world.

Fifty years of painful expedition has gone;
Led by different consortia of unscrupulous,
Corrupt, self-centred, nefarious tyrant.
Most of those who witnessed
The outset of the ultimate search for a real change
Will wonder how long it will take a nation
Blessed with all necessary primary tools
Needed to truly discover the desirable change.

Lemme say, they have discovered some things:
They discovered prejudice, hatred and selfishness;
Greed, corruption, intolerance, bribery, state-theft;
Kidnapping, glorified lying, homelessness, insecurity;
Religious crises, intra-tribal wars, social unrest, retro-development…
Half a century has come and gone,
Here we are still searching for the lost change
With no clue to finding it.

Fortunately, the fiftieth year will witness
Another extravagant process of leadership shift of the present consortium.
What will be the fate of our generation and those yet unborn?
That is, the aftermath of 2011 National general election
Will determine the next phase of our strategic search.

This fiftieth anniversary celebration is with mixed feelings:
Feelings of thanksgiving and worship to the Sovereign God,
For sustaining us despite the evil discoveries…
Feelings of distress, agonies, travails, cries, umbrage and disappointment.
Distress from indigenous slavery; agonies and cries of the innocent blood,
Maiming, destructions and kidnapping due to intolerance, insecurity and prejudice;
Umbrage and disappointment because of bad leadership and our retrogressions…

Feelings of hope, hope for an abiding change.
Hope that we can still discover unity
Regardless our different faith, beliefs and practices;
Regardless our tongues and culture.

Hope that we can truly achieve sustainable development
And build a nation we can be proud of,
Redeeming our lost image for our children and those yet unborn.
Hope that genuine leaders with good and selfless intentions and visions,
Who will depict true statesmen will emerge.
Hope that we will for the first time
Conduct a non-controversial free and fair, peaceful election
By 2011 with good accountability.

Hereby, we will all converge sooner than envisaged
At our confluence to celebrate
The dawn of a change, a new beginning, a new Nigeria.
Together we stand and change for the best,
Divided we fall and disintegrate for the worst.

Change we believe and change we will achieve.
God Bless Nigeria! God Bless Us All! !

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