National conference

Nigeria’s foundation is faulty. Our country was built on corruption, forcefulness, tribalism and treachery. We need to understand that our country is the way it is, because the British people who colonised us so many years ago, set it up to be this way. Until we reset the country, I don’t think we can ever be fully free.

I recently read the history of Nigeria for the first time and I was shaken, then dumbfounded and then sad. I don’t think Nigerians understand. Most countries are born out of friendly alliances, our country was born out of greed and exploitation.

I don’t want to say Nigeria is a failed state but what do you call a country that chases away its people? What do you call a country that treats its own people like garbage? What do you call a country that doesn't value lives?

I want a genuine sovereign national conference. It gives us a chance to amend our foundation. To fill the cracks in the wall of the house that we call Nigeria. It gives us a chance to treat the wounds of our injured mother that is Nigeria. If it’s not going to be genuine, the government can forget about it. The only thing worse than ignoring a wounded man is giving him a false sense of hope that you will treat him.

If the conference will be anything like the fuel subsidy protests of 2012, which was filled with so much potential yet achieved very little, then the government can save their time. The people forced into this country deserve a genuine conference. The thousands of ethnic minorities in Nigeria deserve a genuine conference.

My grandmother once told me Nigeria is not a homogeneous country and I’m only just realising how true she was. That statement is why we need this conference. Every citizen of Nigeria should have a represented voice in the affairs of the country. The impunity in this country we call our own must end.

I end with the words of my grandfather, Dr Tunji Braithwaite " A successful conference will birth a truly independent Nigeria"

Have a wonderful day!

With all my love,

Dárà Rhodes x

53 years and still nothing. (October 1st 2013)

                           Forgive me, I lied. 53 years and still nothing? Well, there are somethings. I said there's nothing because in a certain country in the Western region of Africa called Nigeria, promises mean nothing. How is it possible that the 'promises' the government of my grandparents generation made are still the same 'promises' the government in power today are making? 19 years, I've been on earth and all the problems that the country had at my birth are the same problems a child born in Nigeria today will meet on arrival into the world. Maybe, I didn't lie. Or maybe I'm not exaggerating. Maybe 53 years and still nothing, is the perfect title.

        The governments lied to us, cheated us and even made us believe that the state of the country is normal. They sowed seeds of hatred among us, after all, to conquer us, they had to divide us. Elections are rigged, laws are meaningless and election promises are empty words. Yet, the people are silent. Thousands of children die everyday, physically, mentally and emotionally. Yet, the government pretends not to see. For 53 years, Nigerians have sung the same song, prayed the same prayers and cried the same tears over and over again. Actually, No. I'm sure the first year after we gained independence from the British colonial rule must have been different. Yes, it was. The hope that we struggle to keep alive on a daily basis now, was strongest then. Growing weaker as the years went on. The people who have fought and died for the country all seem to have done so in vain. How can the people be so tired of it all, and yet still so strong?  

                                           Whilst a typical day in Nigeria involves, fumes, darkness (due to random and several power cuts during the day) and extreme heat, Nigerians stay hopeful, positive and happy. The strong will and determination of any Nigerian is unmatched. The sheer warmth of any Nigerian is unmatched. When our government gives us ten thousand reasons to sing only dirges, we find one reason to sing the happiest song ever sung and we dance to it with all the energy in our tired bodies. Little wonder then why a poll by the United Nations (UN) found Nigerians to be the happiest people in the world. Despite the intense poverty, corruption and violence that besets us, we are a beautiful people. Truly beautiful. The warm smile of a little girl on the streets with absolutely no clothes on her body confirms that statement. "Suffering and smiling" a song by Fela, is the true anthem of the people. We are always smiling, dancing and dreaming. That's the true Nigerian spirit.

                                       Death remains every Nigerian's deepest fear. When I was younger, I always thought that surely, Nigerians shouldn't be afraid of death because it offers an escape from their very harsh realities. I couldn't have been more wrong. Every Nigerian's motto is "as long as there is life, there is hope for a better tomorrow" and Lord do they believe that. We don't give up, we don't despair and we don't give in. Maybe that's why our governments have refused us our rights to education. An educated Nigeria will definitely be the end of their wicked and corrupt regime. 

                                  In conclusion, 53 years is a long time for a country not to have made any significant progress, however, it is not the end of the journey. As a matter of fact, we've only begun. I'm certain that with my generation, the future of Nigeria shall be greater than its past. My generation is the future. I love my country so much, I believe in it with every inch of me. My children will tell their children about a different Nigeria. Things will change. Things must change. I know it starts me, and I accept that responsibility. Finally, there's one thing I hope doesn't change. And that's the true Nigerian spirit.

With all my love
Dárà Rhodes x