It was a morning like any other. The birds were chirping melodiously, welcoming the sun and ushering in a new day. At the compounds of the Benue Institute of Human Development Studies, the students were moving around more than usual. There was a lot of chatter, a feeling of uncertainty in the air, you could almost smell it. The students were gathered in small groups, speculating about a mysterious email that they had received the previous day. They had no idea what to expect, not a clue why they had been directed to assemble in the school hall on a Saturday morning. From the lecture halls to the school dining halls and through the corridors of the dormitories, everyone wanted to know what was going on. And as you looked around the school, there was a distinct feeling of uncertainty written on each and every face. But if you looked closer, hiding in plain sight, was one face that dared to be calm in the midst of the uncertainty. And while others were searching for answers, she was asleep in her room, unbothered and completely oblivious to what was going on around her.
“Jane! Jane! Wake up.” Jane woke up to the face of one of her roommates Anita, “Finally,” Anita said, “I’ve been trying to wake you up for almost 2 hours.” Jane looked around the room adjusting her eyes to the sunlight that pierced through the window and plastered the image of the oak tree onto the floor. “Wake up we’re going to be late.” Anita said while she walked towards the edge of Jane’s bed. Jane stretched her arms and legs and let out a loud yawn, she placed her hand on her chin and stared at Anita for a while.
“Late for what?” she asked Anita, “I thought we were done with our field work.”
“Didn’t you get that email?” Anita asked Jane as she walked towards her bed, “We’ve all been told to assemble at the hall.”
“On a Saturday?” Jane asked.
“Yes,” Anita replied, “The email said that it starts at 9:30 a.m. so we better not be late.”
“What’s the meeting for?” Jane asked while still squirming inside her bed, “And who called for it?”
“Nobody knows.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that the memo hasn’t been signed by anyone in particular. It was, however, sent through the school’s server so we’re pretty sure someone from inside the school must have sent it.”
“We? Who is we?”
“By ‘we’ I mean me and the rest of the school. The memo especially specified that it was mandatory for all students to attend.”
“Something about this doesn’t sound right at all. If it was sent by someone in administration then why was the memo not signed?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they just forgot to sign it.”
Jane crawled up from under her sheets and got out of the bed. She stretched her arms and yawned. She walked towards the edge of her bed and stood at the window, looking outside into the compound. She observed the area. And one by one, she could pick out the faces of the students whom she knew. Everyone was in school, on a Saturday, how could that be? She thought to herself. How could a mere memo, an unsigned memo, have this much power? She thought. There was something that she was missing. There must be something else going on.
“Give me your phone. I want to see the memo.” She said to Anita who was laying on her bed.
“You need to get ready Jane,” Anita said as she took out her phone from underneath her pillow, “I told everyone I wouldn’t leave the room without you.”
“I will in a bit,” Jane said as she reached out for the phone, “I need to see check something first.”
Jane took the phone and proceeded to sit on the edge of Anita’s bed. She opened her email application and logged in to the student’s email.
“When did you receive that email?”
“Umm… Yesterday around maybe 7 p.m.”
“Why would an official email from the school be sent that late? Working hours end at 5:30.”
“I think you are reading into this too much. It’s just an email.”
“It’s a memo directing every single student on campus to assemble at the hall on a Saturday morning without mentioning the objective of this so-called ‘meeting’ or who is going to be addressing us. I’d say that’s a cause for concern.”
“You think that there is something else going on?’
“There must be. And this email is going to help me find out.”
Jane scrolled through Anita’s emails and came across one email that looked particularly mysterious. It was untitled with no sender information whatsoever and had been received at 7:14 p.m. Jane opened the email and read it intensively. She scrolled to the bottom of the email to check the email details but found nothing of interest.
“How do you know it was sent through the school’s server?”
“Give me the phone. You see if you scroll past the memo really fast you’ll see black horizontal bands.”
“Yes I see it. What is that?”
“I don’t know what it is exactly but from what I hear is that they are used to keep the contents of the email safe. Apparently every single email they send has those bands.”
“What’s your source?”
