(Also published in http://www.naijastories.com/2011/12/almost-alive-almost-dead/)

They beat the pulp out of me that night of the 30th day of September this year. It was the eve of the National Independence Anniversary, which for 50 years had been trailed by mixed feelings. This was in spite of the general atmosphere of green-white-green that descended on the country.

I had almost passed by the boys sitting beside their rusty Volkswagen ‘Beetle’ a few kilometers away from mine when a careless log tripped me; I crashed into one of the boys with the load I was carrying. The oozing blood of the load touched this boy with an angry face and he raised an alarm the way he would had he seen ’a thief that killed and stole the only goat that belonged to an entire village’ – he was certain of an instant response. “Hey, blood”, “Catch am”, “He Kill am”, “Na thief”…

A great nation with great heritage
We need to reach and take advantage
Of the vast deposits we have on the inside
So we can exploit resources on the outside

In trouble we play the blame game
Everyone somehow withdraws in shame
No one wants to take responsibility
For us to obtain true liberty

We are so rich yet so poor
A lock still remains on the door
Our minds still bears the yoke of slavery
Deliverance will come at the wake of bravery

Like the ancient story of the tyrant cat
That troubled and preyed on the rats
As long as none the cat could bell
Their lives remained a living hell

A new Nigeria will emerge I believe
This however depends on you and me
What sacrifice are you willing to give
The factors that divide we should leave

Hope indeed is a beautiful thing
So different from…