ACCEPT OUR SACRIFICE

ACCEPT OUR SACRIFICE Blessed be thy name, Akwa Abasi IbomOil flows in crude and palms, as we drinkTo the enriched new state in the south-southOur ancestors were noted for farming and fishingWomen wore waists beads and fed their childrenWith breast milk and remains of past sacrificesThe children knew how to keep the vultures awayFrom eating the meat at the altarTill the sacrifice was accepted by the Itina Our distant friends can share from the oil proceedsBut cannot be priests to our deityIt would be sacrilegious, for they knew notHow to keep thieves and vultures awayIman, born and weaned at the shrineWould not let the vultures take away the meatAnd knew what the sacrifice meant to the peopleIf only the sacrifice is accepted by ItinaThen our worries would be banished Our shrines do not discriminateOn basis of where you come from, tribe or zoneStrangers are welcome and can partake in the feastThey can also share with us the blessing of our sacrificeBut some distant children brought dogs and vulturesFrom east, north and west to take awayThe hard measured meat at the altarAnd from the shrine of Itina, we weptOur plea now is for an accepted sacrifice