Today I lay still remembering dad and my childhood.
Growing up with liberal parents must be the greatest gift of all.
Dad's best friend was a yoruba Muslim, we called him "broda SAKA" Our neighbours were Muslims from Isale Eko, we all looked forward to all Religious festivals

The terms "infidel" and "unbeliever" were alien to me until I went to unilorin.
My childhood holds the most beautiful happy memories, I'd follow our neighbours to "Yidi" and they'd follow us to church every Sunday.
There was this Imam on our street "Alhaji Atobiloye" he made

Sure we got plenty meats during salah, and would always look forward to our food during Christmas and Easter celebrations.
My first boyfriend was named "Danjuma " an hausa/yoruba boy, with natural "dada", he'd buy me "Tampico" to show he cared...
We attended a yoruba catholic

Church, with an English man "Fr Fintan Daily " as our parish priest. Ohh the sweet hymns and preaching devoid of ethnic and religious bigotry, the fact that we sang hausa hymns with so much joy as though we could interpret them, we were so much shielded from hate and bitterness

There were news of religious crisis in the North, but somehow it wasn't enough to make us say "all Northerners are beasts"
We were just HAPPY NIGERIANs...
Until I got into the UNIVERSITY.

The University of Ilorin...

Anyway, I didn't also realise how much trouble was on ground

Until TWITTER happened.
Now I wake up everyday a different person, not knowing who or what to blame for this hate that is consuming us all.
Here I see power play at its dirtiest, common sense is no longer common, PhD holders instigating religious war, my liberal self

Disintegrating.
Now everything is about tribe and religion, we've lost our sense of reasoning.
I wish for my kids , my childhood experiences, that innocence I felt and had.
That love that transcends religion and tribal affiliation, that PEACE that comes with it.

But HOW?