Salisu Suleiman
I have enormous tracts of land and vast volumes of water, but cannot feed myself. So I spend $1 billion to import rice and another $2 billion on milk. I produce rice, but don’t eat it. I have millions of cows but no milk. I am 50, please celebrate me.
I drive the best cars in the world but have no roads, so I crush my best brains in the caverns, craters and crevasses they crash into daily. I am in unending mourning, please celebrate me.
My school has no teacher and my classroom has no roof. I take lectures through windows and live with 15 others in one room. All my professors have gone abroad, and the rest are awaiting visas. I am a university graduate, but I am illiterate. I want a future, please celebrate me.
Preventable diseases send me to hospitals without doctors, medicines or power. All the nurses have gone abroad and the rest are waiting to go also. I have the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world and future generations are dying before me. I am hopeless, hapless and helpless, please celebrate me.
For democracy’s sake I stood all day on Election Day. But before I could ink my thumb, results had been broadcast. When I dared to speak out, silence was enthroned by bullets. My leaders are my oppressors, and my policemen are my terrors. I am ruled by men in mufti, but I am not a democracy. I have no verve, no vote, no voice, please celebrate me.
My youth have no past, present nor future. So my sons in the North have become street urchins and his brothers in the South have become kidnappers. My nephews die of thirst in the Sahara and his cousins drown in the Mediterranean. My daughters walk the streets of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, while her sisters parade the streets of Rome and Amsterdam. I am grief-stricken, please celebrate me.
Pen-wielding bandits have raided everything in my vaults. They walk the land with haughty strides and fly the skies with private planes. They have looted the future of generations unborn and have money they cannot spend in several lifetimes, but their brothers die of starvation. I want a kit of kindness, please celebrate me.
I can produce anything, but import everything. So my toothpick is made in China; my toothpaste is made in South Africa; my salt is made in Ghana; my butter is made in Ireland; my milk is made in Holland; my shoe is made in Italy; my vegetable oil is made in Malaysia; my biscuit is made in Indonesia; my chocolate is made in Turkey and my table water made in France. My taste is far-flung and foreign, please celebrate me.
My land is dead because all the trees have been cut down; flooding kills thousands yearly because the drainages are clogged; my fishes are dead because the oil companies dump waste in my rivers; my communities are vanishing into the huge yawns of gully erosion, and nothing is being done. My very existence is uncertain and I am in the deepest depths of despondence, please celebrate me.
I have genuine leather but choose to eat it. So I spend billions of dollars to import fake leather. I have four refineries, but prefer to import fuel, so I waste more billions to import petrol. I have no security in my country, but send troops to keep peace in another man’s land. I have hundreds of dams, but no water. So I drink ‘pure’ water that roils my innards. I need a vision, please celebrate me.
I have a million candidates craving to enter universities, but my dungeons can only accommodate a tenth. I have no power, but choose to flare gas, so my people have learnt to see in the dark and stare at the glare of naked flares. I am shrouded by darkness, please celebrate me.
For my golden jubilee, I shall spend 16 billion naira to bash around the bonfires of the banal. So what if the majority gaze at my possessed, frenzied dance, drenched in silent tears, as probity is enslaved in democracy’s empty cellars? I am profligacy personified, please celebrate me.
Why can I not simply reflect and ponder? Does my complexion cloud the colour of my character? Does my location limit the lengths my liberty? Does the spirit of my conviction shackle my soul? Does my mien maim the mine of my mind? And is failure worth celebrating?
I am Nigeria, please celebrate me.
Outstanding piece of work!
ReplyDeleteSad,yet true.
ReplyDeleteMy other name is kenya
ReplyDeletei wish we had people like you in power, are they really blind to these things? or would you be like them when you take the mantle?
ReplyDeleteA wonderful piece! I pray that a change will happen soon, and we can all see the Nigeria of our dreams. Amen.
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed beautiful and well written, I wish our leaders could see it throu ur eyes... May Allah swt save us all and make our future better. Amin
ReplyDeleteBeautiful .... soon we will be beautiful as well
ReplyDeletelove this blog already
You deserve an Award. The only message missing is how our judiciary works!!!!!
ReplyDeletewow very well said.... but knowing the blessings we have in our beloved country nigeria 1 cant help but just pray 4 Allah(swa)2 help us. hope our so called leaders get 2 c this beautiful writing!
