I have chosen to “go public” with my annual Christmas/New Year letter this year, extending its reach beyond the friends and acquaintances who are its usual recipients. Of course, I have had to make some modifications, appropriately, to the mail which has already gone out to its primary addressees. Certainly, some rather personal details would hardly be of relevance to a newspaper’s reading audience and have thus been edited out; on the other hand, burning issues relating more specifically to Nigeria have been added. Overall, it is hoped that the content would be of some interest and, possibly, benefit to those who chance upon this piece.
What a year this has been – and on all fronts! I am getting to the final days of 2015 literally out of breath! But first things first: Warm greetings to you all from an unusually cold Ile-Ife, where the Harmattan winds are blowing full blast, and giving us, especially on the campus of the Obafemi Awolowo University, the feeling of a “bleak mid-winter” – with a little stretch of the imagination, that is. Trust all is well with you and your loved ones, and that you are able to look back at the passing year with some sense of fulfillment and a great deal of gratitude that you made it to the year’s end. It has been a year fraught with all manner of dangers.
Of course, the high point of the year for me was my participation in the presidential elections as the candidate of KOWA Party. It was a wonderful experience which I hope, by God’s grace, to document in a book in due course. While we lacked the kind of funds to enable us hold rallies all over the country like the candidates of the two major parties, we nonetheless did our best, physically visiting a few states and using the print, electronic and social media to achieve a certain degree of success – we had votes in every single state of the country. Since then, my life has taken a different turn. I am now a politician – and enjoying it! Being the only woman among thirteen male candidates gave me some visibility, and I have since then been receiving invitations to contribute, especially on issues relating to women in politics and leadership positions. Please pray for me, that I will always be a strong voice for truth, justice, equity, good governance and righteousness.
But my personal experience definitely pales in significance when considered in the context of what we all have experienced globally: the crash of economies, floods, air disasters, wars and their attendant difficulties, and more frightfully, TERROR. The terror attacks witnessed in several places, and more recently in Paris and Bamako (Mali), show us clearly that we are a world in trouble. In Nigeria, we too continue to endure regular attacks by Boko Haram, particularly in the north-eastern part of the country, and the failure to “Bring Back our Chibok Girls” remains a stain on our collective pride as a nation. Who will help us? Who can help us? It is clear that world leaders are at their wit’s end, with all the endless meetings being held all over. I have been wondering (yes, naively) – why don’t they ask us to cry out to God for help?
Apart from these global challenges which we share with others, we Nigerians are also having to contend with myriads of other issues which daily assail us and considerably destabilize and even threaten our social order: secessionist agitations are still on in the eastern part of the country; instances of alleged violation of human rights by our armed forces continue to multiply; the smooth and proper conduct of elections remains a serious challenge for our nation; mind-boggling revelations regarding the extent of the corruption practiced under the administration of former President Jonathan are still being made, accompanied by the arraignment of erstwhile “big shots” in our law courts; and as we write, Nigerians are spending long hours queuing up at petrol stations.
With all that is happening, one is bound to wonder: Is this world coming to an end, or what? Well, it just might be! The Holy Book did foretell of wars and rumours of wars, as well as a general atmosphere of confusion and instability – practically everything that is capable of being shaken is undergoing a thorough shaking, even longstanding institutions like marriage and the family. But our hearts do not have to fail us. Jesus, whose birth we celebrate during this season, has promised to “keep in perfect peace” those who put their trust in Him and stay their minds on Him. That is awesome; that is, no matter what might be happening on the outside, we can know peace within our souls through Jesus, the Prince of Peace. It is my prayer that we all may know Him, and that He will keep us by His power, no matter what challenges we may be facing right now, or what might lay ahead of us in the coming year.
Greetings to your family from my family. We wish you and all yours God’s abundant blessings upon all your works done in truth and with the spirit of love. May the joy of this season fill your hearts to overflowing, and may God’s abiding presence grant you peace in all your ways.
