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17 Nights of Despair: The Book, Port Harcourt (2026)

10/05/2026

To the Women Who Carry Our Hope: Happy Mother’s Day

In 17 Nights of Despair: The Book , the author Obiga De Rock reminds us that even in the darkest hours of captivity, the light of a mother’s love is a primary anchor for the soul.

Reflecting on his childhood and his recovery, David speaks of two incredible women:
His Mother: A woman who endured the weight of tradition and the pain of loss with the grace of a biblical heroine. David notes, "She would take a bullet for me; of that, I had no doubt."

Ma (His Second Mother): The woman who raised him with the discipline of a teacher and the heart of a protector, becoming a "phenomenal" force in his life.

Today, we celebrate all mothers, those who gave us life and those who chose to mother us along the way. We honor the "undeniable bond" that gives a child the strength to survive the unthinkable and the courage to rise again.

To the resilient, the sacrificing, and the unwavering: Thank you for being our "beacon of hope in the darkest hours."

Happy Mother’s Day

01/05/2026

Today, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and daily sacrifice of Nigerian workers.

But beyond the celebration, we must ask ourselves an honest question:

What kind of nation are we working in… and what kind of nation are we building?

Across the country, workers are carrying burdens that should not be normal:

Rising cost of living

Unstable power supply

Insecurity on our roads and in our communities

Businesses struggling to survive

Systems that often fail those who keep them running

And at the center of it all, leadership that too often feels distant, disconnected, or ineffective.

So what must we do?

Do we simply endure?
Do we quietly adjust?
Do we look for every possible exit?

Or…

Do we begin to take responsibility, within our own spheres of influence?

Because while leadership matters,
nation-building is not outsourced.

It is lived daily:

In how we show up to work

In how we treat people

In whether we choose integrity over shortcuts

In whether we educate, inform, and awaken those around us

There was a time we proudly recited words that called us to duty,
not just to country, but to one another.

To serve with heart and might.
To defend what is right.
To build, not just complain.

Those words were not meant for ceremonies.

They were meant for moments like this.

This is the same call echoed in 17 Nights of Despair: A Personal Kidnap Experience.

A reminder that the challenges we face are not distant realities, they are here, among us.

And until we become active citizens,
we will continue to experience passive outcomes.

So today, as we celebrate workers:

Be excellent at what you do

Be sincere in your service

Be intentional about impact

Speak truth where it matters

Refuse to normalize dysfunction

Raise awareness in your circles

Because change does not always begin at the top.

Sometimes, it begins with one worker who chooses to do things differently.

Nigeria does not just need hardworking people.

Nigeria needs conscious people.

People who understand that:

The future of this nation is shaped daily by what we tolerate, what we ignore, and what we choose to change.

Happy Workers’ Day.

Let us not just work to survive.
Let us work to rebuild.

Country people…
make we reason am.

01/05/2026

Happy New Month & Happy Workers’ Day! 🇳🇬

As we step into May, we celebrate the hands that build, the minds that innovate, and the hearts that keep Nigeria beating. Today is more than just a holiday; it is a reminder that the foundation of a great nation is laid by the sweat and dedication of its workers.

Arise, O Compatriots
It is easy to complain about the darkness, but it takes courage to be the light. Our civic duty calls us to move beyond frustration and toward active participation. To build a formidable Nigeria, one free from the shackles of corruption and greed, we must remember our pledge: to be faithful, loyal, and honest.

We cannot rely on external forces to save us. Real change begins when we:
Pitch in together: No contribution is too small when we work in unity.
Reject "Stomach Infrastructure": We must look beyond immediate, selfish gains and prioritize the long-term growth of our populace and nation.
Hold the Vision: Like the workers standing strong in solidarity, we must keep our eyes on the goal of a just and secure society.

A National Reality Check
The struggles we face from the rising costs at the fuel pump to the failures of the national grid are heavy burdens,

But as highlighted in 17 Nights of Despair: The Book , we must confront these truths to stop normalizing dysfunction.

Let us honor this Workers' Day by recommitting to our role as active citizens. Whether you are in the field, the office, or the market, you are a builder of this nation.

Happy New Month, Nigeria. Let’s build the future we deserve.

