GOOD TO SAY NO! by Bayo Oguntoye

NO—NOT OBLIGE, refusal, non-compliance, not in agreement with, not consenting, to disapprove of, displeased with, etc, all represent ways of opposing all forms of misappropriation in the society—personally or collectively notwithstanding, have been greeted with cute, obstinate disapproval to the flagrant attitudes on the rampage during their time which they could not stand—some of which we also witness in our contemporary days, but fail to say no to.

Biblical and contemporary examples of those who stood out in the crowd to oppose what they perceived wrong even when others could not: they weren’t afraid to stand for what they believed in. The list  is endless—Abraham  Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States (1861-1865), stood  against the antics of slavery in the wake of America’s confederacy and would not hesitate to do anything to stand by his cause, including fighting the civil war—consequent  upon peoples’ misconceptions and accusations of gross marginalization between the North and the South which heightened in a John Wilkes Booth’s-led conspired assassination which was hatched on Thursday 14 April,1865, at a function in the Ford’s Theater, Washington, DC, and his eventual passage on Good Friday 15 April , at a private hospital in Washington, DC, making him the first US president to be murdered  for a just and resolute cause. Here is the man who offered everything including his own life on the altar of painful sacrifice. Truth be told! He had attained an iconic status even in death. Another legend who played to the gallery was Martin Luther King, Jr who, in the face of severe socio-political incoherence that pervaded his time, masterminded the black revolution against the racial policy in the US; fought all forms of social injustice including racial segregation through wide demonstrations by leading a number of protests—one of which he was preparing for, the day he was gruesomely murdered on a balcony of the Loraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, by James Earl Ray on the evening of Wednesday,3 April,1968, prior to a Tennessee  Sanitation Workers’ rally which he was scheduled to lead the next day, being  4 April. He believed in a cause for which he put his life on the line. What more can be said of Martin Luther the German reformation protestant who, also, in the prevailing saga of corrupt practices exhibited by leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, vehemently opposed the merchant of the Christian faith through the sales of Episcopal indulgences to worshippers  by the church leaders, as a price for their salvation? To this end, he led a revolution to counter the misappropriate act—of which he later reorientated the people against the erroneous doctrines through his famous ninety-five (95) theses published and pasted on the church walls in Wittenberg, Germany, on 31 October, 1517, drawing conclusions from Romans 1:17 which says: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “The just shall live by faith”. He was further convinced by Philippians 3: 9 which also states: “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through God that depends on faith” .He believed salvation comes only from God as a gift to humanity through grace and not by works as his erstwhile leaders claimed. William Wilberforce of the British Parliament MPs motioned the total eradication to human slavery through a private-member legislative bill, which set the pace for the struggle toward its complete eradication in1807. Not forgetting, of course, Kenneth Kaunda, who withstood the British imperialist and unequivocally led his country to a political autonomy on 24 October, 1964. The case was similar to Jomo Kenyatta, father to Uhuru Kenyatta, president of modern-day Kenya who, also resisted dominance by standing for what he believed in; led Kenya to independence on 12 December, 1963. The South Africa’s apartheid regime jailed Nelson rolihlahla Mandela for 27 years (1964-February 20, 1991), for daring its policy which he felt was segregatial and inhumane. Today, the ink of his achievement is yet to dry on the path of honour having his name carved in the annals of history. A reflection on a true life that bears witness of faith and of loving service is always invigorating!

Our Lord Jesus Christ would not concur to the unrighteous, unethical standards of the Pharisees and the Chief Priests who, in their philosophy, claimed to be the custodians of the law, but perverted justice in order to suit their selfish purpose at the expense of God’s salvation agenda, author of which Jesus was, by publicly antagonizing their teachings with a view to establishing God’s superior standard. In spite of the former’s counter actions He was not moved even to the point of dying on the cross. Legends like Mary Slessor, who stopped the killing twins in Calabar-South of the Niger, Apostle Paul, Peter, Ezekiel, Moses and Joseph—all withstood the lethargies of their time and the consequences afterwards. Can what is said of these icons be said of us today? Are you living for others or for yourself? Do you give more priority to others than to yourself? Have you come to realize that you have a limited time and that what you do, either for others or against them, will live after you? Do you even know that the magnitude of your service determines the scope of your influence? I challenge you today that, you, too, can say NO! Not minding the consequences; that you, too, can be an agent of change by opposing all forms of misappropriation in your family, locality, place of work, region or province, country, or the world at large—if some have said it, you, too, can say it. Would you rather say it? Because it’s still GOOD TO SAY NO!

About the author

ADEBAYO AYODELE OGUNTOYE

Adebayo Oguntoye entered the University of Ilorin, Ilorin in the year 2001 where he obtained his first

degree in Political Science and proceeded to reinforce the discipline, with intensive private and post-

graduate studies in Language, Theology, Public relations, International relations and the Humanities.

Having braced up a cherished life career of political practice and applied a compulsive schedule of

study and academic discipline for community work, he has meritoriously risen in stature in the creative

world as a most versatile and resourceful intellectual, analyst, poet and writer, with many works to

his credit. The sublime and compelling character of his political work, based on information, education

and communication joins him to a line of leading civic consciousness raisers, politics and social reformers, and apostles of robust patriotism, dedicated to the vision of truth and brotherhood. His ennobling with its edifying values and perspectives has made him a much-sought-after lecturer and interpreter of the perplexing times we live in. His pen is vibrating, sharp; his words are oracular; and he speaks with engaging and refreshing candour as a penetrating communicator. The incredibly grueling ascent to stardom by identifying the needs of the society and filling it through creativity and innovation is captured in his new book, Success in You: Empowerment for Peak Performance, Victory and Fulfillment.

                 Email: bayooguntoye@gmail.com

               Cell: 0803-614-8117, 0818-648-2879

www.facebook.com/bayo oguntoye

twitter.com/@adebayooguntoye

www.bayooguntoye.com.ng