RESTRUCTURING: THE DOORWAY TO NIGERIA’S HEALING, BY EBIKABOWEI KEDIKUMOR 

– Nigeria’s Hour of Choice –

Nigeria is standing at a turning point.
She shakes like a leaf in the wind.
Her air is thick with silent cries.
Children lift their eyes to the sky,
wishing bread would fall from heaven.
But the pots in the kitchens are empty,
their faces cold as stone,
and hunger walks from house to house , like a restless ghost,
knocking on every door whispering into the ears of the weary

Once, the ENDSARS drums beat loud in our land,
a song of pain,
a shout for freedom and hope.
Young voices rose like a river after heavy rain,
their feet stamped the ground demanding for a better tomorrow.
But now, under the surface of our silence,
a bigger storm is building.
It is a warning…
that if the cracks in our roof are not fixed,
the rains will come,
and this house called Nigeria will break under the weight,
and crumble into the dust of revolution.

We have a choice.
Two paths stand before us.
One path is restructuring ,
the path that keeps Nigeria together but makes her stronger.
The other path is a referendum ,
a way for each group to decide if they will stay or go.
If we turn away from these choices,
we are like a blind man walking into fire,
thinking it is light.

Restructuring is the key that has been in front of us all along.
It means breaking the chains that tie the states to Abuja.
It means giving each state its own wings,
so it can fly and build its own future,
tends its own soil ,
drink from its own well,
and grows dreams that fits the heartbeat of its people
It means true federalism,
where the Arewa in the North,
the Oduduwa in the West,
the Biafra in the East,
and the Niger Delta in the South all take charge of their own work,
their own money,
their own dreams,
but still stay as a happy family under one roof.

Think of it —
the Niger Delta using its oil to lift its poor from the dust,
the West growing its trade and technology,
the North farming to feed the nation,
the East building factories and businesses,
all without waiting for permission from the Abuja.
There will be new jobs spilling into the streets like golden grain from a full barn,
new cities will rise like flowers after the first rain of the year,
bright electricity lighting every home.
Bandits will lose their dark hiding places,
kidnappers will fade away like smoke
insecurity will scatter like dust kicked into the wind,,
and peace will spread like morning light.

With restructuring,
will sit upon calm waters ,
his shoulders lighter,
he will have fewer heavy loads to carry.
He will focus on guiding the nation,
not micromanaging every local issue.
He will be honoured as the people’s leader,
his name written in gold ,
upon the bright plate of Nigeria’s history.

Splitting Nigeria into pieces is not the answer.
If Biafra goes its own way,
Oduduwa goes its own way,
Arewa packs its bags to live alone,
and the Niger Delta stands apart —
we will trade unity for uncertainty.
But if we restructure,
Nigeria will have peace, stability, growth,
and everyone will shine with happiness,
with dignity,
with a life full of plenty.
That is why restructuring,
true Federalism is the doorway to healing the soul of Nigeria.
For the system we now endure is a cage of rusted iron:
even an Angel sent from heaven would stumble and fail as President

But open the door,
and let the states breathe their own air.
Then even President Tinubu can sail into a trouble-free second term,
and be remembered as the finest captain this ship called Nigeria has ever had.

The people are waiting,
like a crowd at the riverbank,
for a boat that has not yet arrived.
The land itself is listening.
The wind carries whispers of both hope and anger in equal measure.
The drum of hunger is growing louder each day.
It is better to paint this house with colours of harmony,
than to watch it burn in fire of despair.

Nigeria’s healing is in our hands.
Restructuring is the doorway.
If we walk through it now,
the sun will rise without sorrow,
bread will fill our tables,
songs will fill our streets,
and generations yet unborn
will tell the story of how we chose gold instead of ashes,
unity instead of ruin,
and life instead of death.

But if nothing is done,
the restless ghost of hunger will turn into a storm,
and that storm will write our story in blood and ashes instead of gold and light.

EBIKABOWEI KEDIKUMO – writes from Ayakoromo Town, Delta State
08134853570