The beauty of Nigeria

Neither the sober east nor the smoldering south could bring this giant beauty to halter,
Nor the scorching sun of the north or the fading plains of the west could succeed in bringing you to sunder,
We live in a nation so blessed we cannot but wonder,
How you have stood firm despite the challenges that came to render, a giant beautiful nation to squander,
Where ever divisions abound they are surely bound to falter,
So much so that your spectators feel you amuse them more than they could shoulder,
Some say you are God’s own gift as a miracle for the troubled nations on earth to learn to,
So they Learn to live as one great nation for the sake of their brothers and sisters to further,
Some believe you are a country so faithful that external aggression cannot help but turn back,
Countless nations by far we outnumber,in differences, religions and ideologies we have thus set a benchmark,
I say despite our fragile past we still hop forth to dazzle,
The nations of the world who have long thought that you will blunder,
They are being held apt in a state of wonder,
Because you are a country so brave that you did not shatter,
In the face of great adversity you stood still amidst a crumbling house unabated,
Despite the countless prophets that spelt doom for you my mother,
Kampe you stood and furthered a cause to save us all from wander,
The beauty of being the son of a beautiful mother remains that, you are a country that dwarfs not promising potentials and talents my mother.
Muhammad Tijjani Nakande, a freelance writer, is a neo panafrican; you can reach him online at www.muhammadnakandesworld.blogspot.com or email him at memzycool@yahoo.com

The beauty of poverty

The tale of the colossal gorilla has thus come to falter,
Its Grips so strong like iron fists on the masses,
So intense the clutch of the fearsome beast,
A feeling more despotic than capitalism,
A feeling more bitter than the spikes of cactus,
A feeling more sinister than mob action,
So ambiguous and elating to the masses awhile,
The thought of the next meal after the first abreast,
The thought of the Gorilla sober making bare necessities elude the populace,
The idea of joy and happiness inverted, rickety bicycles and worn out toys enjoyed whole heartedly,
The suffering masses smiling and fidgeting at the word revolt,
The next door neighbor living in affluence and extravagance,
The country so badly governed and wealth distribution so tilted,
The flow of promises for change persistent and unyielding by the cockatoo,
The poor in my country are the most perseverant ever,
Every day the numbers keep coming on the radio stashing,
Every day the number of crude barrels keeps on rising,
Every day the number of nutrition related deaths keeps rising to greater heights,
This Dracula has blighted more lives than the AIDS virus awhile,
This gorilla has crippled more souls than the dreaded POLIO,
The budgetary digits so sumptuous and appealing to the average ear,
Old crooked radios the masses cling unto to listening to pipe dreams on governance and politics,
Old poles leaning forth shaky and lame with ghost electricity,
The element of surprise is no longer there on Black Out,
Old depilated houses and stuffy buildings the masses cramp into,
“I pass my neighbor” we call it, a power pack used as a substitute to power,
Fumes of gas surging indoors and the health status bound to fester,
Suffering and smiling we come to live through, in a country so blessed to wither,
From the slums and the ghettos, the brightest minds came to shoot out,
Thy wise men said to us before hand, “that for every great mind poverty has created, it has blighted a thousand in its place”,
This sequence has made my mind to wonder, when this great menace will come to falter,
Differences we come to combat, too wide a gap between the rich and the pauper,
When great injustices come to wander, a messiah we need for us to further,
The best way we need to move on, is to be the great nation we dream to alter,
The gorilla so fierce and aggressive, will strike not if our leaders come to reason,
Justices and good governance will thus deliver, a nation so blessed once asunder,
The beauty of poverty is a wonder, because only a Nigerian smiles and suffer at the same bow,
In a country so blessed and gifted with enormous treasures, my heart bleeds for my country .
Muhammad Tijjani Nakande, a freelance writer, is a neo panafrican; you can reach him online at www.muhammadnakandesworld.blogspot.com or email him at memzycool@yahoo.com

