By Kayode Emola
As Christians across the world celebrate Easter, it is worthwhile revisiting the symbolism of this celebration. It was borne out of the love of one man, Jesus Christ, who took the punishment of the whole world upon Himself for humanity’s sake.
Despite having never sinned himself, He acceded to become sin so that whosoever believes in Him will have hope of eternal life after death. Despite no one knowing what happens to us after we die, it is a belief held by many religions that there is life after death.
Nigeria – and indeed Africa as an entire continent – being as it is a religious place since time immemorial, also subscribes to these beliefs of life after death. In fact, many residents of Nigeria have taken it to the extreme, perpetuating the belief that the more hardship we endure on earth, the more they are assured of a good life in eternity.
This is not supposed to be so. Jesus is recorded, according to the writings of John the Apostle, as saying, “he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (John 5:24). The prerequisite, then, to a good life in eternity, is hearing Jesus’ words and believing in His Father, not how much suffering we have endured on earth.
Furthermore, the oft-quoted verse from Jeremiah states, _““For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.””_ It is, however, worth noting that this pledge continues, _““Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.””_ (Jer 29:11-14)
God has promised us hope and a future, to the extent of sending His only begotten Son to die for mankind. So why is there so much suffering and pain in Yorubaland? Even in the Old biblical times, the era of Jeremiah and his prophesying contemporaries, God promised His people hope and a future. Yet the state of present-day Nigeria leads one to question whether there is any hope or future for the people.
More than half of the population of Nigeria lives in abject poverty with no hope or future, whilst the politicians comfortably steal billions from the treasury. One may ask why this has been allowed in a country of over 200 million people – there are, after all, significantly more people being wronged by this arrangement than who are prospering. Have my people become so timid that they fear to ask for what rightfully belong to them?
We may well join with the lamentation of the psalmist Asaph, when he writes:
_I envied the arrogant_
_when I saw the prosperity of the wicked._
_They have no struggles;_
_their bodies are healthy and strong._
_They are free from common human burdens;_
_they are not plagued by human ills._
_From their callous hearts comes iniquity;_
_their evil imaginations have no limits._
_This is what the wicked are like—_
_always free of care, they go on amassing wealth._
(Psalm 73:3-5,7,12)
Asaph writes that it “troubled [him] deeply until… [he] understood their final destiny”: that they would suddenly be destroyed, “completely swept away by terrors.” Therefore, surely, it is the ones who are robbing the treasury who ought to be afraid, not the people who are being robbed. For this very reason, we as Yoruba citizens need now to come together to seek our own sovereign country.
We have seen that Nigeria has no legitimacy as a country, as there was no consent by its people to the 1914 Amalgamation. Its officials are corrupt even up to the heavens, believing that no one can question their audacious behaviour. If this unholy union provides neither a hope nor a future for our people, then it is high time we left it for good.
I urge our Yoruba people to know that, in order for us to experience the good life we deserve including the hope promised by Easter, we need to dissociate from those things that bind us to suffering. Nigeria as a country represents nothing more than pain and hardship and the sooner we withdraw our Yoruba nation from it, the better it will be for all of us.
Proverbs 24:25 teaches that, “it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them;” whilst Psalms says, “the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed; the offspring of the wicked will perish, but the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.” (Psalm 37:28-29)
It is my hope and prayer that our Yoruba people will seize this promise, striving, through the pursuit of justice, to build a hopeful and fulfilled life here on earth rather than wait till afterlife. God has promised us a good life if we uphold his values; therefore, we must hold those in authority to account, rather than allowing them to steal our blessings in the false hope that we will reap a better life when we are no more. I wish you all a Happy Easter and joyful celebrations.
