LastSaturday was 60th birthday of Elder Udeme Nana, Ph.D. The former Director of Press Affairs during the Victor Attah governorship heyday in Akwa Ibom, also served briefly after then Gov. Godswill Akpabio (now senate president) took over in 2007. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka alumnus, who holds two master’s degrees, is a journalism teacher. Being a natural for books, Dr Nana about four years ago started Uyo Book Club which is now birthing its kind across the state every other quarter.
Abak Book Club played host to the first of three events lined up to mark Dr Udeme Nana’s baby steps as a sexagenarian. Abak library where we all trooped to, by the way is a crying shame. That cannot and should not be the library of a place as cosmopolitan as Abak, a land of some of the brightest book minds in this country. This is both an appeal and a blackmail.
The birthday bash featured public presentation of the celebrator’s second book, Musings of Yesteryear, coming exactly two decades after his first, Age of Videots. Book reviewer, Prof. Joseph Ushie, who just rounded off his deanship at faculty of arts, in the university of Uyo, was of course at his best. I think he was quoting the author when he said something about some things, some bad things that happen in life, being natural. That was how the inspiration for this column today hit me.
Are you anxious or bitter or condemned or desperate or envious? Are you foolish or ghosted or hated or ill or jailed? Are you knackered or lost or maligned or nonsensified or old? Are you pessimistic or quenched or retired or shamed or tested?
Are you used or vexed or wasted or xeric or yappy -or zestless? Sssh, “be calming down,” my dear. Nothing happens to man that is not common to man and that hadn’t happened before. It is all natural.
Are you afraid or bereaved or cursed or denied or embarrassed? Are you fooled or gutted or humiliated or insulted or judged? Are you knocked out or languid or morose or neglected or oafish? Are you psychotic or queer or ruined or slandered or turtled?
Are you ungainly or vitiated or wimpy or xenophobic or yawn-worthy -or a zero? “’Sssh, be calming down,” my dear. Nothing happens to man that is not common to man and that hadn’t happened before. It is all natural.’
Twice has the writer written, twice over must the reader understand. In spite of and despite what you went through or are going through or shall go through, tell yourself that it is natural. Jesus, our Master, went through it all and more. He did not blame the devil or cry superstition.
The human being who has conquered life is the one who does not and shall never arrogate to self or accord to Satan the powers of God while simultaneously blaming God for the actions of Satan. Man must come to the understanding that even spiritual misfortune is natural. Parents, teachers, medics, pastors and imams as well as leaders who fall short of bounden responsibilities are natural performers. Anything done in the physical or physically is natural.
Man should enjoy his physical life and worry less about the spirit being behind his every misstep. The spirit is not. Misbeliefs, misfortunes, mishaps, missteps and such other misses are natural to this particular life. Let us learn to enjoy or endure them.
It is natural to be abandoned, to be abused, to be accused, to be barren, to be belittled, to be bloodthirsty. It is natural to be censorious, to be claimed, to be clingy, to be deceived, to be disconnected, to be disrespected. It is natural to be emptied, to be empty, to be exhausted, to be feckless, to be fickle, to be forgotten. It is natural to be whatever is thrown up by g, h, i, j, k, l; to be whatever is thrown up by m, n, o, p, q, r; to be whatever is thrown up by s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z.
Life is natural. To be sure, there is the spiritual ramification. Those who know deal with others physically and with the Creator spiritually. It is naturally silly, even counterproductive, to (over-)spiritualise life; especially the negative stuff thrown up from time to time.
Man ought to live with these things. Natural disasters are exactly that -natural. Even death is natural. It is after that that man goes to the place where life is spiritual.
All the delays, all the diseases, all the temptations that man faces are natural. Ditto all the injustices, all the killings, all the troubles. They are only a natural accompaniment to life. Meaning: you cannot live sans encountering these horrendous inconvenience.
