Love Offerings

Thinking of what you do to me, the way you make me shiver,

Reminds me the sultry pleasures you bring to me every time.

Sinking into my crevice of joy and pleasure,

Entering my temple of peace and tranquillity,

To worship at the altar of love and sensuality.

Oh, come and drink of my fountain of corporeal lust,

Come and swim in the glorious waters of my juices.

How precious and wonderful is your sweet smelling offering.

Coming into my holy of holies to serve your feast of pleasure,

Placing yourself at the mercy of my inner crevices,

Willing the abundance of delight to bring you to the zenith of ecstasy.

Rest your head on the bosoms of serenity,

As I manipulate your body into rhythm with mine,

We ascend the heights of love and joy and together,

Until we reach the crescendo of our symphony and our music plays on.

I remember what you do to me and I smile.

Come to me my love and do it all over again!

Nigeria at 50: Breakthroughs and Challenges

50 is a long time in a person's life. By the time most people are 50, they've reached an acceptable level in their career, have the house, 2.5 children are in or about to enter university, belong to a prestigious club or society and are preparing for retirement. Some are even retired already. It's a time when a person can sit back and reflect on the first half-century of life, their paths and achievements and look forward to another half-century, God-willing.

But how do you measure a half-century in terms of a country? Do you base it on the achievements of the people? Or maybe how the government have fared over half a century? Do you look at the technological advancements the country has made or how far the economy has grown? Do you look at it in terms of its greatness (or lack of it) in the eyes of the world? Or do you look at the percentage of employed and alleviated people? All these are acceptable guidelines to measure the success of a nation. Depending on which is important, the people will use it to judge the success, or failure, of their nation over a half-century.

This year, almost half the nations in Africa are celebrating their half-century. Some have been planning these celebrations for over a year. These celebrations are to show how far they have come as nations and let their people be proud of whatever achievements that have been made during this period. One nation not showing such enthusiasm is Nigeria.

Nigeria is a nation that has been fraught with so many inconsistencies in its 50-year existence. Once known as the giant of Africa, Nigeria has shrunk into almost technological obscurity and has lagged in its leadership role in Africa. Years of military rule, rot and decay has taken its toll on the country. Tribalism, nepotism, unequal opportunities are rife in the country. The oil boom, which was thought to have been a blessing, is now a curse for the people of the Niger-Delta. The country has abandoned all other forms of revenue and now solely depends on oil. Corruption is now the order of the day, from the school child right to the very top of government. Infrastructures, schools, roads and transportation have been left to degenerate almost to a point of redundancy. Ethnic violence and militias in the Niger-Delta region are threatening to embark the country on another path to civil war.

But with all these negatives, the nation also has its positives. It is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the third-largest in Africa. The creation of anti-graft agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have helped to control the tide of corruption in the country, though some would argue that it is a tool used to bully the opposition by the government. Its relationship with developed nations has improved with the coming of democracy in the country. Some states in the Federation have taken up the task to help themselves thrive and improve on the quality of life in their various regions. Nigerians in the Diaspora are finally coming home to take advantage of the economic growth of the nation. Technological advancements are being made in the private sector and the spirit of entrepreneurship, the hallmark of every Nigerian, is being encouraged to thrive. Foreign investors are coming in to take advantage of the stable economy. All these things are building up the positive image of the country.

But with all these achievements and continued growth, why is the celebration of the country’s golden jubilee shrouded in secrecy? One would expect that with all the nation has been through, plans for these celebrations would be known to the people and what to expect. A lack of transparency, corruption in the awarding of tenders to handle the events, nepotism and misinformation are some reasons why. Nigeria has still not lost its garb of corruption and the prebendalism that reigns in government civil services, the legislature and the executive have shown that everyone plans to make money off the honest tax-payers of the country. Till date, the House of Representatives, the lower house of legislation, has refused to pass the Freedom of Information Act, which would give the ordinary man access to all forms of government documents. The government has no spirit of accountability and the people have no idea how the revenue is being appropriated. As it stands, no one outside the echelons of power know how the preparations are going. This year, the government is having a banquet in London, England to begin celebrations of the half-century. Where on the surface of the earth is it done? That a country would waste money in hosting a 2-day event abroad when the populace have no idea what exactly is going on? After the banquet in England, I can bet there would be another one in The United States before the government then lets the people know what exactly it is planning, probably a month to the event. Lackadaisical attitudes towards preparations for events have been the hallmark of Nigeria’s doings. The Olympic Games, The FIFA World Cup are only a few examples of how Nigeria leaves everything to the last minute and then suddenly jumps up 6 months to the affair to jumble up people together, spend money that is never accounted for and pray and hope we win medals. Countries who prepare for anything know exactly how much time and effort it takes to pull off a successful event.

