Whirlwind of Mercy: The Story of a Country at War with the Truth by Pearl Adams, chapters 15 & 16
“My people I greet you.”
“May the gods of our fathers protect you our king.”
This was no ordinary day at the court of the Amananaowei of Oporoma, Godswill Egi Tubokebima. There was excitement in the air fuelled by the visit of Fufeyin Rainwater Dokubo, Senior Special Assitant (SSA) to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Ngoebiye Ebipade the previous day. It was a common secret that the Governor and the Amananawei were sworn enemies. The visit of Dokubo, an indigene of neighboring Tariki community, to the traditional ruler was therefore viewed as an end to the feud.
With the usual pleasantries over, the king said, “I sent for all of you because our people say that the ant that tries to eat an elephant alone will not live to see its grandchildren.”
The Prime Minister of the kingdom and High Priest of Egbesu Confraternity, Greenfield Ekeretiama replied, “That’s true our king.”
Continuing, the Amananaowei said, “Everyone in the kingdom knows I hosted Dokubo yesterday. As it turned out, the visit wasn’t the initiative of the Governor. Dokubo informed me that President Akinluyi desired to have an audience with some of us in Abuja. After our discussion, I immediately asked the Palace Secretary, Senebo Greensfield to invite all of you to this meeting”.
The Prime Minister grimaced. He wondered why the President suddenly remembered that a place like Oporoma existed on the map of the entity called Nigeria. He recalled that the exiled leader of a prayer group in the community, Pastor Freeborn Levan prophesied two years ago that an event would occur in the country that will put the plight of Ijaws16 in the Niger Delta on the front burner of national discourse.
Could the prediction have anything to do with the President’s invitation? That would be absurd, he reasoned. He was of course not a fan of Levan and his brand of Christianity. Ijaws have a rich culture and religious orientation centered on the worship of water spirits. For instance, their ‘Igbadai’ which is a form of divination popularized by Egbesu17 Confraternity promotes engagement with the spirits of deceased individuals.
He had no problem with Levan until the latter started speaking against the ‘Igbadai’ practice and using subterfuge to win converts among Egbesu initiates. It was then he the Prime Minister mobilized his supporters to force the controversial pastor out of the community. While he appreciated the sudden interest of the Federal Government in the welfare of the kingdom, he felt compelled to warn the king against succumbing to any pressure to jettison Ijaws’ quest for total control of their oil resources.
He bowed to the king and said, “My father, I believe the President’s interest may not necessarily align with that of Oporoma people. While it might be premature to articulate our response to a matter for which we have no clue, it is expedient that we have a plan of action before we leave for Abuja. This is my humble contribution my father.”
The king smiled and replied, “Thank you my son. To be candid, when I got the Governor’s message, I thought it was the usual invitation by the President in connection with attacks on oil installations by our youth. It could be that. No one is sure at this point in time. You could be on track in your assessment, but I don’t want us to draw a wrong conclusion. We’ll send a delegation to meet the President and hear what he has to say. We’ll take it from there.”
Without even a glance at the king, the youth leader, Eberema Godswill said, “I suggest that we ignore the summons, because that’s what it amounts to. If the President wants to see us, let him come to Oporoma. Let him come and spend some days in this mosquito-infested swamp and drink water garnished with crude oil sludge. Anything short of that is not acceptable to the youth of this Kingdom.
We are tired of their double speak, outright lies and deception in every form. Our goal is to destroy this contraption called Nigeria except Akinluyi and his stooges in the Niger Delta grant us total control of our resources. Ijaw youth are not ready to compromise their stand on this matter”.
The king shut his eyes, tapping his feet intermittently. Everyone in the kingdom knew that sign. It meant that the monarch was on the verge of an outburst. Everyone was wary of provoking the anger of the royal father except Eberema and his boys. It was an open secret that the king was instrumental to the deployment of troops to the area, after the youth threatened to deal with him for allegedly embezzling eighty-five million Naira, ($250,000) paid to the town as royalty by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). Despite the presence of soldiers, the youth mobilized to burn down the palace but were pacified by the Council Chairman, Timiebi Ekio-Wisdom who gave them ten million Naira, ($29,412) to “to buy Coca-Cola”, promising to send them “something substantial soon”.
After awhile, the king turned to Eberema and said, “Our elders say when two people take over the rudder of a ship, its occupants will sooner or later become food for sharks”.
