By Nnaoke Ufere, PhD
October 1, a day of mourning,
When I sit in silence, heart heavy with grief,
What could have been? What dreams were lost?
Our nation, once hopeful, now sinks in disbelief.
We sought independence, yet found no freedom,
Chained not by the Brits, but by our own,
In colonial days, we walked with more wisdom,
Now blind, we stagger beneath greed’s throne.
A nation torn by disunity and strife,
Tribalism, religion, partisanship rife.
Politicians who chase their wealth, their gain,
While the people’s welfare withers in pain.
Religious leaders fish not for souls, but gold,
Businessmen cut corners, their morals sold.
Teachers who don’t teach, students who don’t learn,
Electricity’s out more than it will ever return.
Hospitals where healing is lost to despair,
A place where kidnappers and bandits don’t care.
A country so rich, yet one of the poorest,
Where the 1 percent feasts, and the rest are the sorest.
Disparities widen, the dispossessed cry,
The hopeless, the broken, are left behind to die.
A hellscape on earth, once a beacon of light,
Now drowning in darkness, in endless night.
But deep in the darkness, a flicker remains,
A fire in the hearts of those who bear pains.
Though torn apart, though weakened, we stand,
For hope lingers still in this battered land.
In 2027, a new dawn may arise,
If we dare to be bold, to open our eyes.
A leader awaits—visionary and strong,
With courage, compassion, to right every wrong.
The choice is ours, the status quo or light,
Freedom, equality, unity in sight.
Prosperity, security, justice anew,
A future restored, if only we choose.
