Every dispensation has its struggle, differences and uniqueness. Ours seems to be more complicating as it stands to be a façade tinged with a mix of sadness and happiness.
Yet I believe a destruction, an annihilation that only man can provoke, only man can prevent so as much as the world has an instinct for evil and is a breeding ground for genocide, holocaust, slavery, racism, war, oppression, and injustice, the world has an even greater instinct for goodness, rebirth, mercy, beauty, freedom, truth and love.
“Hammad” or better still “Big Uncle”, we do call him as such depending on the mood arrayed within, since we lost Dad. He’s been living with us to my best of knowledge, since I knew the difference between Coke and my mom’s weekend Local concoction against Pile.
Big Uncle became even more of Family to us when Dad got stroke. I don’t know how he really came into our lives but Daddy saw him as an angel sent by Yeshua and after 17 years of my life with him I could say the same.
firstly, Dad’s driver then personal assistant at the Local government council and now, house manager. All through the moment dad battled “Melanoma”, he was with him, cares, medic and all, oh! less I forget, Hammad’s a great cook!
Two years after Dad’s long-term battle with much resilience and smiles through the pain which we couldn’t bare if we are to be sincere, we lost him.
It was a tough time for the family and Big Uncle as usual came through for us even his wife, Aaliyah came visiting from Bauchi and spent three months with us before returning home.
Things were quite awesome until the tribalism fever started!
Everyone was drowning in this wave of fear, division became the only solution in almost everyone’s view! it never really mattered to us until Dad’s friends and family started disturbing mom and interrogating us about Hammad!
Ham…mad! but why? you’ve all known him for how long now? 23 solid years! Does he look like a killer?!
They don’t write in the face oooh!…. They’re all the same, Abigail!… calling her by her first name. They even brought Grandma into this matter!
I and my little sister would stay in the room listening but Hammad lives in the other extension of the house with Mom’s younger brothers, so he was mildly aware.
Meanwhile, Hammad’s friends were just in the same boat as Dad’s family!
Kai Gaskiya! Hammad! They’re pagans! why do you keep staying with them, join us! they’re not like you!
What are you talking about! I’ve lived the bigger chunk of my years with them, after Aaliyah, they’re all I’ve got, they’re my Family! They’re not pagans, we are one in the eyes of Allah! Kai, what is wrong with all of you?! Hammad screamed at them in front of the mosque as they finished prayers and walked off – this was after they brought up the matter again like the 7th time!
He vowed never to return to the mosque as he retold the event to me and my sister after dinner.
Dad’s Family wants Hammad dead while Hammad’s friend wants us dead too!
Afterwhile, Hammad told Mom he would be traveling to see Aaliyah for few weeks. We would miss him but he promised to return, reassuring enough he left that fateful day!
Now, this is the third month after that fateful day, Hammad never got to Bauchi and he never returned!
Dad’s Family feels his disappearance is an answered prayer! those friends at the mosque are nowhere to be found too! Kofo, my little sister never stopped crying
Aaliyah is now a widow! Where did love go?
“An ideology that divides the world into those who are worth more and those who are worth less, into superior and inferior beings, does not have to reach the dimensions of the German genocide to be wrong”. – Amira Hass.