The person I never was

I believe and live under a giant microscope,
I have been stereotyped black and white,
I suffer serious identity crises,
What I believe in has been redefined to suit the times,
To suit the powers that be, a herculean task indeed,
I am forced to bear labels from fanatic down to extremist,
Should they define and redefine my faith to suit the times,
Like an old Arabian rug the holy scripts remain intact,
To say I have a faith, an ideology and a personality has become taboo,
To believe that each individual is a projection of the whole is wrong,
To believe that acts of a few can benchmark us all as savages and blood thirsty is wrong,
In this life there are two sides to a human being, who you are and who others think you are,
In this quest for identity survival I am an individual with a personality,
My faith like any other has individual differences,
My faith like any other is plagued by individuals with a lame perception and extreme tendencies,
All I said is that I believe.
I believe in a one supreme God with no strings attached,
All I said is that I have faith,
I believe my neighbor is as important as myself,
I believe that spreading a cover over my sister only protects her from men’s predatory overtures and not oppresses her,
All I ever said is that I have faith,
All you want is for me to give up my ways for your ways,
I believe that secularism opens the door to all hardships in life,
I believe socialism. Communism and the latest fad of democracy were and are all social experiments,
All I ever said was that I believe,
I believe labels used to intimidate me will only make me wax stronger in faith,
If they think I am then I am, what I am I know I am and I believe,
I refuse to compromise my faith for fear of being labeled,
All I said is that I believe in only one supreme God and a noble messenger,
I believe in the only religion that brought forth an economic and a social order,
Is it a crime to I say I believe?
I am a Muslim for life and today I am the person I never was.
Muhammad Tijjani Nakande, a freelance writer, is a neo panafrican , you can reach him online at www.muhammadnakandesworld.blogspot.com or email him at memzycool@yahoo.com

Awake! The sleeping giant

Fortress by fortress the nations came to follow,
Fortitude and valor the disciples came to portray,
Forbearing bitter and violent encounters they did,

The greatest centers of learning were nurtured in its womb,
The seed sown awhile now in the bloom to further,
The empires and dynasties came to be realized,
The pride and glory of the tender faith?, now strong and waxing with so much spate,

As the basic rules of life came to show us, whatever goes up must gradually come down,
And thus the glorious empires came o dwindle,
Fortress by fortress they came to crumble,
What was yesternight the roar of a lion has turned out to be the crow of a rooster,
Sounds alone can be heightened, the authority is no where to saddle,

As the basic rules of life demands to put forth, whatever goes up must eventually come down.
The faith that then would not relinquish, today suffers sporadic anguish,
Oppression and suppression it has come to suffer,

Just as the secular world has come to wonder,
A glimmer of hope came to wander,
The world has now come to ponder,
The facts and reasons too glaring to snuggle,
The fastest growing faith to cover,
The whole of the earth once asunder,
The labels from fanatism down to terrorism will not alter,
The rise of a giant once aslumber,
Awake! Awake the sleeping giant! Because victory is yours once again to ponder.

Muhammad tijjani nakande , a freelance writer, a neo pan African can be reached online at www.muhammadnakandesworld.blogspot.com or email him at memzycool@yahoo.com

Kano!! Nomination or selection?

Sometimes I look back at my political exploits on campus and I thank God that I was never hypocritical in my political pursuits. Since my part one[1] in unimaid, I have always wanted to one day lead my state union to glory and free it from disgruntled elements.
When I came out to contest from welfare director up to financial secretary, I declared, declared openly and there is no time I claimed the people pressurized me to contest or that I am a good man who follows rules and regulations and endlessly blows his own trumpet to boredom.
The unscrupulous decision by I can say who to select and appoint people in the name of due process, justice and some memorized subsections of constitution is highly biased and influenced.
The people to be appointed into a caretaker committee are people who have made enormous contributions in words, deed or thought to the development of the union, not people within a supposed cabinet to be who only ranted for some political post although not even fit!
I opted to be an elected official and not a selected or appointed official, so don’t get me wrong, I do not aspire to be a selected official but I would like to challenge the framework that brought some caretakers into office.
They say not all that glitters is gold, the desire by some disgruntled element to push their supposed candidates for consideration tells us a story that an act might as well be a crime.
I wish all the selected officials a happy stay in office and I pray that nemesis does not catch up with people hiding under the mask of equity and justice.
Muhammad Tijjani Nakande, a freelance writer, a neo pan African can be reached online at www.muhammadnakandesworld.blogspot.com or email him at memzycool@yahoo.com

Choices we do not have

Careers we choose and push forth,
Friendship we search and nurture,
Goals we set and achieve,
Cars we admire and acquire,
Ladies we desire and woo,
Houses we want and build,
Fights we pick to engage,
Enemies we make to stay clear of,
Dreams we envisage and fulfill,
Emotions we feel and react,
Journeys we embark to reach,
Targets we set to aim,
Although in life there are things we donot choose,
Things sometimes beyond the luxury of choice,
We donot decide to be born male or female,
We do not choose when to die or live,
We donot choose our religious affilation,
Wether to be born royalty or common,
Wether to be born affluent or poor,
Wether we be black or white,
Wether physically fit or deformed at birth,
Wether we be short or tall,
Some choices we have and plunder;
Some choices we just don’t have the luxury to make in this life.
Muhammad Tijjani Nakande , a freelance writer, a neo pan African can be reached online at www.muhammadnakandesworld.blogspot.com or email him at memzycool@yahoo.com

