Blight

He rose quickly through the 
ranks in the state's ministry of works
He was a very talented engineer and
had a way of completing projects in
record time and always within budget!
He did not cut corners or inflate figures
like many of his contemporaries.
Whenever their organization had to do 
a project in collaboration with
the federal government or private
organizations, all roads lead to him!
His level of professionalism and 
efficiency was legendary
His diligence made him rich
He owned a chain of restaurants, filling
stations, a school, properties for rent,
 a rental business and a guest house.
He also owned heavy duty equipment
which he rented out to construction
companies
His business interests were scattered
all over the city
He married two wives
The first had four children
He built a three-storied apartment of
six flats for her
She was living in a flat with her children
while collecting the rent on the other
rented flats for her upkeep
He built another three-storied apartment
of six flats for the second wife and made
the same arrangements for her upkeep
as he did with the first wife
She also had four children
He had a lot of concubines all over
the city
It was his way of life
Money was a magnet that draws many
women into the world of a wealthy
man
His religion allowed him to marry
many wives
It was his choice to stop at two
He could do without the other women
but they kept coming and just a sugar
couldn't resist the attention of ants,
he couldn't resist their onslaught!
A young lady who had an eye for him
invited him to her birthday party one
day
He went with his driver
When he got to the party, he discovered
it was a party for two
The lady had prepared to host him alone
in her flat all evening
He got the message
He partied with her
At around 9 pm, he freshened up and 
got into the car
As soon as the car took off, he slept off
He had been asleep for about thirty minutes
when he heard the screech of his car tyres,
a sudden noise, an impact and then a 
sudden burst of speed from his car
He opened his eyes immediately
Everywhere was dark
The car was practically racing through the 
narrow road
"What happened?" He asked the driver
The driver said he was avoiding some
hooligans who were laying ambush on
the road!
He was too tired to probe further
He slept off
They got to his house at around 10 pm
He went straight to bed
The next morning, the first thing that
came to his mind was the incident of
the previous night
He knew something happened!
He just knew it!
He went to check the car
He wanted to see the extent of the
 damage on the car
But to his chagrin, the car had been
washed!
He couldn't believe it
He asked his security man who washed
the car
The security man told him the driver 
washed it the previous night
Something was off!
"The noise that kept replaying in
his subconscious was ominous"
His driver had never washed the car at
night before, especially well after 10 pm
He got his car keys and drove back
into the city
He had a rough idea where they were
when he was jolted awake from sleep
He got there around 8 AM
The first thing he saw was burning tyres
on the road
Some miscreants were taxing drivers
and lamenting about an issue
He drove close to them
They told him there was a hit and run
incident the night before
A hit and run driver killed a 12-year-old 
boy and drove off into the night!
He didn't say a word
He drove back home
He wanted to dismiss the incident but
it clung to him like an ominous shadow
It affected his peace, his sleep, his rest
He fought it but he lost terribly
He tried to reason it away but it resisted
After a week of struggles
He went back to the location and asked
to see the parent of the young boy
who was knocked down by a car
He saw them
They were a very poor family
The boy was their first child
He had a younger brother and a younger sister
The parents said the younger sister
was sick, their father was on night duty
as a security man and the young boy was
sent to get some drugs from the nearby
chemist!
He offered the father a job as a manager
of one of his rental business outlets
there and then
The mother was also given a job in the
kitchen of one of his schools
He placed their two children on full
 academic scholarship
Twelve years later, his first wife
was diagnosed of cancer in her
neck and had a series of operations
After several months in India, she died!
He started reflecting on eternity
He started weighing his good works
against his failings
He began to doubt if he would make 
heaven
By then, his second wife had taken 
an interest in the Christian faith
Unsatisfied in spite of all the things
he had acquired over the years
He also looked in on the Christian faith
He searched for the word forgiveness
on the internet and followed some links 
to gbengawemimo.com
He read stories and testimonies all night
Then he reached out!
He wrote "Sir, am I required to tell this
man and his wife that my driver was
responsible for the death of their son?
I have taken responsibility for their welfare
for many years and recently assisted them
to build a small bungalow where they now live!
I just wanted to know for the sake of making
heaven!"
He booked an appointment
He met with the Brother in Jeans and T-shirt
They talked as brothers
The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt showed
him the scriptures
He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and
saviour
He was baptised in the Holy Spirit
He went home!

PS: Nine weeks later he sent the following
message
"My brother, can you believe I am sleeping
soundly again?
Since that incident happened, I had been 
unable to sleep for more than three hours
every night
I kept giving the dead boy's parents more
and more things hoping it would erase the
guilty stain on my conscience
I also built a place of worship for the 
adherents of my former religion but
I had no peace!
I would have confessed to the parents
if I was sure it would bring me peace
but, I didn't want to fall prey to 
blackmail, entitlement mentality and 
unnecessary bad blood
Thank you for helping me out
My blood pressure is good and I feel
several years younger
I sleep like a baby and I feel light in my
body!
Even if I die today, i have no fear of where
I will spend my eternal life
I am in Zion already! Jesus is mine!
Thank you so much, brother!
God bless you!"

Ps: The event happened in 2007 on
Agbowo- University of Ibadan road,
Ibadan!
He met with the Brother in Jeans
and T-shirt in January, 2019
I am always wary of Christians with
the "You must pay" Ideology
It fits in more with the gospel according
to Jeremiah!
If it is according to the gospel of Jesus
their language will always be "Father,
forgive them for they know not what
they do" or as Stephen said "Lord, do not
charge them with this sin"
A guilty conscience is a good thing in
the short term
It is the evidence of a tender and contrite 
heart
But without the forgiveness that Jesus offers
through salvation, a guilty conscience
cannot be duly assuaged!
Good works cannot satisfy it
Confession cannot purge it
Penance is just self-inflicted punishment
Jesus washes away all sins
The blood of Jesus blots out every
handwriting of requirement
"If the Son therefore shall make 
you free, ye shall be free indeed"
John 8: 36