By Francis Ewherido

Since Ash Wednesday on February 10, 2016, many Christians have undergone one Lenten observance or the other. Lent is over and tomorrow is Easter. In the euphoria of Easter, we should not sweep under the carpet the lessons we learnt in the last 40 days. They are meant to strengthen and make us better human beings?

One major lesson of lent is sacrifice. Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice to atone for our sins. Every successful relationship involves sacrifice; sacrifice involves death, not necessarily physical death, but suffering some inconveniences for another person, suffering some discomfort to comfort another person. Liberians, I am told, refer to sacrifice as “die small.” Our world is increasingly getting more selfish and this is bad news for marriages and families. Easter reminds us of the necessity to be selfless to create healthier relationships and family bonds.

Another lesson is doing the right things. Incidentally doing the right thing is one of the shortest definitions of leadership. We live in a society where many people have perfected the act of doing the wrong things or doing things wrongly. Last Sunday, I went to buy fuel. While in the queue, my mind went to a handful of children under 10 years who came to buy fuel with kegs.

To start with I thought it was insane for the parents and guardians to send these young children to a volatile place like a filling station during fuel scarcity. But the issue is as I watched them, I saw about three of them shunting. One lady in the queue rebuked one of them: “As you small reach, you don begin jump line; wetin you go do when you grow up?” I had no issue with the child; the problem is with the upbringing. I felt very depressed and a little worried about our mentality.

Another lesson is mercy, one of the foundations of good Christian living. Mercy has two components, compassion and forgiveness. We talked about forgiveness a few weeks ago. Compassion literally means “to suffer together,” the feeling that arises when you are confronted by the sufferings of others and you feel motivated to relieve it. Nigeria is in dire need of the balm of compassion and selflessness.

Currently we are being regaled with stories of how a few people cornered billions of dollars and naira of our commonwealths. If you go to government offices and even some private concerns, you cannot get what you want without parting with money; some policemen are still at their element on the roads and in their stations. The ordinary Nigerian has bought into the wickedness. Fuel attendants are compounding the already bad fuel scarcity. They would rather sell to people who want to resell than sell to direct users of the product. The mechanics, artisans and goods sellers will reap you off if they have the opportunity; the trailer driver sees his size as might and drives as if he driving a saloon car knowing that any error will lead to large number of fatalities; tricycle and motorcycle riders are pushing the patience of other road users beyond limits. Many Lagos roads and intersections are now worst than the Fuji House of Commotion, due to impunity, wickedness and mercilessness. Any corner you turn to – schools, hospitals, offices, public places – wickedness assault your sensibilities.

But it all boils down to the family unit because this unit is a microcosm and a reflection of the larger society. You simply cannot give what you do not have. The larger society is the way it is because families are the way they are. Many of our leaders are the way they are because of defective family orientation. It is time to wrench our hearts, not our garments. About 90 per cent of the ills of this country can be traced to adherents of the two major religions. If we share it evenly, that comes to 45 per cent each for Christians and Muslims. It is Easter so our focus today is on Christians. If Christians alone mend their ways, they can bring substantial change to the fortunes of this country, but the change must commence from the home front since charity begins at home.

That is the essence of lent and Easter – mending our ways and having a new beginning. This year’s Easter celebration is coming at a time when Nigeria and Nigerians are going through a lot of difficulties, though not new. There is epileptic power supply, fuel scarcity, disturbing unemployment figures, political killings and violence in Rivers State, kidnapping and other social problems.

But I personally believe Nigeria is undergoing a desert experience. There is a Promised Land and Nigeria will surely get there, but we must waka the waka; nobody will do that for us. Let us chip in our bits and keep our governments at all levels on their toes to create a better society for ourselves and posterity. Happy Easter.

CHILD BEGGERS

In the past few weeks, I have been seeing child beggars at various parts of Lagos where there is heavy traffic. Not far away are adult males and females who are apparently their parents or guardians. Somehow I do not just see children, I see Boko Haram fighters, I see child suicide bombers, I see prostitutes and I see kidnappers and armed robbers. The necessary government agencies should spring into action. These children are supposed to be in school. Without formal education and skills, they face an uncertain future. In the end it is the larger society that pays for the ignorance, sloppiness and ineptitude of the parents.

We are already grappling with the entire aforementioned problems. No nation can truly make progress with this magnitude of problems over the long haul. One sure way to solve the problems over time is to cut off the supply route, let all children of school age be in school.