Life and death are two things that every human being needs to be referred to as mankind. Except for the controversies over Jesus’ life, no man born has ever been argued to live forever. No number of years lived by man would be enough for him to accept death willingly. It is even an axiom that life becomes sweeter as one grows older especially for those who plan for it. In known history, the first human being on earth, Adam, lived over 1000 years. And he did die. However man resists death, it must come.
Nonetheless, man’s wishes may not be God’s, though coincidences occur. And God, being Infinite and Incomprehensible made it so. If not, man being so impatient and violently wicked, would wish for his fellow mankind death at will, even with the slightest provocation. Mothers being human, though overwhelmed by unconditional boundless love may declare death for their children whenever they are overcome by the devil. This is not talk of everyman who assuredly has enemies and friends in-need around him. Friends in-deed, events of nowadays have revealed, are hardly found any more. Still, needful it is to say ‘Glory be to God’ Who made life and death as tests for mankind. Each of both has its significance and effects, even against the wish of the human.
Security of life is entirely in the Overpowering Hand of God. People build and live in castles. People spend heavily to construct even the gates to their homes. But none can claim to have resisted death. Sicknesses of any kind can be resisted. Doctors cure sicknesses but not death. It is one, if not the only living and consuming things that man cannot find solution to; I mean solution to stop it. Death has quietly met kings in their fortresses. Wherever a man may think safe: in the air, sea or land, it comes with or without notification to claim the soul of man.
Death is, therefore, inevitable. But it is the most fearful thing to man. No man, except for those who claim extreme piety and the despondent, would go to where death will catch up with him. But still, according to fate, the breath of man will cease at a time, place and condition already preordained. With this aspect of belief, the fear of death is then meaningless. Thus, one should be free to live and move without the fear of death. But again, for the beliefs that recognize existences after death, what is required is preservation of enough provisions for such existences. Like my humble self, I am sure President Buhari is in this category.
I know of five things that control the world. They are: rain, wealth, procreation, death and the unknown. Out of these, God exclusively preserved the occurrence or existence of three to Himself and allowed two for mankind to know through the means He provided. Suddenly the sky thickens and it rains. In some cases, the sky would show that it would rain. But alas, the wind would carry the clouds to another place. Today, scientists can forecast correctly. Magicians can also move rains or invite it. It is God’s provision to mankind. Birth occurs daily. God creates the child in the womb which physical eyes cannot see. God made provision for mankind to have access to the fetus and know its sex, position and condition. Additionally, man has been provided for to interfere in determining the sex of the child. It is God’s provision.
But wealth, death and the unknown belong to God’s comprehension alone. How many people have toiled in vain! How many people become rich from where and at when they do not expect, through little or much sweat! How many people have tasted riches but lost all under unknown circumstances! I am talking about people who do not kill for rituals or steal from others to claim richness. As for death, it is timeless, ageless, unconditional and distinct. It can come in a mother’s womb, immediately after the first breath or when the senses are gone. And the unknown is simply unknown; things such as the existence of the Supreme Being, continuation of life after death, the Last Day with all that will happen such as rewards for good life and punishments for bad life while alive.
Long life and prosperity are thus in the exclusive list of ‘controlled’ things by God. Wishing Mr. President the duo is like interfering in God’s affairs, which I am constrained by my faith not to do. But as a patriot with human feelings, my prayers are that God should not allow the enemies of Mr. President to have their way. They have been planning to frustrate his administration. They have been attempting to pitch him against the Nigerian people who chose him to lead and cleanse their country of its ills. And when all these are failing, and their egocentrism exposing their fallibility, they want him dead. A strong enemy should stand firm to prove his enemy wrong, not by merely wishing him dead. The death rumours of President Buhari believed to have been orchestrated by his political opponents have revealed enemies from within his government. Rumours move viral than reality. The social media is becoming a dangerous rumour monger. There were reports of the African Union (AU) leaders observing a minute’s silence in honour of the death of Nigeria’s President. There were reports of the Queen of England writing condolence message to the Nigerian government over it. There were reports of the Northern governors pressuring the vice president to resign so as not to become the President if the death rumours were confirmed to be truth. There were rumours of movements from one hospital to another in London. There were reports of secret visits to him by government functionaries. All kinds of reports that put Nigerians into confusion came up. In fact, some people were saddened; others rejoiced while these false information were flickering the air. The presidency tried its best to convince Nigerians that Mr. President was neither hospitalized nor dead, with pictorials from London. It had announced that Mr. President was embarking on a 10-day vacation, from which he would seek medical attention and resume duty on 6th February, 2017. It is really quite unfortunate. All these should not be swept under the carpet. Thorough investigations and punitive measures must be applied.
