By Sam Onwuemeodo
JESUS was delivered to Pontius Pilate, the governor, for trial. The governor ( Pilate) asked Jesus ” Art thou the king of the Jews?”. Jesus answered, ” thou sayest”.
When the governor could not find Jesus guilty of any of the accusations against him, he said, ” l am innocent of the blood of this just person”.But those determined to kill Jesus told Pilate ” His blood be on us and on our children”.
When they finally killed Jesus, on his head while still hanging on the CROSS, with the directive of the governor, they wrote ” THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS”. No more , ” are you the king of Jews?”.
The same man who asked the question, wrote JESUS’ EPITAPH, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS ” .( Matthew 27: 24-37).
The written Epitaph of Jesus.
The unwritten Epitaph was when the soldiers or centurion saw the earthquake and other things that happened, when JESUS cried with a loud voice at the ninth hour saying, ” Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani”, They said ” Truly this was the son of God” ( Matthew 27: 46-54). The unwritten Epitaph.
What would be your epitaph, written or unwritten?
In Achebe’s THINGS FALL APART, Obierika delivered the Epitaph of the key Character of the book, Okonkwo. Obierika said on Okonkwo, ” THAT MAN WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST MEN IN UMUOFIA, YOU DROVE HIM TO KILL HIMSELF AND NOW HE WILL BE BURIED LIKE A DOG”. Okonkwo’s Epitaph delivered by Obierika.
ln Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony wrote Caesar’s Epitaph. He wrote ” The Good is oft interred with their bones , So let it be with Caesar…Brutus says he was ambitious. But when that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept . Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.” Caesar’s written Epitaph.
What would be your epitaph, written or unwritten?. After you must have left as President, Governor, MP, SA, SSA, CPS, Pastor, Bishop, etal. Above all, after you must have left this World to the world unknown. When your eyelids shall close in death. When all around you gives way.?.
Our dear governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma has been talking about politicians being behind the insecurity in the State. Right from the day Owerri prison was attacked. He has been saying that.
But the police leadership, both at the State and federal level has not made such claim. The Command of the DSS , at any level hasn’t made such claim.The army Command at any level has not made such claim. Rather, the IGP , penultimate week, said that some state governments are fuelling insecurity in their states.
If the security agencies, that have the onerous tasks to deal with security issues have not narrowed down the lmo situation to politicians and our governor has continued to accuse politicians, it speaks volumes of his intentions.
And it becomes more demanding when no politician in the State has been arrested or prosecuted over the ugly security incidents in the State.
And the situation now is that, even if any politician is mentioned now, it would no longer be believed because of the way the governor has been talking about it.
I am yet to know why any politician in lmo would want to shed blood because of political office or position. Imo has been playing politics since 1976 when the State was created. Opposition in lmo politics has been there. Tough opposition. Mbakwe witnessed it and used humour to diminish the opposition.
Enwerem had opposition and used maturity to deal with it. Udenwa had opposition and used meekness to overcome. Ohakim had opposition, tried his best but the opposition stopped him from getting second term. But the good news is that, he is alive today and seems not to have lost anything.
Okorocha had opposition at its peak but used wisdom to overcome.Yes, he could not get a successor after his heart. But that does not matter.
So, the question now is, why would lmo politicians resort to what the governor has been claiming, for any reason?. What has changed in lmo politics to warrant all these?.
And the way and manner some of the folks working for the government of the day, react to some of these issues could make one sick. Portraying the government as very insensitive. Very uncaring.
May l not become even the president of this country at the expense of anybody’s blood. lt doesn’t worth it.
Why would any lmo politician resort to what the governor has been talking about? For political power? For money?. For leisure?. for properties? What else? Kposhi kposhi.
I enjoy village soup cooked with crayfish and the one they call ” lkpokwa”, than the one cooked with chiken. l don’t even like AC. I like natural air. Coke is bigman’s drink . Maltina is major. Trek for 40minutes and drive for the same period and see that , all things bright and beautiful God made them all. What are we struggling for. Ordinary malaria, one would be sweating and breathing like Agama lizard that falls from an iroko tree.
We should be very careful in the world we didn’t create. We do not also know how long we are going to live.
The lgbos summarized this World with the names they give to their children: Uwasomba, Echewudo, lzukanma, Anyalewechi, Ntiwunka, Ndubuisi, Onyeneke, Oneynzuruegbulam, lbegbulam, Onyegbula, Onyeikegbulem, Nnorom, Chukwudi, Uwaezuoke, etc.
It is not all about us. lt is also about our families, generations and generations yet unborn. Our own actions can have multiplier effects. Can begat or give birth to what we never envisaged. Or, imagined.
What will be your written or unwritten Epitaph?.
My name is Sam Onwuemeodo.
