My dear people of Nigeria, thank you for knowing me, for acknowledging me and for blessing me every day. Thank you for your dedication. You have very entertaining songs on Sundays; only the singing voices of the African. Americans and South Africans rival your singing to me. I love your worship. After Friday Mosque and Sunday service, however, you seem to disappear.
I searched for you on Monday and I could not find you. I came to your office to seek a contract and I was asked to pay a bribe even before I was given a form, but on the door of your office there were two signs: one said you love my Son Jesus Christ and the other said all love Allahaji. On Tuesday, I went to look for work. You see, I have not had a job for over two years since my graduation. I was losing hope. I went from office to office which had all manner of leaflets adoring me, but no one of importance would even see me or give me a word of hope, even if they could not offer me a job. In many places, the receptionist would shove me away like a dog, even as she is humming a song to me. Did she never look for work?
On Wednesday, I took my only child to the hospital. He had a high fever. I had no money on me but I had great hope that the hospital which had, a sign– “To God be the Glory” and other praise writings to me would surely not let my child die. To God be the Glory hospital insisted on cash be the answer before touching my child. Young nurses stared on without blinking as my baby convulsed in fever. No cash no treatment, said the nurse with the pin “Jesus Saves” on her dress. On Thursday, as I was relaxing from an exhausting week, I heard my name called in prayer so I went to see what it was all about. It was a political meeting that started with a Christian prayer and a Moslem prayer. As the meeting progressed and I listened, all I heard was who was going to get what position and who had been cheated out of what sharing formula. Not once did they say how they would glorify my name by their hard work, charity, honesty, astuteness or kindness. At the end of this vicious meeting, they said a Christian prayer and a Moslem prayer.
I fell off my seat in laughter. No one saw or heard me but I was there. You see I am used to seeing people use my name in vain. They lie, cheat and steal with my Name. They call me all the time, but I am not in their hearts. They use my name for profit and to manipulate others, but they do not love me, because if they truly did, they will do my will. On Friday, there was a great commotion on the street. I looked and saw great multitudes heading to worship me in the mosque. I went to the front of the mosque to buy some food.
Everyone cheated me, giving me a higher price than the goods were worth, right in front of my house. I smiled. The cycle continues. On Saturday I had an accident and I lay on the side of the road for hours and no one picked me up. I only had a fracture on my head, which if I had immediate attention in a hospital I would have recovered, but because no one helped me, I died. But as I lay on the side of the road, I heard many cars speeding past with Christian and Moslem praise worship songs blaring from their loud speakers.
On Sunday, those rushing to Church almost trampled me to death. My dear people it is not in song or worship that I am glorified but by how you love your neighbour. You have perfected worship, now work on action and love. I will only do for you what you cannot do for yourself, which is why I am the God of the impossible not the possible. I know that you can fix your hospitals and provide better healthcare so I do not answer your prayers to cure headaches. I know that you can fix your roads and obey road signs, thereby safeguarding precious lives that I gave you so I do not answer your prayers to avoid accidents. I know that you can conduct credible elections to choose the best leaders for your country, so I do not answer your prayers to give you good leaders.
I have given you intelligence, resources, stamina and more than I have given many other nations so I know what you can achieve. So please only call me when you have something you truly cannot handle such as cancer, flood (as long as it is not due to blocked drains), persecution from a stronger nation and so on. I leave you a final message: the key to personal and national greatness is to do to each other that which you will want me to do for you.
