#IAmNigeria by Adaora Obi

I am a Nigerian

I was born into a land that saw pain and suffering.

A land that bore hardship and  maltreatment with all her might but didn’t give up.

I am a Nigerian.

I have the blood of warriors running through my veins and the strength of a lion getting ready to  hunt.

The history of my land fills me with the courage I need to face each new day.

I am a Nigerian.

My land went through hell but in the midst of all this,they never stopped plotting.

They might not have looked it but sit with them for a few seconds and you could tell they were fed up.

I am a Nigerian.

I do not look at the past or even the present,oh no..I pay attention to what is in front.

When asked how I am able to live through it all..”My ancestors went through worse” is all I could say.

I am a Nigerian.

I grew up to witness the unity that my ancestors fought for get shattered.

Tribes could no longer stand being in the same room with each other.

All that mattered to them was to claim superiority over others and this makes me weep.

I am a Nigerian.

The same way I saw our fathers struggle for Dominion over each other,I also saw my generation stand up.

They stood up with a different agenda and that was to bring back the unity that had been forgotten.

I am a Nigerian.

I am a witness to the marches,to the prayers and the people who came out irrespective of the language and age difference to demand for a change but unfortunately we were shown that none of that mattered.

This was the first time i was thrown into a field of confusion and was unable to come out of it because there and then I watched my land bleed.

I am a Nigerian.

As bad as things look now I still have faith in my land.

I see a time where people would come together and be merry.

Where an Hausa man will ask “kedu ka í mere?” And a Benin man will respond 

“É dupe”.

I am a Nigerian,

No not just a Nigerian, but a Nigeria ; A land our fore father’s Fought for, our fathers struggled and died for, our Youths stood and bled for, where my generations to come would thrive in.

From Adaora Obi