THE FIRE WITHIN

Pen in hand

Papers on the table

Thoughts in mind

And a lantern on the table.

Mind wandering

Like a breeze on the sea shore

Blank,as the after-rain sky

But rapidly searching for an answer

To the question of my essence

And there was a lantern on the table.

I know who i am

Through the light within.

I know the world

Through the consciousness within.

I know what i need

By the desire within.

I learnt to love

By the fire within.

I appreciate life

Through the guidance within.

I endure in adversity

By the power within.

There is a fire within

It never stops to burn

There is power in the fire within

That lightens

As the lantern on the table.

ENVIROMENTAL IMPACT IN NIGERIA.

The Environment is the totality of atmospheric edaphic and aquatic resources of nature as well as their living,dead and non living components.Although these environmental resources and their components are always at equillibrium with themselves,the living resources cause change in this component species of the environment through their routine activities.these creates changes in the environment which result in the commensurate modification of the plant and animal community,with the most sensitive and more stressed less able to compete.Despite this the environment is dynamic and because plant and animal populations have evolved in conformity with their aggregate environment,there has resulted natural evolution through systematic adaptation to natural changes within the environment.However population explosion,urbanisation in recent times have resulted in man’s gross pollution of the environment leading to accumulation of these solid ,liquid ,gaseous and excess energy in significantly higher than normal concentrations.The effect is the drastic alteration of the pattern ,trend and mode of natural evolution causing injury and damage to environmental populations including man.

In Nigeria as in other developing and developed economies, these diverse activities need to be understood in details to ascertain their implication in environmenal degradation.

URBANISATION AND POPULATION EXPLOTION.

  As population increases, there is an attendant increase in the demand for housing and expansion of cities.This results in an increase in the volume and possibly the complexity of the waste generated.Similarly, the liquid wastes of various composition as well sewage will increase simultaneously.In Nigeria where few sewage facilities exist,treatment of sewage is a far cry from what obtains in developed economy where the resulting waste water is subject to bio-chemical treatment to produce cleansed water of highly acceptable quality.A very important problem accompanying this is the rise in the level of water borne diseases as a result of the contamination of drinking water sources by the waste waters.Similarly, where raw sewage is dumped into the sea as is practised in most of the coastal cities and towns, these wastes foul the receiving water media , de-oxygenating the aquatic environment, making it unsuitable for fish and other aquatic animals to survive.Also such improper disposal method for sewage create a significant odour nuisance that will result in the aquatic medium.Some of the few sewarages and sewage treatment works are hardly maintained that these easily break down spilling sewage effluent through or into aqueducts-contaminating drinking water network.Such is very visible in inland cities like Kano and Ibadan.

From SAMUEL O. ADOUN.DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY,ZARIA-NIGERIA.

BLESSED NATIVITY

BLESSED BE THE TIME AND SEASON,

IN WHICH THE ETERNAL HEIR OF GLORY WAS BORN.

HE CAME TO OUR ABODE FOR A REASON,

TO SEE EXISTENCE IN LIGHT OF OUR PERCEPTION,

AND HE WITH US SHOULD DWELL IN SUCH A DUSTY CREATION.

THE SAGES  IN THE HOLY WRIT HAVE SAID ALL,

AS PERTAINS THIS MOST GLORIOUS LIGHT

WHO MUST COME AND CONQUER MANY AS DUST.

THAT HE SHOULD BRING LIGHT SO BRIGHT’

TO ALL WHO HAVE FALL.

HAIL TO THIS HUMBLE KING,

WHO WAS BORN AS A BABY-GOD

BY A MARRIED VIRGIN MAID.

BEHOLD HE WHO OUR BODIES MADE

SHOULD OUR NATURE CLING.

THE CHERUBIC AND SERAPHIC HOSTS AND OTHER HOLY BEINGS,

ALL ARRAYED IN THEIR SPLENDID HEIRARCHY,

IN SILENCE THEY GAZE AT THE HAZE

OF HIS NEW EARTHLY DORMAIN.

FOR THEIR MASTER THEY MISSED,

AND HIS LOVING PRESENCE DEPARTED.

WHAT GLORIOUS FORM,WHAT INDESTRUCTIBLE NATURE

THE ETERNAL SON DISCARDS

TO TAKE ON OUR MORTAL FEATURE,

FOR TO KNOW PAIN AND DEATH

ON THIS LOWLY EARTH.

IT WAS THE INFALLIBLE BEAUTY AND MAJESTY,

WHICH THE HOLY EARTH HAD SEEN IN EDEN,

THAT SUCH DAZZLING VISIT SHOULD BE HER WELCOME.

IN HUMILITY SHE RECEIVES HER MASTER IN SUCH HER IMPURITY.

ABIKU(A CHANGELING)

Abiku chaste as the mermaid

unstable as time

cruel as claws of death

unconquered as the sun

courageous like a lion

unreasonable as a mad man.

I am she who every mother abhors,

i fluctuate between realms

no mortal can hinder.

I cannot be spellbound,

By enchantment or devices,

Or appeased by rituals or traditions.

I am powers and invicible,

Ancient as earthly creations,

I disengage from covenants at will,

Stirs sorrow in the heart of mothers.

I am she the daugther of the oceans.

Whom i stick to is appealing to me,

They that i reject have never hurt me.

I behave by my own edict

A principle to guide my transitions

I am Abiku the chaste mermaid.