The rise of a giant

Days of obscurity and fear pioneered the tender cause,
Days of low tones and hush voices lingered in the air,
Days of despise and refutation persisted,
Days of humiliation and persecution ensued,
Days of seemingly endless tribulations stood still,

The pride of kinship and tribe paramount,
The fear of being stripped of power held awhile heightened,
The disdain of a kinsman turn around intensifies,

In trifles the weak and the lame moved away,
In great anticipation they sought asylum,
In a heated bout of debate they escaped the claws of the villains in great Abyssinia,
In harmony they were let to reside therein the foreign land,

Days pass by and the inspiration permitted a public declaration,
Days grew slowly into months and opposition intensified,
Days can be intriguing when kinsmen be compelled to camp outside their city’s gates,
Like the pain form a king cobra’s fang, the hearts of the oppressed hurt awhile,

Death took away the jewel of the desert at these trying times,
Dear and near she was to the leader of this young course,
Dire anguish and pain transcends the fulcrum of the tender struggle,

Great news came from kinsmen afar,
Glad tidings and pleasant pledges abound,
Geared to help tribal feuds desist and lead the united souls to light,

Thereafter, wars, battles and sabotages became the norm,
The young lion curb has now grown strong with a beautiful mane,
The tempo denotes a state as thus; sometimes they won sometimes they lost,

Patience and unshaken faith the young and fragile state held onto as a survival recipe,
People trooping in from near and afar,
Pledging allegiance to a just and transparent course,
Paradigm shift from slave to master unveiled,
Plunging the proud and the pompous into the ditch of regrets,

Like the pipers tune tempo the loyal were drawn to gather,
Like a large hive of bees an army thus commandeth,
Like a roaring storm they marched towards the cradle,
Like a baby’s bed, their once forsaken hometown is the cradle,
The root of the virgin religion they march to conquer,

Ten thousand man March to render, a once fierce enemy asunder,
The glorious march struck awe into the hearts of the oppressors,
The expectation for vengeance? Was snuggled by a faith so compassionate,
The show of mercy and empathy engulfed the conquest,

Humility and praise to God transcends the city,
Victory and great heart contentment was the order,
The little lion curb then weak and frail, now strong and fearsome has thus come to conquer,
The rise of a giant once a midget,
The dream once suppressed a secret has now come to be real,
Arise! Arise! Arise the giant!, because victory is yours now to ponder.

Muhammad tijjani nakande , a freelance writer, a neo pan African can be reached online at www.muhammadnakandesworld.blogspot.com or email him at memzycool@yahoo.com

MOTHER

Blessed is the womb that bore the being,
Blessed is your smile that brightens my day,
Blessed is the burden that took you nine months to bear,
Blessed is your effort through my growing and trying days,

Those days I felt I knew all that life was about,
Those days you tried to caution me and I shun,
Those times I protested and detested as you warn,
Those times I was peer driven and adrenalin influenced,

Sometimes you cried in silence for a reckless youth,
Sometimes you prayed and waited, patience and faith you held onto,
Sometimes you can’t help but wonder, when I will ever be stable,

When I played and fell you washed my wounds,
When I fell sick and weak you were always by my side,
When my grades fall you told me I could do better,
When you said all I should do is believe and be determined, I knew my dreams would come through one day,

You gave me a shoulder to cry on and a push when I was afraid,
You stood by me in my times of trial and seemingly endless tribulations,
You believed in me when the world lost faith in me,
You always helped me see the bright side of my problems,
You are the star that brightens a dark night,
You are the silver lining behind my darkest tunnel,
You fed my tender mouth as a toddler and you support me until I could learn to walk on my feet,

If only I knew what I know today,
If only I could turn back the hands of time momma,
If only I could wipe your tears away, all those times I caused you pain,
If only I could give the whole world to see you smile,
If only I had listened to you then, mother, I am lost without you,

Today I look back at it all and I say to myself, “what if”?
Today, the whole world is not enough exchange for a minute without you,
All I want to say to you mother is “there are no words or wealth that can pay you back,
All I need to say to momma is, “my intent is to show you that I understand,
All I want to say to you mother is “you are appreciated”.

This poem is dedicated to my dear mother.
Muhammad Tijjani Nakande, a freelance writer, a neo pan African can be reached online at www.muhammadnakandesworld.blogspot.com or email him at memzycool@yahoo.com

Kano!!

