It’s hard, dear friend. We know that the state of reality in Nigeria could make it very difficult to even have hope; for tomorrow and for a better country. It would be more convenient to list the ills of Nigeria as a society than to praise it and this shows the degree of rot that Nigerians have had to endure for the longest.
Today being a day set aside to celebrate Nigeria’s independence from British colonial control, it’s imperative to seize such an opportunity to try to restore hope, or provide some faith in a possibly better future.
Here are five songs to help boost your patriotism to the nation today and whenever the mood requires that energy.
Great Nation — Timi Dakolo
“The Chorus Leader”, as is his alias, is known for soul-moving choruses in his music and this song entirely integrates national hope into his incredible vocal abilities. Its message is one of faith and strength. It definitely had to lead this list as it has been an Independence Day anthem since it was released.
For Boys — Ema Onigah
This record doesn’t try to hide the truth about our realities at all. It speaks about everything and proceeds to spur your mind to think of individual contributions we can make to make the land better, for ourselves. It has the right amount of “For Us, By Us” energy you need for today.
Green Land — Joseph Company & Ty Bello
This song emphasizes how the land is green where it is watered. Today, many Nigerians water, but the harvest seems to be stifled by the generally harsh conditions. Yet, this song encourages you to have a little more faith, pay more attention to the possible good and love the land — but definitely not the system.
Another Story — Burna Boy feat. M.anifest
This one is for the real lovers of the country, in love enough to care and get angry about the state of the nation. M.anifest joins in from the +233 to show that the post-colonial stories of most African countries are insanely similar. This song gets you angry enough to want better for the country and hate its destroyers.
So Beautiful — Asa
This song by Asa helps to focus more on the beauty that lies in being Nigerian (our character makeup, how we stay afloat and how we try to make the best of the things we have – not the landscapes of Ikogosi warm spring). With so many things seemingly going wrong, we are all we have left.
Happy Independence Day, Nigeria!
Itty can be caught studying African pop culture, writing about it or hosting a relationship podcast. When he's not doing any of these, then he's definitely at a bar, getting mocktail.