“I have a friend at the IT department. He is the one who traced the email back to the school’s server.”
“A friend?” Jane asked doubtfully, “That still doesn’t explain why the memo isn’t signed by anyone. It could be a prank and I am not about to let some random person ruin my plans for the day.”
“Whichever plans you had I’m sure you can do them after the meeting. Now go get ready. I really don’t want to be late.”
“I hope you’re right about this. I have a bad feeling about all this.”
“You’re sure you’re not just hungry?”
“Implying that I can’t be hungry and have a bad feeling about something at the same time?”
“We’ll pass by the dining hall on our way to the meeting. Now can you please go get ready? I swear you are giving me a headache.
“Better me than that IT guy, right?” Jane said as she walked towards her bed. She grabbed her towel and wore her slippers. She then walked towards the door and looked back at Anita.
“I hate you.” Anita said. Her face was red all over.
“Next time you’ll think about that before waking me up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday.” Jane walked out of the room to the corridor
“It’s mandatory!” Anita’s voice echoed through the corridor.
“It’s mandatory.” Jane repeatedly sarcastically as she walked into the bathroom stalls.
At 8:30, students had begun to stream into the school’s dining hall. There was still a lot of chater, it was almost 9 a.m and no one knew what the meeting was about, it was quite an odd predicament. Nevertheless, imaginations began to run wild, several theories were brought forward, each more questionable than the last. Everyone was eager to know, who had summoned the entire student community during unofficial school hours and what was the reason behind it.
“Maybe someone died. That’s got to be it right?” The students began to speculate,
“Maybe quality control wants to close down the school.”
“Maybe our success rates are low and they want to find out what’s going on with us.”
“It could be anything. Literally. I don’t think it’s anything school related. If it was, the meeting would have been called during a weekday,not the weekend. And it would be held by our respective colleges or departments. This was a very vague invitation to meet. It must be something else.”
“It seems very suspicious that the memo was anonymously sent to us. It could be anyone. It could be one of our professors, or a random student trying to prank us.”
“Our professors don’t even make time for us during weekdays, none of them would waste their weekends here.’
“Exactly. It must be a student. This must be a prank. We’ve all been duped.”
“There’s no way of knowing that for sure. Let’s just wait till the meeting starts to find out. Let’s not jump into any conclusions.” Anita said as she and Jane walked through the pathway towards the dining hall.
“This is a waste of time.” Jane replied, “This is clearly a prank. And I have better things to be doing than wasting my time in this cramped up space with people I don't even know for God knows how long.”
“Well we still have 14 minutes before the meeting starts. If it’s a prank then we’ll both leave and I will admit to having wasted your Saturday morning.”
“If it is a prank then you owe me an entire Saturday.”
“An entire Saturday? How am I supposed to give you an entire day?’
“We’ll figure something out.” Jane said as she chuckled. She held on to Anita's arm as they walked into the school dining hall. She was starving and a little bit annoyed by her Saturday being disrupted. But the thought of a good meal courtesy of Anita’s pocket money kept her happy and at ease.
“The hall is almost filled. I didn’t think you could pull this off.” Pamela said as she peeked through to the audience from the backstage
“You can’t give me all the credit. I had some help.” The professor replied. He was tidying grooming himself in front of a mirror while he was seated
“‘You had a lot of help. It’s like the entire school is here.”
“I would hope so. For my plan to work and need a large audience. My time is running out.”
“Your time?”
“Yes my time. Here on this planet. My beloved Avulan. I have aided too much evil. Turned a blind eye to the wrong doings of those that are closest to me. But no more, I shall not be silenced anymore.”
“Do you mean?”
“Yes. It is time I let my students know what is actually going on around them. Our society shields them from the truth. Our education system paralyses their need to be aware. And I am partly to blame for that. That is why the truth must come from me.”
“What of your life?”
“I have lived my life. I have learnt and grown, been happy and sad. I have grieved and I have been joyous at the presence of new life. I have traveled and been still. I laughed and I cried. I have been here and there. I have been inspired by those that came before me, but am yet to inspire those that will carry on after me. And that is what I aim to do today.”
