2012: THE GRIM REAPER in motion

                                            



"Hmmmmm......"

...that is all some of us can say when we are asked to define 2012 in one word. We all know that death is inevitable but we are only reminded of this fact when it takes our loved ones suddenly and pre-maturely. Sometimes you are tempted to ask "why?"...but still you get no answers. People die every second and it is not a weird thing but this year I have been forced to really see death as the inevitable end which is a respecter of no man. Lets see some of those events that have left unanswered questions in our hearts in 2012.



FUEL SUBSIDY

We all remember the fuel subsidy protests that welcomed us to 2012. There were mass protests in different areas of the country especially in Lagos. The country was grounded for five whole days as the Nigerian Labour Congress and the federal government held talks so as to reach a consensus. By the time the strike was over, we discovered that people had died during the riots and protests as a result of random shooting by law enforcement officers. It is sad knowing that this people "might" still have been alive today if the subsidy protests did not happen.

JUNE 3, 2012
Yet another black Sunday in Nigeria’s history.
That Sunday dealt Nigerians in general two heavy blows. Many of us went to church that Sunday thanking God for seeing the first Sunday in the month of June not knowing how the day would end.

BOMB BLAST IN BAUCHI STATE
The 8 a.m service in my church had just ended and I had to wait for my parents in the car. I put un the radio and the news was next. The news caster said thus “breaking news… Suicide bomber Kills 15, injures 40 at Living Faith church, Bauchi state”. This was not the first time a bomb would be going off in a church and on a Sunday for that matter, the sad thing is that it is now a norm. Bombs blasts have never been a Nigerian thing but since October 2010, the nation has been held hostage by people who don’t want western education—–à BOKO HARAM. Every Sunday, people go to church in the north not sure of what the day will bring. This year we had nothing less than 25 BOKO HARAM attacks. Considering the amount of people that have died from bomb blasts and various attacks this year….all i can say is Lord have mercy!



 



DANA PLANE CRASH.
We were watching a football match that evening around 4 p.m when i decided to check twitter, just for fun. All I could see was “breaking news….plane crash in Iju, Lagos. Memories of bellview and sosoliso plane crash came rushing, I just prayed in my heart that there would be survivors.The plane was coming from Abuja and was Lagos bound. People lost family and friends on Dana airline flight 9j-922. 153 people on that plane and other people who were relaxing in their houses when the plane crashed into them. Some families lost about four people in that crash, children were made orphans, wives became widows and husbands became widowers, others lost their fiancés, friends and loved ones. It could have been anyone on that plane. The airline was suspended for a while, the families were promised compensation (I don’t know how that ended), people “condemned” it (the usual practise here), the issue of social media was also a cause for concern because information gathered showed that people were taking pictures and posting them on the internet while the plane was still burning. Investigations even revealed the last conversation between the pilot and the control terminal and this brought a lot of mixed feelings seeing that the crash could have been avoided. It was one crash too many.

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MASS SHOOTING AT BATMAN PREMIERE
In July this year, the Colorado Shooting story made news when James Holmes, a postgraduate student in the United states visited a cinema in Colorado and opened fire on the people randomly. The attack killed 12 people and left nearly 60 others injured.
We also got information that three men jumped on top of their girlfriends as the bullets flew through Theater Nine at Century Cinemas in Aurora, Colorado during the shooting. Amidst the chaos, amidst the gunfire and amidst tear gas, these three men thought of the women they loved and used their bodies to protect them. They threw them to the floor, under the seats; they held them tight. They held onto their beautiful women as tight as they possibly could. Lying on top of their bodies in case a bullet came their way. All three girlfriends survived the killings. They are Jansen Young, Samantha Yowler and Amanda. And one of them, Jansen, had the courage to recall those last moments, “There was kind of a break in between each gunshot. Every gunshot, I was like “This is it I’m done for.” Jon gave me one good push against that concrete again and then . . . I didn’t really feel his arms against my back anymore but I knew he was still there.” When the gunshots went quiet, Jansen realized her boyfriend was shot. “I started shaking him and saying, “Jon, Jon, we have to go…it’s time for us to get out of here.” But he didn’t move. His breath was gone. This brought about the issue of Gun control in the US.


MUBI MASSACRE
In Mubi, Adamawa state at least 40 students were killed by unknown gunmen. Reports say the gunmen called them out by their names and shot them. Lord have mercy.

 ALLU 4
The 1st week of October didn’t end too well for a lot of us. The news of how four youths (all UNIPORT students) between the ages of 19 and 22 were burnt to death in Aluu village of Rivers state brought tears to the eyes of many, both young and old. The video and pictures went viral on the internet and a lot of people, members of the public, activists, radio and tv stations condemned the act. People who had never heard about them before cried for them, now you can only imagine what their family members must have gone through. There were a lot of conflicting stories (rumours) making the rounds then about how they were burnt because they were thieves and cultists who went to steal, all of which have no proof. There is no justification whatsoever for jungle justice. The story was the talk of the nation and the world at large, with everyone asking for justice but like the norm in this part of the world, little or nothing was heard about the issue again. Why destroy the life that you cannot create? May their souls of Ugonna, Lloyd, Tekena and Chidiaka rest in perfect Peace.






GUN CONTROL AGAIN!!
Yet another black Christmas for some families this year.It was a normal school day in Sandy Hook elementary school in new town Connecticut, USA. The school houses about 600 students (between ages 5 and 10 yrs old) and 60 teachers. Parents dropped their children off at the school in the morning only to be called back a few hours later. A young man had entered into the school and was shooting at the kids. Teachers who tried to save some of the children ended up dead. 20 children and 6 adults including the school principal were killed that day. The shooter was 20 yr old Adam Lanza. One of the residents when asked how he was feeling about the incident he replied “Faith is tested when the unthinkable happens, i take solace in the fact that we now have 20 new angels watching over connecticut”…I couldn’t agree any less.
 

 



HELICOPTER CRASH
On December 15, 2012 a Nigerian Navy helicopter crashed in tombia, Bayelsa state.they were returning from the burial of the father of one of the Presidents aides, Oronto Douglas. There were six people in that helicopter kaduna state gov.- Patrick Yakowa, Former National security adviser- Andrew Azazi, their aides and two other captains. This wound still fresh our hearts. I pray that God comforts the families they left behind.
Another private jet crash occurred about a month before this recent crash. The jet belonged to the Taraba state governor and as a trained pilot, reports say that he was the one flying it when it crashed. He didn’t die in the crash but he has been flown abroad for medical treatment with his deputy sworn in as acting governor. I wish him safe recovery.







December 28th
Another Governor was involved in a crash. Idris Wada of Kogi state was involved in an auto crash in which the ADC died on the spot. The governor is currently lying critically injured in the hospital. I wish him safe recovery.
There was also the flood issue in Plateau. Kogi, Adamawa, Taraba and other states. About 130 people died and a lot of people were displaced from their homes and they lost a lot of properties. I could go on and on.


They were not the only people that died this year, we all may have lost someone dear to us as a result of things we could and could not control. People died as a result of drunk driving, poor hospital conditions, bad judgement et all. Some died on their birthdays, christmas et all. Its a very Long list.I know nothing can bring the dead back but can we at least learn from all that has happened so they can know they didn’t die in vain.

…..And in the words of Paul to the Corinthians I ask:

“O death, where is thy sting?…
…Where o grave, is your victory?”

MAY THE SOULS OF THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED REST IN PEACE.



GRACIAS.