IF NIGERIA COULD BE LIKE THE CATTLE EGRET

by Chidimma Nwaka

If there is any unique quality I love about myself, it is the ability to communicate with nature in solitude, whether I am walking along the street, washing alone, or simply sitting out in silence.

Last evening’s walk taught me something I have always seen but barely noticed while growing up. I only knew its name through songs and childhood chants, pleading that it would paint my fingernails white: a phenomenon that stirred nostalgia in the heart of every African child. Whether it granted our wishes or not, a tiny white stain on our nails was enough proof that it came from them, and if you were unfortunate, you kept believing that one day it would finally bless you with white fingernails.

The cattle egret is one of the spotless white birds popularly known as “Leke Leke” in Nigeria. It flies in groups across the sky, sometimes forming beautiful V-shapes and other times scattered like white strokes across the clouds. I watched them settle on one of the trees at the plaza, and when it was time to fly again, they rose together, no one colliding with another, each bird flying in its own space yet moving together in harmony.

And I asked myself this question: what if Nigeria could be like the cattle egret?

A nation where everyone is allowed to fly freely without being hurt by another.

The cattle egret carries its kind along, but sadly, the reverse seems to define the new Nigeria.

One unique thing I admire about the cattle egret is that it does not discriminate. It associates freely with other birds, and I wish a diverse nation like Nigeria could learn to genuinely accept its brothers and sisters despite their differences. Every day, things seem to grow worse, and sometimes I feel the darkness spreading uncontrollably. It is not merely a feeling; it is the reality of Nigeria.

I once asked an online foreign friend if she ever wished to visit Nigeria. She did not hesitate to dismiss the idea, claiming that the country ranks among the most insecure places in West Africa and that the cost of living is unbearably high. Her words hurt me deeply because of the patriotic love I carry for my country.

African children joyfully sing “Leke Leke” whenever the bird flies by, and I long for the day nations across the world will speak the name Nigeria with admiration ; as a secure country filled with opportunities, peace, and hope.

If Nigeria could be like the cattle egret, then perhaps we would become a nation where no one is oppressed because of class, tribe, religion, or race, and where unity would finally rise above division.