Our home town is well known all over the federation and beyond to vote and choose our leadership based on what we believe is right,
We massively voted Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau into office in 2003 and later on back into office in 2007 even though he was faced by an incumbent ten times stronger.
We vote people into office as ordinary voters like you and i willing to see change in the administration of our great state!
We vote because we weigh the pros and the cons, the dos and the don’ts, the Ya Kamata’s!
We vote because we use our intellects to determine who will turn out to be a good leader.
Today we find ourselves in an academic environment, and therefore we ought to emulate and demonstrate what we practice back at home, a true democracy indeed!!,
As students of knowledge in a prestigious university like Unimaid, I think it will be an abuse to our intelligence for a person to come and sell a political candidate to us and we fail to ask them the reason why we should vote his or her candidate.
A ruthless cabal of so called politicians have infested our midst with a dirty type of politics that tends to honor electoral fraud and convincing people to vote blindly and aimlessly,
We are not stupid, are we? We are a people with a history of political uprightness since the times of the great Mallam Aminu Kano of blessed memory,
I will personally feel stupid and dumb if you tell me to vote a particular candidate and I don’t ask you to give me reasons why I should vote them,
We all are living witnesses to the end story of electoral fraud and trying to impose thyself on the throne of leadership by all means necessary, it is no secret; it trails you all the way!!,
So dear congress members, let us shun voting with fake I.D’s, indigene form, electoral violence, Zabe cikin Duhu Da jahilchi and above all Zaben Tumun Dare.
“An Daina Ninke mu, mun daina zabe cikin jahilchi, sai an bamu hujjar zaben da zamu yi, kuma mun san Allah ne kadai yake bada mulki ga wanda ya so kuma lokacin da ya so”.
Finally, the issue of godfatherism is a burning and recurrent issue in Nigeria and our student union politics awhile, nobody is going to dictate to us what and who we are supposed vote for,
The new style godfathers have infested the minds of the young union members so much so that this cadre of future leaders are totally convinced that politics is synonymous with hypocrisy, that student unionism is synonymous with self aggrandizement and opens a window to political begging.
Therefore, we should please open our eyes and vote our prospectus leaders based on reason and logic as intellectuals and not based on first come issues or baseless godfather’s orientation.
Therefore I say Ask them why? Tell them to Give you reason why you should vote?
Thank you for reading my piece and God bless.
Muhammad Tijjani Nakande, a freelance writer, a neon pan African, can be reached at www.muhammadnakandesworld.blogspot.com or email him at memzycool@yahoo.com

LIFE

The first cry of a baby says it has arrived,
The first words uttered says it can learn,
The first words of “mama” brings delight to thy mum,
The first steps taken makes mama feel like an Egyptian queen,
The days transcend into months and hope rises high,
The survival of the little infant tells a story,
The story line which I narrate as thus;
The world we live in is like a toddler’s clay toy,
This moment it is shaped like a cup and the next it is out of shape,
The world is like a beautiful old lady, a beautiful work of nature overtime,
Since I was a young lad growing,
And now I am a young man glowing,
I have never seen this world changing,
The people that lived are part of history,
The people alive are a part to contemporize,
The folks yet unborn are part of destiny,
The people come and go as a herd through a perch,
Some touch lives and they are honored,
Some sit tight in corners while others make their mark,
Others end lives and they are remembered as tyrants,
The wise, the rich, the royal all live their footprints on the sands of time,
The man that grew out of a baby is now old and feeble, too weak and frail to quibble,
The bible says “what goes around, comes around”,
The basic rules of life remain the same overtime though,
No matter how serious you take life,
You will never get out of it alive,
The inevitable comes calling! Come! , come! Death beckons, come Home to your Lord!,
This day remains the most detested by man so much a times taken off guard,
The truth and irony about this life remains that, we all die in the end somehow.
Muhammad Tijjani Nakande, a freelance writer, a neo pan African can be reached online at www.muhammadnakandesworld.blogspot.com or email him at memzycool@yahoo.com

Things we do for love.

Some things we do for humanity,
Some we do for country.
Some things we do for prestige,
Some for the reputation,
Sometimes we hurt and shun,
Sometimes we smile and shine,
Sometimes we look past some wrongs,
So much that we appear spotless to thyself,
Sober and sullen we slumber in thoughts,
So when the raging fire of love comes to hurt,
Some pain we soak alone,
Some pain we sore the seeds,
Some things we do for friends,
Some things we do for family, family in solitaire,
Sometimes we seek solitary engagement,
So much so that we soldier to not to soak in tears,
Some things we do for the sake of mates,
Some things we do for love,
Sometimes a mix of joy and sorrow, the blessings come to pass,
So long as we do some things for love?
Solace we seek as everlasting passion surmounts.
Muhammad Tijjani Nakande, a freelance writer, a neo pan African can be reached online at www.muhammadnakandesworld.blogspot.com or email him at memzycool@yahoo.com