Enaholo J.K
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A monumental loss was recorded in the Sacred Kingdom of Auchi on a day Allah has named the best of days. Simply put, the Aigbebako of our cosmopolitan town died on Friday.
For many it was too good to be true. For others, it’s a shock _unbelievable! For yet other others, it was “finally, he don die!”
However, this is not so much about Dr. S.M. Jimah who has exited life and living and already knows his fate. This is about a currency without which we keep failing and falling.
Way back in secondary school we were given long passages to read and some few questions accompanied same to test how well we understood what we’ve read. These were comprehension passages and the questions carried the highest marks during tests and exams (if you remember) back in the days. There’s one part that aroused my curiosity and that is the instruction that came with the passages. Most times the teachers would say, ‘ensure you read the passage more than twice.’ In fact, a teacher once told me, “Kadiri, once you are done reading a comprehension and you are about to attempt the question, ensure you go through the passage again after reading the question as the answer is often in between the lines.” For me, I felt, why do I need to go back to the passage after taking the question since I have read it more than once? This sentiment was shared by a great number of us and this translated into poor test results at first attempt.
Like a child on top of an Iroko tree who feels high from the sight beneath, we felt we understood the passages already and so, answering the questions would become easy. Never did we know that to comprehend, we must first pay attention. Though comprehending the passage was necessary for answering the questions, attention is requisite and its place cannot be downplayed in the process of understanding. There are a very few features a child is born with. The feeling of hunger which makes it cry, the tickling that evokes laughter and sleep. Every other character is learned. They (Babies) may not be taught deliberately but because they have so much attention to pay, there’s so much happening around them that they can afford to learn.
Attention is a currency. A universal currency that if paid duly, nothing would be beyond our reach.
Those of us who went gay as our brother was being laid in his grave, that’s a place none can run from. For those of us who are still in shock, you have my condolences. Those who couldn’t wait to break the news before it broke, na who dey alive dey say R.I.P.
Having paid attention to the passing of Dr. S.M. Jimah on Friday, the Jammah at his Janaza and the prayers of good people, I am certain that good will always triumph over evil.
Though created imperfect, may the rest of our days be the best of days.
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