DEDICATION TO DUTY

By Prince Emmanuel C. Umahi (De General)

* Laziness has been a friend,

Whose warm embrace has made you about joining two ends.

Playfulness, nonchalant attitude and childish demagogue has been your companion right from when you were young;

Which has made you down and weary for so long.

* At a tender age, you never saw the dignity in labour,

But the awesome reward in human favour.

When men worked, you misinterpreted footsteps, words and general composition for a soothing music,

Food for the soul and a most suitable tonic.

Dedication never found a place in your dictionary,

And in your school of thought, you misplaced duty for misery.

You claimed to be a king,

With endless wealth and numerous material things.

Apparently, with little or no strength,

You smile to the bank when the month is at it's full length 

Your favourite song is "Bank Alert",

But in the field of work, you're blank and not alert.

* But how long will this negligence continue?

How long before we accept what's true?

How long before we quit been a misfit?

How long will we live in a world of deceit?

How long before we realise we are far from the break of dawn?

How long will we stay in darkness with complaints?

Or isn't it time to give maximum complaisance?

* It is time we give a clear redefinition to our dedication.

So I urge you to Arise O Compatriots,

For the call to Duty beckons on you;

As a friend, be decisive

A wife and a mother, submissive

A child, reflective

A father, directive

A soldier, attentive

A traffic warden, patient

A police officer, reliant

A teacher, instrumental

A student, essential

A trader, economic

A politician, iconic

And as a citizen, patriotic.