Stealing is in dimensions of all sorts, starting from selfishness, to wickedness, to deprivations, to telling lies, to sabotage and to other vices in society. Lawrence Egede writes about the media periscope on his life story and failed standards as a result of
This piece is long but it is telling us about being very steadfast, transparent, wise, having clear conscience and living by the truth always.
The partial social stroke that happened to Nigeria and made my standards fail me was mainly political, economic and business in nature, but I did not fail my standards on my side.
It was political in the sense that while I was sowing the seeds of attaining beautiful standards, there was a shaking of the political body with failed arteries, along the line of the nation's business healthcare system. There was a crumble.
Economic in the sense that the sowing of seeds straight on arable land for a bountiful latter rain harvest, was found to have been on the arid ground of failed attempts, failed efforts and failed sweat, resulting from a deadly corruption history of the epidemic, which engulfed the Nigerian ugly business atmosphere.
My standards were standing and I was also standing on top of the nation's frailty platform, unaware of the danger hiding underneath. I wasn't careless.
But unknown to me while on top of the platform, the system collapsed under health hazards and with a bad stroke report on the nation's economic life.
All I have seen as a result of my encounter in life, with society is that Nigeria failed my standards, by the deadly corruption of everything called Industry.
Being industrious doesn't kill but under any circumstance, it can go a long way to beat poverty.
To beat poverty in the sense that if I have become rich being dishonest, stealing and lying up and down, aggrandizing wealth to myself and because my habit by nature doesn't tolerate it, the greed and avarice thereof might have sent me to my grave early as an appalling wretched man.
That's the type of poverty that I have escaped the scourge, but if I had wanted to be rich by all means there were avenues for me to do so with a bad name.
Not every wealthy man or woman is rich as such, for the fact that if riches open up their contents, something must be wrong there that can surprise people stiff but if not, it is rare to find no injury or scar there.
So, God helped me not to die if I had corruptly become rich, while poverty would increase my fault, to live like a wretched man in fat riches of greed and avarice, and could have kissed my canvas in the grave.
I will tell you how it happened in the history of my journey in life, during the battle to survive and also for others to survive.
I never worked to get without giving to people to survive the way I am surviving. And If it is a fault or an error, I have not been able to overcome it for now.
I've set some standards to be true to God, fair and honest to people and be sure of myself.
I was brought up by very highly disciplined fellows including my parents, especially my mother.
My upbringing gave me the privilege to set standards in my dealings with human beings.
My standards were embedded in honesty, truth, sincerity, hard work, persistence, love, equity, justice, fairness and charity but got disappointed by heartless and dishonest elements in society. But I regretted not any shortfall based on the truth.
Anything based on the truth made me create beautiful standards, which was failed by the social platform of Nigeria.
Nigeria failed my standards in so many ways, beginning from the fact that the truth has not been allowed a small breathing space, to buttress the point of being transparent and tidy at heart. It has been a big task.
Falsehood took the frontline, pretenders followed suit, greed and avarice took the high table, cleverness was the meal dish containing corruption as the food was kept at a double standard dining hall, the food was the power, authority symbolized the command, the position was the fair qualification to join the group of consumers and aggrandize the political spaces, while the true cooks went away hungry and got disappointed in the end.
The example is seen at times with the Nigerian Politicians voted into power who after all is said and done, the masses or the labourers at the vineyard will be forgotten except in rare cases.
No matter how hardworking a sincere person is, nothing good is left for him or her except by luck, or by chance the person is joined to the consumer's group to take a share from the bulk of the beautiful portions aside.
This is my predicament now, but does it mean I should start stealing when my portion does not include it in my character?
Stealing is in dimensions of all sorts, starting from selfishness, to wickedness, to deprivations, to telling lies, to sabotage and to other vices in society.
I don't even know how to plan to steal, not to talk of indulging in it, neither to embark on it nor see it as a business and cannot think about it as to behave it.
This is not to say that all the efforts made to prosper are, or were corrupt, but mostly if any is without the salt of corruption it is rare, especially in Nigeria.
When I was in Lagos someone came to me, a very highly placed, powerful and influential person who wanted me to launder money for him, but I refused because I didn't know what he was talking about. I later enquired and learnt it was like stealing.
Thereafter, the man called me and warned me I should never tell anyone about it, or else I will be dead in a moment. That one so intimidated me and I feared to ever go close to such a deal.
