It’s that season after a month long fasting period for Muslims to celebrate their spirituality. The celebration of their period of abstinence has come and they are all now expected to be renewed. At this time there is a lot of ram slaughtering, good food, music and durbars to tell the world the fasting period is over and all things are new again.
Fasting in any faith is supposed to ensure that a lot of the things you gave up which is not only food but can include bad habits are now in your past and you are now a better person. This is our hope and our prayer for all of us. I was watching an NTA programme the other day anchored by one of Nigeria’s leading broadcasters Cyril Stober where two persons – a Muslim and a Christian were talking about how religious we are as a people and yet we still let our nation slide, our work ethics is bad and insurgents are all over the place. They said we are religious without having the religion. The programme called moments of thought addressed this trend of churches everywhere, clerics everywhere, and mosques springing up daily, still we cannot help our nation by routing all undesirable elements in our midst.
In the past, in this beautiful country Nigeria, you could reprimand an erring child before the parent arrived and they will thank you. I remember a neighbour pulling my ear when I was twelve years old and dragging me to my father. I had been climbing a tree. When we got to the house, my father pulled my ear again and banned me from going out for a week since I had now made trees my family. I guess this is why I never really learnt to climb a tree (Laughter). But can we honestly say today’s parents accept these forms of discipline? I do not think so. They ask you now if it is your business and everyone is living in modern times of individuality and our communities are ebbing away. It is this individuality, learning horrible things from foreign lands and failure to take correction or be more vigilant and our insatiable quest for wealth irrespective of its source that has brought us to a path where only God can pull us back. He can only do so if we are sincere.
Not too long ago I received a rather scathing letter from a reader who was less than charitable in reference to my deceased parents because I cared to share my growing up years which was full of discipline. I even went on to say if one cannot afford something, children should be made to understand rather than leave them to throw tantrums in supermarkets. I used my children as examples and said in the said column that if I cannot afford it, I simply tell my children the truth and I am not going to break a bank or steal. One of these days, I shall publish such letters and let you be the judge.
This column is where we come to drink the water of laughter and peace. We learn from each other, we share our lifestyles, culture and all the things that keep us happy at the weekend. Occasionally we get sad stories, other times we talk about how Nigeria can be better. My joy is when I get letters from you all even if they are criticisms as long as they are constructive. I am an eternal student.
I have been told that this column gives comic relief and sometimes brings tears to an eye or two. I am thankful that we have been able to make a difference to all those who come here in this hustle and bustle of life to see if they can be cracked up, receive a tip, share beautiful moments or even share some pain.
This week has been full of pain for me; another bomb blast in Kaduna and Kano. My condolences to my brother, the Emir of Kano, His royal Highness. My heart goes to all citizens of Kano and Kaduna and all my friends in these cities. I often wonder if this is the Nigeria I grew up in where we were all our brothers’ keepers. Is this the same place where as a little girl I used to run to the neighbour’s house for breakfast uninvited? Is this the same country where our Muslim neighbours send us meat at Salah and we bake cakes for them at Easter and Christmas?
This nation that belongs to us all is throwing up strangers among us who are maiming and bombing innocent Nigerians and yet we say we don’t know them? Do they not have families? What happened to Nigeria? We should all ask ourselves, for the problem is also in our communities not only in leadership but also in followership. Let us rise up and rout the enemy from our communities.
May the peace we so desire be ours this season. To all my friends who celebrate this season, Ramadan Kareem. May God receive our Ramadan prayers, Amin.
Eugenia Abu