02/04/2026

Welcome to April.

A new month… but not a new reality.

As many step into April with hope, some families in Plateau State are stepping into it with grief.
Lives have been lost. Homes destroyed. Communities shaken, again.

We have seen statements.
We have heard condemnations.
We have watched visits, promises, and reassurances.

But the question remains:

What has truly changed?

How many more times will tragedy repeat itself before it becomes unacceptable not just in words, but in action?

This is why we must speak.

This is why we must think.

This is why we must refuse to become comfortable with crisis.

Because beyond every headline are real people families, children, futures interrupted.

And beyond every repeated tragedy is a system that demands accountability.

April is not just another month.

It is another opportunity:

To become more aware

To ask better questions

To demand better leadership

To refuse silence and indifference

Because a docile citizenry cannot produce a functional society.

This is the same reality captured in 17 Nights of Despair: A Personal Kidnap Experience.

A reminder that these are not distant stories.
They are happening here.
They are happening now.

As we step into this new month, let it not just be about wishes.

Let it be about awareness, responsibility, and action.

Happy New Month.

Country people…
make we reason am.

24/03/2026

Nigeria is standing at the brink.

The threshold is no longer approaching…
it is breaking.

Citizens are stretched to their limits.
Patience is thinning.
Hope is gasping for breath.

What exactly is happening to us?

A nation is thrown into darkness as the national grid continues to fail…
yet A*o Rock proudly announces billions spent to power itself with solar, completely detached from the very system the rest of the country depends on.

Light for the few.
Darkness for the many.

Is this leadership… or isolation?

Across the country, fear is becoming routine.

Kidnappings.
“One chance.”
Stories that once sounded distant now live next door.

Businesses are shutting down.
Families are cutting back on the basics.
The cost of fuel has skyrocketed, and with it, the cost of survival.

There is tension in the Middle East, yet somehow, the weight of it presses hardest here at home.
Transport fares rise. Food prices climb.
The ordinary Nigerian bears extraordinary burdens.

Just days ago, a bomb blast tore through a northern state.
Lives disrupted. Families shattered.

And in the face of all this…
our 001 boards a flight to the United Kingdom
for a ceremonial visit.

No pause.
No visible urgency.
No national moment of reckoning.

We must ask ourselves hard questions.

Are we truly being led…
or are we simply enduring?

Are we still going to remain nonchalant about leadership choices…
especially with elections around the corner?

Because leadership is not abstract.
It is not distant.
It is not theoretical.

It shows up in:

The price you pay for fuel

The safety of your journey

The stability of your business

The future your children can dream of

This is not just a political conversation.

This is a national reality check.

And this is why 17 Nights of Despair: The Book matters now more than ever.

Because until we confront truth,
we will continue to normalize dysfunction.

Until we become active citizens,
we will continue to inherit broken systems.

Country people…
make we reason am.

20/03/2026

🎉 Happy Birthday to Obiga De Rock !

Today, we celebrate not just a birthday, but the courage, resilience, and voice behind 17 Nights of Despair. Your story has inspired, awakened, and touched countless hearts. Thank you for sharing your journey and shining a light on the realities many face in silence.

May this new year of life bring you strength, joy, and endless inspiration. Here's to more stories, more impact, and more lives touched!

Join us in celebrating this incredible author today! Drop your birthday wishes in the comments.

15/02/2026

In 1965, something happened that should make every Nigerian stop and think.

A country (Singapore) was forced out of another country (Malaysia).

They did not leave with oil.

They did not leave with gold.

They did not leave with natural resources.

They left with nothing but people.

No crude oil to sell.
No “national cake” to share.
No wealth buried in the ground.

Only human beings.

Their founding leader, , once said survival was not guaranteed.

And he was right.

Singapore was poor. Vulnerable. Uncertain.

But they made a decision. The leader of Singapore at that time made a Decision;

He did not promise heaven.

He demanded discipline.

He did not normalize corruption.

He criminalized it.

He did not glorify mediocrity.

He built a culture of excellence.

He invested heavily in education. He made the system work. He made leadership accountable. He made consequences real.

Today, Singapore is one of the most advanced nations on earth.

Their passport is powerful. Their education system is world-class. Their streets are safe. Their institutions work.