“But these are children. They may be of age but their perception of life around them is warped. How do you aim to inspire those that do not know any other life other than their own?”
“I will speak my truth. Those that will listen, will hear me. My words, they will absorb and feel everything that i have felt up to this moment in time. It is my duty to them and to myself. I must speak my truth to them, they will hear me.”
“But what if they don’t. What if your truth falls on deaf ears. Will your sacrifice have been for nothing?”
“What i’m about to do today, is far much greater than me, or you, or even them. It is a part of something else. Something big. Something unimaginable and unattainable. But through calm and faith, in time, we shall all get there. But it starts here with me, today, in this hall.”
“What do you mean?”
“I had a dream. I don’t remember when or what it was even about. But I remember that night, I had a sudden feeling of being overwhelmed. I knew that it was time that the truth came out, but I wasn't ready for the ramifications, i feared for my life, and that of my family. And that night i went with that thought in my mind, of what to do, how to go about it. And when i was asleep i saw something, i didn’t know what it was, who it was, it felt real, i interacted with it, spoke to it and it in turn spoke to me. All I remember was that i woke up feeling calm, i knew what i wanted to do, what i was supposed to do. It’s not about me, it’s about my contributions, how the people will remember me, that is why I do this, why I fought all those years ago for freedom and for liberty, each path that I have taken since I was brought into this life has led me to this exact moment. And because of that dream, I am ready for everything else that is to come after today. As it was meant to happen, I shall not hold back any longer, it is my destiny and I am not great enough to interfere with my own fate.
“What of your loved ones? Your wife? Your granddaughter. They will be devastated if anything were to happen to you professor.”
“I would never do anything that would put any of them at risk of danger. They know me, who I am, and what I stand for. They know that whenever I fight, I'm always fighting for them. And whenever I am not there, they fight for themselves. We are a family of fighters. We are strong, resilient, practical. I have no doubt that they will both be okay, even without my presence.”
“There is nothing that I or anyone else can say to you right now in order for you to change your mind. You’ve already made your decision about this. Are you sure that this is the path that you want to take?”
“This is the path that i am supposed to take. And I will walk through it without fear.”
“Okay then. I think it’s time now.”
“Pamela.”
“Yes professor.”
“Take care of her.I know her heart. She has the strongest will of any of us. She will want answers, demand for them. I need you to guide her when i’m not around.I have faith, but i’m sure there is no way i’m going to survive this.”
“You are a good man professor.”
“Not good enough my dear. Not good enough.”
The professor walked towards the stage curtains and peaked through to the audience. He looked around while the students continued to stream into the hall. His eyes quickly skimmed through the audience, he was looking for someone but to no avail.
“I don’t see her.”
“It’s already 9 a.m. professor. It’s time for your speech. Inspire them.”
From the audience, there was a lot of commotion. Suddenly, the professor emerged from backstage and he walked onto the stage towards the podium, silence engulfed the entire vicinity of the hall.
“It’s Vice Chancellor Wakwanza!” the students started saying among themselves. They were all visibly shocked and confused as to why the Vice Chancellor would assemble the entire school in such an unprofessional and unofficial way.
“I told you it wasn’t a prank. Professor Mathu is the one who called for this meeting.”
“Ssh! Be quiet! We want to hear what the professor has to say.”
Professor Mathu stood at the podium in silence. In his hands was a copy of his speech that he had prepared. The spotlight was on him. No one spoke or moved a muscle. And just as he was about to speak, she appeared. At the hall door, Anita and Jane walked hand in hand, oblivious to what was going on. Professor Mathu looked at her, with a sadness in his eyes, he knew that it was the last time he was to see his granddaughter. But all in all, he was grateful that she would be present to hear his final speech to the school.
“Good morning students. Today is not an official school day and I know you are all wondering why I summoned you all here. I am going to keep my speech as brief as I possibly can, but I want to ask that you listen to what I have to say, attentively and internalize what you hear intensively. This may be the last speech I ever give so I hope you do not take my sacrifice lightly.
