Happy 66th Birthday one of the sources of my heart
Flawed though you may be
(“Fantastically corrupt” didn’t offend you
For you knew it was true).
You’ve held yourself together
These 66 years.
Your independence was peaceful
Your coups and civil war less so.
Yet you’ve held yourself together
Nay, held your head high
Where others have fallen.
Your cultural impact is undeniable
The concert stages are filled with the voices
Of your sons and daughters.
The silver screens feature
Those who call you father.
(For you are the fatherland, not the motherland
As we sang, each year, on this day, at school).
You were my birthplace,
My childhood.
We complain about you
Because we know your potential.
A sleeping giant
That’s obsessed with itself
When it should be obsessed
With its place in the world.
As time has gone by
I’ve learned so much more about you.
And me. Our relationship.
Our ties. Our links.
As a child of two
Who lives with the other
You may think
I do not think of you.
But I do.
For you are also
My home.
Happy Birthday.
Happy independence day Nigeria 🇳🇬