As thousands attend a mass funeral in Lagos to pay respect to 120 unidentified victims of last month’s Lagos munitions explosion which claimed over 1000 lives (either confirmed dead or formally declared missing), one is forced to reflect on the tragedies that have befallen the Nigerian nation in recent times. The pain and suffering of the affected individuals and families remain immeasurable and very hard to imagine. These tragedies may have left such deep wounds on the lives of all the affected people, some of which may take a very long time to heal. Yet, one is comforted by the knowledge that the Nigerian people are perhaps one of the most resilient people in the world. We may have our weaknesses, but we are equally a great nation consisted of a people driven by hard work and a sheer will to survive.
It may be tough, but those of us directly and indirectly affected by these incidents, will find a way to come around and move on with life. If these tragedies have been the machinations of some individual or group against the Nigerian nation, then let these culprits be told that Nigeria will pull through.
Hopefully, rather than be in vain, the loss of these lives will spur the nation ahead to a greater state and society. ‘We Will Live Again’ is dedicated to the courage of all those who have been affected in one-way or the other by the past and present tragic incidents that have dogged the country in recent times. This poem salutes their strength and courage to pick up the pieces and move on with life. It may not be an easy task but with the will to triumph, they will surely pull through.
We Will Live Again
As the dust settle,
Residents of the nation,
Ever blessed Nigeria
Comb the carnage, and
Ransack the wreckage,
Picking up the pieces
Of their shredded lives,
And shattered dreams.
Once the land of honey/oil,
Now dried by greed.
Once a dear native land,
Now dogged by violence.
Where tribe and tongue
Though always differed,
Yet in brotherhood stood,
Now in hatred all severed.
Ashes of burnt houses,
Remnants of horror,
And lifeless bodies,
Litter the sordid streets
In pervaded desolation.
And so you expect,
A people pooped,
Worn out and withered.
But instead you find,
A people hopeful,
For in their eyes,
I see their future.
These besieged cities,
Will rise again.
And in this nation,
We will live again.
