After reading through the story of this woman, I had two thoughts fighting for recognitions in my heart; the first was how wicked can the hearts of humans be towards their fellow human beings and when will our leaders stem the tide of gross insecurities ravaging the land staring us at our faces almost on daily basis? Why? The story of Blessing James, a widow in her early 40s (culled from Business Day, page 11, $ Dollar-A-Day section, Wednesday 25th July, 2012 edition) can happen to anyone. Read and learn;

Blessing’s husband died in ‘Under Bridge,’ Ikeja, Lagos, December 25, 2007, leaving her with eight children. This is Blessing in her own words; “Before my husband’s death, I was into printing of recharge cards and making of yoghurts and ice creams. I started about 15 years ago and I was earning to support my husband who was a marketing manager with an oil company. We were living in a rented four-bedroom house in Opebi, Ikeja. My husband was completing our own house – a duplex in Lekki when he died. His elder brother moved in with us at Opebi and showed so much concern for the children, such that when he asked for the Lekki house documents I gave it to him. Unknown to me, he sold the property and traveled to USA, I went to the house, met someone who took me to the new landlord and I was shown the evidence that the house had been sold. With eight children, I could not cope with paying house rent. My husband wanted many children and thought he could train them but for his death at the age of 38 years.”

Blessing continued, “My husband also had a bungalow of 12 rooms and two shops. Since the house belonged to us, I would not have problems with rent if we relocate to Jos. I would also be able to do trading in one of the shops. So, I took my eight children to Jos in December 2010. On February 15, 2011, some northerners came to our community in Bukuru Jos, they burnt down houses, including my house, they attacked and killed Christians with cutlasses, machetes, knives and arrows. They killed my second son who was 17 years, the fourth child, a girl, who was 13 years, the fifth who was 11 years and the sixth who was 9 years at the time. They attacked me with a cutlass and cut my left leg. The military came later and found me with others in a pool of blood. When they discovered I was still breathing, I was taken to a government hospital in Vom. The State Governor (Jonah Jang) and a Monarch came and we were given lots of provisions. But after several days at the hospital, we were no longer given treatment except those who had relatives to pay for drugs prescribed. Some patients’ relatives took them to other hospitals to receive proper treatment.”

Still talking, “Fortunately, a neighbor had rescued my seventh child, a girl who was five at the time and the last boy who was three years. My first and third son had also escaped. I left the hospital, found my children in the army and police barracks. ‘The Young Shall Grow’ bus provided free ride to all refugees to different destinations. I returned on such a ride with my four surviving children to Lagos in December 2011 and we slept in the park at Maza Maza for three days until someone gave us the shed we now live in. We have been living from hand to mouth!

This is the moving story of Blessing James, a victim of the ill-fated February 15, 2011 Jos crisis in Bukuru. Currently, this widow, lives in a wooden shed with four children who survived the Jos massacre, after two readers of the BusinessDay $Dollar-A-Day section, felt for her and gave her a =N=50,000 and the second =N=6,000 to start her yoghurt and ice cream business. She was told at Orthopaedic hospital, Igbobi that her leg would have to be operated upon because crumbs of bones keep falling off from time to time from the spot. During cold weather, the pain from this part of her leg becomes so intense. Considering the plight of this woman, one can deduce that, that singular act of her husband’s elder brother brought all this evil upon her and her 4 children – what a world we live in!

Points to consider in this pathetic story:
• The bungalow her husband left for her which was destroyed by the Islamic insurgents will never be compensated for!
• The trauma this woman went through with the pathetic loss of her four children is traceable to the deliberate and wicked acts of the elder brother to her husband. The attitude of the demonic elder brother of her husband is a real picture of what is obtainable in many homes as far as Nigeria is concerned.
• Indeed, we don’t have a caring and working government that for once considers the plight of the suffering masses.
• Many women are going through the same grim situation (if not worst) as this woman in Nigeria right now.
• Indeed, the heart is a survival tool that will try to work out and adapt to any grim situation it is placed. May God bless Nigeria and Nigerians!