Over the years, I have served here as your Vice Chancellor with the utmost respect and care for all of you, your well beings and your futures. I made sure that each and every individual that was hired here, as an educational provider, shared in my sentiments as well. Being an institution that prepares the young minds for the further development of the human species, I made it a point to ensure that those same values that i pass on to you, that you incorporate in your daily lives coincide with my own ethics and values not only as your Vice Chancellor, but as an individual human being whose actions have the power to influence those around me. But that, unfortunately, has not been the case.
I have fallen victim to the trap of conformism. Been a slave to the hierarchy of power that has infiltrated into our society and has continued to dominate over the past couple of years. It might seem strange that I come to all of you, my students with this kind of information, but in time, those that will listen and hear me, will discover that there is a world of deceit and lies that has formed the very backbone of that which we call, the Benuan society. The society which you live in, it has provided you with food, you and your families houses to live in, it provides jobs for your parents which in turn bring in income, medical services to keep you all healthy and an educational system which claims to give our youth all the necessary tools and information that they need to navigate through life as a ‘product’ of Benue. I am here to tell you all today, that all of this is a facade, a lie and I am intent on giving you all this information, even if it costs me my own life.
Forgive me if i’m being too forward, but I know now that I have peaked your interest. Now let’s break down the Benuan society into bits and pieces until you truly understand what I mean when I say that you’ve been lied to, bamboozled; this is all an illusion. Let’s go back to the beginning. No not the beginning of time, but the beginning of humanity. We had begun to organize ourselves. Rising further and further up the evolutionary ladder. And once the plate tectonics stepped in, we were separated. We evolved differently, depending on which side of Avulan evolution decided you were going to stay at. And we struggled to survive, we built our communities. We started to gather resources from our locale, and these resources in turn gave us wealth. As is the norm now, as it was way back when, more access to resources would in turn make you wealthy, and more wealth ultimately gave you more power. And the hierarchy of humanity began. Those that had more access to resources, controlled valuable resources and were able to manipulate the masses, they were able to flip the narrative of the human species to their own favour. And those people passed on their wealth to their families and in turn became more and more powerful from one generation to the next. One particular family which, at the time, controlled over three-quarters of a land then called Nasha, yearned for more. They were consumed by the illusion of power and craved it more and more. So they sailed on their ships and came across 5 ‘unclaimed’ new lands. They attacked and massacred natives of Natona, Syrona, Chakara and Benue. Out of the 5 new lands, only one was left untouched, Misabat, the land of mystery. Their conquest over these 4 new lands proved one thing, that across the lands and the seas,the Nashan empire was to be feared and to be respected. In a way, they had established their rule over Avulan. A rule that, because of conformists like me, has gone on for far too long.
It is because of people like me that , to this day, none of these 4 lands have ever been free from the grip of the now called Kamashan empire. It is because of us that the core values of our humanity have been stripped away from us, they now lie along with the graves of those who fought tirelessly for a freedom that never came. We have become so alienated from the law of the universe,to give and to receive, that we have forgotten our place in the order of time, and if we do not get things back into order we risk the wrath of mother nature. But if you want to know more about the dangers of living obnoxiously on borrowed time, go ask the dinosaurs. The Kamashan empire successfully intimidated us into a mode of life that benefited them, we work for them, we work for their companies and industries but we make a fraction of what they earn in a single second. And as a result of this, the basic Kamashan societal structure is anchored in the pre-existing structure of capitalism that the empire had established all those years ago, and the same is happening right now in our home Benue. The elites began to profit out of a system that had been created by the labour, blood, sweat and tears of those that were deemed of lower economical and political value. This system is still going on in Natona, in Syrona, in Chakara and is especially felt here in Benue, where the economic and social divide is so large, you can almost see it in colour.
