Shattereddreamsnovel.com

If a prophet told me that I will be in this situation, I will tag him a minister of doom, who goes around staging miracles.  But here I am wallowing in the shadows of grief and recurring disappointment, something Nigerians will call "near success". Before I gained admission into this school, I was that boy who dreamt dreams. I told myself that I will become a journalist; a very powerful one at that.  In my dreams, I see myself seated comfortably in an executive chair while broadcasting the news to the people of the world. At the time, the dream felt so perfect. Every step I took drew me closer to the vision. It felt like a force pulling me from the earth to space. Even the gravity of the planet could not stop the supernatural force. It was this same force that led me to this university, with the hope of becoming the Greatest of Them All. However, things took a drastic turn when I arrived. My family experienced a downturn in business. Lecturers never cared if I had eaten. They...

What's the essence of the vigorously edited and vibrantly coloured videos, when we are not engaging in a real conversation? There is no real celebration associated with Nigeria's Independence Day. There has never been anything real.  The festivities, as we might call it, have always been performative. Perhaps, it is a way of ignoring the inadequacies which has displaced Nigeria from its place as the Giant of Africa. Every October 1st, we are reminded of our allegiance to our motherland. It's our sole responsibility to shield Nigeria like a hen protecting its chicks from predators. We are expected to carry the name like the faeces in our bowl and never get exhausted from preaching the gospel of the most populous nation in Africa. The rich cultural heritage of the country is echoed through carefully edited videos from the country's top creators. Writers scribble essays and short stories that capture the lives of people in the most interior parts of the country. From Isuof...