Cry not for Ozubulu
The serene community of peace-loving people
Whose tranquil the Cathedral murder upset
Leaving bloody trail
Cry not for Ozubulu
The birthplace of ArchDeacon Ben Nwosu
The trusted home of Omeifeaku Vincent Ikeotuonye
The retirement home of Igwe Jerome Udoji
Cry not for Ozubulu
That sired beloved priests
The home town of Rev Eboh
Archbishop Jude Okolo’s place
That loaned Bishop Uzukwu to Minna
Cry not for Ozubulu
The home of Zixton
A school which for 60 years
Injected competitive spirit into youths
Based on the rule set by the Omeifeaku himself
Making pupils seek knowledge
For truth & goodness
Even when they lose
Cry not for Ozubulu
Where international public servant, Udoji
Rejected the filthy lucre from Irete-cobbled sherrif
Whose quaint idea of governance starved workers,
Closed down schools, mortgaged the people’s future
While sorting & ‘settling’ the influential
But Udoji, ever dignified, counselled
The naive governor to pay teachers & open schools
But cry we must for Ozubulu
Invaded by miscreants
Whose stock in trade
Is flaunting ill-gotten wealth
For Ozubulu is only a metaphor
For contemporary Igbo society
Ewoo… How are the mighty fallen!
Cry we must for Ozubulu
Where elders sit by
While the parturient goat
Delivers tied to the tether.
Where elders lost the moral spine
To guide youths aright
Cry we must for Ozubulu
Where the man of God
Eulogies the crooked
Where the clergy exchanges
The chalice for shekels
Where the ordained would
Prefer blood money to blood of Christ
In contemporary Igbo society, chai…!
To Almighty God we beckon
Asking for forgiveness
Resolutely determined
It will never happen again.
Murder in Ozubulu church
Mirrors the evil
That has befallen Igboland
Igbo society is rapidly
Descending the abyss, Chineke!
To Almighty God we pray
To cleanse Igboland
The land of Blessed Iwene Tansi
The birthplace of saintly Akanu Ibiam
The community of Holy Nweje
The proud abode of Aba women warriors
The beloved society of Chinua Achebe
The land walked by Chike Obi
With mathematical precision
The land which youths in not too distant past
Brought glory to Nigeria in sports & athletics
To Almighty God we pray to replace
Charlatans posing as leaders
By solid men of Michael Okpara’s genre
So that Igboland
Will once again stand to be counted
Where positive decisions are taken
To advance the cause of humanity.
SEBASTIAN NWOSU
Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Guinness Eye Center Onitsha