The Prime Minister caught the eyes of the Palace Secretary. Both of them knew it was time to still the storm. The last time the king had an altercation with Eberema, soldiers had to be called in to restrain supporters of the youth leader. The Palace Secretary walked over to whisper something in the ears of the king. Whatever it was, the paramount ruler lost some of the steam, though he still gave his opponent a hard stare. Seemingly unperturbed, Eberema brought out a pack of chewing gum from his shirt pocket and popped some into his mouth. The Prime Minister cleared his throat, all the while praying that both personalities would give peace a chance.
He curtsied to the king and said, “My father, our people say that no matter the depth of foolishness in a child, his parents wouldn’t exchange him for another. Eberema is your son. Forgive him. We are here to address a critical issue, your highness and we need the cooperation of the youth. Eberema, you owe the king an apology.”
Eberema winced. Nonetheless, he stood up with hands stretched in the direction of the royal father and said, “My king, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rile you. I’m bitter about the way and manner the Nigerian state is treating Ijaw people.”
He turned to other elders at the meeting and said, “How many of us here have been to Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano and other major cities in this country? Crude oil accounts for 95% of Nigeria’s revenue. It builds skyscrapers and overhead bridges across the country, except the Niger Delta. It pays the salary of every Nigerian worker; it swells the bank accounts of corrupt Government officials. What has the Government done for Ijaws who own the crude oil and bear the brunt of environmental degradation caused by crude oil prospecting activities?
I get upset whenever the Government tries to pull wool over our eyes by offering us crumbs, when other people are feeding fat on our God given resources. My king, we must fight this Government to a standstill until we are allowed to control our resources.”
The traditional ruler smiled and said, “My son, we’re not working at cross purposes. I share your pains. As you well know, I don’t have access to better facilities than other Ijaws. I drink the same polluted water, I eat the same contaminated fish; I’m not in any way favored by the system. One thing I do, I try as much as possible to leave a window open for dialogue with other interest groups on the Ijaw question. It’s a pity that you’ve always misconstrued my position as a sign of weakness.
On the matter before us, I don’t think it’s fair for us to jump to conclusion on the intentions of the Government.”
Just then, two men in grey suits were ushered into the venue by a palace guard. One of the visitors, Okie Kokona was a Special Assistant to the Governor on State House of Assembly Matters. He was given the position in appreciation for the role he played in the re-election of the Governor, though he was a blood relation of the king. His mother, the king’s niece married into an influential family in another oil producing community, Peretugbene where the traditional ruler is supportive of the Governor’s policy thrust. Okie’s companion, Epie Godknows represented Opokuma-Oporoma State Constituency at the State House of Assembly. Both men looked flustered. They curtsied to the king before exchanging pleasantries with his chiefs. Thereafter, the king dismissed the palace guard and turned to his visitors.
“My son Okie, I know you are a very busy man. What brings the two of you to Oporoma? We were just about winding up an important meeting”.
Okie mopped his brow with his handkerchief. He felt nervous, not knowing how the people of Oporoma would react to their king being summoned by Governor Epipade at such a short notice.
“My father, I thank you for granting us audience. We are here on behalf of the Governor, your son. This morning, some military men from Warri came to see the Governor. Epie and I were not privy to their discussion. After the meeting, the Governor sent for us and gave us a charge to get you prepared for the parley with the President in Abuja today. The Governor said you had been informed of the trip by Dokubo. He also asked us to assure you that the President is committed to addressing issues generating unrest in the Niger Delta.
The President also sent a Presidential jet to fly you to Abuja from Port Harcourt International Airport. Given the state of the East-West expressway to Port Harcourt, the Governor suggested that his highness and members of his entourage should be airlifted to the Airport. Chevron has released one of its helicopters for this purpose. Your highness, we don’t want to presume that you have nothing better to do with your time than to fly to Abuja on so short a notice, but we plead with you on behalf of all Ijaws to honor this invitation in good faith. Thank you Sir”.
The royal father surveyed the faces of his subjects. He was surprised that the Prime Minister had a smile playing around his eyes. What could be amusing at a time like this? He said to the Prime Minister, “We can’t afford the luxury of the enlarged meeting you proposed earlier. We’ll have to finalize everything now, if we must be in Abuja later today. He turned to his visitors and said, “Gentlemen, give us two hours to conclude the meeting and organize ourselves for the trip. The Palace Secretary will take you to the Governor’s Lodge to freshen up. Good day”.
