Hon Emeka Ihedioha 


By Ori Martins 


A box is usually a critical part of our daily living and survival. At birth, the child's first expansive and likely most expensive property is the baby box. It contains all the necessary and sometimes unnecessary items for the baby's upkeep. 


Few days later, the baby is presented with a sparkling box that is both beautiful and befitting. This is home to the baby's article of clothing and other important materials that are well known to women, matrons and nurses. 


Creche, nursery and primary school beckon and the baby is now effectively bedecked with compulsory boxes that are stuffed wit, first, food, otherwise called launch box, and, second, book box better known as school bag.  


As the child grows in age, development and maturity, parents that hitherto disregarded a very vital matter known as first aid box begin to appreciate its importance as well as urgency. This is because, the baby will normally develop disturbing misty eyes, painful runny nose and a series of unidentified minor but absolutely distressful ill health conditions that mostly rear  their ugly heads in the night hours. 


The child's boxes continue grow in leaps and bounds and the child's burden never get abated until the child starts thinking out of the box because the child now has his/her brain box as life's challenges are in a catalogue of boxes. 


This is what The Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha dramatically manifested when he highlighted on the theme: Hope and gratitude in the 2024 Christmas Cantata that took place in his Aronta, Mbutu, country home, Aboh Mbaise, Imo State, on December 24, 2020.


Significantly and  sufficiently drawing from Lamentations 3: 22 which notes thus: "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed because his compassions fail not", Ihedioha, ever composed as ever, hammered it home to his audience who were already in Christmas mood, that "We can only completely survive if we carry our box of hope and gratitude because the Lord says 'I am who I am'. And we must deeply reflect on this, meditatively".


In all his public appearances where he has been enthusiastically received by usually a large crowd of people who normally throng to the town halls to behold and hear him speak, the former deputy speaker of the Federal House of Representatives has maintained his December 24 central message which was anchored in walking with a box of hope and gratitude because God says "I am who I am". 


The important of the message is, he who hopes with gratitude will never be disappointed just as the Lord of I am who I am is always firm     in his promises and provisions to his faithful people. 


Indeed, the summary of the erstwhile governor's 2024 message is clearly and evidently captured in his December 24 cantata narration which is, succinctly put, hinged on taking catalogue of boxes replete with hope and gratitude and measured by the Lord's mercies. With God, every dream can be accomplished!