Fr. Richard OMOLADE

Life and death always go hand in hand, we appreciate life and loathe death. We plan for life and hardly plan for our death, no wonder many people are always caught unprepared when death comes.  While death has its place in human life and must come when it will come, death becomes painful when it is needless and avoidable. This is the case of the numerous deaths we have had recently, from the killing of more than two hundred people in Yelewata, Benue State to the innocent victims of the War between Iran and Israel. There have been numerous deaths on our roads, recently also, sportsmen and women from one of the Northern States died through road accident. Remember also that seven members of the Capuchin Family lost their lives through accident.

Many of these deaths were avoidable and occurred because of man’s inhumanity to man, and also because our roads are not vehicle worthy. Like that, death has become commonplace and many are no longer bothered. It is thus true that we have reached the turning point in our evolution because we are not different from the beast of the forest that prey on one another. The era is aptly called the era of man eats man. No wonder Norman Cousins once remarked that “Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”

Are the Fulani cow herders truly human beings and fully alive when the herd their cows to someone’s farm and allow them to eat up another person’s livelihood? Not content with this outrageous behaviour, they succumb to the dastardly act of even killing their victims. Something is truly dead in them, and it is sad that this continues to happen in our midst. When beast are allowed to roam free and do as they are pleased, then truly  human values will be trodden underfoot. As human beings we need to make life better for one another, and it is said that if you cannot help someone, don’t add to their problems.

At this moment in time, be it in |Nigeria or in the world, there are too many deaths. We are still battling with the death of about 270 people, 241 of whom perished in the Air India plane crash. One report seems to allude to an airline plague with many past woes, now the cock has come home to roost and unfortunately many lives have been cut short.

As the economy runs on empty, many families are also struggling, and it appears many are living on borrowed times, yet no policy of government seems directed to alleviate the suffering of the masses. Suffering and smiling is no longer an option, remaining quiet in the face of evil is not just cowardice, it is complicity. Christians may be used to the idea of suffering and death, while many no longer fear death because of their hope of heaven, but something else is dying within us and this must not be allowed to go on.

Man is born to die, but it must be purposeful for our life to really have any meaning. Life has become too cheap in Nigeria, such that with more than two hundred people dead, there was no indignation in Government circles until the Pope puts Benue on the Map.  Other religious groups have called the citizens to pray. When would they lead us to our government houses to demand justice for the dead and hope for the living? Yes, everyone is afraid, afraid of dying, yet they are not truly alive. We leave the house unprotected and fan the ember into a fire. Our leaders are a group of people who would burn the forest just to kill one bush meat. What we have in the land is no longer people dying, but people getting killed without repercussions.

Justice had taken flight in our midst and individuals are left to fend for themselves. Security apparatus are either helpless or complicit or complacent. Whatever the case, the people are in the throes of suffering, pain, and death. This is not the life that anyone would have envisioned for a nation like Nigeria. This cannot be good for any society. Where would help come from?

Yes, the people cannot take laws into their hands, but the law is not even there to protect them. One thing that all can do is self-preservation.  Protect yourself and your valuables. Self-defense has always been an option, but it is now being criminalized by clueless and careless leaders, therefore, even with this option, be careful, be vigilant, speak up, and call for help. If all marginalized and persecuted people would form a unity, then unscrupulous elements will no longer go scot-free. These deaths may be one too many, but the blood of the martyrs have always been the seed of the Christian faith. We may agonize over these needless deaths, but they also inspire us to rise as one and proclaim that life will always triumph over evil. Death will be swallowed up in victory.