By Kayode Emola
As Christians all over the world celebrate the Easter holiday, it behoves us to remember the essence of Easter: the ultimate sacrifice our Lord Jesus Christ paid for the salvation of mankind. That singular act of selflessness has saved billions of lives worldwide throughout history and continues to do so even today.
The sad reality is that, despite the salvation of millions, if not billions, of souls right at this present time, across the world, multitudes are still suffering needlessly. For some, this may be due to their own misfortune; for others, it is the circumstances and environment in which they find themselves.
Many purportedly Christian countries today – like Nigeria – fail to exhibit the Christian tenets taught by our Lord Jesus Christ. Every segment of our society is riddled with guile, with people only looking out for themselves, rather than the wider society.
From the civil service personnel to the politicians, right down to the traders on the street, everyone believes it is acceptable to deceive their fellow countrymen and women out of their hard-earned money. We often lay the blame on politicians, attributing to them the entire responsibility of ordering society. However, the truth is that societal order should begin with the family unit, and then it will naturally permeate throughout the wider society.
We have been called as Christians to be people of light, however, our behaviour shows that many of us do not represent the light, as our deeds sometimes can be characterised as those not shining any positive light. We are quick to blame others and see the speck in their eyes, however, we forget to look closely at the beam in our own eyes.
If only we turn from our evil ways and every person decides to do the right thing, we would build a viable society for all. Those who wish to divide us, often use clans, tribes, nationalities, and ethnicity today to achieve their devious agenda and we often fall for it. Nigeria is now more polarised today than it was during the early years after independence and nothing can bring it from the brink. Someone once said that even if Jesus was to land somewhere in Lagos today, if he does not bribe the reporters and the officials, no one will hear that he has arrived.
Thanks to social media today, the news gets out faster than we think, although the majority of them tends to be misinformation than trending events. Nonetheless, they keep the mainstream media on their toes and ensure the populace is informed about the events happening around them.
Travelling to Nigeria a few years ago, I realised that the people are not being given the information to help them build a better society by the mainstream media. The media space is riddled with irrelevant information and ignores what is truly going on in the country. The people are also very naïve thinking they have a government who have their best interest at heart.
It is no wonder Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the world under our watchful eyes and yet the people find no qualms with it. Everyone believes it is normal provided they can make something for themselves. They forget that the luxury they have today is fleeting and should not be held in the dearest esteem.
I will implore our people to understand that service to humanity, is a service rendered unto God. I want to see the Yoruba nation in my life being a force for good and rewriting the ills of society. I want to see a nation where the lives of everyone matter and not just the lives of the well-to-do in our society.
We need to really bring home the message of Jesus Christ by being our brother’s keeper. We should look out for each other so that no one is left behind. For that is the only way we can build a solid society that can cater for the needs of everyone. We need to start acting out the good that Christ came to teach us and do away with those things that bring dishonour both to ourselves and our wider society.