What happened later on was that when the military took over government as was usual then with the Army, I got a hint that the man was arrested.
Not only that he was arrested but all his Assets were seized and his accomplices also were arrested, prosecuted and jailed for seven years each of them with hard labour for conspiracy.
At another time a fellow that I knew, who was working in one Marketing Company known as "SCAN AFRICAN" came to me. He said I should follow him to see a business Guru in the Esalo Eko area of Lagos. I was sincerely obliged to go with him but was surprised when we got there.
As the man was trying to serve us entertainment, opened the fridge to bring out soft drinks I saw bundles of money packed inside the refrigerator. He gave us the drink. After a moment he introduced himself. He said we were welcome. He introduced a very strange business to us.
But the man who took me there pretended he didn't know about it and I suspected him.
The reason was how on earth should he not know why we were there? Did we just stroll in there because we have nothing to do or what? That's why I did suspect him to be otherwise.
I was calm and afraid, but the business Guru quickly saw it on my face and said, no cause for alarm. He said he needed the help of someone, who will transfer his business items to London.
He then told my companion to gist me later. That was the end of the story. When I was briefed about the business, it was just to transfer a securely locked portfolio to London by hand, and with a contract fee of ten thousand hard British pounds sterling attached to the deal.
Honesty is powerfully blessed so much with wisdom untold, to a point unknown to a society not acquainted with it.
When my companion told me of the gains in the business, I simply told him never to greet me anywhere we met again in life. I walked away from him.
Thereafter, I learnt from his Colleagues in SCAN AFRICAN that the man has died. On deep enquiry, it was revealed that he swallowed some packages of Cocaine and it got busted in his stomach. That was how he died a miserable and greedy death.
It could be he changed from his Portfolio to his potbelly and took the risk, to transfer the business across to London.
The same thing as stealing made me leave civil service earlier than expected because some people suggested to me a sinister business attempt.
I was in charge of the central Store at Dodan Barracks Lagos, some people came to me and said I should do business with them. I told them that business is not done in the store, but that they can try the marketplaces in town. They left me for a while.
Later on, our Admin Secretary came to me boldly and said I should be marking out-of-stock, on every requisition book the items that were still in stock.
He said I could be making some profits from the supply contractors. I told him it can never happen, more so when I was still in charge. I said to him I was not interested at all.
I suspected they were a gang up, tempting me, trying to trap me and implicate me, because the Army loved my sincerity in service. These people were of the same tribe and were like being envious. But I was honest to everyone, without boundaries and bias at work and in my spirit. No discrepancies
When I did not cooperate with them they told me to leave the civil service Sector entirely, or else I would be killed. I quietly resigned from the civil service and joined the private sector.
When the Army learnt that I have resigned from my service in the civil sector because I left office without telling them, they came to my house and said I should return to work. I did but didn't tell them it was for a while.
I have officially resigned and the Cabinet Office has taken it into the record. There was no way I could go back and cancel it.
Moreover, my interest has got stalled in fear of threats to my life. I was a lonely boy not having the guts to tell the story to the Army. It could further do me harm if the culprits denied the report and were set free.
By the time the Army knew I have no more interest to work as usual, they pleaded with me to bring someone like myself as an experienced replacement.
Those gangsters brought in an innocent lady to replace me. I worked for two weeks, just to coach the lady to catch up and finally left to where I secured a new job.
Later on, I heard that the lady was arrested, drilled and taken into custody and accused of burglary in conspiracy with some suspected persons.
Not only that the Store was burgled, but brand-new cars were also stolen from the Mobility warehouse. The Army came to my house and told me the sad story but I wasn't implicated.
They came pleading if I could return and directly work with them. I made them know that I have been appointed to work somewhere else in the private sector. Later, they contracted me on a freelance basis, to work with the Army military police intelligence gathering office, as an attached civilian call helping hand, with one Capt. Olorogun and one major Imofeje then.
Honesty, humility, sincerity, truth and transparency saved me. That's why I am healthier even if anyone or some people have disappointed me in any way. I will even be happy with any fellow who may disappoint me but won't like to disappoint anybody. Only God knows what to do if anybody disappointed me. My story is enormous.
At times, being alive without a true story to tell about oneself can be boring. That's why I have to start telling my own story for the public to know about me.
Very soon by the grace of God, a book of my life story will be published with full analysis.
To God is the glory forever.
Lawrence Egede is our Guest Writer and Phoenix Public Affairs Analyst.