Now is not the time to conform. But modern day conformists are running rampant in Benue. They have infiltrated into our societies. They mask their actions, make us see what they want us to see, give us the information that is favourable to their image. They make the modern day Benuan blind to what is really going on outside the walls of this paradise that we all call home. And if you’ve ever wondered who these modern day conformists are, you need only look above
To the legislature, who make laws that keep our people controlled, chained to the system that has been put in place to oppress the underprivileged in our communities. They grant more power to the powerful while leaving the disenfranchised to fend for themselves in this dog eat dog society
To the judiciary who have repeatedly failed to hold those who commit injustices towards the Benuan people accountable for their actions and crimes against humanity. They let fear and corruption fuel their selective upheaval of the so-called ‘law of the land’
And to the executive,our supposed heads of state. Who instead of fulfilling the needs of the people that they claim to represent, have chosen to selectively enforce the law. Putting personal interests above those of the collective and have failed on several occasions to use their political prowess to do better even when the situation required them to.
To those in high places with bright faces. Those who are visible and have loud voices which can be heard by great masses. Who are quick to use their voices when it is time to collect their coins but will never use these same voices to amplify the plight of the underprivileged even in their own communities
To the media who have continuously contributed to the spread of misinformation; falsified and half-arsed and continue to indulge the general public in non-factual propaganda fueled by powerful people who control their outlets. They have censored important stories and people who are critical to the history of Benue. And just like me, have stopped asking the important and uncomfortable questions; is what we are doing right?
It is because of conformism that Benue suffers. In the hands of our own government, we have never known peace. We have never known what it is like to grow as the universe grows, at our own pace and in our own time. We have only known the cruel rule of an iron fist. All those years ago, the Kamashan empire forced us to evolve and in turn, we have offset the balance and order of Avulan. I know that most of you here are the descendants of the great land of Natoni. That your grandparents and parents moved here to Benue not so long ago. In search of a better life and for better opportunities than the ones at home. If you are one of these people I want to say this to you directly. Even though your blood is not Benuan, the fight for freedom is also your own.We need to come together, whether you are Natoni, Chakaran, Syronian or Benuan, this is our fight, because Benue is our home collectively. You need to be the initiators, your parents will not fight this fight, your grandparents have already fought their own battles. The freedom of your home is in your hands now. There are so many families, entire communities that are suffering right now because of hundreds of years of oppression and unequal distribution of resources. They need someone to intervene, and that is why I called all of you here.
Some of you have listened but have not understood. And some that have understood, are scared and do not know how to go about it. But to those of you that have listened, understood, and do not fear, those that want to be a voice for the countless families that are in need in Natona, in Syrona, in Chakara and in Benue, I want you to know that the Universe will make a way for you. It is time that we all stand up and do what’s right, we have strength in numbers and by faith we shall overcome. Initiate, mobilize and instigate. That is my message for you all today, I have played my part, now it’s time for you to take over. Thank you all for your time.”
The audience was left in awe. The students were all in complete shock from what the professor had told them. It was a lot to take in, a lot to process. In just a mere 35 minutes the professor had dismantled their entire reality, what it was to be truly a part of the Beunan society, they all saw it as a false reality; an illusion. There was no doubt in the professor’s mind that he had successfully infiltrated the thoughts and minds of his impressionable students. It was time that they learnt the truth of their beginnings and time that they acknowledged that there was still work to be done before anyone in Benue could take pride in their society and their communities. The professor looked into the audience again, this time all his attention was on one particular student, his granddaughter, Jane.
Once they locked glances, they were stuck onto each other. Communication not through words, but through the sheer power of the emotions that their eyes portrayed to one another. An obvious sadness covered Jane’s entire face. She was nailed to the ground and had not moved since the professor’s speech began. Anita kept looking at her, she held her hand for support but Jane’s attention was glued to her grandfather, giving what he referred to as the last speech that his students would ever hear from him. Tears started streaming down her face, she was quite overwhelmed. All she wanted was a calm, peaceful Saturday morning, just as she’s had in the past. But fate had different plans for Jane and it was all because of her grandfather’s speech.