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic read. However, i must say that things are getting better for this reason;
ReplyDelete"Let us stop seeing things the way they are but rather, the way we are" God bless Nigeria!
Joseph Ogbuka
Well written but fundamentally boring in that it is a statement of the obvious. Why don't you step out of your comfort zone and challenge your considerable talent to provide us with a piece which deals with direct solutions to the issues that you have masterfully highlighted. Look forward to reading more of your work going forward. It takes courage to express your views so honestly and I commend you for that.
ReplyDeleteYes Man
Chai, a sad ending to a bad ongoing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a mirrow image of the true Nigeria.
God help us abeg!
Interesting. sad, but true. Our fundamental problem is corruption. We all know, including the poeple in authority, the way out: the right things to do to sort out th power, the refineries, etc. But they are too busy lining their pockets. Even the infamous jubilee celebrations are anothr opportunity to steal money. The corruption is so bad that even simple relaxing things like our football have been affected. We cant simply employ a coach but have to consider selfish interests first.
ReplyDeletei cold suggest rash and evil thngs like line them all up and shot them. But we need to tackle the corruption and the attendant loss of values in the youth coming up behind.
@ Osaki Harry... GREAT QUESTIONS! I GREET YOU!
ReplyDelete@Joseph Ogbuka... VERY WELL SAID! I GREET YOU!
@Yes Man... GREAT MIND! I SALUTE YOU!
And i say... @ Salisu Suleiman... NEVER have i read a piece so intelligently written. But for the name, i could have sworn it was Wole Soyinka at it again.
Weldone, my fellow concerned co-patriot. This is indeed CLASSICAL. In the same vein, please build hope AGAIN by constructively telling the best way forward; not just with mere rhetorics, but with wholesome content such that could spur like minds to get in position to create the kind of Nigeria that our children & their children will be proud of. Even if we don't live to see that day, our children will & will bless us when their history books tell them of what once was and how the likes of you (mentioned in one of those books) saved their day.
Instead of more critics, let's profer more solutions, that will build this great Nation, Nigeria... and i mean GREAT in every sense of it). I have worked as a professional in Cameroun a year plus & for a nation that also just turned 50...(sigh) ... Nigeria & Nigerians are still so far blessed. We are not what we ought to be, but we would be, if we really tried.
Dele Giwa wrote, Tai revolted, Fela castigated, Abiola died, Gani talked, Oshimole protested, Soyinka criticized... BUT WHAT WILL SALISU DO???
From what I read, from what i see,... you can offer & create SO MUCH MORE... IF YOU REALLY TRIED!
WELDONE SIR!
PEACE & UNITY!
Stephanie Kadiri
nigeria of our collective dream is still far in the future,as the current naija we operate is an incredible fraud and delusion..at this rate, we must have earned the tag of THE MOST UNSERIOUS NATION ON EARTH..!!
ReplyDeleteIts mind boggling considering how much our decadence can continue to be featured.But its also bitter to see how everone joins the circle of corruption when in power. What ever, it was wonderful and articulated desscription of baby Nigeria at 50.
ReplyDeleteThis is very well written but it is a statement of the obvious. our leaders are juggernauts therefore they are insentitive to the welfare of the very nation they govern and the people they serve.They lack the vision expected of a leader and are ruthless in their aspiration.
ReplyDeletewell said,may God Almighty bless u. Nigeria will get there in Jesus name.How i wish Nigeria could do what Ghana did some years back, pick all the bad leaders in the country put them in one place and boomb the place.Let Nigeria have a fresh start in her 50s.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautifully sad piece. Beautiful because you have captured very explicitly, the Nigerian situation and sad because all you have said is true. I however believe that we can be better than this and should look forward to a brighter future. Things are not as bad as they use to be, yes, improvements are in small patches but little drops of water makes a mighty ocean. I recommend a positive outlook and the promotion of the better side of Nigeria. We should also remember that we've all got a part to play!
ReplyDeleteDan Akpan
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting piece that capture the state of our nation to our own shame. I think we are all guilty; both the leaders and the lead. Until we all come in terms with reality that this is our own country that requires collective responsibility to build, we will still be far from our promised land.We should learn to talk to ourselves and we must be ready to listen because blame and counter blame is not the solution. The earlier we get to the business of national rebuild the better for us.
this is indeed sad, because every day our leaders use Nigeria's resources to visit all the best places in the world either on official assignments or on holidays with their families but they never learn from it. we use to be at par with countries like the Asian tigers but today they are 100years ahead of us because of corruption perpetrated in the land. Big men send their children to Malaysia, India, UK, USA etc. to study forgetting that they will come back to either be kidnap or killed by their age mates that were denied that opportunity because of the attendant corruption in the land. my brother please tell us the way forward and i wonder if there is away those in authority can read this your write-up. May the Almighty bless you.
