Today, however is a first of its kind. Today, I am reminded of the essence and definition of hope.
April 16 2012 was a dark day for a lot of us who know Dr Odinachi Okoli, news filtered in about his abrupt disappearance in Edo State and most of us were apprehensive. Ody is a nice and very intelligent young doctor, why would anyone want to harm him? So, a grueling sixty days started for his immediate family. I was particularly worried for his mum, the emotional trauma of not knowing the whereabouts of an offspring cannot even be imagined. A family friend also vanished some years ago and watching his mum slip into frank neurosis was very saddening.
Some say its easier for a woman to know her child has gone to be with the Lord than the uncertainty of having a missing child. Naturally, women as care givers worry a lot. To think that a child could be in pain, could be ill, could be starving, could be mutilated by abductors is a nerve-racking experience for any mother. I would not even wish it for my worst enemy.
Personally, I almost lost hope at some point. I spoke with another dear friend of Ody about two weeks ago and all I could ask was 'Oboy, na so Ody take go?'. He sighed and told me not to lose hope but that we should just keep praying for his safety. In a country where security is fast becoming a luxury and the security agencies are comical to say the least, I feared the worst.
Alas, God was not through with Ody's life. On Saturday night, I got BlackBerry messages from a few contacts and my heart was gladdened. It was a miracle. Odinachi had been found alive. Even when I didn't have the full details of his recovery, I profusely praised God on behalf of his parents and siblings. A night had just passed, it was morning finally for the Okolis. For Mrs Okoli, her dear son has been reborn. The relief can be second to none.
I know another young man who has not been as lucky as Odinachi. He left home one Sunday evening to watch an Arsenal-Chelsea game more than a year ago at a viewing centre around his house. He has not returned since then. Its been almost two years now.
Hope sometimes is all we can hold on to. The undaunted and resolute optimism that there's a way out. The unflinching resolve to believe that everything will be fine eventually.
Martin Luther King rightly submits that 'We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope'.
I felicitate with Mrs Okoli, she has witnessed the rebirth of Odinachi. Being in labour for the last sixty or so days, hoping, waiting and watching. Her baby boy is back to her. Her boy is alive and well.
Are there any lessons to be learnt from this ordeal? Sure!
There's no database, the government has comically and obtusely attempted creating national identification systems which have all turned out to be money laundering schemes for our political mercenaries. We need records, properly structured so we know who is where and at what time. A DNA data bank would not be a bad idea. The technology is ubiquitous in the West. There's also technology that can trace locations via mobile phones, they can use records of last text messages or phone calls received. Surely, they will assist our security agencies.
To all Dr Odinachi's friends and family members who refused to give up on him, I pray you'll never have to go through such an ordeal again ever.
P.S.
Niran's yet to be found, two years later. God's miracles are not time-bound thus I'll humbly ask you remember him and his family in your prayers. The Good Lord will deliver whom He chooses to deliver. #PrayForNiran
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