“We are doing well.”
That was the quiet thunder from Celebrity Mkohol Simeon Mlanga—a voice that didn’t just observe but diagnosed. While some argued, others drifted, and many withdrew into silence, Mkohol saw purpose in the pressure. “For me,” he said, “I’m expecting all that is going on here now, because it’s one of the characteristics of group development. If we jump from here to storming stage, the group will collapse after much is put into it.”
And he’s right. Across the world, every lasting group walks through fire before it becomes gold. What the Makurdi Old Boys Association, Set 2004 is facing is not a breakdown—it is a breakthrough in disguise. “When the goat walks through thorns and doesn’t cry, it’s because its heart is braver than its body,” says a Tiv proverb. This is not failure. It is formation. And only those who embrace formation can carry the future.
But even as we rise, we must not forget to kneel—with grief, with empathy, with unity. Our hearts bleed alongside our dear brothers Celebrity Terngu Usar and Pastor Nicodemus Mbatsavtampu, whose village, Yelewata, was recently attacked and ravaged by Fulani herdsmen. A people maimed. A community violated. Homes turned to ashes. These are not just headlines—they are heartbreaks. “A river that forgets its source dries up,” says another Tiv saying. We will not forget Yelewata. Not now. Not ever.
In the middle of group fatigue and online friction, Mkohol whispered a deeper truth: “We are just privileged to be in this group today. Remember our mates that died years back. If only God allowed them alive like us, they would have made a difference.” That single sentence could wake a sleeping conscience. We are not here because of perfection—we are here because of preservation. Not all who went through Makurdi Modern School lived to wear this crown of reconnection. Let us wear it with humility.
Then came the line that haunts the proud but heals the broken: “Don’t look at your sacrifice—it will pierce you and cause you to complain.” Yes. Those who stare too long at their pain forget their purpose. Those who count their contributions forget the cost of community. As Mkohol said, “God will always keep righteousness to reign over evil.” That’s not just belief—it’s prophecy. We may not understand the delay. But righteousness does not die. It only waits for time to speak.
“Time, time, time…” Mkohol cried. “Let’s give more time, things will work right.” It echoed like a national prayer. Because it’s true. “Even the sweet yam must rot a little in the ground before it tastes right,” Tiv elders say. Time is not wasted on relationships—it is invested. The healing of Yelewata. The growth of this association. The rebirth of trust. All these things need time. And we must be willing to give it.
Makurdi Old Boys Association, Set 2004, is not just a WhatsApp gathering. It is a sanctuary. A second classroom. A circle of surviving souls. We are not classmates by chance—we are classmates by covenant. So let us carry each other. Let us bury the pride that divides, and raise the humility that heals. From this furnace will emerge not just leaders, but good leaders—those who serve without shouting, who cry but still carry others, who bleed yet still build.
We are not breaking.
We are becoming.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi, (Interim President, MOBA04)
writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state. 08152094428 (Whatsapp Only)
