CERTIFICATE OF SURVIVAL

 

I was thinking this morning..... about my graduation ceremony at the University of Benin (Uniben) in 1991 having spent four tough years at the Ugbowo campus. During this period, there were multiple students demonstrations and times of economic hardship that threw many out of school. We were threatened by cultists, harassed by corrupt lecturers and extorted by sadistic non-academic staff. We also had to endure the lack of basic academic materials to study hard enough to make the right grades to graduate. But las las, we graduated. Sitting at the Banquet Hall on graduation day, I was therefore excited to hear those words 'Having satisfied all the requirements of the University, you have been found worthy to be awarded this degree.' Phew! What a period.

After graduation, I never thought we would, again go through anything like the 4 years one spends at the University. But Nigeria politicians seem to have locked us into a similar 4-year loop, where you struggle to survive and at the end you get a certificate.

Enter the 4 years of GEJ, during which period many Nigerians were worried about the level of corruption. Corruption was so pervasive that many believed that anyone that comes out unscathed after his tenure will be deserving of a certificate of incorruption. Thank God we graduated and got our certificate.

The baton was handed to PMB. With the 4 + 4 years of PMB gradually counting down, Nigerians are buffeted by economic hardship ($1=N502) on one hand and pummelled by insecurity on another hand. Many that survived Covid-19, were killed by hunger and those that survived are threatened by bandits, kidnappers and separatists. One Azeez Ishola summarised it nicely by saying 'At the end of Buhari’s second 4 years in office, every Nigerian alive deserves and should get a certificate of survival.' Even Twitter couldn't survive in Nigeria.

Certificate of graduation, certificate of incorruption and certificate of survival. As it stands, we will keep getting a new certificate every 4 years for as long as we have these set of politicians running the affairs of our nation. But the most important certificate to look forward to is the 'Overcomer certificate.' Life itself is a never ending set of hoops, so forget the challenges, we will overcome them all. John 16:33 'In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.'

Stay hopeful. God's got your back.

Happy Sunday.


......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey