Old oil

Unbridled, naïve, and in my youth, I bellowed out to life, “What could you possibly throw my way?!”

I came with the unearthed vengeance of the women in my family,

And the razor-sharp ambition of the men

None of whom led with love

Hate for them tainted my heart and poisoned my soul

Yet, I lived for love.

Love for the sheep,

Love for tomorrow

Love, they say, leads the way.

It was for love I languished

Languished in pain and in darkness,

Praying fervently that I remained steadfast.

Long, long ago, it was foretold that a sun will be born to mother,

A sun so bright its light will make the blind see

And the evil repent

But how long more shall we wait for this star?

For I can no longer shine the light within;

My heart has been besmirched by darkness

I have become the very thing I detest.

On my journey here, I made some detours;

They were convenient

But, for every gain, I lost a bit of me

Slowly and surely, all that remained was a shell.

Oh, for I have betrayed the vows of our youth.

I am a coward!

I spoke so fondly of love

But where was it when the old jars poured old oil into me?

More on “Old oil”

“Old oil” is a metaphor for the moral bankruptcy in Nigeria, which the poet sees as the root cause of the country’s sorry state. The poem, in just five stanzas, attempts to put up a mirror to the average Nigerian who, in their own way, is morally despicable. Who hasn’t given money to gain some sort of edge in Nigeria? Whether you are bribing someone to skip a petrol queue or you are a Minister misdirecting public funds into private accounts, all join na corruption.

In Nigeria, corruption is a way of life. Even it is emulated. It rears its ugly head in obvious places like government; nevertheless, like the spread of fungal spores through the air, corruption has found its way into our educational and religious institutions. The entire system is broken. As for the best among us, it’s either they are broken as well, or they are contoured into obscene versions of themselves.

In their older years, our character in “Old oil” contemplates the events of their life with melancholy, bitterness and disappointment. They recount a prophecy that foretold the coming of a messiah. Starting the poem, our character thinks of themselves as that messiah. They are self-righteous. They sternly judge the “men” for the perceived injustice which their tyranny inflicts on the “women.” With “men” standing for the political elite in Nigeria while the “women” being the Nigerian people.

Starting off, our character seemed rash and talked big. They thought they were capable of being the change they wanted to see in their society. Many Nigerians start off well-intentioned, but when it gets to the thick of it, they will look the other way because of the juicy fat envelope of cash their hands are clutching.

The character thought they weren’t like the men; they thought that, unlike the men, they would be capable of leading with love. But alas, the character becomes like the men they spoke about with disgust. Hence, their asking at the end, “But where was it (love) when “the old jars,” representing the Nigerian ruling elite, poured “old oil,” representing old thinking, into me.”

But, before our character gets here, they go through a logical transition from the courageous and naïve young person who criticizes others for their unjust acts. In the second stanza, the character, still thinking themselves to be the prophesied messiah, reveals that they live for love. “Love for the sheep,” with sheep being a metaphor for Nigerians. “Love for the sheep” is a biblical reference alluding to God as a shepherd tending to his flock of sheep, his followers.

Our character also lives for “love for tomorrow,” which stands for hope.

Nevertheless, our character reveals that they suffered for their love. They “languished in pain and in darkness, praying that they remained steadfast.” This is where our character’s resolve is tested. It seems life has indeed thrown them a difficult challenge. Frankly, fighting corruption in Nigeria is not easy. In fact, the fight is a marathon, not a sprint — it takes consistent effort to resist and overcome corruption. Unfortunately, the third stanza reveals that our character lost their fight with corruption.

Our character recounts the prophecy of the coming of a messiah: “A sun would be born to mother,” with “mother” standing as a metaphor for Nigeria. It was prophesied that this saviour’s righteousness would make the blind see and make the evil repent. “The blind seeing” is a metaphor for myopic leaders and others like them waking up from their ignorance to see the bigger picture of Nigeria’s potential and magnificence. And “the evil repenting” is the shifting of mind, a change of traditional thinking that is required for us to bloom to our fullest potential as a country.

Our character admits that their heart has been corrupted. This is our first indication that they have lost their righteous way. Our character no longer believes they are the messiah; “they have become the very thing they detest.” In fact, by asking, “But how long shall we wait for this star?” our character joins those awaiting the coming of a messiah to redeem them. I have spoken to many Nigerians who believe a messiah would emerge to save the country and take us to the promised land. People have different images of what this messiah would be like, but some, interestingly, believe they would have to be a certified werey to make meaningful change happen in Nigeria.

In the fourth stanza, our character continues their introspection. They acknowledge that they cut some corners to get to where they are. They also acknowledge that with every act of corruption, their values, which used to be top-notch, are whittled away.

Finally, calling themselves a coward in the last stanza, our character rhetorically asks: “Where was it (love) when the old jars poured old oil into me?” In the end, our character, who started off standing against injustice and corruption, became complicit, as is the case with most Nigerians.