One by one, the students started to rise up and clap. Sending praise to the professor, chanting together in unison, “... We shall not fear. We shall fight. And in faith, we have might ”. Their chanting became louder and louder, drawing attention towards the school hall. However, the professor’s attention was still on Jane. She began to look around the hall and she watched on as her fellow students cheered her grandfather on, not knowing that he had just signed his own death wish in front of their very eyes. It was all too much for Jane, she couldn’t bear the thought of not being with her grandfather, who had raised her since she was an infant. In the heat of the moment, Jane broke away from her grandfather’s glances and rushed out of the hall. Anita followed swiftly behind her, “Jane!” Anita shouted, “Jane please wait!”. The professor attempted to leave the podium and follow her, to console her and explain himself but was promptly stopped by his secretary who rushed to the stage and blocked him.
“We need to leave,” Said Pamela, “It’s not safe for you to be here right now.”
“What of my granddaughter?” The professor asked while being dragged out of the stage, “What of Jane. She needs me right now.”
“Jane will be fine,” Pamela replied ,”I will check on her later. But we really need to leave now. The students are causing too much commotion. We had not planned for this.”
“Promise me that you will take care of her.” The professor said. He was distraught by the thought of potentially hurting his granddaughter, “I did this for her. The truth needed to see the light.”
“I promise you that.” Said Pamela, “Now we really have to leave before anyone else gets wind of what is going on in here.”
Pamela along with some other students escorted the professor out of the hall and safely into his car that was parked right outside the hall. As he was driving out, the students marched alongside his car, chanting and cheering, “...We shall not fear! We shall fight! And in faith, we have might!”
He looked out of his window and realized that he had accomplished what he had sought out to do, that which he had been instructed to do; to inspire a new generation of young people who later would bring the much needed change to Benue and later on to the rest of Avulan. But in his mind, he could only think of one thing, his beloved granddaughter Jane, what she thought of him now and how he would fix things between them before his time inevitably came.
A week after the professor’s speech, Jane lay asleep on her bed in her dormitory. She had not seen nor heard from her grandfather since the day of the meeting which was referred to as ‘the day of sight’. And true to its name, the day of sight saw the awakening of several students who for many years had been blinded to the truth. Several clubs and organizations were being formed. All through the school there were recruitment posters plastered on each announcement board. ‘...Are you ready for change? Join us and be a part of the vision!’ The posters proclaimed. It was clear that the students were hungry for change, thanks to professor Mathu who sought to speak up and let his students know what was actually going on in their homes, in their region. What had happened before, what was happening and what will happen if someone does not take a stand against the current regime. Professor Mathu had evidently initiated something big. And in the years to come, it would lead to a domino effect of events that would go down as the most successful organized scheme in Avulan history. But true to his own words, professor Mathu would not be around long enough to see any of it come to fruition.
“Jane! Jane! Wake up Jane!” Anita shouted urgently as she tugged on Jane, ushering her to wake up. Jane reluctantly woke up and opened her eyes to Anita’s face at the edge of her bed.
“Don’t you learn?” Jane said while she turned away from her. She then covered her face with her blanket, “I told you to stop waking me up on Saturdays.”
“Yes I know that,” Replied Anita, “But this is different. Something has happened.”
“If it’s about your boyfriend i already told you that i don’t like him. I don’t trust those IT guys.”
“No Jane it’s not about Fred. You really need to come with me.”
“To go where?” Jane asked, “The sun is barely up.”
“We need to go to the TV room. Something has happened. It’s about the professor.”
Jane immediately jerked from underneath her blanket. She turned and looked at Anita who in turn looked down to the ground.
“What happened to the professor?” Jane asked hastily, “Anita, what has happened to my grandfather?”
“I think it’s best if you hear the first hand report.”
Jane flew out of her bed and into her sandals. She rushed out of her room while Anita hurriedly tried to follow behind her. They ran through the corridors, bumping into other students along the way until they finally made it to the end of the corridor to the TV room. The room was packed with other students,and once they saw Jane, they looked at her with sadness.
“I’m not coming in,” Jane said, “What’s all this about?.”
The other students glanced at each other. One girl who was seated right next to the TV took the remote and turned it on to the Benuan Broadcasting Channel who were in the middle of airing a breaking news report.
