To be Nigerian means
to know how to work hard
to know how to strive to survive
because on these 9ja streets
there is no manna as fell from heaven
You've to scratch and claw and squeeze
for that daily bread promised in days of yore

Inside the depths called Nigeria
is a myriad of talents unrecognised
For there are no talent scouts patrolling our streets
to pick and groom and nurture our gifts
It's left to you to hone your skills
and fight your way to greatness and light

On the battlefield of 9ja
are millions of skills recently tossed aside
like flak jackets expired and useless
For protection they neither offer
nor put food on the tables of men

In the thousands of cemeteries that litter Nigeria
are thousands of youth buried with their dreams
Dreams of greatness from patriotic service
snuffed out by a greenhouse of selfish greed
deprived of nurture by a barren soil
Their noble aspirations expiring in their graves
Our poor Nigeria denied the garlands that
the dreams so noble would have brought her way

But from the heaps of ash dotting Nigeria
From the swamps of poverty criss-crossing the land
Have risen stars twinkling in the sky
They signal to the world that Nigeria is still alive
not altogether an economic cesspool
but a land of people toughened by strife

When they finally stand on that stage called 9ja
brandishing the awards they've always dreamt of
they can do nothing but break down in tears
Years that tell the world
of all the sleepless nights they had
All the candles they burnt
All the days they spent in the sun
just to prove themselves to the world and say
that there's pride in being Nigeria

Your time is coming... it's almost here
when every year you have shed
and every prayer you have said
will prove to be worth it.
Just don't give up.