Therefore, dear human being, please ‘’be calming down.’’ Stop being afraid of betrayal, of death, of failure, of hate, of ingratitude and any of those lifeless idiocies which for 300,000 years have tormented mankind to no avail. They cannot defeat you except you give up. If you stand firm against the mighty winds of life, they soon fizzle out leaving you stronger, better and victorious.
Receive this wisdom today. And, the sure victory it brings. Enjoy a sweeter, freer life, going forward. Earthquake, flood, plane crash, thunder tsunami, etc. are natural so stop spiritualising them.
Finally, beware, eschew fear. It kidnaps or steals and buries your joy. ‘’Be calming down,” even if you can’t. Fear is only a mirage, what you fear fears you so why the fear in the first place?
God bless Nigeria!
2027: Have we even enjoyed 2023 enough?
There is a political coalition brewing up north that leaves one wondering if democracy has done this country well. A delegation, led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a serial presidential attempter who has crisscrossed two or three political parties in the last 18 years, was in Kaduna last week to see retired Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the only apolitical politician to have been president of a democratic Nigeria. On that trip also were the like of former governors Ahmed Makarfi and Nasir el Rufai of Kaduna, Gabriel Suswam of Benue and Sen. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto among others.
Ordinarily, one should not bother about these men because they are politicians, through and through. However, since this is basically about our country, about us, about our votes, one cannot not jump into the matter. Because there is no doubt that all of these visits and meetings are targeted at the next general elections, we need to ask if our country has harvested enough dividends for all the hard work we put into 2023.
Or, are these quadrennial ballots just a power-grabbing merry-go-round? That is one. Two: whatever coalition is evolving, one hopes it has nothing to do with the former Vice President or indeed any other person from the north running for president.
“Agreement is agreement.” If eight years was sauce for the north why can it not or should it not be for the south? And, three: why do some northern politicians always want to abbreviate the tenure of or bring down southerners in Aso Rock and National Assembly?
This is dangerous politics. Worse, we know that it is selfish: it bears nothing for the country or for the people. Which is why the few patriotic leaders around should be conscious enough to sensitise the populace or electorate and in time.
As for Mr el Rufai, one cannot wonder if he thinks us fools. Had the Godswill Akpabio-led senate stamped his ministerial nomination by President Bola Tinubu, would he be running all over the place displaying his trademark hate for southerners? Someone should please tell him that Tinubu is not Jonathan!
Furthermore, should Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and company not be concerned more with how to end terrorism that has cost our northern compatriots untold losses? This is an appeal for them to use this year and liaise with President Tinubu with a view to enabling voters in the north have something to show for the sacrifices of two, three years ago. Let 2027 politics resume in 2026: let governance and dividends of democracy be all we feel and hear and see and smell and touch now!
Calling Sole Administrator Ibas
Fake news has destroyed many things for humanity. For one, you cannot hear or read or see any news and conclude instantly on its veracity.
You have to check here and crosscheck there, and even so tread with caution. For two, you even have reputable electronic and print media houses reporting stuff you saw on social media two, three days prior as breaking news.
The world must realise that there is a big crisis in information management. It is a global emergency.
Perhaps, worst affected is Nigeria which seems to record one fake news or the other every three days. Surely, President Tinubu who is being targeted the most should rally the 36 state governors and FCT minister and 774 local government chairmen and security chiefs and allied stakeholders to fight this cyber terrorism.
Such engagements can help big time in also fighting the physical terrorism ravaging the north. Which brings us to what is happening in Rivers state
The social media and their propensity for new media hinder me from going headlong on what we have heard or read out of Government House, Port Harcourt. They cannot and should be true, please.
For instance, the news about employing 10,000 can be nothing but false. Sole Administrator Ibokette Ibas must not open any window which could create any doubt whatsoever in the minds of Riverians and Nigerians about either his six-month tenure or agenda.
Similarly, Riverians themselves must act with restraint everywhere and every time. Women, youths et al should not play into the hands of enemies of the state!