For most secondary school leavers, the dream is to attend a prestigious university for higher learning. Some go in to actually learn more about their chosen careers, while others take to what might be their parents preferred course of study, and yet others go in with one mission in mind — have fun and ‘enjoy life’.
Part of the experiences that come with university life is the freedom that students have to conduct their affairs with little or no parental oversight, a role that not even the lecturer is prepared to play. Therefore, a student may fail to meet up with deadlines for projects and other assignments, and even show up for exams and yet is not punished under any law. The day of reckoning only comes, for some, when results are published and for the nonchalant student after the years of study have run out and is unable to graduate. That is when reality dawns.
In a typical Nigerian university, there are many sights and sounds capable of distracting a fresher — from parties organised by different groups to welcome the new intakes to young female students who are seen as easy prey and pursued by the older boys, and cult groups and fraternities ready to pounce on unsuspecting boys and girls, etc.
For most, self-awareness begins during their days in the university; dreams are turned into plans, major decisions made, life-long relationships formed. There, a foolish decision could turn fatal and one split second of wisdom could determine the next course of one’s life in a positive way. The university is simply where boys become men.
A Matter of Choice
In the midst of these distractions, there is a group that has decided to live for Jesus, to be a shining light in the midst of darkness and lead others to Christ. However, inasmuch as they desire to do this, there is one challenge — they are still part of the school system. How then do they stand for Christ and avoid the filth and distractions on campus?
Obinna had given his life to Christ after an altercation in secondary school got him suspended. He came into the university determined to live for Christ but found that it was not easy as he had to give up a lot of things. He said two things kept him standing; the fact that the studied the word of God regularly and then he made sure that he was always connected to other believers on the campus.
Henry Okoli had already cultivated the habit of attending fellowship from home and was certain that to survive on campus he had to continue the habit to grow in Christ. So he made conscious efforts to stay on the right path by watching the company he kept. He made sure that he checked the influence they had on him, ignored their invitations to parties, refused to visit them in their houses but rather stayed with people with whom he shared the same values.
But how did he handle his attraction to the opposite sex? “I was never in any compromising position or place with anybody and when I did date a girl, my pastor and leaders were aware and in full support and so it made things easier,” he said.
For Chibuzor, it was not just about being in a fellowship but being part of a functional department; being part of a smaller (drama) unit in the fellowship made her feel connected and part of a family and sometimes the ministrations she took part in would minister to her personally and address whatever issue she might have been going through.
Her major temptation was representing Christ in the exam hall as sometimes she would not know a particular question and would see her classmates talking among themselves and she would be moved to ask “just one question”.
David Nwajiuba was a pastor even before he got into school and then became a campus fellowship pastor. But interestingly, he said, it wasn’t being a pastor that kept him on the straight and narrow path but the expectation of people around him as he was always known to preach everywhere. So he had to behave in a certain way in order not to create the wrong impression. That kept him accountable as he had built a reputation and he had to maintain it.
Turning Point
For Harry Tamuno (not real name), it was a slightly different story as he grew up with high expectations, being the son of a reverend and so had decided to explore the other path in the university. “I got into school and then joined an organisation which I believed was created to fight for ‘the emancipation of the black man from white slavery’”, he said.
He yearned to be the next Nelson Mandel, Walter Sisulu or Oliver Tambo but as time passed he realised that it was more of a cult as they went as far as dedicating their sons to the cause. He made a decision to leave the group but that caused him his education as he had to leave the school entirely. By the time he got a second chance to return to his academics in a new school, he had formed habits that were hard to break and while his heart cried out to God for forgiveness and restoration, he feared what his friends might say about his new found “faith”. It took him a while to break out from his associations and habits and when he decided to go all in for Christ, he found a fellowship that he had heard about from his sister. He made sure to become fully active in their various activities and shortly after he started having encounters with God, learning and drawing closer to God and other people also.
“The brotherhood that I had searched for, that led me to that fraternity, I found in the fellowship,” he said. And so wrapped up in love and brotherhood, Tamuno didn’t see the need to return to his past habits or life.
For each of these young people, while they made the decision to stand for Christ in the midst of so many distractions, the common factor among them is that they did not remain aloof but made sure they surrounded themselves with like-minded people and were fully involved in activities that kept them engaged in the fellowship of the brethren.
Most importantly, they were fully convinced that living for Christ was the best decision they could ever make.