“Miracle” of Yenagoa

In 1989, when Nigeria’s Under-20 team rallied from 4-0 down to tie and eventually edge now-defunct USSR at FIFA World Youth Championship in Saudi Arabia, everything qualified the feat a miracle. Messi, arguably football best in history, was just a toddling two year old then. His behind-the-heel competition, Ronaldo, was barely four. Today, with a five-goal advantage over a team, parading either of the duo, particularly the mesmerizer Messi, your team could still lose to his ingenious left foot, and the comeback would be just another memento, reminding humanity of a football deity. Messi may not be performing soccer “miracles” regularly again like before, but he, no doubt, remains the Miracle of global football.

Just like the Miracle of Bayelsa State. Though not widely sung like Messi or Ronaldo, Onem Miracle Tyna, a “common” Councillor in a local government in the state, is staking more than many feted genuine world heroes and heroines.

She is like the widow (God forbid she won’t be one anytime soon), Jesus referenced as a perfect picture of giving, in Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4, because she gave her all, though just two mites. Two mites may worth practically nothing. The Gospel of Mark specifically says two mites (Greek lepta) are together worth a quadrans, the smallest Roman coin. Jesus saw rich men making conscious display of their immense ill-gotten wealth by throwing into the Synagogue’s treasury, large sums, but said concerning the widow whose mites make just a half of a cent, “truly and surely I tell you, this widow, poverty stricken, has put in more than all those contributing to the treasury. For they all threw in out of their abundance, but she, out of her deep poverty, has put in everything that she had, even all she had on which to live.”

Earlier before the kingdom teaching on giving, He had pronounced a heavy punishment on those oppressive of widows, saying “…who devour widows’ houses and to cover it up, make long prayers. They will receive the heavier condemnation.” Are you like the scribes being described here?

April almost registered its presence as a month of sorrow. I was determined to find joy in May, the month of Grace. Anytime I ran into a not-too demulcent story of killings, abductions, even negotiated release of abductees, I either renegotiated my path on the information highway or make a detour. Then, I ran into Miracle’s story of spending her official car allowance to complete the construction of a solid bridge for her people, linking two communities together. Beside Miracle’s bridge was the rag-tag wooden bridge the communities were using before her intervention.

Grinning from ear to ear, was Duoye Diri, another Supreme Court governor, lapping the moment up with diminutive Hon. Tyna, who is the Deputy Majority Leader and Councillor representing Ward 2 in Ogbia LGA of the state, in viral photos of the governor having her as a special guest at the Government House for the “miracle” of ending her people’s suffering, while denying herself pleasure of a deserving ride. Miracle’s miraculous delivery to her people becomes more poignant considering that chiefs of the benefiting communities had tried to convince her to pivot into another project, with far lesser financial implication. But Hon. Miracle was too determined to be deterred and her comfort became the opportunity cost.

For far less achievements, back benchers have become overnight partisan sensations and stars in America. Obama was just organising communities to protest and protect their rights and a first term senator, ended up a two-term historic president, before his descent into anti-Christ maneuvers.

Yes, Nigeria’s social media fam (telepathic family) had elaborately celebrated Tyna. No doubt, she has become a lodestar in Bayelsa as a portion of the emotive commenting public is already tipping her for Diri’s job. You want to say, why not? Jonas Salk says the reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more, which sides with the popular saying that reward for hard work is more work. The universality of that truism takes a break in Nigeria’s public service and even in the private sector, where scoundrels who know “the system” or understand “office politics” are provided with higher opportunity to do absolute nothing of value, as long as they protect interests of their support systems.

For her kind, the envy factor comes at this point. Unless Hon. Ebinyo Marvin Turner, the chairman of Ogbia LG allows the Spirit of God in him, Tyna will become automatic competition, because project delivery is speaking for her and she could be preferred by communities in the LG to lead them next time. Who doesn’t want to be associated with success? The way it is today, Tyna’s people would shed blood to see her stay in political relevance and jobbers who wan come and chop, won’t, and don’t let go easily. Hopefully, Diri isn’t of small mind so Tyna doesn’t become a competition to be crushed and Nigerians won’t be surprised if EFCC suddenly summons her for some funny probe, arising from inside conspiracy. If the wall doesn’t crack, lizards won’t find way in.

Beyond photo-ops, Tyna should be celebrated, at least by her party, at the national level. Nothing stops her too from becoming PDP’s star, not even now that governance of any kind is stuck in Nigeria. If President Buhari hasn’t chosen a narrow road to partisanship and a narrower mind to human relations, he could have surprised Governor Diri with a presidential request to lease Tyna to Nigeria for a turnaround leadership at NDDC, for the sake of her Niger Delta people and good of humanity. Sadly, the President isn’t one to headhunt beyond his parochialism or maybe lacking in vigour to be bothered.

Time is running out for Nigeria and only those with demonstrable capacity should be in front of the crowd. They call it the best, leading the rest. Wherever those with Tyna’s sacrificial DNA are located, they should be found, I mean, by Nigerians, because the political class is joyless. It is amusing that those who shout neo-colonialism when help is sought from borders-beyond, don’t see anything wrong in a Bonfere Jo, leading their national teams. At least, Tyna na tiwa n tiwa. Maybe we never ready sef.

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