Nigerian Pidgin English Poems By Chidi Anthony Opara

[Public Information Project Management]

We No Dey Broke
(Fela music “Argument” dey play for background)
Di money wey una dey get
Month by month
Una no dey use am well,
Una dey use small pay salary
When workers go strike,
Di rest
Una dey chop am,
Una dey broke.

Na small small money
Una dey share give us,
Di big big money
Na una dey carry.
Una no dey do any work sef,
Una just dey siddon
Dey chop money,
We no dey broke.
(Background music still dey play)

If una no dey broke
Why una dey borrow borrow?
Di borrow borrow money sef
Una dey share am chop,
Una dey broke.

What of di one
Wey una dey borrow?
Di money wey we dey borrow
We dey pay.
Di interest sef
We dey pay.
Even sef
We don dey borrow again.
If we dey broke
Why dem dey give us loan?
We no dey broke.
(Background music still dey play, come fade)

Dis Subsidy Sef
We dey hearam for morning,
For afternoon sef we dey hearam,
We dey hearam for night.
Dem dey halaram,
We no dey rest.

Subsidy!
Subsidy!!
Subsidy!!!
Dis subsidy sef.

Dem say na awuf money
Wey we dey chop,
Dem say na government money.

Awuf money we no see,
Government we no see,
Na so so suffer we dey.

Kidnappers dey kidnap us,
Thieves dey thief our property,
Militants dey murder us,
Better things we no dey see.

Upon dat,
Dem still dey hala subsidy,
Dis subsidy sef.

2020 Na Di Year
Warehouses
Don turn to worship houses.
Companies don waka,
Churches,
Mosques
Na dem dey now,
Everybody now na prayer warrior.

You need water
You go borehole go buy.
You need security
You go police go pay.
If you need light
You buy generator.
Petrol nko?
You buy from black market.

Every day,
Every day
Dem dey yan say
2020 na di year.
Na di year
Wey light go shine well well,
Wey water go flow everywhere,
Milk and honey sef go flow.

2020 wey dey run dey come so,
Wey be like tomorrow
Na im be di year
Wey every every go boku,
Wey better life
Go yafu yafu for Naija.
So we siddon dey look,
Dey listen to this kin yan.

[Jena Grace]

Dey post dis stuff.

Nobody care.

[jayce]

Where's Keith?... He loves this stuff. (Not!)

[Avonne Writer]

I thought Martin sneaked through.

[D K]

What da fcuk