Finding a BEAM to hold the DREAM of what Nigeria could be - 1.

~*I Still Believe in Nigeria*~
Once upon a time, a group of persons had a dream, a dream so beautiful that a mere thought of this dream gave them goose bumps and whenever they remembered this dream their hearts would melt and their face would glow causing their lips to part ways creating a wonderful smile. Now when I say dream, I'm not talking about the type we get when we sleep but the type that just won't let you sleep.

This dream became so real that they could feel it, sorry I meant feel Her. They dreamt of a great nation, a nation united as one, one that would show the world the true potential of the Africans. 'I can see Her clearly now, Her beauty, Her fertile land, Her diverse culture and languages that just like a painters painting, when put together would form a perfect picture, Her food, she would have different types of food made from different spice, some sweet, some peppery, some spicy and some just impossible to eat. And above all Her people would work together as one and live in Love with one another, together they would be strong and lack nothing', the dreamers would often say. Indeed this was a dream worth fighting for.

The big day came and they were ready, ready to fight for their great nation, it was time for Her to be free. They fought with all their might and were ready to sacrifice their last drop of blood for Her.

Finally, it was October 1st and the sound of victory filled the air, 'we won, we won, we are free, free to be independent, free to be united, to express our creativity' they shouted. Little Children danced around, although ignorant of why they were dancing but danced anyway, husbands kissed their wives and young men proposed to their spouse, fathers drank and mothers cooked, they had a huge feast and everyone was happy all this had happened in their life time. They were all excited, I mean who wouldn't be on a very special day like this.

And that was how she was born, she was beautiful, fertile and pure. She was filled with so much treasure and the rarest of precious things. They called her Nigeria. She was clothed with a very beautiful apparel, made of green and white. The green was a symbol of fertility and the white a symbol of purity. She was perfect. As years pass, the baby grew into a beautiful lady, very fertile and productive indeed, she was called the 'Giant of Africa' because she stood out, Her people worked together as one and soon the world was proud of Her.

As she continued to grow more and beautiful, soon she was noticed by all, both good and bad. Soon she fell into the wrong hands, she fell into the hands of men that sought to use her for their own selfish gain. They took Her land and harvested it's goodness for themselves, they gathered Her precious gold and made ornaments for themselves, they took Her precious gems and stored it in their box of treasures, they used her day and night and gave her little rest.

Soon she grew tired and the once beautiful nation started to wear out, she lost her glow and her spark, Her fertile ground grew weary and Her purity taken away. At the end everyone gave up on Her and the once 'Giant of Africa' became worse than a sleeping dog.

You see although many have given or are giving up on Her, I won't. Every time I look at Her, I still see what our father's saw, beyond the dust, mud and dirt I see beauty. I still call Her my star, everyday I whisper into Her eyes, 'you would rise again'. I still go down on my knees and pray for this sleeping giant, I pray to God to awaken her once again, bring Her back from the hands of those who seek to use her for their own selfish gain and let Her come home once again. Awaken Her youth and young men to fight for what was once theirs and Her young women to remember the values for which they were born. Help her grow and make Her children smile again.

Everyday I pray for Nigeria, I think you should too (remember it is scriptural Jer.29 vs 7).

Written by Omoyibo Akpobome and there's more to His_Storyteller by clicking his name. Happy Independence day!

 

Cheers!