http://www.judeukpebor.blogspot.com/There's this common saying that ' charity begins at home'. I was a very young boy when I hear my elders use this idiomatic expression ; especially when someone portrays a very negative attitude.Forexample when a child from another community behaves abnormally or insults an elder.But then, I never knew that where one grows up has an effect on one's behaviour or aspiration or destiny. The name of my community where I grow up is called Benin. It's an ancient kingdom in the southern part of Nigeria. History has it that Benin has been famous in bronze casting and war since the 3 century B.C. It's a community where the poor and the rich live side by side. There's strong believe that only the wise can become rich and the fool would remain poor. As a result, everyone trys to be rich by whatever means is at his or her disposal. The youth are not left out in this strongle and desire to become responsible persons in future even if they come from poor homes.
I too wasn't left out in this aspiration as a youth. When I was growing up I had this strong feelings that I would one day become very rich; despite the fact that my parents were middle class citizen( averagely rich). They made me attended a public school with a difference . I could boast of my school and also the studying materials that i never lacked.Infact I was loved by my classmates and the teachers who respected me because of my comportment in class. Then my ultmost desire was to study medicine after my secondary education. Everything was really good for me and my community was bubbling with hope, until the annullment of June 12 presidential election by the then military president General Ibrahim Babangida.
The situation,changed my country from good to bad. This annullment of the election caused disaster in every community in Nigeria. There were strike by all workers organised by Nigeria Labour Congress ( a powerful trade union). This led to high rise of inflation and lost of jobs. The teachers weren't paid and they too went on strike.This was the worst time in my life. I couldn't complete my secondary education at the time i was supposed . Most students became arm robbers while some chose to travel abroad. The level of poverty made most parents to send their daughters on prostitution abroad. While some of the youngmen that had the fear of God relocated to their various villages to farm.But the worst of it all was that of the exodus to europe, the land everyone was saying had conquered poverty.
At first I didn't think that exodus was the solution to achieve my dream in life. I felt if I could work hard in the means of little I would still excel in life. The following year after my secondary eduction I applied as an assistant teacher in private school in my community. My parents were really proud of me and I was regarded as a serious child. Then I was really decent and above all I was still a practising catholic. The whole thing turned around like a nightmare when I found my dream to be a responsible man was becoming a mare dream.By then those that was insulted and called names and also regarded as the poor and fools in the community where becoming the rich and most respected while I was busy rubbing my body with chalk in the classroom. John, a former classmate of mine who couldn't complete his secondary education in my school,came to my house one Sunday evening from Italy with great financial prospect.
The real motivation to leave my community came when an aunty who left for Italy too when I was still in school, visited us and said alot of good things about travelling abroad. She spoke of the possiblities especially in the area of education and making high currency.This was the turning point in my life. I began to reason like my folks after that day.Moreover, I stopped criticizing those that left their education and travelled abroad for greener pasture. I felt I was crazy to have remain here earning peanut they called salary. At the end of the session I resigned from teaching and began my own private lesson, where children could attend extra-moral class, in order to raise more money to plan ahead for my travelling. In the course of this strongle, the page turned.
The spiritual desire to serve God started burning in me and i felt that it was stupid seeking to be great in the world while others are offering their own life to God as priests and missionaries.A year later i opted for the congregation of the immaculate heart of mary (CICM) at Ibadan. This was where the actual set-back of my life started. Really '' all that glitters is not Gold''...
Just part of the story
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