There are many event from about twenty five years ago that are significant but one that never ceases to hunt me was the death of Yemi. Let me give a little background, Yemi was about six years old at the time and lived with his aunty, he was very quiet, lovable and oh so handsome. He could have grown up to become anything if he were alive now as he was attending a good school and his aunt doesn’t seem bothered taking good care of him. One day tragedy struck as there was a stray dog living with the pastor beside our house and as Yemi was crossing from his auntie’s house to our house early in the morning the dog bit Yemi and Yemi did what a helpless six year old should do he cried for help. This should not be very special as people get bitten by dogs regularly but then they need medical care they need anti-rabies vaccines, cleaning of wound etc and that was where the devil waited for us in that community.

Yemi’s guardian Baba Ibeji made the decision rather than seek medical opinion or take him to a pharmacist for these shots etc took him to a Traditional-medical center and came back full of boasting that the dog would die and that he has been administered herbs, I was a teenager but I have always had an empirical mind and I questioned the decision pleaded that the boy should at least be given anti-rabies but my plea fell on deaf ears, long story short as the days went bye my worst fears was confirmed young Yemi full of life started showing signs of rabies infection and was rushed to the general hospital where after some days, money spent and more effort wasted he died, no one was held to account and oh the poor dog it took Officer Dele shooting it with a gun to end it’s miserable life.

I know what you are thinking right, how uneducated could they have been in our community, how stupid and arrogant could Baba Ibeji have been not listening to young scrawny Micheal but then you would be missing the point, everyday I meet young people and old who could not care about a differing opinion, and the most terrible of these lots are the very religious and deeply cultural ones. The spell on Africans is that largely that we do not question our own orthodoxies or beliefs and ask ourselves how has this my belief served me, could there be a better alternative to how I am living my life now, might there be something however little bitty that I am missing. The good book says “In the multitude of counsel there is safety” and it called a certain people fair minded because they went home searched if what a great man told them was true. Guess what the traditional-medical center still exists today my own family, some siblings still patronize it. I ask myself every time how is my belief shaping me, what am I missing and I am so paranoid about it and so should you if you will like to finish well and strong.

I am always rooting and praying for your success..

Love
Micheal.