Hope is here for the common man, my people hope is here
The hope of a life without struggle,
Of a future bright and clear,
Of thriving businesses and living without fear,
Of good electricity and beautiful mortgage schemes,
Of potable water in our homes so we’d no longer go to the streams
Hope is here for the common man
Everybody hope is here
Young though we were our excitement was great nonetheless
We chanted the songs till the words played themselves heads
That we wouldn’t be a part of the process we cared less
Our fathers and mothers were going to bring the hope for us
So let us sing on in joy of the hope of a better future
“On the march again, on the march again,
Looking for Mr President, On the march again…”
Hope is here, my people, hope is here
The votes have been cast and counted,
So much excitement devoid of anxiety and fear,
I saw smiles on the face of adults as they got home
Happy that they have secured hope for children’s future
“Abiola go win Tofa” I heard many of them say
Their excitement was mine, their votes were my hope
Alas, the gap-toothed schemer had other plans
To dampen our hopes and bring gloom on our lands
Hope is dashed my people, hope is dashed
They said the election was free and non-violent
But the results has been cancelled
I do not understand the ways of these adults
The thoughts on many minds so young
Keeping such high hopes of a brighter future
Oblivious of the dark and gloomy days ahead
Days of pain and dread of the dark goggled one
Cooking with stoves fuelled with wood shavings
Days when the hope of bright future dims before our eyes
Our hopes have been dashed people, da-sh-ed
It has been two decades from then and the problems are still there
Stable power is still a dream, maybe even a mirage
Insecurity mounts daily, tribal settlements increasing
Youths groan under the weight of unemployment,
Let’s not talk about those lost to road accidents
I remember the songs of hope from 2 decades ago
And my heart aches for pain
Because that hope was dashed
Tis Hope unfulfilled, people
20 years after, it’s still hope unfulfilled
(In memory of Hope ’93, MKO Abiola’s June 12 1993 Mandate)