No sooner had the two officials left than a palace guard entered with Pastor Levan following closely behind him. His presence caused a stir among the elders. Even some of them who never spoke a kind word about the Pastor milled around him, thanking God for his “safe return”. The king was the only person who did not show any excitement at seeing the controversial Pastor. When the din died down, Levan curtsied to the royal father and sat down close to Eberetima. The latter who participated in some sessions of the community prayer group could barely contain his joy as he felt that Levan’s visit to the palace was not a coincidence.
The Prime Minister glared at Levan and said, “Some wounds are hard to heal. What mischief have you come with this time? We don’t want to entertain your meddlesomeness nor allow you to destabilize this community again with your divisive pursuits. Why are you here?”
The Pastor looked intently at the crowd and replied, “My Prime Minister, I come in peace. You remember the prophecy I gave two years ago that a momentous event was stalking Nigeria? That’s the reason for my presence in your midst today. I’ve tried to forget the humiliation and harassment meted out to me because I dared to preach the good news of God’s salvation to the youth in this community. I bear no grudge……”
The king cut in and said, “Levan, I’m sure we can make out time some other day to listen to your story. President Akinluyi has invited elders of Oporoma to Abuja. We’ll be leaving for Port Harcourt Airport in about an hour”.
Unfazed, the Pastor said, “My king, it’s for the same reason that I’m here. In fact, the Lord sent me to you. I had intended returning to Oporoma by the weekend, but He impressed on my mind that I must see you and the elders immediately”.
Suddenly, all eyes were on the Pastor as he opened his wallet and brought out a piece of paper. He said to the king, “Your highness, this piece of paper contains the demands the Lord wants you and the elders to present to President Akinluyi. He said I should not accompany you to Abuja because I have completed my assignment. Before I hand it over to you, I believe I should brief you on how I came by the encounter with God. As I said earlier, I felt betrayed by God when he allowed some of you to needle me endlessly. More so, there was nothing exciting about living in Oporokuma since I was treated as a leper by some high and mighty in this community who saw me as a troublemaker.
After months of wandering in the wilderness of unbelief and doubt, I hired a fishing cabin at Epie, one of the Islands off the coast of Kolokuma to seek the Lord’s face over the matter. It was then He took me to Isaiah 59:16 which says, “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him”.
The Lord explained that He is compelled to unleash the full weight of His wrath whenever there isn’t a righteous man to stand in the gap for a person or a nation. He also led me to Daniel chapter 9 where that man of God interceded for the people of Israel, at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, because their deliverance was at hand. God Himself had decreed that they would spend 70 years in Babylon. At the end of their imprisonment, an intercessor was needed to pray them into the will of God.
Armed with this understanding, I started a series of dry fast not just for Oporoma, but for the Ijaw nation. The answers didn’t come immediately but I persevered. The thrust of my prayer was ‘Lord, give me justice. I ask for justice for my people. We want justice”. My perseverance paid off because God showed me in an open vision, the judgment He decreed for Nigeria.
I saw the carnage and the great distress in the land but there was nothing I could do to salvage the situation. I could only plead for mercy for innocent souls. In response to my plea for mercy, God agreed to restrain the angel of death by extending the covering provided by the blood of Jesus to as many that would partake of the Holy Communion.
Two days ago, He instructed me to write down the demands of Ijaw people as dictated by Him. Let me read them out so you can decide whether to accept them or articulate yours to the President. The Lord says I should tell you that you are at liberty to choose your own paths. He won’t force His will on anyone.
You are to present the following demands to the Government. One, Ijaws and other oil producing communities should be directly involved in sharing of proceeds from crude oil mined from their land; two, payment of royalties to oil producing communities should cease forthwith; in its place, the affected settlements are to be conceded 30% of amount derived from the sale of each barrel of crude oil.
Three, environmental degradation should be promptly addressed by the respective oil companies in collaboration with all tiers of Government; polluted rivers/streams must be restored back to their former state and degraded soil given appropriate treatment; four, oil producing communities must be conceded 60% of the labor force for lower cadre and 40% for senior cadre; five, oil producing communities hosting gas turbines and other facilities used for generating electricity power must be linked to the source; and six, oil producing communities are to enjoy subsidy on petrol and other petroleum products.”
There was dead silence after Levan ended his speech. Without any prompting, he folded the piece of paper and handed it over to the king. The monarch kept nodding his head but made no comment. One of the Chiefs, Princewill Alele signified his intention to make an observation. He got a nod from the king to proceed.
