OPINION WRITING: Nigeria @ 53: "WETIN WE DEY CELEBRATE"?

Please note that this piece is written in pidgin English...

Every year, Independece and democracy something go dey to yan about. For years na for oyibo language we dey take dey trowe am, but dis time de Naija ecomony don make me change base.

Time don come for our lives when we sopos sidon ask questions (wills and ethics) and tackle our sickness and wahala, our pipu just dey cry helplessly, day and night dey suffer and smile in cold chains.

Na Naija wey you go see Our Pipu dey suffer con dey smile, ih dey painful to yan say de Naija democracy still dey stand on top a very bad pivot, de horses and eagle don vex sote dem dey ja comot for de coat of arm. Outside de shores of de country, America gan gan, dem democracy dey etched by transparency and e dey respected by de rule of law but our own dey for serious kasala, see us see wahala o, we dey only bear de name “A democratic Nation” but we don betray de creed patapata.

Upon the democracy wey we dey wait tey tey wey dem con restore for de country on May 29 1999, de day de sun rise give twale for de eagle square Abuja, when military government hand over de ogbonge mantle of leadership to de democratic elected civilian government, 14 years of democracy, 53 years of independence yet de Nation still dey wallow like a swallow wey no dey perch samsam. We all think say dis go bring back hope but wetin de so called democracy don bring other dan misfortune to de masses, na now wey crimes, corruption, violence, political rivalry don increase wella con dey spread all over de nation like a plague.

We yan say we be democrats yet we no fit talk anything, ih dey so shameful when we tune to our news channels wetin we go dey hear de Naija man dey yan na “ih no go beta for our Naija leaders” for our national dallies we dey read plenti of sour news “Naija na doomed countri” “Naija be fallen Nation”, “Naija still dey for slavery”, Naija this Naija that, abeg where we dey heading to? 14 years of democracy, 53 years of independence, Haba! No be slap for our face?

E dey painful to say that our government don dey slow and weak since wen democracy start, de Naija disabilities no dey new to us, de k-leg power supply, kurukere road network, political kwashiorkor, high rate of ogbonge crimes, corruption wey don dey hard to tackle, our social amenities don dey die, inflation, electoral paralysis, bombings, decayed infrastructures,our universities no be something we go dey yan self bicoz dat one don get as ih be, universities don dey locked up for months on yearly bases, our ogas at de top wey oyinbo man go call “helms of affairs” neva pay dem moni, plenti plenty gbeke, and we dey celebrate Independence. Abeg wetin we dey celebrate for dere, Our sufferings abi?

We just dey suffer dey smile wen things dey burn us deep down for our hearts. Everyday I dey always dey ask myself when Naija go be in de days of great Zik, Awolowo, de days when de birds dey sing marvellously for inside sky, but now abeg try look up weda you go even see bird for sky, dem dey all fear to dey fly for air self, "even if you see self na pidgeon you go see", gone are de days when dem sabi Naija for love and harmony, but now our country dey enta de world terrorism list, My broad, my sista abeg were we dey head to. Wetin be the hope of Naija future.

Some of our leaders no wan gri listen to de masses, some of dem just dey fall our hand. Honestly dis no go lead us anywhere , if we no do things right de Naija democracy go continue to dey deteriorate and dis go lead to a fallen Naija. Anyway, we no dey pray dat kyn prayer for our Nation sha.

By Modest Diko
Author/Journalist
Princemode09@gmail.com