In my 83 years of being alive, God has helped me achieve so much and I want to thank Him for it.
I lost my father at the age of 10 and this exposed me to a very early life of struggle. By the grace of God, I was able to achieve as many Teacher Training Certificates as I could lay my hands on. I proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. However, during the war, I had to relocate to Lagos and there I went into journalism. Later on, I moved to Ibadan were I had my first degree in English and relocated to Port Harcourt to continue in journalism. I was one of those who pioneered the Nigerian Tide, a newspaper publication in Rivers State. I got married on the 1st of October 1960, and my wife, Martha, automatically bore the name “Independence Wife.”
Later on, I went into the Nigerian Army where I grew to the rank of a Major. While in the army, I studied and got a second degree and after my retirement, I went into lecturing. I lectured for 18 years in different higher Institutions and today I am retired, happy and grateful to the Almighty God for the journey so far.
At the age of eighty, I survived a cardiac arrest. When I was young, in my ignorance and youthful exuberance, I told myself that I did not want to live up to eighty years. This was because in the rural areas where I lived, people within the ages of sixty to eighty years had become a liability to their relations and I did not want that. Then I forgot all about it. When I turned 79, the Devil reminded me of the pronouncement I made years ago. I became very worried as I was getting sick all the time. I went for prayers here and there, all to no avail. One day, I went to Pastor Charles and Pastor Nkechi, and I told them what I said when I was young and that it looked like it was catching up with me. I knew I wanted to live for more years and I asked them to pray for me and they did. At the end of my meeting with them that day, I knew it was over, I became more courageous and I was not thinking of death any more. I began to declare God’s Word that says that I shall not die but I shall live to give glory to God Almighty. I had peace and I celebrated my eightieth birthday. I was so happy I made it, God forgave me and I want to advise young people to be careful with their words.
In the month of November, I started having problems in my chest and when I went to the hospital, I was told that a cardiac arrest was imminent. Later on, my wife had a health challenge and we had to go to Lagos and by the time we came back, the condition in my chest was going down hill. My chest became tight and I could no longer breathe, I felt like I was dying. My family rushed me to the Military Hospital; there Pastor Nkechi called and prayed with me. When the condition became acute, the hospital had to discharge me because they could no longer help me and the doctor who was handling my case before I travelled with my wife had also withdrawn himself after a while. I was taken to another hospital and by this time, my blood pressure was high, I could not eat, my legs were swollen, and I could not walk. This was the first time in my life that I saw my legs like that and the Devil told me that death was around the corner. About four days after I got to the hospital, they told me that they could not handle my case again.
It was at this point that I invited my entire household to come and see me for the last time. I never thought I will live again, but the Almighty God is always there. I prayed and made a vow to God if I survived, I also reminded God that I was a regular tithe payer and I was not supposed to die. With the little breath I had left, my family and I went into a session of prayer and at the end of the day, they all departed.
By the next morning, the heaviness in my legs began to reduce, and it got better with each passing day. The hospital then decided to keep me, saying, “You are going to make it,”
and I made it. I was just at the graveside but God saved me. Today, I am strong, energetic and doing very well.
Praise the Lord.