In just eleven days, 2021 has already proved and beyond every reasonable doubt that unlike the year of the devil 2020, it is the year of our Lord; a good year, a year of compensation, of restoration, and of life. These virtues or their signs are all over the place. For instance, the ubiquitous untold hardship concomitant with every January has in 2021 either disappeared or greatly reduced. Clearly, this month, this year, is a sure-banker signpost to twelve months of glory and hope and harvest.
You can see that in the alacrity with which issues are now being tackled by those who should. In Washington DC, an atypical American pro-Trump mob at the Capitol was unlike the spread of coronavirus immediately shot down. As you read this, there’s ongoing nonpartisan reaction by congress against instigator-in-chief, President Donald Trump, by law enforcement agencies against perpetrators and by the world against the insurrection. Politics, lawlessness and foolishness are being set aside for patriotism, constitutionality and sanity to lead. Even back at home here in Nigeria, the new year has tended to return sense to leadership as can be seen in the renewed haste to do everything possible and impossible to call off the perennial industrial action by university teachers.
People of God, smile; please cheer up even if you can’t because we are in for the year of our lives. Per time, 2021 shall rise to the occasion and treat us good. Come what may, it shall make double amends for the incalculable damage ploughed by year 2020. Whether the forces of death and darkness like it or yes, this year shall pay full damages for the monstrosities of especially the immediate past.
All the optical illusions that tantalise us to no end must lose their essence complete with their stranglehold on our lives this year. 2021 and beyond, darkness must no longer shine while light beggars in incomprehension. Mediocrity must no more occupy the throne and the territory of excellence. Evil mustn’t, can’t and shan’t continue to outshine good.
Spiritual, political, social, educational and economic weapons of mass destruction that have -over time- killed, stolen or destroyed billions of lives, must be forced to remain what they are and always should be: mere optical illusions. 2021 is not the year of religion, neither of deceit, nor of injustice, nor of gullibility, nor of oppression. Man has seen enough of these stratagems. This year, all these and allied evil machinations must not only go kaput but those who deploy or had ever gained by them must also meet their waterloo.
You mean you didn’t shout ‘amen’ to that? Am I even safe with you? Am I addressing the right crowd? Or, are you all comfortable the way things have been?
Which reminds me: 2021 is not the year of hypocrisy. If you garbage in hate, 2021 shall garbage out exactly that and to you and you alone. Politicians and non politicians who have peddled blackmail and such other plots of falsehood against children of God must receive instant judgments and shame -or both. Celebrate, World, this is going to be one hell of a year.
Nobody -no matter how highly placed- shall get away with any anti-people nonsense in 2021. Conversely, nobody -no matter the size, the gender or the colour- who touches the anointed or harms the prophet shall go scot-free. These are not curses; no, they are not. Rather, they are the realities of 2021, made like life or death -choose life so you may live.
From the foregoing, you get the sense that 2021 is a double-edged sword. In her right hand, she bears life and prosperity and promotion reapable by those who sow(ed) goodness, justice and love. In the left are judgment, vengeance and shame for you-know-who. This indeed is a sweet, delectable year.
Those who attend the karma school of thought will especially love this year. Between now and December, all three types of karma (Sanchitta, Parabda and Agami) shall be on active duty, 24/7. The only way to escape the no-nonsenseness of this year is to become totally pro-God and pro-humanity. Decide today to abandon the camp of the devil and join us in the family that matters.
2021 is a great year, willy nilly. Let’s all prepare to keep right at all times, because that is the only qualification to eat the good of the year. May not flesh or perversity keep us from accessing this land that flows with milk and honey. In December, may we all look back and give thanks for a wonderful year that healed and recompensed us even above our wildest imaginations.
God bless Nigeria!
Double condolences to power two
My home state of Akwa Ibom and the Nigerian airforce are mourning the loss last December of Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (retd.) a former military governor and this month of former Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Nsikak Eduok (retd.) Both men rendered the kind of service no one can ever forget to country, state -and to God. Chief Eduok and Otuekong Nkanga spent every single year of their retirement in the state.
While Chief was quite active in church and business, Otuekong became a recurring decimal in politics and government. In more ways than one, both played a fatherly role in my life. I shall miss our long hours of social discourse and frank analyses of goings-on.
I shall also miss the monumental wisdom, the uncanny patriotism and the deep experience that these excellent air officers evinced every time I played host to them on radio or television. Furthermore, I shall miss their extreme humility, patience, courage, contentment, and sense of understanding. Above all, living just a minute walk from both of them in Uyo, the state capital, I shall miss the satisfaction I always feel whenever I get into or pass by their gates.
As I transmit condolences to us (the nation, the state, their biological families and the rest of us who knew them enough to regard them as family), my prayer is that the joy of their presence that I feel should never be transmogrified by their physical absence into pain. I want forever to smile anytime I remember the two evergreen men. They lived well, added priceless value, and when the time came chose to fly off the earth back to their Maker.
We should not cry for them. Instead, we should celebrate and emulate their beautiful examples. Their epitaph, here lies a man who lived and died well, should constantly remind us to throw in all the impact we can as that is what we shall post-life be remembered for!