“Sad news today coming from the Benue Institute of Human Development Studies as the Vice Chancellor of the prestigious school was today morning found dead along the streets of his hometown in Eastern Benue. Witnesses that were on the scene of the crime reported to authorities that Vice Chancellor Wakwanza was seen heading out of a local pharmacy early today morning before he was eventually shot and killed. The pharmacist reported that the Vice Chancellor had called him the previous night and complained of a severe headache and a dry cough.
‘He told me that he couldn’t leave the house and if there was any way I could have his medication delivered to him. But I was alone for the morning shift today and i couldn’t leave the pharmacy unattended so there was no way i could deliver the medication to him. He then told me not to worry, that he would come for it first thing in the morning. He came in and we talked for a while before I gave him his prescription. I told him to call me if he needed anything else or if he had any other problem. He then paid me and left the pharmacy. Less than a minute later I started to hear gunshots. I ducked into the counter and stayed there for around 35 minutes before I decided to peek through the glass window to see what was actually going on. And when I look out, I see the professor, his body lying on the ground; lifeless and motionless. I immediately called for an ambulance and I rushed outside to his side. It is so sad. How could anyone do this to the professor. Everyone around here knew him. He was a good man. He was educated and he strived to educate others, to better our communities. Now they have deprived us of his charisma and his spirit. It is truly a sad day here at Eastern Benue.’
It is truly a sad day for Eastern Benue and Benue as a whole. The fraternity of the Benue Institute of Human Development Studies also released a statement earlier today which was penned by the Vice Chancellor’s right hand Pamela Brown, stating that:
‘...We are all extremely heartbroken over the loss of our beloved Vice Chancellor. We will continue to send love and comfort to all those who have been inspired by the late professor Mathu Wakwanza and those who continue to follow in his footsteps and believe in the professor’s vision to make Benue a better place for us all. And as we all mourn today, let as not forget that even though the professor is no longer with us, to interact with us and to teach us, that his light still shines upon us, that all the knowledge he shared is still present with us and that whenever we carry out his vision, he is always truly among us and our communities.’
More news on this developing story coming later.”
Jane could not believe it, she felt a knife pierce through her heart. It was an agonizing pain in her mind. She wanted to cry but her anger outweighed her sadness. She looked out into the TV room, everyone was silent as they looked onto her, waiting to see what she would do next.
“Switch the TV off.” ordered Jane. the girl with the remote swiftly switched it off while the entire room remained completely quiet. Jane looked at Anita who had stood beside her the entire time. She gave her a look of reassurance, that of strength and resilience. Jane then walked into the room and stood. She looked around the room again and channeled all her anger and frustration to her voice. It was time she joined in her grandfather’s vision.
“Today my heart breaks. Not only for my grandfather and my home, but for the future of Benue as a whole. I grieve for the thousands if not hundreds of thousands of youth that will not be able to be guided by the professor, for all those that will not be inspired by him and his countless works in our communities. I grieve for all that information that the professor had not shared with us, those that could educate us on what to do, how to bring about change in this stagnant society that we all call home. I grieve for every single person whose life the professor had touched, had changed and had given meaning. He had this superpower to help anyone see the good in themselves, even in the smallest of ways. He was an inspiration, a leader, and this past week he did what most leaders are shy away from, which is to put those that you lead above yourself. He was a beacon of hope, his faith in the Universe has surpassed anything that I or anyone else who knew him personally could have ever imagined of. And now, his work is done. He is no longer with us, but before he left, he inspired all of us to do better, risked his life, his health and his own safety so that we were no longer in the dark. He put his trust in all of us, and now it is time for us to get to work. We need to get organized and ensure that we re-educate ourselves, our families and our communities. We need to move as a unit so that we bring change to the entirety of Benue. And just as the professor said, we need to move without fear, but with faith that the universe has much greater plans for us. We only need to listen and allow ourselves to be led by a power far greater than anything else, we need to see to it that his vision for us sees the light of day, even if it takes forever, we will get there. We need to work smarter, work together and most importantly, work in faith.”
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