One evening in Egbema, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA), Rivers State, Nigeria, a thirty-five-year-old father of three, Orisa, ran to his father’s compound drenched in his own blood screaming thus: “Toke, my friend, what wrong did I do to you that you shot me? I give you money every month end. What wrong did I do to you?” He fell in front of his father’s house. Nwalaga rushed out and saw his son writhing in pain in a pool of blood; naturally, he went into shock. Relatives gathered immediately and rushed Orisa to the hospital; he was declared dead on arrival. The bullet hit a major blood vessel resulting in excessive haemorrhage.  Orisa was shot by his friend Toke who was a member of one of the dreaded cult groups in the community; this was during the height of the volatility that ravaged the Niger Delta.
For fear of further calamity perpetrated by the rampaging cult groups,  Nwalaga instructed that his son be buried immediately in line with the same-day burial tradition of Egbema.  At the graveside, Nwalaga was invited to offer a eulogy. Oh so slowly, he gathered a palmful of red earth in his left hand, took what seemed a studied look around as if counting the mourners, looked at the coffin bearing the corpse of his first child and said thus: “Bear me witness oh earth on which I stand, the air I breathe, the water I drink, the sun that shines on humanity! My ancestors, please bear me witness! In our tradition, it is abnormal for a father to offer eulogy at his child’s funeral but here I stand. I don’t know what to say”. He paused momentarily; looking up the sky in tears, he added “Oh God, if what has happened to me is Your will, I accept it wholeheartedly; however, if it is not Your will, I beseech You to do what makes you God.”
At this, he poured the earth into the grave and walked into his house. He wept bitterly till morning light. That morning, the Police visited but Nwalaga refused to make any statement. Firmly believing that he had laid his complaint where it mattered most, which is where he expects justice, he did not want to press charges; not when he is familiar with the shenanigans and the resultant come-today-come-tomorrow associated with the jaundiced justice delivery system in Nigeria. Again, he did not possess the means and energy to confront the deadly Toke, either in the Police, court or community. He had taken his case to the court above the Supreme Court; he was confident he will receive justice, not mere judgement.
The community went into mourning and by the evening, the town crier proclaimed an emergency meeting of village heads and the executives of the community development committee,  youths association and women association at the town hall; a fine of one goat and seven tubers of yam for every absentee was decreed. The severity of the penalty for absenteeism was indicative of the seriousness with which the community viewed the case. Since tradition requires him to stay at home for eight days without attending any occasion, Nwalaga sent an emissary  to the meeting to inform the community that he disassociated himself and his entire family with whatever measure they planned on taking; furthering that he had left the matter in the hands of God.
Orisa was a peaceful and respectful  young man. He had gained employment in an oil company in the community six months earlier following an extended period of unemployment after completing the mandatory one-year National Service. In its relationship with the multinational, which struck oil in the community in 1964, it had been the desire of the community for its sons and daughters to be employed in the well-paying company. Orisa‘s employment was seen as a blessing for the entire community hence, everyone was pained by the tragedy.  Two weeks thereafter, Toke was the lone casualty of a cult group supremacy fight; his body was dismembered and scattered on a roadside battleground. Immediately, surviving members of his group wheeled his remains in a wheelbarrow to  his father’s house
Standing at the door in an obvious mix of shock and disgust, Toke’s father instructed that his remains should not be brought into his compound and directed that Toke should be taken to the evil forest immediately. There were no burial rights; Toke was buried in a shallow grave. The lesson of this narrative is hinged on the potency of completely surrendering whatever situation one finds oneself to the will of God in prayers. Had the sexagenarian Nwalaga sought revenge either through the judiciary or “jujuciary”, Toke and his group might have unleashed more havoc on his family. Rather, Nwalaga left everything at the feet of God who promptly took over the battle and finished it neatly and completely.  Irrespective of modern day derision, newfound aspersions cast and doubts on the spirituality of the Holy Bible, it remains a veritable roadmap for man’s spiritual journey towards oneness with his Source.
What is required is that Holy Books should be studied with the intellect switched on and not read like a novel. “The battle is mine’ says the Lord” (2 Chronicles, 20:15). Nwalaga committed his supplication to God, and He answered swiftly and deftly. Nwalaga did not say his prayers in the tradition of any of the Abrahamic Religions, which are alien religions that constitute the bane of Nigeria’s  unity and development; rather, he prayed directly to God without going through any human intermediary; he deferred only to his ancestors and the elements, which are part of the existential realities of man. Most of all, Nwalaga demonstrated absolute belief and confidence in the judgement of God. The essence of this piece is universal; it transcends gender, ethnicity, culture, situation, location and the man-made divisive hedgerows of institutional religion. “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear”  (Matthew 11:15).

By: Jason Osai
Osai  is a Professor of Development Studies, Rivers State University. Port Harcourt.