Idah, my Idah

Close up picture of the upper part of ODOGO – the 16th century tower which is the oldest building in the Attah Igala’s palace Idah (Photo Credit: IgalaProject/atayibabs)

By Atâyi Babs

Idah, my Idah

Idah, my Idah

Land of my royal birth

Lagos of Igala land

The cradle of Igala civilization

I hail thee

 

A land embossed in favourable circumstances

By the geographic forces of history

For the proud, civilised, industrious and stubborn

I cherish thee

Nature’s gift to Africa

Replete with resources so natural

Yet supernatural

I’m proud of thee

A tourist’s delight

Where attractions ceaselessly abound

                                     Attractions untapped, yet tapped

Where Omodoko and Inikpi coalesce in divinity so splendid

Oh! How I long to savour thy endowments so sweet

From Inachalo, to the grand old Odogo

The sleepy but powerful Iyogbo corner

Ega and the recalcitrance in the air

A land of all possibilities

Where anything goes

How I love to thread on thy terrain so slippery

Again and again

And appreciate the beauty of thy primordial values

Values that bring back nostalgia

Of the good old days

The culture of defiance, jokes and interconnectedness

How I crave to experience again and again

The scorch from the sun in thy azure sky

That transforms the fairest of skins

To Ghanaian-like, thick dark as ever

Idah, my Idah

Just as your name implies

In you is the final stop found

Where everything begins with the end

Idah, my Idah

The aura you exude

The streams of opportunities that dot your landscape

The rich boasts of your attractions

Your trade mark peculiarities

Your offerings of love and sacrifice

Your zestful ingenuity with Igala linguistics

Forever remain etched and NON-NEGOTIABLE!

 © 24th August 1997

1 thought on “Idah, my Idah”

  1. Great rendition, Idah the glorious land of our birth. Resilient. Defiant. Evergreen. Royal and Spiritual. We hail thee

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