PRAY FOR MY COUNTRY
A child born to the abundance of nature but suffers lack
Tears dripping threatening to form an ocean
uncleared of rubbish accumulated by ruins of yester years
Ambassadors of greed dwelling in the hills of gold
Those who chew the fruits of oppression shall reap earth’s wealth
PRAY FOR MY COUNTRY
The palm gives wine no more
Trees rebel without fruits
Seeds remain unsprouted
What time of the night, I don not know
Is it day, I still can’t tell
Even the cocks have failed to crow
PRAY FOR MY COUNTRY
We thought we had come home from the bloodless war
we wished we had ceased to wash our hands with spittle because we live by the river
The dark moon appears, then I’m dragged back to reality
Indeed, this is home
The ceaseless cries of children
The continuous lamentations of mothers
The gnashing of teeth
I am home
to the news of banditry attacks
to the increasing kidnapping, cyber crime and ritual killings
to fuel scarcity, inflation and economic fraud
PRAY FOR MY COUNTRY
O God! Forgive our leaders who have turned raiders
Forgive those who constantly hunt us like grass cutters
they have hardened their hearts and reddened their eyes
they rage on and on
they have buried our dreams like the stubborn fly
Forgive our sons who wield weapons and unleash unsparingly
forgive our daughters who perpetuate crimes unscrupulously
forgive our mothers who murder
forgive our fathers who aid this manslaughter
for people are constantly hurting their huts
PRAY FOR MY COUNTRY
They have turned deaf ears to our incessant appeals
They speak with coarse voices
whose ears will hear these cries
whose hearts will pity
we clamour day in and day out
out of the storm and squalls of fruitless journey
we hope to emerge triumphant
PRAY FOR MY COUNTRY
For we have drank from the waters of poverty and corruption
we have drunk from all the springs of ill luck
we are confronted with the ill-wind that blows no good
we are challenged by kleptocrats and led by selfishness
we are ravaged by the rage of age and toils and our routine pains of wasted years are far from over
PLEASE PRAY FOR NIGERIA
