On January 1, 1964, one of Nigeria’s foremost social activists, late Tai Solarin wrote a treatise, "MAY YOUR ROAD BE ROUGH" - a lengthy advice and prayer for his fellow countrymen.
In his opener, he forewarned that his intention is not to curse but to wish his countrymen the same thing he wishes himself every year. “I am not cursing you; I am wishing you what I wish myself every year. I therefore repeat, may you have a hard time this year, may there be plenty of troubles for you this year.”
It was never Tai's intention to forecast a difficult year for his countrymen but rather, to restate the obvious fact that the road to success is hardly smooth; there are pitfalls, challenges and odds to beat.
He further charged them not to settle as mediocre achievers, but to strive to become world-beaters in whatever they set out to do within the year.
He ended thus; “If, therefore, you are out in this New Year 1964, to win any target you have set for yourself, please accept my prayers and your elixir. May your road be rough.”
For the past few days, the news of the arrest of a notorious kidnap kingpin, Chukwudi Dumeme Onuamadike, popularly known as “Evans”, last Saturday by men of the Nigeria Police Force, has kept the media buzzing.
Facts gathered from his confessions and further investigations by the Police are enough to keep Evans on the front burner of public discourse for a long time. So, away from Evans' crime exploits, let's veer into another side of the Evans' story that is seemingly unpopular.
Following his arrest, some members of his family have come public with different versions of stories. First, a certain Mrs. Evans, who is said to be Evans' wife of over 11years and the mother of Evans' six children, gave the shocker when she said she didn't know the husband's "source of income".
Thankfully, while Nigerians were stuck in disbelief, Evans came to the rescue; "My wife knows what I do, sometimes she collects the ransom money for me", he allegedly revealed in his confession.
That has not gone down well with many feminists. Then came Evans father, Stephen Onwuamadike with a sanctimony of the-good-little-Evans.
According to the father, Evans was a good boy until his mother manipulated him and lured him into crime. He pleaded with the Nigerian authorities to have mercy on his son and give him a second chance.
Enter Evans' mother, Etty Onwuamadike with the same plea for a second chance. “Chukwudumeje was a nice boy when he lived with me. The only gift I gave him years back was the Holy Bible. I don’t want my son to die.
I’m still convinced he will serve God”, she allegedly said. Evans’ estranged stepbrother, Chidolie Onwuamadike also came and corroborated their father's allegation that his brother’s ruin was caused by his mother, noting that if Evans had followed their father’s advice, he wouldn’t have become a criminal.
“As brothers, we don’t even interact at all. I don’t have his number and my heart is pained because he is such a loving, nice guy from the little I know of him.” The mother of all pleas came from Evans himself.
During his confession, he was quoted as saying; “I will change and become born again...I admit I have done wrong and I have brought pain to many families but I want to live and pay for my crime”.
Unfortunately, neither Evans' regrets nor the pleas of some estranged family members are not enough to save him from the long arms of the law. I am a believer of second chances.
I believe that people, regardless of any seemingly unpardonable offence they had committed, should have a chance, however slim, to make atonements.
Evans has blamed his venturing into crime on a number of things. That too, cannot earn him the second chance he is asking for. The harsh truth is that Evans is asking for one of the most impossible things in the world right now.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia will host members of Al-Qaeda to a presidential dinner at the Grand Kremlin Palace before Evans can get a second chance from Nigerians. If it were possible, Nigerians will even shred his soul.
If his plea for a second chance is anything to go by, then his road will be very rough. In his search for redemption, there will be too many moments that will either make him want to give up or wish he could turn back the hands of time.
After many years of fierce crime exploits, he has brought untold and unbearable pains to families; he has short-lived more lives than he can imagine. There are too many shattered hearts to mend, and too many dead dreams to bring back to life.
The jubilation that erupted at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, following his arrest, clearly showed that he was a real thorn in the flesh. That means he's going to have it very rough with his hosts while he's in their custody.
There are people who were dragged into crime and other vices following Evans' inhuman acts; many probably ended in prison. Evans will share the same prison with a few of them either directly or by proxy.
From his confession, he has incriminated his wife. She's most likely going to face trial too and probably convicted if found guilty.
Their six children will now be left at the mercy of a cruel world. There will be no hesitation to visit the sins of the parents on the children.
The stigma alone will cause the children more than enough trauma and growing up will definitely be tough. I am not cursing Evans nor his children. There is no hiding from the truth that difficult times lie ahead for the Onuamadikes.
Evans' road to redemption will be tough because the law has caught up with him. The lesson now is to the likes of Evans out there who have taken to the life of crime and the others who are prepping.
Across the country, there has been an unusual rise in crime, violence and other social vices recently and many people have been tempted to blame it on the current economic situation in the country.
However, we must remind ourselves of the truth that before the law, a bad economy is no excuse for crime. Coming to Akwa Ibom, the rise of violence and other social vices in state is becoming overbearing.
However, for many reasons ranging from inefficiency on the part of government and security agencies to lack of social reorientation, these vices seem to thrive more in the rural areas than the urban.
The rate of crime prevalence in the rural areas is very alarming and way beyond what is witnessed in the urban areas. There is a serious invasion of cultism in the rural communities.
Youths in the rural areas now publicly celebrate their membership in fraternities. Young people in our rural communities are becoming increasingly hostile, especially to guests and visitors.
For instance, one of the major challenges militating against government's effort in rural development in the state is the hostility of rural communities, and these carnage are perpetrated by irate youths.
From the frequent destruction of government properties and public utilities to the unending disturbances at the sites of government projects under construction, it's clear that our rural communities are breeding potential crime lords.
As I earlier noted, these vices are thriving due to the lack of a very effective security network in the rural areas. The government and security agencies have not paid enough attention in these regard.
The situation in Ukanafun is a clear example. On their part, parents, guardians, elders and community leaders have failed woefully in their responsibilities, too.
We must realize that if these misguided youths successfully make crime a career, the consequences will be enormous on the society. There will be elastic and trickle-down effects.
The youths on their part, should be the best advisors to themselves. Unlike Evans, they still have a chance to walk away and take that easy road to redemption. They must make extra efforts to guard their freedom jealously.
It begins with keeping the right companies and fighting the urge for quick wealth. There are profound lessons for everyone to learn from the life and times of Chukwudi Dumeme Onuamadike aka Evans.
While interacting with newsmen, Evans was asked to advice others like him out there, and he said; "I'm advising that anybody doing kidnapping should quit".
Lastly, relevant authorities must make concerted efforts towards boosting security in these flashpoints. Parents, families and communities must desist from harbouring criminals or even inciting/pushing their children into crime.
Community leaders must ensure that their respective communities have stringent measures against crime to serve as deterrents. And to every young person out there, here's my advice; crime does not pay.
Don't be a culprit or an accomplice. If you're already, then quit while you still can; while the road to redemption is still smooth.
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