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      November 20, 2019For the Love of OilAkachi Obijiaku

      They dig and dig until the streets stink and slip with corruption
      Their pockets flow with gold but the community sees no wealth eruption
      Villages perish from the pollution in droves
      But they brush the children aside and recommend garlic cloves
      The militants arrive to protect the resources
      But then they grow greedy and rape the local women in the bushes
      The Niger Delta has become a battlefield of money and lust
      An epitome of sadness coated in lucrative promises and fairy dust
      The imperialists roam around with the guards
      Causing havoc and happily playing the race card
      And the government?
      They are a hardly a moral movement
      Conscience is all but folklore
      Attempts to demonstrate control are considered a bore
      A rogue collusion is what it is
      Whilst those at the bottom get feasted on by fleas
      Even with the fortunes being excavated
      From miles away the desperation of the young can be heard
      It’s a crude war zone where even nursing mothers toil
      And people fall on their knees for the love of oil

      Akachi Obijiaku

      “I lived in Nigeria for sixteen years, and then moved to the United Kingdom—where I’ve been for almost six years. What’s quite interesting, and only people who are in my position tend to understand, is how different the various cultures are across the world. Anytime I return to Nigeria, I feel like my time spent abroad was a dream. Everything is so different in Africa. The people, the attitudes, the way of living. Some good, some bad. So, when I write, it’s sort of like telling tales. There’s so much rich material from just watching life happen around you, and most times the stories sound like fiction, but you can’t make some stuff up—it really is surreal.”

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