In Papa UMA, we break this silence!
People who talk like parrots don’t last or sustain quality and fruitful relationships. There are issues that are not meant for a third party knowledge or for public consumption no matter how close you are to the person(s).
You must learn to keep EXECUTIVE SECRET. Don’t make the challenge of your superior a prayer point. Don’t use the mistake of your leader a topic of discussion. There’s no secret of a leader or a great man that you discuss in your privacy that he would not hear openly, sometime, someday! So bridle your tongue to avoid causing crisis for yourself. Many have lost their jobs, promotions, quality relationships and even their lives for not being careful with how they discussed or revealed privileged information or the secrets of great men and great leaders.
As part of our professional rules as lawyers, we owe clients and senior citizens a duty of confidentiality.
If you can’t keep the secrets of an elder, you won’t be trusted anywhere.
Some time last year, Papa had a serious health challenge that he gave up many times and returned to life and was finally flown to London for intensive medical care. Many people knew of it because many of his meetings were postponed while sone were cancelled. Even at a close knowledge of this, non of the Management Staff or the general Staff of his Polytechnic where I serve as the Rector was informed about it. I hid it from my family, my friends, my Pastors, church leaders and many others. Many who knew it tried to probe my mind about it, but I disabused their minds of it.
Then, many times, some of the Polytechnic staff would say to me, “There’s a rumour around Ohafia and beyond that Papa is dead.” Then, I would reply, “If you didn’t hear it from me, then it never happened.” And some would continue, “But is he sick and taken out of the country?” My reply was, “Who said so?” Case closed!
What’s your gain when you are known as a trust breaker?
If you can’t keep confidential or privileged information, then you can’t be accommodated in sacred forums. Success is maintained in secrecy!
It took the Army of Israel some mental stress to declare the death of General Saul to David. Once I read and heard in the Bible, “Publish it not in Gath…,” I learnt the lesson that you don’t discuss everything about senior citizens. It can be devastating and can bring self-imposed curses on the person who let out the secrets or mistakes of a great man without approval.
Every Government or Corporate body has an oath of secrecy enshrined in their package or work ethics. The source through which they let out any piece of information for public consumption is defined. Any other person who does otherwise could be disciplined. Then, why can’t we learn to keep the privacy of our elders no matter how ugly or enticing?
When the death of Papa was disclosed to me as a stakeholder, I was told not to mention or let it not until the family releases the public announcement. I held my heart in pains and agony. Even while it was flying round the different social media networks, I kept mute because I had not seen it on Papa’s official page. I got hundreds of calls but couldn’t pick up any even from my wife because I knew why they were calling. My heart was heavily burdened. Calls from the Institution was coming but I couldn’t speak. I was in Abuja to represent the Institution in a meeting. I had chats with Mama Uma severally but maintained my faith.
The calls kept coming while I was lying down on the bed in my hotel room dropping tears like water. I couldn’t shout out until I noticed that my voice had cracked and my heart blocked. So, I silently prayed, “God, please don’t let me have a heart attack!”
You won’t understand what I mean.
I encountered a Spirit in human form in the person of Papa Uma. It’s heart breaking that we can’t talk physically again! That man was different indeed from the countless number of people I have ever met in my life.
He was good to….a fault! His face could put fears in you that you might not feel free in his presence. But he was very accessible. He gave me that open door relationship. Imagine Papa said to me, “Call me always. Come to Uyo and let’s see. Rector, Apostle, come to Uyo.” I would go most times, and he would say, “Come back tomorrow.” He liked seeing me around for some crucial discussions. One day, he said, “If you had been here from the inception, this Institution would have gone very far.” Yeah, we work like Missionaries who are passionate for the salvation of many souls. I will miss him greatly!
Papa was a principality!
Each time, he talked, bent his neck and looked up, just be connected spiritually because something would happen in the realm. It was in a time such as that that he said, “Tell God that UMA said…”
Chai! What a beautiful relationship with his maker! Papa was a human spirit! He would be greatly missed!
Prof. O. A. Clement, Esq.
Rector, Uma Ukpai Polytechnic.
