Now I read your piece and it was quite nice... But this line from Lincoln's speech that struck a chord:
Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.
Because that's precisely where my country finds itself... Leaders too old and inept to lead who you'll think after being led by the neck in chains and shipped off to suffer would finally alleviate at least a fraction of our problems... But no we the youths are left to our own devices in a country where suddenly snakes and monkeys can run off with sums most of the populace would never see in their lifetimes... And every tribe suddenly wants to have its own country, I don't understand how hard is it to fix your own shortcomings before first looking to lead others, how can hunger suddenly make one bloodthirsty and immune to reason... Well I don't understand politics but good thing I'm a poet would just keep wallowing in hunger writing for a nation that doesn't love itself much less it's people...
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@jayo,
Read through some of my other other replies in reply to Nigerian comments:
As I have opined, no country can survive institutional corruption ... and Nigeria has a lot of it.
Tribalism. People are defining themselves by their In-Groups. Not as individuals who have to earn respect through merit. You and I are both poets. What makes a great poem for you, is the same as it is for me, and it has nothing to do with your skin color, religion or tribe.
What makes our poems great, or not, is our respective ability to beautifully craft words that express an idea, ideal or insight ... that someone cares about. Nothing else makes a wit's worth of difference. Poetry is a meritocracy. And so is being an accountant or an architect or an engineer. Anytime someone gets a job or a promotion ... or gets elected ... based upon anything other than merit, it hurts Nigeria as a whole.
Tribal history, and having pride in one's roots, isn't a bad thing. I can trace my family lineage back almost 1,000 years. I am proud of my clan (I posted a poem about it, "From Whence That You Came:"
https://steemit.com/thealliance/@quillfire/thealliance-you-are-not-quite-desirable-for-our-society-my-response-from-whence-that-you-came-poem
to teach my daughter about the standards to which she and I are to hold ourselves. This is little different, in motivation, than the traditions and rituals than many Nigerians practice to celebrate their ancestral history.
But with, 200+ tribes, Nigeria is riven with competing interests that have nothing to do with, "What's best for the country?" Political Correctness stops people from speaking honestly and honorably about the issue as Post-Colonial Guilt has paralyzed White People from criticizing, or even critiquing, anything about Black People. But how do you think outside investors, with the capital Nigeria so desperately needs to develop, view this ever-shifting patchwork of competing alliances? "Instability, unpredictability, uncertainty ... RISK" ... are the words that come first to my mind.
If Nigeria (and many other African countries), wants to survive in the present, it will have to live in the present. And that means "Best Man/Woman for the Job" irrespective of tribal affiliation.