It is very sad that a country, after being in the dark for so many years, have finally seen the light  but refuse to go anywhere near it. The 50 year, half-century celebrations should have been a time to show the world that Nigeria is changing, Nigeria has the ability to survive,  Nigeria has the ability to plan and host important and major events on its own. As it is, if the celebrations of a nation are shrouded in secrecy, what hope have we of being taken seriously by anyone in the developed world that we can stand on our own? Nigeria We Hail Thee.

Lost Love

To see love lost is to see love die.

The anxious feeling of grief and despair.

"Had I known", How I wish", carry sway

In the expression of the heart's pain.

How I wish we never ended, how I wish we never parted.

Like a phantom ship adrift on the sea,

So is my heart, desolate and lost,

No port or harbour will do.

Only the moans and aching of my heart,

Which screams in my ears, prevail.

I never regret the time spent together,

I only regret the time spent apart.

"To have loved and lost is better,

Than not to have loved at all".

I will love you forever, my lost one...

Riding The Storms Of Love

The beauty of our love is inexplicable,

The journey we have ridden is indescribable.

From pains, betrayals and rebellion,

To joys, loyalty and submission.

Like two lovebirds that never part,

We are joined forever more.

The love I feel is beyond description,

The peace you give me is beyond understanding.

Wave upon wave of criticism we’ve overcome,

And like super surfers, we’ve ridden them all.

No one compares to you in my life,

My Adonis, my Spartacus, my Hercules.

We have come through darkness to see a new day,

A new dawn in our love and relationship.

We climb to new heights as we explore each other,

And find new things that excite one another.

Like a drug addict, I need my next fix immediately.

I’d rather die with you, than love another.

You are my all... I love you.

Great Woman

Great Woman

By Ruth Matthew

She is the cradle of mankind, the one who carries the past, present and future.

She lifts up her hands to pray to the hills, for strength to conquer the unknown.

Her arms are wider than the east is to the west,

Welcoming and comforting all who come to her.

Her strength is like that of the baobab tree, standing firm in all storms,

A picture of strength and stability in a desolate land.

She has fought and led her country; she is the beacon of her people.

From the rising of the sun, to the going down of the same,

She is at the forefront of liberation, fighting for her future.

 The silent strength of her husband and the ever-present power to her children

All day she toils and struggles, her back carries the weight of the world.

She is the unsung hero at the home, the forgotten gender in society.

She is the hero, the villain; the helper, the destroyer; the lover, the hater.

She has been shut down, kept out, stomped on and kicked at.

But she trots on silently; unbending, unyielding, unfazed.

Denied her place in history and abandoned by those she birthed,

She still moves ahead, through the desert of loneliness, unaccepted.

Now look out for her in the streets, watch for her on the sidewalks.

Confidence and assuredness bursts forth from her inner being.

She has been reborn, rejuvenated, resurrected.

No more is the dust and dregs of the earth for her.

She moves with renewed grace, beauty and poise.

Sing her praises, hear her story and see her triumph.

Shout it out from the rooftops! Sing it from on high!

Revel in her beauty, marvel at her intelligence.

Praise the woman you are and the woman you ought to be.

T.E.A.M.

I made up my mind to be the best for you.

I told myself you would be the last.

Through all the trials we’ve been through,

Our love has gained momentum and strength.

Many thought we couldn’t last; it’s a matter of time.

We came so close to breaking point, so close to destruction.

We bounced back better than ever.

Looking back at the things we’ve done, what we’ve been through,

It’s amazing we are still here.

We walk this narrow road to greatness, this road less travelled,

We gather strength along the way, to make bouquets of devotion.

Love is what got us here. Friendship and Companionship will see us through.

Alone, we are imperfect, (T)ogether w(E) (A)chieve (M)ore!

Truth be told, I need you.

Truth be told, you need me.

In the hapless madness of this world,

We are the sanity we return to.

In the stress and strain of the land,

We are the rest we need.

Companions, friends, lovers,

Through it all, we have stood the test.

As we stand the test and face the hurricanes of life,

Our relationship is strengthened and fuelled.

Our connection is symbiotic,

Feeding off the energies we give off,

Giving each other the strength to go on.

All through the years to come,

When we will sit on the love bench of our grey-haired days,

Looking at the twilights of our youth,

We will remember our highs and lows,

Remembering our triumphs, and thanking God for each other.