ECHOES FROM YESTERDAY

Hello Femi Oguntoyinbo, my name is Solomon Maduabuchi, I read about your struggles and challenges through Timothy Ogaga, and he ask if I could respond to your mail and encourage you a little, I Totally understand and respect what you are going through. I'll tell you a story and I hope it encourages you:

My Story.

When I was only five years old, I lost my Dad. At the age of 10 i lost my Mum (who I still miss every single day),  and I moved to the village to stay with an Uncle, there I was made to farm. I practically became a 'houseboy' (...without any PAY mind you) for my uncle's wife, ate sour and nearly spoilt food, got beaten/maltreated a lot, had to climb palm trees sometimes in an attempt to make brooms from the branches for sale, so as earn so extra cash.  

            After sometime, an Aunt arrived from Abuja (Nigeria's capital city) promising to treat and (in her words) “do me” well if only I followed her. Of course I did out of sheer juvenile naiveté and without hesitation. The illusion of escape from suffering was however short lived and shattered when upon arrival we realised it was Suleja in Niger state, she gave us (my brother and I) things to hawk on the road all day, heralding an era where we were known simply as "mai Ruwa" and "mai kunu/Zobo". It was so painful an experience that I cried most times till my eyes became swollen; but I reasoned I had to go on living the life fate so cruelly dished out for me.

            On completion of my JSS3 (Junior High School), my Aunty sent my brother and I back to Lagos to (in her words) ‘suffer’, after she got wind of the news that an 'Uncle' who was in no way related to us took interest in my brother and I so much so that he  fed and bought clothes for us.

            Arriving Lagos by nothing but God’s Grace, my immediate older brother and I moved into thesame house our late parents’ lived, there our unemployed twenty-something year old eldest brother who we hadn’t laid eyes on or communicated with had been staying to ‘hustle’.

            In the space of a month, my other siblings joined us in Lagos having survived their very own sad experiences with tales of suffering to rival mine as proof. This prompted all 7 of us (with my immediate older brother and I yet to complete our secondary school education) to constantly hold hands as one calling upon God for strength, help and salvation from despair.   

            In an attempt to battle hunger, keeping in mind what was needed for school, my eldest brother did all he was able to do to ensure we survived, we made it through daily on 100 naira (less than a dollar) a day which was used to purchase a sachet of "Eruku Oshodi" (a local cocoa-like beverage) that we dissolved and drank with a loaf of bread as our daily meal. Lucky days then involved free bread from Iya Musibau or free ‘Sunday rice’ from Iya Yinka.

            My sister was bent on enrolling us with a Private secocndary school, she thought it was best for us to correct our English and ofcourse boost our self esteem which had been shattered by the things we had been through (and still going through), we finally enrolled into SS1 in a Private School in Aguda(which added more stress on my Eldest brother as the Bills had to be paid somehow).School was an hour walk from the House where we all lived. The seven of us in this very adventurous apartment, smaller than 8ft*12ft, about the size of the room in a Hostel. I say adventurous because whenever it rained, water flowed from the gutter into the house and we had to go through the night without sleep because of the flow from external drainage into the house, water droplets seeping through the cracks in the roof and ceiling and water from the ground. It was such that we'd have to wait till the break of dawn then we'd begin cleaning (and that's only after the water level had receded).

            Having practically hustled through Life, I messed up and did all sorts of crappy things because I was sad and upset about how things were and why it had to be us, when other families had it easy.... (Ok! I just said a lot of things hidden in very few words...pheww!!!). Well, growing up was TOUGH, but God was and still has been faithful.....

            But through it all, I have come to acknowledge that God is a fabulous designer who always has a good plan in his hands. The fact that you don't see it doesn’t mean the plan is non-existent......

            How do I stay and not misbehave?

It’s the fact that God saw me through and is still my guide. So I constantly remember and remind myself that I owe my Life to Him. For a fact, I'm more than sure He just never abandons us....

            In this sometimes crazy and dirty Life of uncertainties, where no one has any idea what tomorrow holds, living alone is madness, but God takes us through life because he has the final design. Outside him is 'try your luck' (...its never any good); but with Him is the fullness of purpose and direction; who’s in a better position to give a tour of a house than the owner?

            Why and how do I stay without getting into the insanity young men my age get into? I live comfortably alone today, miles away from anyone that could relate to my past. How do I say 'No' to peer pressure that drives one to sin and insanity? How and why do I try and try regardless of the intermittent falls to stick to building and progressing in Relationship with Him? The answer is Simple.... "He gave Me His everything when I had nothing so; I owe Him my EVERYTHING.....  "

            If you search deep inside of you and look back, you will realize that He (God) has been extremely GREAT to you. The fact that you are reading this means you are alive (which is in itself enough reason to give Him your all), your Parents are alive and well (...I so wish I could say the same for myself!) and you have in fact been favoured in one way or the other...."Count your blessings...Name them one by one. And it will surprise you..."

            Do I sometimes get really discouraged??? Of course yes!!!! But I just adhere to what Wilson Bature my friend said "Follow Him Blindly".....

            Do I want to satisfy my flesh sometimes? YES!!!!!!!, but to what end; guilt afterwards or the colossal fact that I might not get away with it even if other people do!

God gave His Son’s Life for us to live....

            I honestly think it’s not out of Place to dedicate against all odds our Life to God! Despite the weaknesses, the battles and fights, the challenges and struggles, the shame and Pain!!!God loves us (you and I) more than our minds can fathom!

             I do believe in the Love and Power of God, I do believe that God is as merciful as He is a Consuming Fire, I do believe in Seed time and Harvest (we most definitely reap what we sow). Do you????

            If you observe closely, there were no references to any scripture, this was intentional as this write up was to encourage you from my own personal Experience...So, stay strong!!!