OPINION

Spiritual catastrophe 

By Odimegwu Onwumere

Many have introduced religion-materialism, and have invented a world around them, without the soul. This is not a radical change from the fundamental principles of human existence, but a rudely change for self-seeking purposes. They have made the consciousness the world started with to seize from upwards. What continues to grow and grow is theorem without practical shows. This is a spiritual catastrophe.

The materialistic philosophy of the modern times is opposed to the essence of Spiritualistic philosophy of the sages; the former accounts to the origin of religion, which has elicited imitation, because it is founded by man.

It is in Spirituality that there is total submission to conscience. But there is always halved conscience in religion, because of manmade dogmas inherent in it. The soul, not religion, is the substantial spiritual part of man endowed with immortality.

The soul is a Spiritual substance. But religion is man's created substance to further the Materialistic philosophy of lucre for the domination of the unfortunate, of the Spiritual philosophy of the sages.

I have observed among today's mankind that values are no longer reverenced, people are no longer judged by the quality of their character, and family name no longer matter. What matters to majority of the people is religion and religion. For e.g in Nigeria, immediately you are identified as either a Muslim or Christian, automatically you are regarded as a good and God-fearing person. Anyway, I've seen a host of religionists without good heart, quality character and mentionable family name.

If there is anything like the apocalyptic 666 mark, it has started from the so-called organised relgionists in Nigeria against the other. If you aren't one of them, you'll neither be their friend, marry them, seen as a human being, employed in their firm, associated with them, a politician, etc. Hardly are they talking about the good person again, but the religious person.

Many people follow the Jesus Christ, because they can't cope wholeheartedly with uprightness. I say this because if the Christ is here today and say that if his follower will be condemned to immediate death if s/he is found wanton, a lot of people will call him a barbarian. This is how they call the Spiritual fire of our ancestors barbaric, because it doesn't accept half-submission. It believes that full submission of self in truth & spirit makes the individual whole, and awaken the essence of God (not Jehovah or Yahweh) within. No one can re-kindle the God within with full theory of religion dogmas, and half natural laws. Is it out of place that someone said Christianity is for the weak?

The spiritual catastrophe continues: It is sad that we erroneously use the word GRADUATE in Nigeria. We mean that a graduate is only that person who had undergone university training or its equivalent. This isn't true! Any course, be it vocational or otherwise that you completed between a specified period of time, you are a graduate. A roadside mechanic is also a graduate, a fufu maker is also a graduate, a 'carpenter' is also a graduate... Pls, complete the list. And if we are always talking about unemployed or unemployable university graduates, what of our non-university graduates?

In the recent past, Aliko Dangote & his group said that they rarely needed the service of non-university graduates in the employ of their driving section hence there were calls for application in which thousands of 1st Degree, 2nd Degree, and 3rd Degree holders applied. Non-degree holders were regarded as do-nothing, alcoholic, smokers and everything unprintable. They said that those with Degree have sense of decorum. But a fortnight, there was an accident along Bini-Ore Road involving a truck that belonged to Dangote in which about 100 lives were lost? The question many Nigerians are asking is, is the driver of the truck not one of the Degree-holder drivers? Are you asking the same?

Let me correct one impression. That a man had a Secondary School Certificate didn't make him less educated. You can say less schooled. But who is fully schooled if a professor could one time say that he was taught economics by one Mama Ogbomoso, a roadside trader.

University hasn't made us real educated people. The most important thing is to have the foundational knowledge of western school. I believe so much in people who read a lot; readers, they say, are leaders.

Why do professors teach how to make money, but hardly make money themselves? This is where education undermines schooling. It is spiritual catastrophe in Nigeria. Remember? There is an axiom that if you read all the works of a professor and follow him for seven years, you are also a professor.

The day you stop reading, the day you start dying. So, that a man has a Secondary School Certificate doesn't indeed make him a less educated person.

The spiritual catastrophe continues.

Some years back, when things and life were very rough for me, some of my pastor friends incessantly told me that I needed ‘deliverance’ for me to have a breakthrough in life. I was laughing at them! However, I later overcome all the ill-breeze that was blowing my path through dint of hard work. Today, I'm thinking that if 'deliverance' is the magic every suffering man needs to survive, then, why can't the Oyedepos of Nigeria descend prayers on Nigeria, so that Nigeria can have a breakthrough?

I've noticed that many spinsters and bachelors in Nigeria aren't looking for husbands and wives to marry, but Christians and Muslims or the other to marry. Why does the issue of love not come first among our people in marriage but religion?

An average (so-called) Christian lady in Nigeria going to marry had "white wedding" at heart. You could be a member of a dangerous occult group and feign to be a Christian to wed her and she is in for it. But tell her the truth that you don't believe in wedding, but you'll marry her according to our marriage ethics, you see her scampering away. So, can you see why many men tell women lies just to marry them?

A friend who perhaps was suffering from spiritual catastrophe said: Religion in Nigeria is as hardcore as ethnicity and it runs hostile rapidly. It would therefore be a serious mistake for a Christian Igbo to marry a Northern Muslim. In this case, love has nothing to do with it because safety first, second nature. Your parents and relatives have potentially seen ahead of you and would only be looking out for your happiness and safety. That mustn't be frowned at.

How come there are many sexy ladies, but less virtuous ones; and many religious persons, but less spiritual persons? How come!

If a man isn't JEALOUS over his woman, who else would? I'm not too sure from where the word JEALOUS crept into relationship. If you try to correct your woman over her excesses with her male friends (maybe sex partners), straight away she says 'you are jealous'. Propaganda has ruined the world! This is also applicable to men!

Spiritual catastrophe continues.

It is unsuitable that some members of the international community who are Hausa/Fulani apologists are waging a propaganda war against the people of Southern Nigeria, by erroneously ascribing the carefree lifestyle of the Hausa/Fulani as poverty. One hears scream such as "poverty level in the Northern Nigeria is too much". It is however essential to re-educate these self-imposed apologists of the North that what they obtain as poverty among the Hausa/Fulani isn't poverty but their culture.

Boko Haram is also in Christendom. Though, there is difference. While the ones of Islam don't want to see Christians, hence they kill with bombs and guns. The ones among Christians don't want to see anything African Spirituality. They have damaged our cultures & traditions, and they are much among the Protestant.

In Talking Points Memos April 1, 2013, Mazi Amauche Ude quoted Ken Okorie as saying: But I do not believe this situation is without solution. What is happening to Ndi-Igbo has a lot of references, some biblical, others historical. In the biblical reference, for example, the Israelites went through years of confusion and disorganization. Their forty years in the wilderness was not without cause. But it took their atonement to get back on track. Ndi-Igbo must atone for our sins. We must return to our Igbo cultural roots, to an ordered relationship with our Chi, our deity.

Odimegwu Onwumere, Poet/Author, Media/Writing Consultant and Motivator, is the Founder of Poet Against Child Abuse (PACA), Rivers State.