Angels descending, bring from above, Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. ~Fanny J. Crosby

We are all quite familiar with the word ‘Angel’. Many of us desire to be attended to by Angels but dread the thought of seeing them face to face. We have heard that they can be as tall as high rise buildings and as powerful as unearthly gods. In fact, some so hold them in awe that they set up worship centres and rituals for extolling them. They are considered the next in line with respect to authority after God himself.

The soul at its highest is found like God, but an angel gives a closer idea of Him.  That is all an angel is:  an idea of God.  ~Meister Eckhart

And yet amusingly, they operate and appear many times as ordinary men. So banal they seem that many a searching miss them and entertain them either poorly or well unawares. They see them as mere men but lack knowledge of their capacity because they lack seeing eyes.

When people think of angels, they think flowing robes and halos. But in the Bible, they also look like ordinary people. Why not today? – JOAN WESTER ANDERSON, In the Arms of Angels

Insight is better than eyesight when it comes to seeing an angel.  ~Quoted in The Angels’ Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

I like the sound of the word ‘Angel’. In fact Wikipedia defines them as ‘Messengers of God’. One concept that stirred my interest highly is that of the Angel investor. Angel Investors as described by Wikipedia are affluent individuals who provide capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. Such investors are referred to as ‘Business Angels’.

All God’s angels come to us disguised.  ~James Russell Lowell

So in like manner, I’d take permission lexically to borrow the use of it in the current electoral process in Nigeria to say

‘Election Angels’ are those who give their votes and lend their influence to voting in a particular direction without party allegiance or bias but committed to principles, values or people of such in exchange for good governance and a true reflection of the government of the people, for the people and by the people.

SILVER RAVENWOLF, Angels

[Angels] aid us in our personal mission. We have to learn to listen, for if we block the angels out, they become only the fairy beings of dreams and pleasant stories.

Election Angels will account for the swing votes in the April 2011 elections as a multitude of people who never used to vote and who have no party allegiance or bias will go out and vote credible candidates based on the track record of such candidates and the Integrity to do as they have promised in their manifestoes.

It is not known precisely where angels dwell – whether in the air, the void, or the planets.  It has not been God’s pleasure that we should be informed of their abode.  ~Voltaire

These Angels will vote according to their consciences and values lending their capital to the Nation’s transformation process for a change. They’ll arise in unison to kick out the ruling PDP that have stolen the dividends of democracy and increased geometrically the ratio of the poor to the rich in the last 12 years of governing.

We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.  ~Luciano de Crescenzo

They will be unprecedented, unpatronizing and incorruptible. They’ll take up the responsibility of influencing their immediate environment to vote for change. They’ll put aside ethnic, religious and regional differences to enthrone cooperate progress.

“God always has an angel of help for those who are willing to do their duty.”

- T. L. Cuyler

“All arrangements that are carried out between heaven and earth are carried out through angels.”
- Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (“Essence of Islam”)

“Every man contemplates an angel in his future self.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

They will vote the brightest, the best, the most competent and the fittest team of candidates. They will vote Buhari Bakare as President and Vice President. What out for the Angels. Their votes will count the most.

The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone.  ~George Elliot

“If we could perceive our angels for just a single day, this world would never be the same again, nor would it ever wish to be.”
- Anonymous

I had been given a mandate by the future movement to go and set the ball rolling with respect to organising a political debate between the political aspirants of the annulled April 18, 2007 elections. Elections had been annulled in 10 out of 16 local government council areas by an Appeal court and a re-run had been ordered. The election rerun in the state is billed to take place on the 25th April, 2009.

As a result, the whole of the nation has it’s eyes fixed on Ekiti and the re-run elections. What will be the outcome? Will the sacked governor return or will a new governor be sworn in? The question on everyone’s lips “Oni or Fayemi, who will it be?” Well, back to the purpose of my trip. I was sent to a particular Pastor who had a passion for seeing a new Nigeria emerge and another interesting young man who lived for the ideals of a new Nigeria.

I set out with so much unknown yet so much anticipation. I had prayed and was sure that God will direct my steps and put a smile on my face when I returned to give the report to the uture movement. I arrived Ekiti about 2pm yesterday afternoon, after a four and a half hour journey and after waiting for two hours at the bus park. I met with my young friend after a couple of phone calls and we both went to meet with the Pastor at his church’s new building site.

About a dozen people were engaged in one activity or the order, dirtied from sand, mud and dust, they were either pushing wheelbarrows laden with construction materials or mixing with spades or carrying head pans “pon-pon” filled with mixed concrete to pour in the mould that was made for the foundation of the building. The Pastor himself was dressed in very old clothes I discovered as he approached to welcome me and his hands very dirty with mud. He smiled as he welcomed me warmly and hesitated at my stretched out hand, showing me his mud covered ones and asking if I didn’t mind. I said I didn’t and locked his right hand in a very strong handshake despite the the dried dirt on it. Afterall, I was at home and was meeting with my own kin.

Immediately, I launched into the agenda of my visit and he came up to speed quite quickly with it. Anyway, according to him, it had been a burning desire on his heart so it seemed to be happening at the right time. We discussed together the factors we needed to take up immediately with regards to the seminar/debate. In a few mins, we had set out deliverables and he had assured me that if I was going to wait till the next morning, he’d give me an update on the reaction and decision of other key stakeholders he would be speaking with yesterday evening. I instantly assured him that I’ll be waiting till the next morning ofcourse. I had vowed to take responsibility for the political state in Ekiti and needed to begin to relate even more closely with its people as well as stay in the state a little more than before.

I left his place after we spent several minutes discussing the polity of Ekiti state and was picked up by my Auntie who serves as the chairman of the National Association of Nurses and Midwives-Ekiti Branch and we drove to her house where I spent the night. I was treated to a very large and delectable meal of pounded yam and efo riro soup with eja kika and beef.

Shortly after I loaded up with the food, my friend Kunle Alashi came calling and we had a good discussion on many aspects of life. I spent some time feeling the vibes of politics in the state while discussing my mission to my Auntie. She gave me some insight into why she preferred “the devil we know to an angel we don’t know”. Those were her exact words in referring to the two major gubernatioral aspirants.

I slept soundly feeling very strongly the fresh and very cool breeze of the country. I almost didn’t get out of bed excepting the fact that I had an appointment by 7am. I met our Pastor friend again and he gave me updates on the situation. Needless to say that he gave some very encouraging news and promised to tie up the loose ends by the end of the week. He set up a small committee to work with me on the project and I the feeling of excitement at the success of this project was thick in the air as I discussed it with them.

I was told that I had to make another trip to Ekiti by next week to tie up the loose ends and that what was most important now was getting the consent of the aspirants to appear for the debate. By and large, I left Ekiti this morning in high spirits dreaming about the program and its resultant success and ofcourse the effect of that success on the people of Ekiti state.

Enlightened followership would have been created and the middle class who usually don’t take  responsibility by voting will have been encouraged to vote. The title of the seminar/debate is “Your vote,your voice” and the name of this gracious Pastor friend is Tunde Afe of the House of Faith Church, Ado Ekiti. I’ll write about updates of this meeting as they happen and I believe another Barack Obama scenario is in the making. Ekiti state will be the pilot and the rest of Nigeria will surely follow. God bless Nigeria. God bless Ekiti State.