One cannot help being struck by the spate of deaths that occurred in the year that has just passed. I am not referring to those who left at what may pass as a ripe old age. Some left in their prime. And when you add those who passed away through the banditry that swept through the North-West and parts of North-Central, with particular reference to the horror in Plateau State, we are struck by the disarming verity of the statement that in a storm both the ripe and unripe fruits fall. We cannot say there is no storm blowing through the land.
Last week, the country was stunned to learn that Na’Abba, former Speaker, House of Representatives passed away, aged 65. His exit was followed closely by that of Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, one-time Governor of Anambra State and a prominent member of Ohanaeze. He departed at 85. Nigeria’s first chartered accountant, Mr. Akintola Williams passed away at the age of 104. Chief Chris Ogunbanjo, leading corporate lawyer and captain of captains of industries lost the will to continue to live after the demise of his friend, Mr. Akintola Williams and Chief Subomi Balogun, the renowned banker whom he was wont to call his younger brother. Chief Ogunbanjo left only about two months to clocking 100 years while Balogun exited at 88.
Highly esteemed Constitutional lawyer, Professor Ben Nwabueze also left. So did former Finance Minister, Onaolapo Soleye. Others who passed away were Nigeria’s first female Major-General Aderonke Kale; Taiwo Akinkunmi, Nigerian Flag designer; former Governor of Ondo State, Col. Anthony Obi; Ambassador Mansur Nuhu Bamali; the renowned Poet Olarenwaju Adepoju; General Ekundayo Opaleye, also one-time Governor of Ondo State; PDP National Woman leader, Professor Stella Affah-Attoa; first Federal Capital Territory Minister, Mobolaji Ajose-Adeogun, Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Ado Ibrahim; Appeal Court Justice Shagban Ikyegh; Major-General Bernard Onyenko, director of Defence Media Operations.
Nigeria’s entertainment world lost Dejumo Lewis of the Village Headmaster fame; film maker Peace Anyiam-Osigwe; Femi Ogunrombi a.k.a Papa Ajasco; Sunday Akanbi Akinola whose stage name was Feyikogbon; Favour Daniels; Muphy Afolabi; Ojo Arowosafe; Chidi Amadi; IleriOluwa Aloba (Mohbad)! Oladips who passed at 28! The entertainment world also lost Chikezie Uwazie and Obinna Nwafor. Within five months, nine Nollywood stars passed on. Worthy of mention, too, was the exit of Prince Abdulfatai Adeyemi, one of the sons of the late Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo.
Internationally, former U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Henry Kissinger of Shuttle Diplomacy fame, departed earthly life and so did Roselyn Carter, the wife of former President Jimmy Carter.
As if to cap it all was the death of Rotimi Akeredolu at 67 whose departure reverberated through the land, particularly in the South-West. Never for him what may be regarded as political correctness. He spoke as he saw things. He was not known to be lily-livered in matters of the defence of the people of south-west. As leader of South-West Governors Forum, he led his colleagues in setting up South-West security apparatus known as “Amotekun.” A former Nigerian Bar Association President and as leader of Southern Governors Forum, Akeredolu led the others in the group to press for power shift, the rotation of the national Presidency to the South. Be that as it may, my drive today is not yet pay tribute to Akeredolu, but discuss death and living at the beginning of a New Year.
As it is said, the bell tolls for you, it tolls for me; it tolls for us all, for every human being and for every creature. Since death is an inevitability for everyone, shouldn’t we reflect on where our paths lead us after this earthly life? We cannot have any better time to invite ourselves into a review of our journey so far in this valley of matter and deep contemplation on the way forward with a clean slate a New Year provides. Death has been an enigma from the beginning of life on earth. What is death? Why do people die? Must people die? What can we do to halt it, delay it or abolish it altogether? When we consider the pains it inflicts on man following the departure of his loved one, why can we not throw rockets at it so it can leave us alone? If we know the cause of death and we eliminate it, does it signal the prospect of one day our being able to abolish it and say, “Death where is thy sting..?” is that day coming when we human beings will, in triumphal jubilation, say to death, “Shame on you?” These have been the nagging questions we have been grappling with since the ancient of days. In all nations there is preoccupation with the issue of death. Because it is a stubborn occurrence that is never in any mood to go away soon, indeed will not go away soon, there is a part of science that is now primarily concerned with death. It is called hematology. Millions of dollars have been poured into doing research into the act of dying and death.
