*Clearing throat* Yes, it's time for something serious. Once again, I have abandoned my adolescence and pick up the mantle of my 'Old age', according to my roommate.*laugh* Time to pen the words for my country.
Years ago, so long now it is almost forgotten, that brilliant Sunday morning in October, when we became a nation, free, and independent. For sixty years, we had been an official colony, a protectorate of the British Royalty. Finally, freedom was ours. One country, one nation, united under one banner, by border and as brothers, one people under GOD; Nigeria.
Many years have passed now and yet the meaning of what we won by blood and toil is still lost upon us. Independence is what we celebrate, but the true meaning of our independence is unknown to us. As a date upon which a state is free as a polity and is able to conduct herself politically, we understand October 1, 1960. But as the day when a people came together as one, and the dark blue Union Jack was tossed down and a new, bright green and white flag flew bravely from the rooftops, signifying a people free from dependence or control by any person or group, that day is what we have forgotten.
Till this day, in our everyday activities, we still see the oppression, the suffering, the put-down of our people by others who have by some means been elevated to some sort of status. Till this day, we see people who would seek to take away our independence and our freedom. We see people who by diverse machinations seek, hard, to ensure our continued subservience and dependence upon them. Till this day, our freedom, our complete independence from subjugating control is challenged.
Our enemies come in different shapes and shades, putting on various masks and pretences. They live among us. They are in everything we are involved. They are everywhere we are. They can be seen and heard, we know who they are, but the fear, the oppression they levy determines we do nothing. They are called by different names. We know those names. We know our oppressors.
The ancient scourge of our economy as a nation has been corruption, this monster seeps deep, deep within our souls. It entrenches itself within us, reaching deeper, into our subconscious, making itself a part of us, deciding our actions, eliminating our freedom. This monster creates the oppressors. It is the urge to be corrupt which gives birth to oppression. The oppression from our leaders, the oppression from the bribe-taking lecturers in our schools, we know these things. We know these people. We know these oppressors. We see them every day. They will seek to destroy us. They will seek to climb upon our backs to glory, and bask in the view of our dead corpses if they can. But we will not let them.
Over fifty years ago, in a world not so different from ours now, brave men stood united and decided to fight for what they wanted, for what they knew was theirs. For “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The oppressors would seek to enslave our lives, that our liberties are extinguished, that in the pursuit of happiness we fail. But we will fight them. Marching head high, with the arrows and bullets of derision flying all around us, we would reach into the hearts of the monsters and rip out their source.
In this, we would suffer casualties. In this endeavour we would almost fail. As we march down this road, things would get worse and the pain from the oppression we would face would be interminable. Then, it would get better. Just at the edge, at the brink of failure and defeat, we would rear up again and push the oppressors down the ledge of human history and once again, it would be written that brave people stood and fought against tyrants and won their freedom.
To those who oppress I write a few words. Your time has come. The life of tyranny you have led before now has come to an end. No more. No more would you sit upon your malodorous thrones and demand sacrifices of those who seek simply to live the lives they were born for. No more would you spread your foul-smelling tentacles into the hearts of the pure and innocent and corrupt their souls for your evil schemes. No more would you serve your evil master, Corruption, and enslave the Children of this great nation. My country is free, Nigeria is independent, and her people more so.
Years ago, we were given freedom as a state, now we demand freedom for ourselves. The battle for our souls cannot however be won by our mortal might, solace and refuge must be found in the arms of GOD and by his Grace, with his power flowing in our veins, we would conquer the evil ones.
And when the oppressor seeks to stand in whatever form, whether as a political leader enforcing a policy, an extremist religious faction trying to terrorize us or a lecturer forcing us to bribe through his course, we will be steadfast, we would not back down, we would stand and say NO, and demand that that which is right be done and our freedom remain. We would stare into the face of oppression and proclaim our independence, our freedom.
So help us, GOD.
