ABOUT 4-5

ECU 4₅ is the subgroup that is dedicated to portraying the word of life through drama. Following in the footsteps of dramatists whom God has used over the centuries like Isaiah, Jeremiah and our Lord Himself, the group prophetically exhibits the counsel of God on stage and in film.

The group is dedicated to training the individual first, and we are very conscious of the injunction in 1 John 1:1: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life…". As such, practicing what we preach is a major priority.

A visit to a drama meeting is usually an interesting experience. Visit us by at Ajose basement on Wednesdays by 8pm and you could meet anything from a discussion [e.g. Do you support Nigeria’s present economic policy?, Do you believe in one-man-one-wife or the sampling theory?, etc.] to a full scale Holy Ghost service, with all the possibilities and add-ins between the two.

The group ministers both in the local fellowship and abroad, and has some major productions to her credit, latest of which is," Lone Wolf", a stage play. The group recently shot a film, THE SCEPTRE. The premiere of the film held at Ikeja Airport Hotel in October 1999, and marketing of the film will commence very soon.

ECU Drama is a love family, and as everyone can do with a little more love, we are always interested and excited to see visitors and new members alike, so feel free to manifest your presence in our meeting on one of these Wednesdays, and you’ll be glad you did.

Have a nice day.

@#! Drama Chief, esq.

Had narrowed into a tunnel;

The lamp attached to my cap

Just as powerful as a candle light.

The darkness about me was tangible.

My heart pounded with fear

As if it would jump out of my mouth.

I would have said "I quit!"

But my voice would scare me.

I made to go back,

But my legs wobbled and I fell.

My lamp was the first casualty;

The echo of breakage sounded endlessly.

I struggled to sit up,

But I was too famished to.

It was obvious that death was a breath away.

Out of nowhere came the sound of pounding mortar

Increasing in pace by the second.

I would have reached the end of the cave if I could run,

But it was only my heart

Beating again after the fall.

But why, darling heart?

Why didn’t you stop so I’d die?

I couldn’t afford the tears and strength to cry,

So I kept my disappointment with me.

Man! I’ll just lay here and die.

Startled, I jumped out of slumber

As I heard a whistle just from the corner,

Water flowed freely from my eyes;

My sweat pores stood in reverence to the wind.

I rubbed the dust out of my eyes

And they caught a glittering in the dust.

At first it was a tiny dot, then it glowed.

Strength came into my being;

I ran and picked up what turned out to be a chest.

It was heavy, yet with the tenderness

Of a mother’s arm, I carried it.

I struck a match, opened it and….

Guess what I saw?

Olatokunbo Fagbamigbe.

They filed out in their entirety. They hadn’t lifted a sword, yet, in their hands was the spoil of their enemies. The past months had witnessed the most lethal warfare in history. It was a simple feud between a self-imposed master and the servant. Servant? Well, it depends on how you see it. Once, they were visitors, welcomed with great shouts. Once, a fertile chunk of land was their hotel, but the story has turned sour: the host is turned ruler, the guests have become slaves.

‘You can’t serve two masters’ is not only a popular saying, but is a true one. This story proves it’s authenticity, for the visitor’s true master demanded for his servant, but the ‘foster master’ said, "No way". First, he appealed; then he threatened, but both fell on deaf ears. When persuasion yielded no results, he decided to match the illegal master strength for strength. At first, he tried conventional weapons.

"If that’s what he’s got, then we’ve got it too", the obstinate slave-master said. I’ll give you a tough battle.

The master’s warlord was trained in the war college, but once, a bomb exploded before his eyes, which destroyed nothing but his low self-esteem.

Again and again, the slave-master was warned, "we want to go serve our Jealous God", but he refused to budge. Then, sophisticated weapons came that the technological superpowers of the time could not contend with. Once, the sea became blood, and then boils broke out. Locusts helped bring in an absolute harvest, but still, ‘Mr. Stubbornness’ wouldn’t budge. At last, King Jealous decided to make him weep. Weeping and uncomfortable, the coward said they could scoot. Before their eyes, K.J scientifically divided light and darkness and split a raging sea ‘in twain’.

Heaving a sigh of relief, the six million men slapped each other’s backs soundly, for their ‘enemy’ had been destroyed, yet they hadn’t lifted as much as a single finger. "This, I bet, is the easiest war ever fought. We shall live in peace ever after", one concluded sagely. But their boundless joy soon developed borders, for there was a faceless predator on their track. A specialist in espionage activities, this Unknown Soldier caused them to severally revolt against Master Jealous. They grumbled like volcanoes, cursed, and generally made Him realize (they thought) that he was foolish to have taken them from a land where they were gainfully employed, apart from showing Him their new-found prowess in the art of critical journalism. This "Ultimate Warrior" ensured that all but two of them died; so lethal was he that he ‘vapourised’ the rest.

