Each time we scatter far,
Every time we wander wild
You have a way of ringing the bell
Rallying the clan for a harvest great.
The last time we shared wines
You were the magician who tapped palm wine from an orange tree:
You switched on the moon at noon
When you broke the jinx for our darling Arts.
They said we were a never-do-well beat
But you PUNCHED the jinx and edited with class;
They said the feat was a flash in the pan
Yet, you nurtured THE MIRROR to a standard high.

Each time we scatter far,
Every time we wander wild
You have a way of ringing the bell
Rallying the clan for a harvest great.
When they ran out of their morbid jokes
They said government was such a serious business
That should attract only mortals from the social and sciences
But you have made the Cabinet to prove a point:
That the man who lives by bread alone
Will wake up one day to find a rock across his anus
That the country that shuts out its art and cultured minds
Will stand alone on its judgment day.

Each time we scatter far
Every time we wander wild
You have a way of ringing the bell
Rallying the clan for a harvest great.
But our feast today will be brief
To save the time for your inaugural strides.
The ministry is waiting
The Governor is eager
Like a troupe of veteran masqueraders,
We will save the dance till the final night
When you must have carved the name of our constituency in gold
By moving the mountains for our aquatic State.

By AKEEM LASISI