Let those who seek
For the new ways
Not weary of the beginning
When the past is forsaken
But only the present is taken
With all pomps and parade
Then to hatch that self-reliance
Lies in the womb of the future
Is bound in shallows.
The contents of our Daily Times
Are mixed with import technologies
The darkness which reveals light
Is betrayed by the authority
Of the long tradition
How newly old is Nigeria?
The giant of Africa!
Lo! dress it as you will
The goose is a goose still
Victor Offiong
EDITOR’S NOTE
Originally published in Citizen on 20 Dec 1993, p. 47. This diplomatic transcription preserves the wording and lineation visible in the archived page.