Break Aki Oyibo Nsugbe

By Obioha Oti

ABOUT THE BOOK
Break aki Oyibo Nsugbe is a collection of fascinating poems that Obioha Oti wrote to aptly x-ray a lot of things happening in our society today. According to him, the poems are expected to “shake up your conscience”.

I can boldly say that the poems in this book surely lived up to this expectation.
The title of the book “Break aki Oyibo Nsugbe” simply means “say it exactly the way it is without adding anything or removing anything, without beating about the bush.”
If you take time to read these exciting poems, you will certainly agree with me that Obioha Oti did just that with the poems in this book, and even more.
– Qudus Oko Osi (Writer, Banker, Website Developer) Lagos, Nigeria.

Break aki Oyibo Nsugbe contains forty six poems written on diverse issues that humans face, especially in Africa and particularly in Nigeria. The central theme that cuts across all the poems is the aspect of breaking aki oyibo Nsugbe after examining the issues in each particular poem. The idea of breaking aki oyibo Nsugbe is to boldly and bluntly attack the crux of the matter in each poem and possibly proffer lasting solutions to correct them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Obioha Oti
• Release date: Mar 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005651947

Obioha Oti

Obioha Oti is a native of Ekoli Edda in Afikpo South L.G.A of Ebonyi State, South East Nigeria. He had his junior and senior secondary education at Secondary Technical School, Ekoli/Nguzu Edda and Government Secondary School, Afikpo respectively. After his secondary education, he proceeded to Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu, Nigeria, where he studied Chemical Engineering. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from the same university.He worked for about twelve years in First bank of Nigeria Limited – one of Nigeria’s leading banks, and resigned honourably in October, 2017. He is the Founding Chairman of Blessed Trust Group. Blessed Trust Group comprises the following – Blessed Trust and Hope Organization, an MFI, Blessed Trust Creative Services Limited, Blessed Trust Academy and Blessed Trust Publishing and Printing.Obioha Oti has authored many books, including the thriller Too Late for Anything. He is a serial entrepreneur, business consultant and coach. He is the National Vice President of AMMBAN, (Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria). He is married with children.

Book preview

Prologue – Break Aki OyiboNsugbe

i

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Hear me comrades, once more I come

To pour out my heart, as if I beat a drum

About many ills that in our world abide

The diseases that have eaten so deep, so wide

Right down the foundations of our very pride

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I will strive as I could to cut open the wound

So we could pluck out the ills where they be found

And lay it bare, without fear or favour

For in all, I simply breakakioyiboNsugbe¹, it’s sour

I pour out the water, so that men can savour

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I promise not that it shall be sweet

On the truth I stand; not with any man’s feet

I beat this drum; I call a spade a spade

Not for praise, nor prize nor any accolade

Hit the hammer on this coconut, stop the charade

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In all, I have but one great thing in mind

Uncover the truth; unfold the blind

I know in this, I will be risking a slap

Worse still, my legs may be heading for the trap

I can face my fate; I seek no man’s clap

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ii.

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My heart is heavy and boiling hot

Heavier than lead, hotter than hell

When oft I muse about the deep big rot

That has drowned our land like an evil well

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Most times I sit, I ponder, I wonder

Just what went wrong with the human being?

For we all know that when God sends a child yonder

He comes naked, pure, innocent with eyes unseeing

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Where then is the root of the rot, the hate?

That has deeply exposed our human flaws?

Methinks our greed, our gluttony beclouds our fate

Making us cast away Gods own laws

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I weep most times, rivers of tears flow

Deep down my heart, out of my eyes

As I muse over this, my spirit goes low

My flesh gets frozen like a mass of ice.

SECTION A

Who Will Save Our Schools?

Our Youths, No Jobs!

World Unjust

Our Hospitals, No Drugs

Up NEPA, Down NEPA

No Water to Drink

ONE

Who Will Save Our Schools?

Our schools are shadows of themselves

Public and private schools lay so tattered

No books are found in the library shelves

Many children there roam about scattered

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Teachers, our greatest assets are pushed to defeat

The zeal to teach and learn is gone

Our children at home now roam the street

Education is sacrificed on the altar of mammon

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Today ASUU strike seven, tomorrow ASUP strike eleven

Our teachers’ wages are poor, they can barely feed

The government tells them their reward is in heaven

Our politicians are just feeding their own greed

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Our teachers themselves decide to hit back

They call for a strike, to their wrath convey

The government fumes, threatens them with sack

They strike and strike our future away

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Where elephants fight, the grass suffers

Our leaders watch, they stand and stare

As our students, our children turn to loafers

They clearly show they do not care

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Why should they care? Their children are abroad

In the best of schools, enjoying despite racism

Schools that were built by leaders of vision without fraud

What’s wrong with us, where’s the patriotism?

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What a shame, I’m so irked, it makes me go berserk

They do all these to steal our children’s tomorrow

Even though we pay the tax, we do the whole work,

They want their children to rule our children tomorrow

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Who will compel our leaders to take the wise advice?

Who’ll save our schools, our children’s future?

Who will wipe the tears in our eyes?

Oh come to our rescue Mother Nature!

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My friends let me break aki oyibo Nsugbe for you

Want to change the nation? Send every child to school

Not just any school, but a great, good school, that’s true!

That kind of school that will his desire to learn, fuel

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No need to cry and just sit still

Folding our hands, doing nothing

We must save ourselves or no one will

Indeed, we must ensure we do something

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Laws must be made to compel everyone who rule

That has the power to improve our schools yet never try

All their children and wards must stay