Celebrating Nigeria, Celebrating October

CELEBRATING Nigeria, celebrating October This is a special month; one of the several special months in the year. It is the month of Nigeria’s independence from colonial rule. Some people- including yours truly- have often wondered if Nigeria did not get independence too early; nevertheless, we did get out from colonial rule and so we celebrate. Beyond the negatives, we do have a lot to celebrate as a Nation; the sense of freedom-well, most of the time at least-, the unbeatable spirit of the Nigerian, especially those of us from the Niger Delta ( Wafi no dey carry last, even if we are being a danger to ourselves). I remember once, a couple of years ago in a small Ivorien border town; it was almost 8pm, completely dark and we were in danger of being stranded but I still went ahead foolishly insisting on my rights. I could barely speak the language and while everyone else was quiet, I managed to make the point that I did not take kindly to being cheated and lied to. I could have been killed and thrown away in the bush and my family would never have found me but the Warri girl in me was on a roll; even after, a stern looking gun toting security man, pulled me aside and said very sternly, “ici Cote d’Ivoire, n’est pas Nigeria”, I made sure I hissed at him very loudly before getting into the overcrowded taxi for my night ride to Abidjan. You just can’t push us quietly under a carpet, and I celebrate that I believe the Brits would have stayed longer if the Warri people and those with the wafi spirit were not part of the entity called Nigeria; they just couldn’t stand us any longer, and so they left without completing their assignment, and here we are, 51 years later, wondering who stopped the music and looking helplessly for the Disc Jockey. Nevertheless, we celebrate you Nigeria; you may not be the best but you are all we’ve got and we celebrate you, this country of ours. The things that have befallen you would have felled many a “stronger” Nation, but you are still standing proud, maybe a little bent but you are still there; I celebrate that. Every successive government steals more than the last and we hold our breaths expecting to hear the death knell, but you simply shake it off and say, “bring it on”. I celebrate you my Country, land of my birth, home of my dreams, maybe not in my time but certainly, we will get there. I celebrate my October people too; Aunty Murietta, whose birthday is October 4th, my Sierra Leonean Aunt with a heart of gold and the ability to make boiled water taste like a gourmet dish; beautiful, lively, loving and sassy. I celebrate you Aunty, on this earth you will receive a reward and in Heaven too. Happy Birthday. You’ve always brightened my Octobers I celebrate too, a recent friend, a leader, a brother, a man of God and a totally beautiful and selfless person, Pastor Jasper Chime Gogo. A heart for God’s children everywhere, a selfless giver and a big dreamer. You push people to go beyond themselves and excel; you put your pain aside and encourage others to turn their pain to gain. We celebrate you Sir! The World will laugh with you yet, you’ll see. I celebrate too, my brother, Ben; he beat me so much as a young child, I needed no one to tell me my mouth was too “sharp”. I love you my October brother; greatness lies in you and together we will bring it all out. You are special indeed. I celebrate my friend, brother and classmate, Enahoro, fine boy of those days! A good number of the girls in my class had teenage-sized crushes (is that correct?) on you. Those who didn’t were either crushing on unattainables like Michael Jackson or had too much bad belle.( I reserve the right to hide the category I belong to). Well done my dear friend, it was a priviledge growing up alongside you. Happy Birthday in advance I celebrate too, a dear friend who became such a big man that we dare not mention his name here anymore; you were a good friend and good friends should always be celebrated. For you, I down my imaginary glass of the finest champagne as I drink to your health. And last, but no way the least, I celebrate October, ushering in the end of the rains and the start of my favourite season of the year. Now I can begin to count the days to Christmas. I celebrate you October, as months go, you deserve a high five!