Freedom Plow

By Jesudoyin Abraham Abayomi

Freedom Plow

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) in his poem "freedom Plow" describe the journey to real freedom of e Americans.

" When a man starts out to build a world,

He starts first with himself

And the faith that is in his heart—

The strength there,

The will there to build.

First in the heart is the dream."

That was a real description of he Americans by Hughes, starting with nothing but dreams. The Americans which today is he envy of he world is said I have taken an hundred years to get it right but even if hey had taken them thousand -they still have gotten there because they had dreams.

To Langston Hughes, the founders of America came with nothing but dreams. Dreams that today is both engrafted and chanted routinely in the mind and mouth of an average American. A dream that every Nigerian in he diaspora and anyother country sang with their heart.

Now, speaking of Nigeria and most African nations where precisely are we heading? What us the Nigeria dream? Why do we want and do some certian things? As  Nigerian; I personally cannot recall anything called the Nigeria dream. Definitely, no Nigeria, either old or young can affirmatively mention what we can call the Nigeria dream. And in the absence of a well defined dream, Nigeria may rigmarole in a circle of continuous failure, for as long as Christ delay his coming.

In their dream, the American had to plow, they had to work dirty and hard until their dream became entrenched in every mind.

"The eyes see there materials for building,

See the difficulties, too, and the obstacles.

The hand seeks tools to cut the wood,

To till the soil, and harness the power of the waters."

I am just worried, what work are we doing, to what destination are we heading. Over the years, we have recited the pledge over and over with simply our lips. We all have declare in the pledge to defend the unity of this country. But today, everyone cries, "to our own tent". The unity of he nation has been largely destroyed. And it is very unfortunate how we had a segregationalist as President. 

Why we still lament all these, economic and insecurity crisis among such terrible issues like our unity as a nation. Bola Ahmed Tinubu also came up with that dividing statement of it is the turn of south west.

Can there really be a Nigeria?

Where is our freedom Plow. After the 1960 independence, Nigerians celebrated what I will call assumed independence but till today are we truly free. To us the definition of freedom is chasing the white away and apart from that what other dream do we have when gaining independence. And, in the absence of a national dream, we LL are as packed chickens on a Christmas day being fed to slaughter.

I am afraid that as long as we don't have a Nigeria dream there can never be a Nigeria dream that Nigerians can restructure their heart and hands to plow to the achievement of what we can truly call the Nigeria dream.

A long time ago, but not too long ago,

Ships came from across the sea

Bringing Pilgrims and prayer-makers,

Adventurers and booty seekers,

Free men and indentured servants,

Slave men and slave masters, all new—

To a new world, America!

With billowing sails the galleons came

Bringing men and dreams, women and dreams.

In little bands together,

Heart reaching out to heart,

Hand reaching out to hand,

They began to build our land.

And when we eventually find a Nigeria dream we must begin to plow to have that dream. Our values, motives, elections etc must be well channel to achieve this dream. And like Wole Soyinka once stated "every mites must contribute his might". All Nigerians must by then plow the Nigeria dream until our work becomes manifest and true freedom is achieved.