God’s Nigeria

Hello Friends!

How are we doing?

If you’re Nigerian here, what a nerve-wracking election weekend it has been ehh? Now in the midst of that, we found ways to express our faith and our hope for a new Nigeria using our art. The title of that Freestyle predictably was God’s Nigeria, and boy did that sum up all our prayers.I’m going to walk you through that freestyle journey, and I hope you are as blessed as we are. My name is Miracle, and it is my honor to serve you today.

Tolu opened the floor at 02:09pm WAT with this beautiful piece;

God’s Nigeria, land of diversity,
Where cultures and tribes converge with clarity,
A land of beauty and endless possibility, With a history that spans through infinity.

From the green savannah to the sandy shores,
To the bustling cities and peaceful moors, Nigeria is a place where hope soars,
And the people’s spirit forever roars.

In the north, the sun sets behind hills,
The east with its flowing streams and rills, The west, where the ocean breeze thrills, And in the south, the rainforest spills.

From the Hausa to the Igbo and Yoruba, And countless other tribes that form a hub, Nigeria is a place where love is above,
And everyone shares in God’s eternal love.

Amidst challenges and trials that often test,
Nigeria remains a country that’s truly blessed,
For God’s hand of grace continually rests,
And the people’s faith in Him forever invests.

So let us all come together and sing,
Of God’s Nigeria, where hope takes wing,
And let our praises to Him forever ring,
For in Him, we find our strength and everything.

And then Oluwafemi wrote this apt, and succinct chaser at 03:52pm WAT;

ELECTIONS

elections are coming
booths are opening
vote buying are ongoing
fake promises are fulfilling

but God’s Nigeria:

 miracle shall happen
 if we vote obediently
 not our bellies…

Our freestyle host, the multi-talented Niel Quchi followed that with an anthem of sorts by 05:48pm WAT;

God’s Naija’s got airports like malls
Shallow streams but plenty platforms
Sons hear ‘PVC’ and return
Borders bothered by no neighbors
Rich christians obey the Bro Code
Less ‘I will’s and more ‘Its all done’

The civil servants earning civilly
Marriages lacking see-finish
God’s town and the black Atlantis
So so, biko quench dem parties

And then ChyD, beautiful, talented, poised, and gracious sent in this satirical piece at 06:18pm WAT;

I go hospital for Pap smear and the doctor begin yarn me on HPV. When e reach my turn to ask questions I come dey call am PVC. I tell the doctor say na slip of tongue but I get good reason. Because the blood wey spill on 20th October thick like pap and smeared our hopes and dreams. But that one dey, because our hopes don renew.

She took a breather, but it seemed she was not done yet, because these followed at 07:54pm;

We are at the verge of entering the promise land. What is 10kg of labeled rice when we can have milk and honey?

Oh you are lactose intolerant?
Say no more. We have eba.
Too polished for eba? We have intercontinental dishes.
Mention it. In the lord’s reign, there is fullness and abundance

3 Peter 1:1
And behold, Peter left the bountiful land of lawlessness and established himself in an unknown land where he labored. The lord saw his heart and blessed him with the love of the people.

And with this we came to the end of our freestyle Friday for 24th February, 2023. I hope this blessed you, thank you for sticking with me through this again. If you’re still reading, please take a couple minutes to pray for Nigeria.

Bless up!

Authors:

Niel Quchi

Tolu (The Alchemist)

ChyD

Oluwafemi

Country of our dreams

They say our country is going to seperate,
They say our country is a failed state,
They say we should run abroad because we will never run towns,
They taught us our suffering in silence ensures a graduation gown;
We were just trying to build a roof, but they said we are all bark and no bite
We were just trying to find some food, but they said we can’t eat what they haven’t…

This journey to the country of our dreams will not end us…
I do not pray for some future blessing, or that one day “e go beta”…No!
All we need is in us.
God, each other, tomorrow…

I do not pray for some wave of death, or that our enemies don’t make it to our comfortable
All we need is in us.
You, each other, tomorrow…
Tomorrow is asleep in the palms, three tiers can’t tear what God has joined together.

I pray that we see ourselves in each other’s eyes…children, all trying to breathe between sobs.
I pray that we accept each other’s differences… together, redefining the meaning of color.
I pray that we find each other, unity, and recognize how successful we are to have gotten here.

All we need is in us.
This journey to the country of our dreams will not end us…because Love is our true beginning.
And we’re just getting started.

The Niel Quchi
© 2020

Requiem for the Disarmed Forces

I have always admired soldiers
Just like I have always ignored Valentine’s Day
But on the day, I make a statement.

Not because my silence isn’t sweetin me
Not because I am obligated to speak.

I have always admired soldiers,
as their sacrifices vary
from patriotism to sheer employment
from investment to raw adventure

I don’t just remember soldiers on a remembrance day,
especially because I am Igbo
a tribe that has forgiven genocide and discrimination.
I don’t just remember soldiers on a remembrance day,
especially because I am Nigerian
a country that has forgiven military dictatorships and coups.

I don’t just remember soldiers on a remembrance day,
especially because my friend Eric is a soldier,
a man that shares history, hopes and happiness with me.

I remember soldiers,
the fallen and the standing,
especially because guard-room is real,
and no reward is enough for the soldier;
Except for Freedom and the heat of battle.

From God is true freedom…
but when it comes to battle,
Arise, Oh compatriots…

The Niel
©2020

Balcony

A good journey is made up of few events,
but one important thing
Is a happy and relieved ending.

I have seen
The journeys the men of my country,
And seen that they have
only begun to stop fighting like animals.

Now we fight a different way.
But to fight like that is not expected of my journey.

Yet this balcony of exclusion
While keeping me
Safe from the journeys of other people,
keeps all the stories I would learn away from me.

Okay, I’m going inside

The Niel
© 2019