Reconciled... By Tb Joshua

RECONCILED September 15, 2008 A Lagos church unites estranged families By Ernest Omoarelojie For Dickson Akhator, 45, life could never have been better, having progressed from a mere industrial hand to becoming senior commercial manager with construction giant, Strabag plc. With a house and other mouth-watering perks as part of his new status, there was no reason to imagine that life ahead would not be a lot rosier. That was until the relationship with Teresa, his wife and mother of his four children turned sour. The result? The vengeful spouse reportedly cast a spell on him, resulting in a 14 year-long mental disorder. But Akhator has turned out to be a cat with nine lives. Besides having his sanity restored, he, along with his wife and four children was, on 17 August, the subject of an emotional reconciliation that turned the packed auditorium of the Synagogue Church of All Nations into weeping wrecks. Akhator’s trouble began shortly after returning from Yugoslavia where he bagged a degree in Economics. This medium learnt that upon his return, he went back to Strabag plc, a company he worked with as a construction worker. Luck was with him as he quickly rose to the position of Senior Commercial Manager. Shortly after, however, his lucky run hit a brickwall and took a turn for the worse. The reason, this medium gathered, is that he got involved in a discrete relationship with his secretary that later blossomed into a full-fledged marriage. As it turned out, wife number one suddenly came short of his new status and he wasted no time in telling her that his marriage with her was over. Akhator also told her to pack her belongings and take a walk.Teresa, the wife in question, told this medium that she refused, preferring instead to fight for her place, especially because she contributed in no small measure to making her husband what he had become. Teresa also disclosed that Akhator was so enraged with her refusal that he turned her into a punching bag at the slightest provocation. Worse still, he began telling anyone who cared to listen that she was a witch. “When I refused to leave as he wanted, he started telling everyone that I am a witch. He would not listen to any entreaty from me or other people,” she said. But determined to regain her husband’s love, Teresa sought the advice of a neighbour. The neighbour, whose name was not given, obliged and took her to a native doctor to procure what she believed is a love portion with which to permanently cement her relationship with her estranged husband. But the portion came with a caveat-whatever you pronounce on him would come out exactly as you wish. Teresa returned home, convinced that all would henceforth, be well with her home. That was not to be. According to Teresa, no sooner had she returned home than her beatings became even more severe. Angered by the attack, she rained torrents of abuse on him. Apparently demented by the severity of the attack, she forgot the native doctor’s warning that whatever she pronounced on the man would ultimately manifest. She recalls telling her husband that he would go mad for beating her to stupor. Soon after the incident, Akhator’s mental state began to deteriorate. Before help could come, it worsened and he sold everything he had, including a plot of land in Abule Egba area of Lagos. Left with no money or home, he herded his family to his village. He never returned from the trip as he became a certified psychotic. Akhator’s rescue was not planned. It was more of something that was meant to happen. According to Pastor Temitope Joshua, the long road to finding Dickson began when one Eno Ngozi Lucy, alias Mabel Usifoh, a prostitute based in Spain came for help in the church. Eno, this medium gathered, confessed to having paid some people to kill her mother whom she accused of being a witch and behind her inability to make a head-way in life. When the assassins failed to carry out the assignment, she flew back to Nigeria to do the job herself. For

a start, she beat her mother to stupor, stabbed her in one of her eyes with a broken bottle and left for dead. The mother, now blind in the left eye following the attack, told a stunned audience that her daughter’s action was instigated by a letter her father wrote to her. In it, he told Eno that a witch doctor had fingered her mother and one of her sisters as those responsible for her and her brother’s woes. Both father and daughter were on hand to confirm the bizarre tale. They equally begged for forgiveness, which the woman granted without delay. Her case, Joshua disclosed, made him to realise that there are probably more people in the church facing the same problems. To be sure, he asked everyone else with anything similar to come forward. Dickson’s case turned out to be the most bizarre of the horde that responded to the call. “The woman confessed and I told her that until she brought her husband to me, there was nothing I could do for her,” Joshua told this medium. Teresa agreed to bring her husband but the biggest question was how to move him from his Ewohimi, Esan South-East local Government of Edo State base to Lagos. A concerned Joshua provided the answer by making available a number of vehicles and some of his assistants to accompany Teresa and two of her children on the trip. This medium gathered that the search party which left Lagos on 12 August arrived his village same day. However, finding Akhator was a Herculean task. By the time they found him, everyone, especially his children who had not seen him since they were toddlers, broke down in tears. Amazingly, he put up no resistance and did not exhibit any violent conduct even though he was clutching tightly to a machete. He also did not offer any protest as he was commanded to pack his belongings (a bag of bent-mind paraphernalia) comprising torn clothes from which oozes stomach wrenching odour when it was opened in the church auditorium. The party returned to Lagos three days later. Over the eight-hour journey, Akhator was said to have remained mute all the way, perched on one corner of the bus. He equally remained largely incommunicado until two days later when he stunned everyone with a demand for a bath. He also wanted to shave his bushy beard and have a hair cut. Above all else, his demands rekindled measured optimism in his recovery. By the time Akhator was presented before the church congregation on 17 August, he was no longer the incoherent madman they brought to Lagos. Against his former career background, his torn dress and general appearance left many people in the congregation especially women, in tears. His wife and children, including Billy, his son who was seeing him for the first time, were inconsolable. Calmly however, Billy was tapping his son as if he was indeed consoling him. Moments later, Joshua asked him to go and have his bathe, cut his hair, beard and change into nice clothing. By the time Akhator came out, smartly dressed in a light brown suit, complete with a fitting pair of black shoes, the church erupted in disbelief. He had become transformed and beaming with an infectious smile. The church went into frenzy, followed by prolonged dancing with virtually everyone struggling to hug and congratulate him. It was a sight to behold. But just as events were still unfolding, a number of his old work colleagues who were apparently watching the events on the church’s satellite channel, began to call. They recognised Akhator and confirmed the he was indeed, a Senior Commercial Manager with Strabag plc, as he told the congregation earlier on. One of them, Anthony Akpan, who said he was an accountant with the company then, was the first to call. Shortly after, Mrs. Mary Okojie, the company’s Quantity Surveyor called, also corroborating Akhator’s claims. By the time Pius Ehibo, Officer in charge of Store called later to also state that Dickson was indeed, the man he claimed he is, the church went into delirious ecstasy. In particular, Akpan, who now resides in Port Harcourt, recalled that Strabag actually made serious efforts at finding him. The group gave him up for dead when the efforts yielded no positive result. His appearance, he said, is more of someone coming back from the dead. An obviously elated Akhator alluded to this when he thanked Joshua for giving him the opportunity for a second shot at life. “I thank you for this opportunity for a new life,” he said in a baritone voice that sent the church into another uproar. A happy Teresa was rolling on the floor of the church when Akhator walked back into the church, transformed. “I am glad the

nightmare is over at last. I am grateful that my husband is back to good health. I am grateful to God and the man he used in making this come true,” she said tearfully. At the moment, Akhator can really count himself as one of the luckiest men alive. Following his full recovery, he has become the centre of philanthropy. For instance, this medium gathered that many of those who watched his revival on television are coming up with donations to help him get back on his feet. Also, Pastor Joshua, the man responsible for his recovery, gave him a brand new Toyota Corolla car gift, offered him N.5 million cash and promised to help secure accommodation for him and his family. Obviously, life for Akhator cannot be the same again. SOURCE: The News Magazine, Nigeria http://thenewsng.com/life/reconciled/2008/09