By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
The venerated writer of the Black Power epoch, Obi B. Egbuna, once put forward this question: Why is it that God uses the good people while the bad ones use God?
There was compelling enlightenment for me in the home of a politician recently. My visit to the house of Chief Victor Oye, immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) party was fortuitous. I was asked by a political couple in Awka, Anambra State, Mr and Mrs Vin and Vera Atuigwe, to accompany them to Chief Oye’s house in the neighbouring town of Amawbia.
Vin Atuigwe distinguished himself as a Member of the Anambra State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2003 while his wife, Vera, is the go-to APGA mainstay in the Awka South Constituency. I rode in the car of a mutual friend of the family, Sir Ken Ezechi, an accomplished accountant, in the visit to Chief Oye.
The first shocker for me was that the much sought-after politician, Chief Victor Oye, was already sitting, waiting for us at exactly 11.30 am, the fixed time for the appointment. The normal thing in my understanding is that a big politician almost always made his visitors to wait for hours on end before making an appearance.
The ennobling essence of Chief Oye was made manifest when he gifted us with the book entitled Old Testament Bible In 70 Weeks – A Compendium Of Questions And Answers by Victor Oye & Ebuka Oye.
Yes, the authors of the 220-page book are Chief Victor Oye and his son, Ebuka Oye. The blurb of the book reads thusly: “The strong bond between father and son blossomed with such terrific momentum that it wasn’t long before their common interest in producing a biblical manual that would serve as a quick reference material for students and teachers of the word emerged. Ebuka, a first-class petroleum and oil and gas engineer, and Victor, a renowned media professional, spent quality hours to produce this spectacular work, which has the potentiality of influencing a wide range of people beyond the Nigerian realm. The partnership between them has continued to inspire what they do and share, using the bible as a common denominator. Ebuka is in his late 20s and Victor in his late 60s. The disparity in age has not diminished their unbending desire to work with greater commitment to promote the work of God and win more souls for Christ. Welcome on board.”
The book was published by Blaze Communications Limited in 2023. In the words of the Foreword by the erudite Rev. Fr. Dr. Emmanuel U. Dim, “Old Testament Bible in 70 Weeks – A Compendium of Questions and Answers is one of those efforts to make the study and understanding of the OT (Old Testament) simpler and easier. The authors have comprehensively exposed the OT in a ‘Question and Answer’ style with a time frame. As a masterpiece, it follows a systematic step-by-step approach while presenting the major actors, events, time and locations of Israel’s religious experiences with a central message – Faith in One God. The activities of the patriarchs, judges, kings, prophets etc., are well presented in a manner that places the reader in the customs, traditions and history which the entire OT describes. Its division into chapters (70 Weeks) helps in bringing activities of same context together, making a better reading possible. The authors’ style shows the volume of effort put into the work as well as the in-depth understanding of the OT itself which largely informs it. Its simple arrangement makes it a vade mecum for every enthusiastic mind that seeks a better understanding of the Word of God. It is equally a wonderful instrument of instruction in faith for all who believe in God, just as it is also a ‘must read’ for all teachers and students of the Bible and Religion.”
A personal tragedy nearly aborted the writing of the book, as Victor Oye narrates in the Preface: “It was actually in 2019, in far away Georgia, the United States, that the first thought to do this work evolved. I was in the VIP Lounge at the Georgia Airport on the way to Lagos when the thought flashed through my mind. I had told myself then that I would commence work on the new book once I arrived in Nigeria. The desire was indeed overwhelming. A day after I returned to Nigeria tragedy struck: my last daughter, Chinenye, died. She left behind twins. My world literally crashed. So for twelve calendar months the project was in the cooler.”
Even so, his urge to embark on writing Old Testament Bible In 70 Weeks did not abate. It was during the COVID-19 scourge of 2020 that things started falling in place, and an encounter with the redoubtable attorney, Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), in an Abuja-bound flight spurred Chief Oye on. His son Ebuka who had just returned from Scotland backed him to the hilt, and the book was born.
