By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief) @CelestineOkaf11
The tragic news of the sudden death of popular gospel crooner, Mrs Osinachi Nwachukwu, renown for her hit song "EKWUEME", sent shock waves across the land, at the weekend.
Her demise dominated discussions in the media space, on the internet and in religious and social centres, with civil and gender rights activists crying blue murder and calling for justice.
Though, it is yet to be properly established, through forensic investigation, what actually killed her, whether the gospel songbird, indeed, died from alleged malignant throat cancer as was initially peddled, or died from alleged severe impact of spousal battering, in what many who are close to her and her family had alleged to be a long diary of brutal domestic violence, perpetrated by her husband and her music manager, Mr Peter Nwachukwu.
Although, there is nothing to excuse her death or her alleged abuses, but the matter should be thoroughly investigated, witnesses in that relationship, including their children, family members of both spouse and close friends and associates, be properly interviewed and interrogated, so as to obtain the full facts of her death.
Any culprit responsible or associated with her death must be made to face the full legal consequences of his or her actions.
Above all, the state, our parliaments in particular, must specifically come up with severe legislative enactments that will deter individuals, spouses or whoever, from inflicting emotional, physical and psychological bruises or injuries leading to the death of such victim persons.
Also, families, friends, associates, neighbours and religious leaders and organizations, etc, who are in the know, one way or another, about the activities constituting threats to the lives and safety of the abused, should not be complicit by keeping mum in such situation. It further encourages a bully. The alleged harrier, man or woman, must be deliberately and decisively stopped in his or her track, early enough, before someone pays the price for such bestiality and chronic personality disorder.
Rather than allow oneself to be pushed into taking the life of another, no matter the level of one's provocation, it is better to just let go of such individual, if the situation is irredeemable or irreconcilable.
Truth, is that if one truly loves, cherishes and cares for another in a relationship, then he or she must pull back in periods of anomie and emotional inflammation. There must be conscious attempts to restrain oneself, even if the fellow is so unrepentantly offending, re-assuring excuses, however, should be made to stop oneself from being too extreme!
As Africans though, we are all made to understand that such unsavory domestic situations that often lead to tragedy could have some extraneous connotations, but as christians, muslims or members of whatever faith we believe in, we need to pray against satanically manipulated temptations from anywhere, that could drive us into unintentional acts of homicide!
In the circumstance herein, we all have a role to play in saving the lives of those whose lives are apparently under threats, in whatever circumstance!
Assuming all the stories and conspiracy theories being spewed out now on social media regarding what happened or may have happened, between the late gospel singer, Mrs Osinachi Nwachukwu and her accused husband/music manager, Peter, is anything to go by, then both her (Osinachi's) church leadership, her family, her friends, associates and colleagues, etc, who are now talking, are downright complicit, one way or another, in her demise. Reason being that they didn't speak out or act decisively when it mattered most, to save Osinachi from herself, from her fears and concerns, regarding her unfortunate situation.
At the point leading to her death (that is, if she did not actually die of natural cause), however, she could not think for herself on the way out. A decision should have been promptly taken to salvage her without her permission, and in her interest, primarily! Those close enough to the couple and who had the opportunity of such timely intervention, didn't need to wait until things got out of hand to this tragic proportion. She and her husband may not like it, but the situation was outside their choice!
A great lesson from the foregoing: the society, the religious and moral institutions and our culture, should stop setting unrealistic and hypocritical standards for individuals and people of the society; standards, so unnecessary and confusing, that are totally out of sinc with the prevailing reality of the case of an affected individual.
On the part of the individuals themselves, they must learn to call bluffs; to decide on options that are seemingly right, safe and convenient enough, on certain primordial beliefs and societal expectations which are grossly antithetical to the interest, safety well-being of the individual. That way, we will prevent the society from ignorantly using such wrong and ruinous standards that often lure us to our early graves, to conform us to its unrealistic ethoes. A cord of balance must be struck somewhere, especially, in a given life and death situation. That is how societies show dynamism and achieve progress!
So what?, if anyone left a relationship so toxic and so life-threatening when the occasion calls for it. Does that cast such person as deplorable? And so what?, that no man or woman considered you eligible enough to get married to. Then marry yourself, if that is the case, and make the best out of your life in a rather responsible and disciplined manner, hoping for God's intervention someday.
Being on the shelf of spinsterhood or bachelorhood, for no reasonable fault of yours, upto your old age, does not, in any way, make you the worst or most despicable and unfortunate person on earth. Even if that will make you to be, then be glad to enter the World's Guiness Book of Records on that note. Someone, must blaze a trail on something, good or bad! As good people of a society, we must learn to live with what we have no formula or capacity to change, until we are able to do so!
Therefore, let us all do our best to make this world a sweet, lovely and better place. Mankind is actually the cause of all our problems. We simply blame God for nothing, and disturb the "OLD MAN" in Heaven, unnecessarily, for things we have firm control over!
That's my short take!
...Celestine Okafor is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of this news medium, NIGERIAN NEWSLEADER (an leading Online/Print Newspaper) based in Maitama, FCT Abuja, North Central, Nigeria). He can be reached through: Tel/Whassap: 080-330-33-781, or on E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. NNL.
