The story of the 1993 presidential election is one that had come to be written with an indelible ink in the history of Nigeria. In fact, it eventually became a yearly memorial! The campaign jingles of one of the presidential flag bearers took the entire nation by storm, whipping up excitement in a people whose remaining modicum of hope had completely been sapped by bad governance. The media were awash with the jingles and hardly could anyone around then claim not to be aware of Hope ’93 messages on the nation’s radio and television channels as well as editorials in Nigeria newspapers. “On the march again, on the march again, looking for Mr. President O, on the march again, MKO is our man O, MKO is our man”.
The jingles came in torrents, just as the lead actor in the June 12, 1993 drama went around the country preaching his gospel of hope to the entire nation. Nigerians of progressive bent stayed glued to their transistor radio sets, no thanks to the epileptic power supply which deprived them the opportunity of watching the presidential standard-bearer live. You wouldn’t want to miss out on all the fun too. The excitement was in the air. Nigerians were all united for a common purpose: to bring an end to the protracted military rule and usher in democratic governance.
In some of his campaign promises, the presidential aspirant who later won June 12, 1993, annulled election said he would strive for the unity of the country and enunciate programmes that would wipe off poverty from the land. His 55-page Hope ’93 blueprint, tagged “Farewell to Poverty” contained largely three cardinal goals: economic reconstruction through accountability, consolidation of democracy and promotion of national unity through social harmony. The presidential aspirant ‘s agenda for hope promised restoration of the mass transit programmes, de-monopolizing of the then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), which according to him, would make light available within four years of his administration to Nigerians…
The foregoing, coupled with his well-organized campaigns, further fuelled Nigerian’s hope in a man whom they believed projected populist ideal and upon whose shoulder rested their hope to sail out of the murky waters of military dictatorship.
Hnmmmm… Hope ’93 was eventually dashed and the collective trust of Nigerians in a brighter transparency and good leadership became shattered when the election that was believed to deliver the promises in the Hope was annulled!! That was Hope’93! What a disappointment!
Hope ’93 raised the expectations and desires of many Nigerians but at the same time dashed them! Hope ’93 had many great promises but never lived to deliver them! Hope ’93 appeared to men but lacked the capacity and enablement that could help it deliver the earnest expectation of men. Hope ’93 was a cloud without water. Hope ’93 was a mirage- an appearance of a pool of water in an exceptionally hot afternoon on a tarred road; ever promising but never able to deliver until it vanishes out of the sight of the onlookers! Hope ’93 appeared to be hope indeed, but alas! It was a fake, hopeless hope! A dead hope, a hope that made ashamed! That was ‘Hope ‘93’. And such is the characteristic nature of every human hope!
But there is a Hope that is Hope indeed. A Hope that “makes not ashamed”. This is a Hope that is dependable, reliable and trust-worthy for all time and eternity. The only Hope that can never disappoint no matter the circumstances and situations. This Hope also has promises but its promises are “exceedingly great and precious…promising benefits in this life and in the life to come”. And guess what? God is this Hope! Not having this Hope is not having God at all. “…having no hope and without God in this world”.
Dear reader, only God offers a true and lasting hope, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast”. Hopes in mortals, wealth and material things are sure going to fail in the long run. The best that hopes in men can offer is to raise your expectations and subsequently shatter the same! But God cannot lie! “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us”. God’s two unchangeable realities- “immutable things” are His nature and His own promises. God embodies all truth, and therefore cannot lie. Because God is the truth, you can be secure in His promises; and hopes in Him can never fail. In the midst of our greatest battles, His faithfulness remains sure. When everything around us falls apart, His faithfulness remains firm. He is God when you are down; He is God when you are up. He does not depend on your moods. He just watches over His word to perform. If He promised it, He will perform it. That is the nature of our God.
There are two common responses to hopelessness: despair and self-indulgence. “And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die”. The people said, “Let us drink and eat” because they had given up hope. Today we still see people giving up hope. But we need not act and live as if we have no hope. As we face difficulties, disappointments and betrayals, our proper response should be to trust in God and His promises. And to this end is this post written: That you might lay hold on this Hope and live a hope-full life no matter the circumstances and situations of life. As you read, may your hope in God be renewed afresh for the fulfillment of godly expectations in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit” (Jer. 17:7).
CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY! GOT CHRIST?
Written by Kehinde A. Bolutife