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By Francis Ewherido
Tomorrow is Easter. Since Ash Wednesday on March 1, some Christians have been involved in fasting, abstinence, intensified prayers and almsgiving.
I hope those who saved money from fasting or abstinence have surrendered it to the needy or used it to do the work of God.
We do not want to hear later that it has gathered dust in some lock-up shop somewhere or in a soak away pit, or an apartment in highbrow Ikoyi, or a safe in a nondescript house on a dusty road in a poor neighbourhood.
For those who abstained, what did you abstain from? Is it a vice or normal pleasure, like eating suya, to mortify your flesh. If it is a vice, it means that you can give it up totally, if you truly abstained for 40 days.
If it is suya, enjoyment resumes, but remember moderation is the name of the game before you use your money to buy health challenges, and ultimately, death. You know, I told one of my older friend a few days ago that, “all die na die.” “Ehen, okay go stand for front of train, make you see as e be.”
I have since repented; all die no be the same, so I caution moderation even if what you are indulging in is morally okay or legal. Some of the later-day health challenges some older people face are results and reflections of prior lifestyles.
Beyond the fasting and abstinence, we should emerge post Easter as better human beings, unless Lent and Easter have become hollow rituals. Nigerians are predominantly Christians and Muslims.
The Muslims have their Ramadan fast during which they preach the same messages of almsgiving, sacrifice, living for others, etc., which Christians preach at Lent.
Yet Nigeria is deteriorating in many critical areas. This religiosity without spirituality is destroying Nigeria. Water everywhere, yet none to drink; churches and mosques everywhere, yet evil is striving.
Some people wake up every morning to go to work and what job do they do? Inflicting pains on their fellow human beings, officially or unofficially, and some of the proceeds of these evil deeds end up in churches or mosques as tithes, offerings and donations.
With Easter around the corner, the roads are crawling with the police, customs, vehicle inspection officers and FRSC officials. But make no mistake about it, many of these people do not care about us; they do not care about Nigeria; they only care about their pockets.
I was in the vehicle with my family, including my seven-year-old daughter, and a law enforcement agent demanded money from me, after checking all my papers and finding everything in order. How am I supposed to explain it to my little daughter, I wondered quietly.
What kind of children will this kind of man bring up, I wondered further. And he might just be a “born-again Christian” or “devout Muslim!”
Uniforms, all kinds of uniforms, have become instruments of oppression and emasculation of Nigerians. Can you imagine an Andrew Kumapayi, the sector commander for the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Rivers State, publicly cutting the hair (even if they are attachments) of other people’s wives, just because they work under him in the FRSC, and having the temerity to post the photographs of his foolishness on the FRSC Rivers State Facebook page?
Even if the junior officers had non-compliant hairstyles, what happened to queries, suspension or other internal procedures? Publicly cutting their hair can never be an officially-sanctioned disciplinary measure, unless something is fundamentally wrong with the FRSC.
Even though, it was reported that he has been suspended, I hope the husbands of these women press charges against him to teach him some lessons on the dangers of trespassing, proper public conduct and decency. His action reflects the impunity of men (and women) in uniforms and the subhuman treatment they met out to fellow Nigerians whose taxes pay their salaries.
There is no limit to what average Nigerians go through in the hands of uniformed personnel. Some of them threaten and force struggling Nigerians to part with hard-earned and much-needed cash. Where cash is not immediately available, they take their “captives” to ATM machines to withdraw to bribe them. They are more daring and desperate during this period (and other festive periods) because they are looking for money to “celebrate” Easter.
One of the messages of Easter is living for others, but in a society with a large proportion of Christians, that is hardly the case. Many of those in top positions are stealing our commonwealth as if stealing it is going out of fashion. They are accumulating money that even their 10th generation cannot exhaust, even if they do not work.
They forget that one deviant child can blow a fortune in a twinkle of an eye on drugs, gambling or hedonistic lifestyle. History has a way of repeating itself, but do we learn? Why would any normal human being encourage his children to be idle and lazy by stealing to sustain them, when they are supposed to be independent?
From tonight, the clubs, brothels and beer parlours will be filled with people “celebrating” the resurrection of Christ. I cannot help but ask, what exactly does Christ’s resurrection mean to them? What exactly are they celebrating?
One of the dangers of living a life that is not purpose-driven is blurred vision and warped actions. It is a free world and if you feel like spending your night with prostitutes or drinking yourself to stupor, fine, but do not tag it Easter celebration. Easter commemorates the resurrection of Christ. It signifies triumph over death and salvation for humankind.
So there is no way anything that is antithetical to the significance of Easter can form part of Easter celebration. You can call it holiday celebration and you are in order, but certainly not Easter celebration.
Easter means selflessness and living for others, but look at the level of selfishness and wickedness on our roads. Road users behave as if it is their sole property; no consideration for others. The only time, for instance, you can walk on a zebra crossing is when the road is clear.
Try it on a busy day and you might end up in an orthopaedic hospital or even worse, a morgue.
Easter also means forgiveness. Right there on the cross, while Jesus was in agony, he prayed for his tormentors, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” What is the place of forgiveness in your life?
Forgiveness, as I have observed previously, is tough, but God leaves us with no option. That is why Jesus had to show a good example by forgiving on the cross. That is partly what Easter is about. Happy Easter to you all and may the real messages and lessons of Easter take root in our lives and families.