“My people, I don’t think we can cut a better deal than this with the Government. But will this sail through? I don’t want us to raise the hopes of our people only to have them dashed in the end. Levan, do you think this thing will work?”
Levan shrugged his shoulder and said, “With due respect Sir I believe we should give God an opportunity to prove Himself. Remember we’ve been in this struggle for years without anything tangible to show for it. I don’t think the Government has much choice in this matter. If it becomes recalcitrant, God might take away the covering most Nigerians are enjoying via the Holy Communion and the carnage would be worse”.
The king stood up signaling the end of the meeting. He said, “We have a very busy day ahead of us. We will present the demands without any alteration. The Prime Minister and Alele will go with me. I will call Chief Benisede Greenwater in Warri and ask him to join us in Port Harcourt. He left Oporoma yesterday to visit his son at the Shell Clinic in Warri. The boy was injured while trying to rescue an expatriate staff from a collapsed oil rig. The father called this morning to tell me that he has been discharged.
That wraps it all then. Oh Levan, thanks for interceding for us. Ijaw people have a long memory. We will never forget the sacrifice you made on our behalf. Goodnight my people. We will convene another meeting as soon as I return from Abuja”.
Chapter 16, Throne Room, Heaven – I hold the Aces!
“Ithiel, have you completed the final report on the Nigerian project? Michael has arranged the Conference Hall for the debriefing session.”
“Yes Dathel. It’s in the green folder over there. How was the rescue effort in Afghanistan?”
“Fantastic! The three South African Missionaries were rescued from the Talibans by allied forces. They are right now on their way back to Pretoria. Our team provided protection for the soldiers. The enemy did all he could to scuttle the operation, but he was no match for the Holy Spirit.”
Ithiel chuckled and said, “You know the funniest thing about Lucifer, he enjoys being licked. One would have thought that he would by now be wise enough to know the futility of confronting the LORD God of hosts. Walk me down to the Chamber. You might be lucky to be invited to sit in for the debriefing session.”
Dathel wished with all his heart that the LORD would permit him to be part of the exercise. The situation in Nigeria had intrigued him to no end. He had desired to lead the team of angels deployed for that operation but it was not to be. The LORD knowing how thirsty he was for action, asked him to supervise the rescue of the three Missionaries who worked for Oxfam, a Christian organization before they were seized by the insurgents.
The Nigerian theater was eventually assigned to Ithiel, his first major assignment in Africa. He glanced at his companion, a seven-footer with sandy hair and dimpled cheeks. Ithiel perceiving the drift of his companion’s thought gave him a pat on the back and said, “The Great One is perfect in all His ways”.
As the two angels negotiated the last staircase leading to the Conference Hall, Dathel’s pager beeped. It was Gabriel. “You are to accompany Ithiel to the Chamber. His Majesty will be there in forty seconds. Enjoy the debriefing session”. The two friends broke into a trot. No angel has ever dared to turn up at an occasion presided over by the LORD in a lackadaisical manner.
They had barely sat down when the trumpet sounded; heralding the arrival of the most powerful being in all realms, the LORD God Almighty. He was accompanied by twenty-four elders dressed in white. The moment He sat down, the elders walked in a single file to seats prepared for them away from the podium where God sat alone.
A long blast of trumpet signaled the commencement of the briefing. Ithiel jumped to his feet without any prompting.
“Your Majesty, my team mates and I thank You for the opportunity to partner with You in the Nigerian project. Your Holiness, before we left for the operation, You gave us five specific instructions namely, one; that no Nigerian or foreigner residing in Nigeria or those impacted by events in that country should be coerced to accept Jesus Christ as savior, two; that no harm should befall any Nigerian that has taken refuge under the blood of Jesus through the Holy Communion, except those who reject Your mercy, three; that no foreign power should be allowed to interfere with the operation, except in line with Your will, four; that the Nigerian Government must be compelled to accede to demands presented by elders of Oporoma, and five; that the Nigerian military should be kept in check.
We are glad to inform Your Holiness that eight hundred thousand, six hundred and twenty-nine Nigerians willingly accepted Christ as their Savior in response to their encounters with the Holy Spirit at the Communion table. The converts include Ambassador Bawa Usman and his entire family. Twenty-eight Imams also found salvation. Outside Nigeria, the kingdom of darkness lost ten thousand Russians, including the KGB boss Valdimar Viktor; seven thousand Chinese; four thousand Kuwaitis and thousands of other nationalities.”
