The Lost Glory of the Beautiful Bride

On the 1^st day of the tenth month of the Year 1960, after the reign of the foreign overlords, it came to pass that the woman forced into a matrimony in 1914 was delivered into regional and national liberation. The question on everyone’s lips was “Will this lead to a new chapter?”. The answer was time remains the sole narrator of history.

She was innocent but never naïve, blessed with abundant natural and non-natural endowments, her wealth and fertility weren’t mentioned enough. She would bear fruits even when her seeds were seated on rocks. She was the Most Beautiful Bride. It seemed she had all the makings for success. Her former landlords knew not that She had all the requirements for prosperity with her rich cultural, and economic prowess, she would dominate her new environment for a long time to come. She became the dominant force in her environment; helping nations through financial throes while rescuing others from tyranny and oppression. She aided the emancipation of many of her kind.

Among many, she had an unparalleled vision equipped with the foresight to achieve a peculiar mission and promote an Afrocentric objective. She was the pearl and the Giant of Africa. Many called her the ‘Big Brother’ in her continent, she transcended gender descriptions. You just said Amazon woman right? You aren’t far from the truth.

She performed exceptionally in different sectors with technocrats and political leaders ready to serve regardless of ethnic and religious differences. She gained respect and recognition among the comity of States within her continent and diaspora. She became a new light from the African Continent, eclipsing the achievement of nations before her. Her Oil which was rich in many natural contents further endeared her to the global market. Her borders became wide open to many investors. Many came to take and rip between the thighs, many came to close the thighs.

Out of the blue, the unexpected happened, the “Gentlemen in Khaki” took control of her land, raped her constitution, pillaged her fertile back. It was obvious, they also wanted to have a taste of the juicy savour everyone had enjoyed. Her growth and development came to a halt, the projection for advancement stagnated, her expectation was shattered. These Men in Khaki uniform, who claimed all they wanted was a “revolution”, would soon become the beneficiary of a revolting nation, time proved us right. This event, perhaps, was the genesis of her predicament, as her life gradually decimated in the hands of selfish Soldiers with the barrel of guns and shenanigan politicians, who were nothing but mere masters of facades.

From 1^st to 4^th Republic, it has been a tale of motion without movement with little or no success. Political avarice, greed, favouritism, tribalism and ethnic bigotry became the mainstay of the socio-political and economic landscape, the masses on the receiving end of the ladder continue to bear the burden of this unfortunate incident; wallowing in abject poverty and swimming in impoverishment as crises continue to loom, which has further shrunk the development from a size of a G-wagon to that of a Wheel-barrow.

Her life became miserable as the majority of her children became less privileged who have been stripped of freedom and liberty, compelled to work for their paymasters under unfavourable environments of pain and agony. Even as her children are passing through a painful passage along a pin-full path, a divided procession, dancing through blooming thorns walking on glass chips towards the forest of cactus on their bare soles; with the exemption of their slave masters sitting on thorn-filled cushions- a situation of the Haves and Have nots prevailed.

She puzzled, with her lisping lips and gnashed with her changing teeth as she cried out her name in a loud voice, “Oh Nigeria, what have they done to you, where’s your vision”? “Why has thou glory become a shame”? At 61, unable to achieve the dreams of her founding fathers.

When hope began to gather clouds again, one of her own promised her and her children CHANGE they fell for it and were chained to the NEXT LEVEL of slavery and oppression. As the hardship seems to become unbearable, corruption and embezzlement blossom in her land, hypocrites and sinners blaming sinners for sinning differently, a situation of the pot calling kettle black and robbing Peter to pay Paul, her calabash is full of nothing but problems, lies, deceits, dishonesty and debts.

With a deep sigh, as she celebrates another anniversary of freedom, she ponders on her lost hubris; it feels surreal to accept, she may never recover her lost glory. Sadly the biblical allusion appears to be on reverse engineering since later glories have failed to surpass their former.

Her only hope is to look to the Heavens and ask the Maker to heal her Land, flush out the oppressors and destroyers, grant strength to the weak and give her children the victory they deserve; perhaps, one day her youngsters would be an asset and no longer a liability.

Knowing it will take unrelenting unity and solidarity, regardless of tribe, ethnicity, religion and cultural division for her children to achieve the ideals of her founding fathers and recover her lost glory, likewise for growth and development to triumph, she prayed to the Heavens for them to realize this as she whispers, “So help me God”! If and only if this would be made manifest, only time will tell!!!