Almost Independence

 Arise, O compatriots

(If there are any left)

Nigeria's call obey

(Louder than ever)

To serve our Fatherland

(We fit get many mama (tribes) but na still one papa (nation) we get)

With love and strength and faith

(Even if nothing else, at least this one)

The labour of our heroes past

(They tried o )

Shall never be in vain

(It already is vain but we shouldn't let it continue)

To serve with heart and might

(No be only by mouth o)

One nation bound in freedom

(I love parodies but...)

Peace and Unity

(I wish it were true)

I didn't used to feel safe before. Maybe it's cause 10 years ago, National Stadium was bombed. And a while after that I would have lost my aunt if not for God. Now I battle with the feelings that come with knowing a person who was slaughtered for doing morning cry. I feel odd when I remember I'm in a church and a Catholic Church was bombed on a Sunday and a family friend's church was just across the road and his church building still bears the mark of the blast.

I see how beggars are on the street especially children and sometimes a stray tear drops. Other times I look at them with disgust. I also remember the disabled man who sweeps the pedestrian bridge and how I give him #50 and feel guilty for not having change so I'll give him more. I can't stop crying when I remember that my bus driver once gave a group of almajiris #10 and they were so happy.

I remember how I'm still scared of traffic cause when I saw one in secondary school the road was blocked cause a building was demolished with a baby inside. The mother knew that was what had happened and she stabbed herself. That's what we were told. 

Being Nigerian means you trust no one. Even the police. If you trek from my house to the pedestrian bridge it should take you 15-30 minutes depending on your pace. The police office used to be half of the way. One day a car was parked by the bridge and the owner left. It was around the time when people were really suspicious of things like that because of the likelihood that it could be a bomb. The police were called and they only arrived when the car had left.

However despite the fact that the government has failed and well I'm hopeful for Nigeria's future we still find strength. We find strength that we can't seem to explain the source. The one that keeps us laughing about bad things cause we think it's the only thing we can do to survive. The strength that lies behind the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. The strength that shows in our prisoners who though exposed to the worst ills of life still survive. Maybe it's religion holding us, maybe it's religion tearing us apart.