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INDEPENDENCE CHARGE

JUSTICE’S INDEPENDENCE CHARGE

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I will rather live in a failed country and be a successful individual than vice versa. My father, so many years ago told me that failure is a choice. Also, in the pages of the few motivational books I have been opportune to read, ‘failure sets in when you stop trying.’ Some even say that success means to rise up many times more than you have fallen. But, on this Independence period, I, Ordinary Justice, have no intention to motivate or confuse you. I also have no intention to say some ambiguous or impracticable stuff. On the contrary I shall be dropping what I call FACTS.

            In the 53rd year of this country and in the twenty something years I have trodden upon the soil of this our collectively called motherland, I see people wearing long faces as if they are bereaved. When I inquired, I found out that their headache is the failure of government rather the loss of a beloved one. Instead of rising up to the occasion and doing something to oust or transform the leadership, they gather for hours discussing and murmuring under the table about how the country and her leadership has failed. The end result of this long hours of unnecessary discussion and argument is that, they themselves end up in idleness. An expression I saw somewhere says, “An activist is not a person that discovers that the river is dirty but he who does something to clean it up.”

            The thing is, ‘As we never chop belle full for this country, there is no need expending the little energy we have arguing about the failure of government.’ In your locality, just try and be the change that you crave for. Rather than discuss the failure of this country, do your best not to contribute to her already decaying image. Always resist the temptation of sitting in your small office, school or home arguing about the leadership of this nation and blablabla; that’s a waste of precious time. If you must complain or probably argue, find your way to Nigeria Info, 95.1FM Abuja, Radio Nigeria and so many other media houses in the country. This way, your words will fall on the right ears and your grievance, I suppose, will be properly noted. Or better still, you can write to the National assemble or even the Presidency like I’m writing right now. If you ask me, instead of wailing and complaining to everyone you see on the road, I will rather you take to the street and protest PEACEFULLY.

            I used to tell people that until we decide as individuals not as a nation, to do the right things, we will forever continue going round and around. Until we stand out as individuals to say NO to corruption and other issues that has held us down, we will continue to sweat under air conditioner. ‘Forget’ Mr. President and do what you have got to do! Sincerely, sometimes I don’t even remember that I have a governor in my state until I hear his siren on the highway. However, I wake up each day and try as much as possible to do my best diligently. Nigeria may have failed in her fifty third year, but God forbid that you and I will fail. Let’s, to the best of our ability do our best every passing day. If fellow countrymen and women like the late Albert Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Chimamanda Adichie, Emeka Anyoku, Blessing Okagbare, Asa, Tuface and so many others could rise above the failures of this country, then why not you?

Nigeria may have failed woeful or however you want to put it, but I, ORDINARY JUSTICE (aka O.J) will NEVER fail! Of course, I have got a heavenly Father who does not fail.

                                    HAPPY INDEPENDENCE!

Reaction on this article should be sent to talk2justman@yahoo.com

Writen By Justice E. Ebede

A WORD TO A SLEEPING GIANT

                                        BY JUSTICE E. EBEDE

Giant!

Potential giant of my time

The tropics is your home

Yet you trouble your own

Leaving them to smile through hopelessness

While you abound in beauty and splendor

O latent giant of the tropics

Where do we go from here?

 

Giant!

Glorified giant of Africa

You thrive like a midget

Dancing a ballet

You make your home unbearable for her own

Chasing rat when your house is on fire

Your wards scatter all over the world

O! Latent giant of our time.

 

Giant!

Potential giant of my time

You make us go haywire

At your hostile nature we cringe

At the ALUU four I frown

That armless species are endangered

Latent giant of the tropics

Rise up from this oppression!

 

Giant!

Crawling giant of the tropics

I cry,

That the bodies of the innocent litter the streets

Although not like in Sudan or Middle East

But explosion rock in the crowd of many

Now I hear that familiar sound in a Mall in Kenya

Who shall save this latent giant of the tropics?

 

Giant!

Struggling giant of my time

You strive every now and then

But with muscle power is taken after a tussle

Yet they bamboozle and embezzle

When we have no morsel to swallow

Latent giant of the tropics

Arise and arrest imposters in power!

 

Giant!

As you celebrate at this time

Your five decades and three

In abundance you fare like sucking

When shall you grow up?

Shall you forever remain a baby?

O! Latent giant of the tropics.

Why mop when they mess up the labour of our past heroes?

 

Giant!

Potential giant of my time

Why should BH insurgency counter your stride?

Shall we continue to live in a country?

Where ASUU is not a footballer yet she strikes more than Messi

Where a political party is one but doubles in the face of crisis

Where we have black gold yet poor and deprived

Where our flag portrays fertility yet we know Mr. Hunger

 

Potential giant of the tropics

I shall continue to see hope in your hopelessness

I see a future in your marginalized youths

In your desolate streets,

Shall we continue to hope and pray

Even as I search like Diogenes the critic

I have no doubt you will rise tomorrow from the dust of today!

BY Ordinary JUSTICE aka O.J

Reaction on this poem should be sent to talk2justman@yahoo.com

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE, NIGERIA!


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Comments (9)

  • Our problem is that we speak and advocate what we don’t do.

    Reply
  • u dn’t need telling twice dat dis country NIGERIA needs agreat change from we, NIGERIANS.as a patriotic citizen of NIGERIA we need 2 b courageous 2 our leaders …………….ironically…….once bitten twice shy.

    Reply
  • Are you one of them or what? Listen, we have too many leader who say ‘do this’ but they don’t. Infact I’m tired and want to be silent over this task of nation-building.

    Reply
  • This is no Ordinary Justice. It’s extra ordinary

    Reply
  • Within each of us is a hidden store of energy.Energy we can release to compete in the marathon of life.within each of us is a hidden store of courage to give us the strength to face any challenge.within each of us is a hidden store of determination to keep us in the race when all seems lost”.my fellow Nigerian is high time we take our DESTINY in our hands.

    Reply
  • Honestly u are a man by ur speech. U av added some atom of catarlyst 2 our sences. Thank u

    Reply
  • Wow dats cool

    Reply
  • Nice one! Tnkz 4 d write up. We must rise above d flaws of this country

    Reply
  • Dis is wonderful sir. Nigeria needs this. Thank u so much.

    Reply

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