By Ike Abonyi
As A Nigerian And A Citizen, I Have Always Been An Incurable Optimist. But I Have Never Been As Unsure About The Future Of This Country As I Am Now – Bishop Hassan Kukah.
A praying country like Nigeria has developed this habit of long-winded prayers to God, often not even breaking to listen if the prayer is making sense to the creator.
Hardly do people try to ask God the giver of all things whether they are really entitled to what they are asking for. God gives people what they need not necessarily what they want.
Oftentimes in our prayers, we have looked for what God feels we don’t need. Catechism class teaches that in all our prayers, it should end with-may the will of God be done.
If the will of the giver of every good thing is not to give you something, you can fast and pray the whole year and still not get a favourable response.
That is why I am yet to come to terms with reactions that trailed the controversial prayer of Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church recently.
Since when really does seeking God’s will in our lives become a wrong prayer? I ask this question because of the hullabaloo that greeted Pastor Oyedepo’s supplications calling on God to break this country if it’s his will.
“Lord if it is your will to break up Nigeria, break it now!” Most times in our prayers we might be facing east in our demand while God the ultimate provider is facing west.
The reasonable spiritual thing to do after long entreaties and no answer is to ask God to please do His will. God’s will is usually and always better for us even though we may initially not appreciate it because as human beings we are limited by our sins to what God has in stock for us.
So also it’s for a nation. Nigeria as a nation came into existence since 1914 when British colonial masters decided to amalgamate the Northern and Southern protectorates.
Even then, the British knew that it was going to be a Byzantine marriage but since they wanted to stop the funding of the Northern Protectorate from London, they had to force the union so that the rich southern resources could be used to fund the whole country.
That selfish action began what today has become an obvious acrimonious relationship among the people for over a century.
When the country secured independence from The British in 1960, it took less than a decade before the bubble burst with a civil war and multiple military coups that laid the foundation for the unending bad blood among the populace.
A situation that rather than abate has been deteriorating. Over three million Nigerians lost their lives in the 30 month civil war not to talk of wasted assets.
The war was supposed to have ended in a no Victor, no Vanquished condition, but 47 years hence the situation that caused the war has remained, Igbo are still being killed in the north, marginalisation of the people is still obvious.
There is also the Boko Haram terrorists, the latest dimension to ethno religious and political violence in the country which has claimed thousands of innocent lives and still continuing with added aspect of the kidnap of over 200 young school girls by the group.
Since independence, this nation has not been able to sincerely solve any political problem conclusively. Old problems are not going; rather new ones are cropping up. Leaders are not serving the people but amassing public funds for their children and relatives. Available infrastructure are not maintained and new ones are not being added.
Above all, the value of human lives are being diminished daily as killings of innocent souls continues to rise amidst mounting bad blood and hate among the populace.
Those sitting on top are not allowing those below to look up not talk of getting up. Attempt to change the system is being vehemently resisted by those who believe they are at advantage. Clearly, the society is operating and nurturing an unjust system, people are losing confidence in the country daily.
Men of God who are supposed to be the last ‘man’ standing in optimism are beginning to be quailed at the apparent unworkability of things the way desired by God, hence Oyedepo’s strange prayer and Bishop Kukah’s apparent loss of hope, not in God but in the humanity of Nigerians and their leaders.
Even incurable optimists are beginning to be weary. If in the face of such frustrations praying leaders ask God to do. His will even if the will is not what we desired knowing that in the long run his will would be better for us, what is wrong? This entire obsession about one big giant country at all cost is just not realistic, all the talk about one Nigeria not being negotiable is claptrap unless God sanctions it.
Relations of the millions of Nigerians who died in the civil war, multiple military coups, various religious violence, in Boko haram uprising, in June 12 struggle, in the Niger Delta and Biafra agitations, in the herdsmen menace etc. sure would have been happier staying with their loved ones in a small country.
What is giant about a country that cannot protect her citizens from senseless killings?Can anybody sincerely examine the political journey of this country and say in all honesty that it’s a project in progress, certainly not. Rather it’s a country held down by its own contradictions.
You call for reform, they stand against it, you call for restructuring they oppose it. You then call for division of the country they say you are talking rubbish rather they call for more prayers for peace in the country.
But even the praying houses, Churches and Mosques are no longer safe haven, so who is really afraid of God’s will on this country. Is this country really one?
A sample here, on my way home for Christmas last December, police stopped me at a check point wanting to see my tinted glass permit.
By the name on his chest the officer is from the north, he handed me over to his colleague as he attended to another vehicle, his colleague happened to be an Igbo going through my vehicle papers he saw my name and said in Igbo language “you are a Biafra, take your paper and go and enjoy your Christmas”.
He also said other unprintable things to show his patriotism to Biafra while putting on a Nigerian Police uniform. As I drove off, I imagined one police, serving two countries.
The question is, how United are we as a nation? Soviet Union was soaked in a similar big size syndrome and could not find peace until God used a Gorbachev to do His will and today, they are having their peace in smaller sizes, the peace the giant size could not offer.
I think Nigeria is at a crossroad at the moment and now is the time for us to allow God to do His will, even if breaking up is an option so long as it’s the Lord’s will why not? Can you even stop it?
Between Jammeh and Trump
Today and tomorrow the democratic world would be treated to two strange political dramas from two countries, the poorest and the richest nations in the World.
The countries are, the Gambia in West Africa and the United States of America. The two interesting personalities at the centre of the shows are the “outgoing” President of The Gambia Yahaya Jammeh and the incoming US President Donald Trump.
The two characters are exactly what a democracy is not but the global community would have to cope with them. Jammeh after accepting result of election defeating him back tracked vowing to remain in office against the electoral decision of his people.
While in US their democratic reputation was lowered in 2016 electioneering as its campaign which is usually a democratic lesson for growing democracies, this time turned into a bitter hate show no thanks to the emergence into the arena of a wacky billionaire business tycoon turned politician called Trump.
Tomorrow he would be sworn in as the 45th President of US amidst all the controversies therein including being aided into victory by Russian hacking technology. God help us.
