The song, an ululation of the might of God, seeks to dwarf every conceivable problem in the magnificence of God. The track has gone viral on a global scale. Before the song became a global hit, garnering multiple awards and nominations (including the 2020 Dove Award for Song of the year), and getting covered by international gospel acts like Michael Smith and Leeland, the song served as a melodic supplication for God to open doors. It is perhaps the perfect harmony of the song, or the depth of Dakolo’s voice or perhaps a wistfulness, the gentle tuggings in the heart of every Nigerian, but it is impossible to listen to “Great Nation” at the time it was released, without feeling that Nigeria was a hub of possibilities and a fertile ground for dreams.Ĭontributing to this trend is “Waymaker”, the song composed by Nigerian gospel singer-songwriter Sinach. His song, “Great Nation” (released in 2011) is taken to be the unofficial Nigerian anthem, a call to strive and work for Nigeria, echoing hope and fidelity to the motherland. This is not the first time that Dakolo is advocating for hope through his music. It also helps that the song is danceable: a combination of positivity-laden lyrics and nuanced melody is the tonic that the average Nigerian needs. For the Nigerian striving to make a living in present-day Nigeria, anything that presents a tiny ray of hope is received with open arms. The economy is in freefall, prices of household commodities keep climbing, and banditry seems to be a government-sanctioned enterprise. At the moment, Nigerians have very little to be hopeful for. In the verse that follows, Dakolo addresses people caught up in other situations: he reassures a woman in search of a child with the lines “one day you go born twins”, and to the frustrated tenant whose landlord “dey do like God”, he says “one day you go be landlord”.ĭakolo’s song could not have come at a more strategic time. When Dakolo says “ you sef go be a boss”, it resonates, deeply. The tune is a summation of the hopes, aspirations and prayers of the average Nigerian, an assurance that better days are ahead. The song paints a picture of a typical workday in Nigeria: it’s easy to come up with a mental image of working-class people in different scenarios – the young man selling sachets of water with beads of sweat rolling down his face, the woman selling bole, or the bus conductor hanging precariously from the door of a moving bus – singing the song. The first line of the song, “ e verything you put your hand go work”, is a reiteration of the Abrahamic blessing that runs along the lines of “ the Lord shall bless the work of your hands ”. Produced by Cobhams Asuquo, “Everything” is an upbeat tune that has Dakolo making some affirmations, with backup singers echoing “Amen”. For believers, the idea is to speak it into the air until what is imagined becomes tangible. It is perhaps this persuasion that influenced the artistic direction of Timi Dakolo’s recent single, “Everything (Amen)”, which has become a smash hit in Christian circles. The idea is that positive confessions can reconfigure the situations in the physical realm, aligning the circumstance with that which is spoken. Christians are enjoined to emulate the stories of men and women in the bible who made boastful claims in the face of fear. Making faith-based confessions is a huge part of Nigerian Christian tradition.
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