Nigeria, Arise!

Copyright © Ifueko Ogbomo 2009

140,000,000 people, old and young

250 ethnic groups, numerous tribes and tongues

49 years of independence from British rule

36 states from Abia to Zamfara, with 36 capitals too

3 major languages: Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba; 4 if you add ‘pidgin’ too

2 National colours: the serene white shade and the vibrant green hue

1 Federal Capital Territory: Abuja; sum all that up and what do you find?

Nigeria, a nation that’s one-of-a-kind!

There’s no land like Nigeria, wondrous to behold

Olumo, Aso and Zuma rocks, amazing, they never grow old

See the hills of Katampe, watch Gurara’s waterfall

Several Rivers: Niger, Benue, Sokoto, Kaduna, I cannot name them all

Tourists flock to see the Obudu cattle ranch, and Yankari game reserve

With festivals like Tinapa, Argungu, the Abuja carnival, our heritage is preserved

Behold industries: Petrochemicals, Agro-allied, textiles and so many more

Combined with vast resources to complete our solid infrastructure

A plethora of resources indeed, but the most important one

The Nigerian intellect – surely second to none

Observe our gifted ambassadors, icons of intelligence, passion and creativity

Like Alh. Dangote, an entrepreneurial giant; Oluchi, symbol of our beauty

Kanu Nwankwo, international sports star and philanthropist; Chimamanda, all hail our literary queen!

Fela Durotoye, motivator-par-excellence, and Asa just keeps rocking the musical scene

Now Lady I, inspirational poet unveiled, the list goes on and on and on

They make us proud to be Nigerians, to boldly sing our national song

A truly blessed nation in every way

A force to be reckoned with, anytime, any day

Call me patriotic if you will, but I just have to say

Been east, been west, NAIJA IS BEST!

‘The greatest nation on earth’ within us that potential lies

But it needs to be realized, therefore Nigeria MUST ARISE!

For too long our story has been a sad, sad tale

Of resources wasted, labour exploited, youth misspent in jail

We’ve imported the unnecessary, exported our necessities

Making others rich, while we sink deeper into poverty

Now beat down and rejected, we groan and we weep

With no help in sight, we cry ourselves to sleep

Oh Nigeria, how can this be, when we’ve got-it-all?

Riches of agriculture, crude oil, precious stones and much more

The wonders of nature are seen all across our lands

Indeed, we are a people of great minds and gifted hands

God has blessed us immeasurably, now the ball lies in our court

It’s time for us to take action with a new sense of worth

North and South, old and young, rich and poor, we must unite

Set our differences aside and join hands in one good fight

Against corruption, injustice, selfishness and greed

As good people building a great nation indeed

A new day has come, our new dawn is here

The darkness is fading, so the light can shine clear

Nigeria, Arise!

It’s time to bring an end to shame and sorrow

To set a new standard that others might follow

It’s time to lay afresh a good foundation

To take your place amongst the nations

Nigeria, Arise!!

The world is waiting, it’s anticipating

The sound of a strong beat, from the heart of Africa

Nigeria, Arise!!!

Fulfil your destiny!!!

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Lady I. - Proudly Nigerian