The central position of water in the sustenance of earthly life and man’s ingratitude to this indispensable creation gift are the prominent themes of Greg Mbajiogu”s edited anthology of poems entitled Water Testaments.

With almost 150 poems in the anthology, Mbajiogu exposs the works by seasoned and budding African writers such as Gabriel Okara, Elechi Amadi, Femi Osofisan, Niyi Osundare, Esiaba Irobi,Okey Ndibe, Ossie Enekwe, Olu Obafemi, Tanure Ojaide, Greg Mbajiogu, among others. The poems center on the socio-political and cultural atmosphere in Nigeria and beyond.

For example, In Imo river, Elechi Amadi condemns the misuse of local rivers by using the pollution of Imo River as a metaphor. Today, the Imo river has turned brown with dirts heaped on it by people wheras it used to provide natural, pure water for the people.

In Chimalum Nwakwo’s Water Spirits, there is an attempt to capture in a romantic manner and from a metaphysical angle, the metamorphosis of a major river which links four main villages: Amaokpala, Iyi oji, Umuoha, and Obinikpa. The river loses its humane nature to a callous one whose “Spirits” now drowns children in retaliation of its misuse by humans.

Tanure Ojaide decries the consequences of oil spillage which has destroyed many of the Niger Delta waters at the Kaiama Bridge.
In Water, Niyi Osundare examines the peculiarities of the substance as it manifests in various forms such as flood, river, sea, oceans, and so on. The use of repetition with the line: water has its own language to amplify this poetic vision is quite commendable.

Thinking of Iyi oda by Nduka Otiono, in a nostalgic mood, one recalls the days that River Iyi Oda watered his childhood, thus, he says: I think of you in an alien land...recalling every dive with a mist...spreading like halos above my head. Damian Opata in his Adada, invokes the spirit of Adada, a river that once blossomed and generously served its people but is now dry, stinking and desolate.

The poet asks the river to forgive humans who have deliberately desecrate it with wastes, trucks, trees and plants. He also appeals to it to return to its former state of warmth.
Oni Okeke’s Kill the thirst is mainly a critique of the greed, lust, and corruption of our leaders but it asks for water from mother earth as panacea for these political problems

Daniel Mbajiogu, a water specialist, starts on the chemical identity of water as a combination of hydrogen and oxygen of two ions, he celebrates the invaluable nature of water to man in his Water and while taking a Biblical allusion to explicate his theme, he bemoans the modern age technology’s desecration of the purity of waters such as lakes, oceans, rivers and others which have become impure and scarce for humanity.

The voices of waters by Ossie Onuora Enekwe reveals the universal significance of water as reflected in its role in linking the global community.
Pius Okoro’s Call of River Orashi is also nostalgic and reflects the usefulness of water to its users who depend on it for survival.

In Ode to Fela, Professor Olu Obafemi recalls Fela Anikulapo’s eulogy of water in his popular song titled Water e no get enemy and uses it to critique man’s uncaring attitude to water for a proper management and preservation of water. Rythms from the mind by Greg Mbajiogu, the editor of the anthology, is dedicated to South Africa’s Nelson Mandela apparently for his patriotism. Mbajiogu bemoans the masses’ suffering amidst scarcity of good water a myriad of socio-political and problems in Africa. Dr. Okey Ndibe, a creative writing specialist who lectures in the U.S.A, in his short poem entitled Broodings, reflects critically on the chamelionic nature of water which thrills his spirit. Ndibe uses such insightful lines as ...the shimmering river whose face is sometimes native, other times an alien mask’ to achieve his poetic vision.

With Olokun, Femi Osofisan, (Okinba Launko) romanticises the Yoruba river goddess, Olokun, bringing out her godly virtues of serving humanity from generation to generation. The post expectedly picks on Olokun as a metaphoric figure in celebration of the importance of water to humanity.