Not because they had resources.

But because they had leadership, discipline, and citizens who understood their role in nation building.

They chose discipline over excuses.

They chose systems over sentiments.

They chose accountability over propaganda.

They built schools before they built noise.

They punished corruption instead of protecting it.

They built a country where systems work, not where citizens pray daily for systems to work.

Today, Singapore stands as one of the most advanced nations in the world.

Not because they had resources.

But because they had responsibility.

Now look at "giant of Africa"

A nation blessed with oil.
Blessed with gas.
Blessed with land.
Blessed with brilliant people.

Yet the average citizen lives in fear.

Fear of insecurity.
Fear of poverty.
Fear of failed systems.

We normalize dysfunction.

We adapt to suffering.

We hope without demanding change.

This is the painful reality captured in .

17 Nights of Despair: The Book is not just a story of kidnap.

It is a mirror.

A mirror showing what happens when systems fail.

A mirror showing what happens when citizens become spectators.

A mirror showing what happens when leadership forgets responsibility and citizens forget their power.

The question is not whether Nigeria can become great.

The question is:

Do we have the courage to demand it?

Or will we continue to adjust to dysfunction?

Will we continue to explain away failure?

Will we continue to say “e go better” while doing nothing?

Do we continue to vote incompetent people who we know are unfit to lead and say, "nah our tribesman" ?

Singapore had nothing but people.

Nigeria has everything but discipline.

Country people…

Make we reason am.

— David Obiga
Author, 17 Nights of Despair

12/02/2026

From January till today, Nigeria has been moving like a nation holding its breath.
Policies announced with grammar, but landing on the streets as pain.

Prices climbing faster than hope.
Silence where leadership should speak.
Noise where solutions should exist.
Subsidy removal, floating currency, inflation squeezing the neck of the average man, insecurity still knocking at our doors, and an emergency response system that often arrives when the damage is already done, if it even arrives at all.

This is not just an economic crisis.
It is a crisis of systems.
A failure of planning.
A disconnect between policy rooms and people’s reality.
What we are experiencing is what happens when a society keeps improvising survival instead of building structure. When governance becomes reactionary instead of intentional. When the people are told to “endure” without a clear picture of where the road leads.

And the danger is not just hunger.
The danger is normalization.
When suffering becomes routine, and outrage becomes fatigue.

This is exactly the space where 17 Nights of Despair was born.
Not as a book of complaints, but as a mirror.
A reminder of what happens when conscience sleeps and systems collapse.
When a nation forgets that security, dignity, justice, and opportunity are not privileges but basics.

Yet, even in this darkness, the message is not surrender.
It is awareness.
It is responsibility.
It is the call for citizens who think, leaders who listen, and a society that refuses to accept dysfunction as destiny.

My country people make we reason this matter.

03/02/2026

As we enter February, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to all who actively engage with our content. Our goal is to persist in educating and creating awareness about the deep-seated issues in our nation. We invite you to stay connected to this page for comprehensive information and updates.

Happy New Month.

31/12/2025

And if 2025 taught us anything, it is this:

Hope is not wishful thinking.
Hope is a decision.

A decision to stay engaged when it’s easier to withdraw.
A decision to speak when silence feels safer.
A decision to build, even when the system feels stacked against you.

We have seen what happens when people fold their arms.
We have seen the cost of indifference, the price of delay, the danger of normalizing what should never be normal.

17 Nights of Despair was never just a story of captivity in the bush;
it was a mirror held up to a nation at a crossroads.

A reminder that systems fail when citizens sleep.
That nations heal when ordinary people choose responsibility over resignation.

As we step into 2026, may we not only pray for change, may we become participants in it.

In our homes.
In our work.
In our communities.
In the small daily choices that shape the future more than slogans ever will.

Because the truth is this:
" No year changes a nation, people do."

And so, with gratitude for how far we’ve come
and courage for the work ahead,
we step forward.

Not perfect.
Not fearless.
But hopeful.

2026, we are ready.

17 Nights of Despair: The Book

10/05/2026

01/05/2026

01/05/2026

02/04/2026

24/03/2026

20/03/2026

15/02/2026

12/02/2026

03/02/2026

31/12/2025

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