Death strikes cold shivers into the spine of multitudes. A great many avoid cemeteries and equally as many avoid processions in which pallbearers dance from one side of the road to the other, carrying caskets on their shoulders. As I was saying in the foregoing, children die; old people die and many pass away in their prime when they have everything going for them. In different parts of the world, people die from all manner of causes, from road or air crashes, or at sea. Many die in war and many in hospitals. Some die in their sleep. When children are born, there is the prayer that they may grow old and outlive their parents. It is a great pain verging on the unbearable for parents to see their children predecease them. And for children, regardless of age, the realisation of the definitive parting at the grave side hits them with the weight of lead. Death is such a great unknown, a great mystery. The generality of people regard death as a curse and punishment. Death is feared. For us in parts of Africa it is the enemies who have done their worst. The question, therefore, is what happens in death and where do we go when we die?
So far, all regard death as an inevitability, albeit grudgingly. It is the other end of the pole of life. He who is born will one day die. That is our experience; that is what everybody has been brought up to recognise and uphold. However, as scientists are wont to do two of them are predicating their assertion on immortality on genetic manipulation which would involve turning ‘bad’ genes into healthy ones, eliminating dead cells from the body, repairing damaged cells, treatments with stem cells and ‘printing’ vital organs in 3D.” The two scientists released a report a couple of years ago in which they spoke with certainty about the Death of Death come 2045. Their report published in the digital media at the time goes in part as follows:
“Death will be optional within just 27 years and ageing process will be ’reversible.’ Jose Luis Cordeiro born in Venezuela to Spanish parents, and Cambridge (UK) mathematician David Wood published their book Death of Death which they presented in Barcelona in which they assert that immortality is a real and scientific possibility that could come much earlier than originally thought.
“Humans will only die in accidents, never of natural causes or illness by around the year 2045.” There are other scientific arguments which they canvass that give them confidence that ageing can be reversed. They say for example: “Ageing is the result of DNA ‘tails known as ‘telomeres’ in chromosomes—of which every cell except red blood and sex cells has 23 pairs—becoming shorter, and reversing ageing involves lengthening the telomeres. They say telomeres become damaged and shortened with the passage of time, a process that speeds up in the event of toxins entering the body –smoking, alcohol and air pollution are among elements that reduce the length of telomeres, thus accelerating ageing.” The two scientists, Cordeiro and wood, according to the digital publication, believe that within 10 years, illnesses such as cancer will be curable…”
Over centuries, science has brought dramatic revolution into the wellbeing of mankind. Science has been employed to eliminate all manner of diseases; it has expanded man’s nutritional awareness and knowledge and brought about giant medical strides the combined effect of which in man’s manner of living, in the art of healing and in certainty of health remedies in general. Life expectancy has self-evidently been raised very high in all lands.
For instance, life expectancy in the United States in 1900-1902 was 47.9 years for men and 50.7 years for women. By 2006 this had risen to 75.7 years for men and 80.2 for women. National life expectancy is put at 78.8 years. Germany was 79.9 in 2006 and has gone up to 81.09 in 2016—for men, 78.7 for female 83.4. Canada is 82 years compared to 50 at the turn of the century. In the United Kingdom life expectancy is 81 years. Nigeria is 54.5 years with expectancy for women standing at 55.6 and men 53.4, according to WHO figures. In Ghana it is 62.4. Somalia is 55 years.
Since there can be no standstill in life as all life is motion, further development of science will also be product of the Law of Movement. Therefore, there is no doubt it that we have not seen the ultimate in the wonders of science and scientific discoveries. Whether we should expect the Death of Death is, however, a different kettle of fish. All matters by which are meant material substance are perishable. The body of man is a product of gross matter animated only by the spirit which uses it as its garment. Every man on earth is consisted of body, soul and spirit. The core of man is spirit. The physical body and the soul are dependent on the spirit. The core of the soul is spirit. The soul is made up of finer covering around the spirit. Therefore man is spirit. Every garment has tenure no matter how beautiful it may be. A time arrives when it is thrown away. It could be torn, or it can be discarded because it is too old and can no longer serve the purpose for which it was acquired. In the same way, no matter the degree of care we may give to the body, a time comes when the soul no longer in need of it discards it. In addition, by way of crude illustration, no matter how beautiful, no matter how well cared for the flowing garment we wear in the Tropics is, we throw it away when we are headed for Iceland where we would need a different kind of dress to fight cold and keep warm. This movement from one sphere to another, from one plane of existence to another, from the earth to the beyond is what we call death.
The earth is a school for our spiritual development. The end of one year opening the gate for a new one is a time of thanks giving for the Grace of an opportunity for spiritual maturity and for reflection on going forward. Spiritual progress can only be made when we avail ourselves of the pathfinder higher knowledge mankind is afforded today. Our sojourn is not designed to be permanent. No one remains in a school interminably. He either passes or he is expelled!
(To be concluded next week).
