THE THREE DAYS DARKNESS

Not that we were not used to going a week without light but there was a new rumour in town. Three days of stark darkness, no light at all not even from the kerosene stoves. This rumour was one of the most frightening we had ever heard.

The news was everywhere; in the churches, in the market places, in schools, in the streets, everywhere. Some said the frightening event would happen in the year 1998 while some said it would not happen until the year 2000. 

According to the rumour, the three days of total darkness will see the end of all evil-doers as the devil himself will be unleashed and he will come and claim his own. His messengers would come to torment, kill and tempt the faith of believers. There would be a great tribulation and only the truly holy and just would survive. No lights except for the blessed candles from the churches would glow. We were then advised to stock holy candles in our houses in preparation for these days of doom and anger. Every household including ours stock candles enough to serve for three days darkness and even more should there be an extension.

Preaching then began in different places of worship that personal belongings should be given up in the churches if one would want to be alive after the third day. These personal belonging would be a hindrance as they were worldly and as a result sinful. Many believed and handed over as many 'sinful' belongings as they were willing to. Large sums of money were deposited in the pastor's coffers and some pastors became millionaires overnight.

As children the three days darkness rumour really got to us. We became very afraid to do anything. We discussed it in sorrowful moods and sometimes even cried for we wouldn’t know who would be saved. We kept imagining the horrors of the days and whether we would be able to survive the onslaught. The meat and fish stealing characteristic of children in our days reduced drastically. We all needed the salvation.

Then 1998 came, and France won the world cup. Nothing more. 1999, Nigeria became a democratic federation. Then we entered the new millennium and we are now about 16years into it.

I am not saying that the darkness didn’t fall upon us during those prophesied years. No, the darkness did happen. But it was majorly caused by the NEPA, now PHCN. And contrary to just 3days, it sometimes even lasted for months. The candles did serve their purposes on those occasions. 

Friends, three days darkness is real. For three days now, I have not seen light in my area. I pray it stops on this third day.