ReplyDeleteI salute u my brother. You are one in a million,u deserve an award but the awards in this country goes to the so called high and mighty and well connected Nigerians. Its not as if other countries are not corrupt or embezzle money as well but they use their stolen money to develop their countries while we take our own out to places like Dubai to acquire properties.Its also a big shame that @ 50 Nigeria has achieved nothing. How i wish this write up can be read in one of their forums/lectures during the cause of this celebration. God bless and uphold u.
ReplyDeleteIf only we can embrace discipline, both the leaders and the led, then can we to dream of a better future. It is lack of discipline that make us the critic today and the critizised tomorrow, we make mouth when we are not there to share or steal the national cake, and join the bandwagon when the opportunity comes our way. If we are ready to embrace discipne, the starting point is doing away with our love for vanities. God bless Nigeria and Nigerians, as we consider the only option - change what is in our hearts, so that Allah (SWT) can change our situation. The Trumpeter
ReplyDeleteNIGERIA AT 50, THE EQUATION IS, YEARS OF EXISTENCE IS TO MATURITY. THAT IS 50:1, IT'S SO SAD, AND THE MOST ANNOYING THING ABOUT IT, IS THAT THERE IS LITTLE OR NOTHING THE POOR MASSES CAN DO. MAY GOD ALMIGHTY COME TO OUR AID. AMEN
ReplyDeleteBeautiful piece, well said. How true.
ReplyDeleteVery well written suleiman...i applaud u..i hope u don't mind if i repost on my blog
ReplyDeletehttp://that1960chick.com
This is an interesting write-up, i'm happy I discovered you
ReplyDeleteThanx brother Sulaimon for this piece and for attracting such interesting and diverse feedback. I also will like to thank the likes of Tina Ene, Dan Akpan, etc.
ReplyDeleteOf course, you narated what is obvious, may I say to you and many others that: what(?) WE (the PEOPLE) really need is constructive solution/engagement; "WAY FORWARD".
We know what some of us(the so called leaders), are capable of, what are we (the most) willing to do besides the freedom of saying our mind about others.
My question to us (THE PEOPLE) "WHAT HAVE WE DONE FOR NAIJA LATELY" besides our candid and truthful analysis of others.
Please let's look within and be prepared and willing to play a bit role in bringing about a positive CHANGE that would reflect our point of view or how we would like to see things.
MAY THE GOOD GOD HELP US ALL, NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE!
ade bello
Very brillant writing. Enough said. May God grant your leaders wisdom.
ReplyDeletehauntingly beautiful.
ReplyDeletethe future must be brighter. nigeria & africa cannot and must not be the repository of all that is despairing and hopeless. we must not allow ourselves to accept as natural this languishing in the total eclipse of the heart: a change must come. it must, and it will!
yes we see the hyenas and jackals in our midst and abroad across the land. we see them masquerading as the natural stewards of our course. and so whatever the darkness of the moment, we should never let our souls succumb to the darker beasts of the jungle.
a change will come, Suleiman, it must! we will be singing a hopeful tune when we turn 100. the seeds are being planted as we speak. all of us must cultivate the fields of hope and action, first in our own hearts. to reject daily as false the condition that our five senses scream out to us as normal and real. the sun still shines on all!
Hey, this piece is highly evocative. I like it it brevity, imagery and the message it shares. How i wish many more Nigerians(and the rest of the world) will have access to its rich content. This is the type of poem i'll like to sign my name under. Sir,keep the pen bleeding...
ReplyDeletegreat write ups, i comment to request you give me permission for it to be posted on my blog (blog4all-com.blogspot.com) with the title AM ABOVE 50, PLEASE CELEBRATE ME.tanxz.
ReplyDeletehttp://blog4all-com.blogspot.com
Oh my God, this is one piece of literature that transcends the barrier of race, religion, geography and even time. This will be a legendary writing for sure. It does not need any flare pilot to celebrate the beauty and the flair in this writing. Kudos!
ReplyDelete