Mr. President must be more careful than ever. The source of this rumour must be discovered and made public. I want to hesitate to say that the conspiracy against the north is thickening more than ever before. I do not want to continue recalling the circumstances that brought the former Umar Musa Yar’Adua to power for him to battle the rest of his life as the President on sick bed, though his wife, Turai was a strong woman.
The controversies his death created were quite enormous. The north cannot afford to be linked with this kind of circumstances any more.
Whatever happened that prompted this rumored death can serve as a lesson to the north. From 1999 to 2007 when Chief Obasanjo led the country, such rumours were spread when he went for medical treatments abroad. He recalled that the rumour mongers killed him up to 12 times. However, he lost his wife, Stella on medical treatment abroad. Former President Yar’Adua died on medical treatment abroad, though his health condition was quite known before he was drafted to be the President. He was presumed dead severally before he actually died. Former President Jonathan took over and led for six years; it cannot be ascertained that no death rumour about him was heard though his wife, Patience, died and resurrected on medical treatment abroad, according to reports credited to her. Recall that before the family of the President led by the wife Aisha, packed into the Aso Rock late May 2015, there were rumours that the place has been bewitched.
Spokesman of ex-President Jonathan, Reuben Abati writing on: The spirituality of Aso Rock made fearful revelations. I feel quoting him in parts “But working in the Villa, I eventually became convinced that there must be something supernatural about power and closeness to it… A colleague once told me that there were persons in the Villa walking upside down, head to the ground. I screamed. Everybody looked normal to me. But I soon began to suspect that I was in a strange environment indeed. Every position change was an opportunity for warfare… The ones who did not have such misfortune had one ailment or the other that they had to nurse. From cancer to brain and prostate surgery and whatever, the Villa was a hospital full of agonizing patients. I can’t talk about colleagues who lost daughters and sons, brothers and uncles, mothers and fathers, and the many obituaries that we issued. Even the President was multiply bereaved. His wife, Mama Peace was in and out of hospital at a point, undergoing many surgeries. You may have forgotten but after her husband lost the election and he conceded victory, all her ailments vanished, all scheduled surgeries were found to be no longer necessary and since then she has been hale and hearty.”
“When Presidents make mistakes, they are probably victims of a force higher than what we can imagine. Every student of Aso Villa politics would readily admit that when people get in there, they actually become something else…The APC folks now in power are dealing with the same demons. Since Buhari government assumed office, it has been one mistake after another. Those mistakes don’t look normal, the same way they didn’t look normal under President Jonathan. I am therefore convinced that there is an evil spell enveloping this country. We need to rescue Nigeria from the forces of darkness. Aso Villa should be converted into a spiritual museum and abandoned.” However, better health services have become non-negotiable for Nigeria. Dr. Paul Onomuakpokpo of the Guardian believes that Nigerian hospitals must be equipped to function optimally. The staff of government hospitals should be well treated so that they would attend to the poor citizens who cannot afford private medical treatment. “It is because of lack of trust in our public institutions that is making our leaders to send their children to schools overseas while destroying the ones at home.” Wale Sokunbi of the Sun Newspapers said that many Nigerians who harbour ill will against some of their leaders have developed itchy ears to hear and believe every evil about these leaders. He described the social media as a veritable tool for the dissemination of jaundiced news and views. As if all these are not enough trouble for one country, he claimed some of the people of the South-South have determined to financially strangulate Nigeria to bring Buhari to his knees, while some of the Southeast citizens are bent on breaking away from Nigeria. “If these worrisome claims are not enough to throw well meaning Nigerians and our compatriots in the Diaspora into emotional turmoil, I wonder what else can.”
On a television programme, Tony Okoroji noted that President Buhari was daily being killed on social media where war to control and guide the minds of youths and other vulnerable Nigerians is carried out to detest him. Relatively, he opined that crude propaganda is being deployed to turn the hearts of ordinary Nigerians against the president and his administration. And all these are being done to gain advantage over him and the ruling APC on the Nigerian political chessboard in the run up to the 2019 elections.
Whatever happens, I want Mr. President to be consoled with the reality that no one, even if the whole mankind and the Jinn gather, can favour him except with that God has written for him. In the same wise, no one, even if the whole mankind and the Jinn gather, can afflict him with anything except that which God has written against him. The pen had been raised and the papers are dry. If Aso Rock Villa is not habitable for the human, as inferred by Ruben Abati, then he should consider the option of relocating to a safe place from where he will render his promised services to Nigerians. Building a new state house will also be a good option.
Written by Muhammad Ajah, an advocate of humanity, peace and good governance in Abuja.
