State of the Nation

Dear God,

Hmmm.

I wish I could pretend with you.

I wish I could come into your presence today all bubbly and dandy, like all is well but I know you will see through it.

So, I must confess that I am sad.

You know, the bible says that a thousand shall fall by our sides….ten thousand at our right hand but it will not come near us….right?

Now what if your sister is amongst the thousands falling…?

What if your good friend is falling with the ten thousand…..?

What if someone you know and love has fallen with the thousands, has it not come near you?

Hmm.

Well, a lot is falling near us and even if it’s not me….it is still near me and I am still sad.

Father Lord, how is it even possible that you are just watching us in this country?

Are we some sort of movie playing out before you?

Yes, (I know that look, but, let me tell you a story…)

So last week, I had a clarion call on the state of the nation.

For some reason, we have more thugs, and beggars on the streets than usual, and especially on this Lekki axis.

Usually, my driver will drop me off at the junction to his house and I will drive myself the rest of the way home, which is a short enough distance.

So on that fateful day, the driver packed and I got down to take over from him. As I rounded through the back of the car to the front, one of the thugs from nowhere just jumped on my path and blocked me.

My 1st instinct was panic. I wasn’t expecting it, and I didn’t see it coming. So I jumped back out of his path immediately but he followed. My driver possibly seeing what was going on jumped out of the car immediately and blocked the guy, putting a distance between myself and him immediately.

 

He charged at my driver but the guy stood tall and kept blocking him off my path. I navigated out through the other side, jumped into the driver’s seat and drove off. I slowed up at a safe distance to be sure my driver was okay.

After some arguments, with them, he walked off and I finally drove home after making sure he was safe.

On interrogating him, he said they wanted to beat him up because he was “protecting the rich”.

That I was part of the “rich” causing the hunger and decadence in the country and he should not have protected me as he was part of them..”the poor”

I was very baffled. Not entirely because of the ambush, but because of what they said..” the rich versus the poor”.

In their head….”I am the rich that should pay for the state of the nation”

Lord, me…..me…this dutiful hardworking me?

It was the level of anger and hate on his face when he looked at me, that sent chills down my spine.

It was the vengeful intent in his stride that struck the code in my head.

It is the fact that they have chosen the enemy of the state as “the rich” that is my concern.

It is the fact that “me, the innocent citizen” has been branded with this “the rich” fate.

Lord, we buy from the same market they buy from. We live under the same harsh conditions, yet they have branded us….” the rich – the enemy”.

I paid attention to the roads on my way to work recently and if you come out as early as 6 am, you will see loads of them sleeping on the bare ground across the sidewalks or right there on top of brick dividers right in the middle of the expressway.

I shudder to think of what will happen should there be another riot.

They have taken positions and we are “the rich”.

Lord, I won’t ask you to fix what we humans should fix.

I can only ask you to give us more time before this bubble bursts.

Yes, the bubble is beaming up….there is a boom coming. A loud one.

So Lord, let the thousands not fall at my side…..please no tens of thousands fall anyway at my right.

It breaks my heart to see people go through what they are going through now.

Let’s all stand and fix this. Because we can.

Time is all we ask. Hold the bubble, Lord.

(I am not sure why you are looking at me this that again, because even if we can’t, I know, you can make it alright again).

If you can hear me…Lord, breathe on this country, just breathe.

This is your daughter, and I am checking in.