A deafening applause followed by a blast of trumpet greeted the glad tidings. Angels present at the briefing hugged each other while the elders bowed before God in worship. The celebration was unprecedented. The Lord added impetus to it when He stood up from His seat to touch the brow of Ithiel with His golden scepter. It was the highest honor any angel could receive for all eternity. This attracted another round of applause, but there was no tinge of envy among his colleagues. Heaven harbors no such base thought. It had been banished forever along with its progenitor, Lucifer.
As soon as the LORD returned to His seat, silence reigned once more. Ithiel regained his composure and continued with the briefing.
“Your Majesty, we watched over Enwa and his group, especially during the offensive against the coup plotters at Ikeja. Okwuechie and his men were routed. Three of his boys were killed, while Okwuechie and six others were captured alive. For his bravery, Enwa has been given double promotion to the rank of a General and appointed Chief of Army Staff to replace Okwuechie. The MOSSAD agents drafted from Israel have returned to their country. There was no casualty on the side of the Enwa-led team. On a sad note, we couldn’t save Augustine Iweke and members of his family. His intransigence cost him his life and those of his entire family.
Your Holiness, in implementing Your directives on the Ijaw question, we had to rely on the ingenuity of the Holy Spirit to pull down the strongholds of the enemy in the minds of the elite, since the President needed the consent of critical segments of the population in reaching an accord with Ijaw leaders on their demands. Initially, the President took only leaders of the National Assembly into confidence. They however, prevailed on him to align with key religious leaders across the divide considering the plurality of faiths in the country. To the surprise of the President and other Nigerians mobilized for the talks, the matter was leaked to a correspondent of the Daily Express, Njidda Abdullahi. Of course, we neutralized that threat.
That singular action gave the President and his team the opportunity to get their acts together. The negotiation was brisk because everyone involved understood the implication of unduly prolonging the plague, which at that time had claimed the lives of eighty-five thousand Nigerians. At the moment Your Majesty, normalcy has returned to most States, although it would take a while for the nation to rehabilitate burnt public structures and pacify individuals who lost their property and loved ones.”
Ithiel closed the file folder and handed it over to the Recorder, Rahel. In heaven, no file is ever closed except those of the redeemed of the Lord. Ithiel was elated to see a smile playing on the lips of His Master. As the LORD stretched out His scepter signaling the beginning of His speech, there was pin drop silence.
All eyes were on the occupant of the throne as He declared, “Justice and judgment are the foundation of My throne: mercy and truth go before my face. I can’t turn deaf ears to the cries of the oppressed. What has happened in Nigeria can be replicated elsewhere. I’m not partial in My choice of instruments for enforcing justice.
Let this be proclaimed in all realms that the wicked shall not go unpunished. My word is law. I am the LORD. Michael, uproot my arrow of judgment from Nigeria and shoot it towards Asia. It will find its mark. I would be glorified in the midst of the atheist nations. Dathel, collect the rod of judgment from Ithiel, you’re in charge of the Asian operation.”
END NOTES
- Pounded yam¬¬ —- a Nigerian delicacy made from yam tuber.
- ADC—–Aide De Camp
- Igbo —- One of the three major tribes in Nigeria.
- Shalom —- a Hebrew word for peace. Literarily, it means ‘peace is upon you.’
- Megida —- Hausa word for ‘husband.’
- Hajia —- Arabic word used to describe a female visitor to Mecca, the Muslim Holy Land.
- Alhaji —- male visitor to Mecca.
- Assalamun Alaikun —- Arabic for, ‘May the peace and blessing of God be with you.’
- Wa’alekum salam warahamatu wabarakatuhu —- ‘May the peace and blessing of Almighty God be upon you too.’
- Muslim Ummah — referring the entire Muslim population in a country or large territory.
- Dobry din Ser- Russian for ‘Good morning Sir.
- Kak bela? – Russian meaning ‘How are you’
- Charashe Ser- Russian for ‘I’m okay or I’m fine Sir’.
- Velikalepna!- Russian for ‘Good!’.
- Fatwa —- Arabic word for judgment.
- Ijaw —- one of the tribes in southern Nigeria laying claim to most of the
crude oil mined in that region. - Egbesu—- Deity worshipped by traditionalists in Ijaw nation. It played an important role in the agitation for resource control in Ijaw controlled territories within the Niger Delta. New members are initiated into the cult by persons said to have supernatural powers.