No one could see him, for he was invisible. They pointed in every direction but the right one.

The enemy won’t be killed with rolled-out tanks, incantations or assurances. He is a destroyer, THE ENEMY WITHIN.

ToksFag® & Bimbayo™

He was performing the traditional dance for the fifth time since he had been named Oba-elect, which had been for about 58 moons now. "This time, I will be crowned", he said to himself, his steps growing firmer with each passing second. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something lying on his path. He moved nearer and recognized what it was – a banana peel.

"What sort of council am I going to work with?" he fumed silently, his dance taking a dull turn. "They ought to have ensured that the ancestral path for the royal dance has been cleared, knowing that I will be performing my fire bearers’ dance today" He stopped himself just in time from giving the Iyare an accusing look. He continued fuming, a sullen expression on his face.

"Do they expect me to trip on it and fall? And with the weight on my waist, they know I cannot afford to bend…" his thoughts ran on till he got to where the peel was.

Carefully, he skirted round the peel and danced on. The kingmakers, who were also the Council of Chiefs looked surreptitiously at each other. To a not-so-keen observer, they danced with as much fervour as before, but to a sharp eye, every one of them wore sadness like they wore their titles-with dignity.

The pomp and pageantry was over and the council met as was customary to finalise arrangements concerning the enthronement.

Iyase spoke first. ‘It is unfortunate. He is still a child"

"Benin needs a man, a man who cares about her citizens." Ezomo seconded.

"Until he can learn to bend, knowing that we will be there to hold him by the waist in case he stumbles…." Ologbosere shook his head in resignation.

A reminiscent look on Obajuwana’s face, he drawled, "he could not even order the banana peel to be removed. If Binis fall by it, well…. Last year, he carefully avoided the barely concealed animal trap, the year before it the large thorn in the grass, before that the stone, before…" his voice trailed away as he looked up suddenly to find the others in a single file making to leave the ancient mud hut.

Despite the fact that not all the chiefs had spoken, a unanimous decision had been taken. The 20-year-old Ewuare was not man enough to be king over a kingdom like Benin.

The decision was announced to the thousands of Binis who were waiting eagerly under the hot midday sun to watch their Oba enthroned. The responsibility to do so fell on Iyare. "The child-king, Ewuare, will have to wait till…"

The Bible says that we are kings and priests, but so many of us are child-kings. God longs to crown us, but every time we see the ‘banana peel’ or ‘large thorn’, we skirt around it. He is waiting till you trust Him enough to try to pick thorns out of your way or make use of your authority in doing so, knowing that despite the weight on your waist, He is there to hold you lest you stumble.

In the world of today, there are so many kings walking aimlessly and purposelessly on the streets, thereby rendering their thrones unoccupied and uninhabited. This unknowingly as a matter of fact, is as a result of the shirking of the various responsibilities that come one’s way. It is an undisputable fact that opportunity often appears in disguise as a responsibility, and a lot of people miss it unconsciously.

It should be hammered in that every responsibility in life is a test of our capacity which has been divinely and felicitously designed to equip us for the future. Thus, dodging of one is dodging one’s position on the rungs of the ladder of life.

Everything that comes our way takes us away from or towards our destiny in life, so any unnecessary excuse affects the future if one is not careful. Thus, whatever one is passing through presently, one should make sure to offer the best of one’s ability without any pandering and settling for the second place, but one should be firm and ready to face every challenge steadfastly until one reaches one’s destination in life. Tomorrow is pregnant and nobody knows what it may bring; thus’ one cannot afford to misbehave today so that the mistakes of yesterday are not repeated.

Greatness is not attained by a twist in the lottery of birth, but by the judicious and painstaking utilization of every opportunity [disguised as responsibility] that comes one’s way. Great men don’t run away from challenges. In fact, they are toughened and sharpened by challenges, and become masters at the end of the day.

A sage once said " I have never regarded myself as having a monopoly of wisdom. The trouble is that when most people in public life and in the position of leadership are spending whole days and nights carousing in clubs or in the company of men of shady character and women of easy virtue, I, like a few others, am always at my post working hard at the country’s problems and trying to find solutions to them. Only the deep calleth unto the deep." That was Obafemi Awolowo in reaction to his exemplary approach to life’s matters in his hey days.

Life’s treasures are not spread on the surface of gold, but they are hidden under the rock of responsibility and opportunity, and it is only he that can search well that will be victorious. Let us face our challenges, not as stumbling blocks, but as stepping-stones, knowing fully well that success will be our lot eventually.

For every temptation is a way of escape, and for every challenge is a crown of victory, though initially, it might not seem so.

Face it, live it, cope with it and you shall overcome it.

See you there.

Seyi Olarewaju