Lanre Fatokun Something Good!
I heard a British Pastor narrate how his recent missionary trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo went. His team funded the first complete translation of the bible to the local language of the people of Cabinda.
Noble course!
However, his experience on the trip . . .em…let’s see what you feel like after.
There was a small plane that was to take them from Congo-Kinshasa to Cabinda, a 5-hour flight, but only one person got a seat on the plane out of about 5 people on the team.
The others decided to go by road and they got a good land cruiser SUV for that purpose. He had pictures to show of how the roads gradually deteriorated as they went into the hinterland, until practically, there were no roads again as the trucks that go to the hinterland had destroyed the earth roads.
In my heart, I actually thanked God for Nigeria! At least the road to my Grandfather’s village has been paved over 15 years now!
The 4×4 SUV kept sinking and they would have to dig around toget it out again. One of such digging could take up to 2 hours! Bad enough.
He showed a picture of a truck, loaded with goods, and the humans sitting on top of the goods, beyond the walls of truck. He wondered aloud which is more valuable, the goods or the people.
He had pictures to show us of what we call roads in Africa! Shameful! He was careful to point out the difference between life in the capital and life in other places, as is the case in almost every African country!
He said the police check points were at about intervals of 10 minutes drive. The policemen said there was a Congolese Army Colonel who went a.w.o.l. and so they had to scrutinize white men!!!
At the end they spent 5 days on the trip; while the flight was 5 hours. No doubt the flight would also be frightful anyway!
The straw that broke the camel’s back was what happened on one of those nights (they had to drive from 6am to 7pm each day). The driver suddenly increased his speed despite the bad road, then he confessed that they were being followed by a bike!
Whoa!
The driver kept increasing speed despite the bumpy ride and the falling night. Then all of a sudden the ride got smoother, and then wavy, dodging trees . . .they were in the forest, off the road.
The driver came to an abrupt stop, put off all lights, and shut down the engine. He opened the back door and brought out his machete. He told everyone to lie down and be silent. Then he had to explain this James Bond move to the 2 Britons in the team.
He told them they would have to lie there quietly till daybreak. He told this pastor narrating, that if the men of the underworld came around, he should crawl into the bush and lie low!
The gentleman lay there on the floor thinking about his life.
“What have I come to do in this place? What have I gotten myself into?”
He went on to explain how God keeps us alive for specific assignments, etc but I had stopped listening!
I thought about this continent-wide problem of backwardness! This narrating pastor opined that DRC should be one of the wealthiest nations in the world.
High School Geography teaches that DRC has the largest forest reserves in Africa! Timber is still in high demand, world over! This country is also blessed with several other resources including diamonds, copper, zinc, and coltan (columbite-tantalite, used in mobile phones, computers, etc). Interestingly, no other country on earth has coltan, and every country uses both mobile phones and computers in laaarrrgggge numbers! With over 275 million computers sold this year already, and over 2.5 million phones sold each day? Mouthwatering wealth!
With respect to landmass, It is the 2nd largest country in Africa, and the 11th largest in the world, with a population of under 80 million!
You know those moments when you want to ask “what more do you people want God to do!” …just like Nigeria!
As the pastor narrated, I could only laugh because he made it funny; but deep inside me, I was ashamed knowing Nigeria must not be x-rayed like this!
I am struggling not to end this write-up with “it is well”, but rather “who will navigate Africa to the havens of grace!?”
Well, we should still pray! It was God that sent David to clean up the mess of Saul; sent Ezra to complete the temple that Zerubbabel et al could not finish; sent Nehemiah to build the walls of Jerusalem which everyone was ashamed of, but no one did anything about!
I think we are close to the point of pushing out good hands to lead us!
Isaiah wrote about it; about some people pushing their brother to leadership, and he refusing, saying he dint have what it takes!
But in that day he will cry out, “I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people.” (3:7)
Who will navigate Africa to the havens of grace?
Are there qualified men at all?
REF: www.worldometers.info
This is actually an African problem! The only reason South Africa is better developed is the fact the country was run for several decades by our white brothers who by the way, had their own issues too.
Sometimes I wonder if our dark skin is a reflection of the darkness of our souls on the continent? A perfectly “ok” man becomes a leader on the continent, and all of a sudden you can no longer speak to him. He becomes a changed man who is disconnected from the problems of the same people who elected him into office. Or how else do you explain the situation we are in in Nigeria, where a man who had no shoes growing up doesn’t seem to care that the same people who voted him in have no food on their tables? Have no drugs in their clinics?
Or is it the spirit of the age? After all, we had leaders who on the dark continent who though had the same dark skin, fought for the independence and emancipation of Africa. Men like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Obafemi Awolowo, Zik of Africa, and the living legend – Madiba himself!
Truly, we need men of Honour to arise on the continent and make a change!
Best Regards
Ayokunle
Sure I believe that God has a plan for Africa and Nigeria in particular. I have come to understand that majority of our issues emanated from effects of colonial rules which shifted our value systems and have institutionalize poverty as a cultural ambiance. Have u seen how employers in our lands looked and treat their employees? Even the middle manager treat his lieutenant with contempt, what the whites won’t do to their pets. But the clouds are gathering. I can hear the sounds of rain coming soon. He gave Nigeria without a blood shed. He gave David the throne without expectations. The mere fact that our hearts are beginning to detest our current quagmire shows God will soon come to our rescue and He will.
Thanks bro Lanre.
AFRICA Nightmare “LEADERSHIP”. The biggest problem faced by human is leadership. It is what the western world capitulate upon and use as advantage over Africa. Infact when you can’t lead right,they help you lead wrong because all they see as our leaders is how to enrich themselves and not their country to be enriched. That is the nemesis of Africa, that is where we have to challenge our responsibilities in conquering.
My prayer is just that God may quikly set at work that master-administrator who will lead Africa out of the woods.
Keep prompting us, blessed be your efforts.
Africa is blessed, but for lack of information and greed we rarely have anything to show for it.
Thank you for the enlightenment of the bounties in DRC, a place I usually think ‘war’ when I hear of. Sadly, Nigeria is not much different from her.
We need to think with the big picture, that for one no one can take all stashed away currency out of this world, that when the Nation thrives, the people too thrive. It is well with Nigeria, we would get there- the place where we utilise our bounties for the good of the nation first, before that of an individual.