Nigeria, My Home

Nigeria, you are the first name I learned to call home.

You are the morning prayers that rise before the sun.

The aroma of jollof rice filling the air on festive days.

The laughter that escapes from neighbours across the fence.

You are the woman selling akara before daylight.

The man pushing his wheelbarrow with hope in his heart.

The student reading under candlelight, refusing to give up.

The farmer whose sweat feeds families he may never meet.

We know what it means to wait.

We know the pain of promises left unfulfilled.

Still, every new dawn gives us another reason to believe.

Hope has become the language we speak without words.

We argue over football.

We celebrate weddings like one big family.

We dance at birthdays, naming ceremonies, and village festivals.

Even in difficult times, joy refuses to abandon us.

We are Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Efik, Tiv, Kanuri, Ijaw, and many more.

Different cultures, different languages, but one homeland.

The same rain falls on every rooftop.

The same green earth carries all our footsteps.

Our mothers whisper prayers into every meal they prepare.

Our fathers hide their worries behind gentle smiles.

Our children dream of a future brighter than today.

And our youths keep chasing tomorrow with stubborn courage.

Yes, we have seen hardship.

We have stood in long queues.

We have watched prices rise beyond our reach.

Yet we still greet each other with warmth and kindness.

Nigeria, you are not just a place on the map.

You are the heartbeat inside millions of souls.

You are the stories our grandparents handed to us.

The songs our mothers sang before we slept.

One day, the tears of today will become memories.

The voices of justice will grow louder than silence.

The dreams of our young people will find wings.

The labour of our parents will not be in vain.

Until that day comes, we will keep believing.

We will keep building instead of breaking.

We will keep loving this land through every season.

Because no matter how hard the journey becomes, Nigeria will always be our home.