Achievers are rare gems in this society of ours where excellence is hardly achieved by people, due to harsh realities of contemporary times. However, when an achiever emerges from the horizon, not withstanding his humble background, it becomes obvious like a shooting star on a starry night.
The story of the success and motivation of one of the elderly men believed to be the oldest man in Benue state, Nehemiah Shawon Ndur is an excellence- driven one.
Looking at the old man would make anyone want to believe he has not really lived up to his age, because he is still physically fit and healthy. But his native name, Shawon, which translates to ‘living on earth’ has indeed been a bundle of blessing to his entire community and the Christendom. This goes to show that the import of his name has struck, unlike common belief that there is nothing in a name.
Apart from aspiring to permanently serve God and follow His paths, unlike some of his contemporaries, he refused to succumb to traditional pressures and to accept the values that were associated with his age bracket, which is widely believed by the Tiv speaking community as breach of ancestral process.
Born into the humble family of Ndur Ajoko of Mbawuar in Vandeikya Local Government, the actual time of his birth could not be ascertained but based on his explanations and the reign of the then colonial administration, it was confirmed that he was born in 1890.
The young and determined Nehemiah could not afford to reach the peak of his educational career as he dropped out in primary 3 at NKST Primary School Uka in Vandeikya local government.
The desire to truly serve God motivated the young Nehemiah to find himself a wife named, Kahemban, and the development that led to their marriage in 1941. But Nehemiah shortly after the marriage was pushed to bachelorhood because according to him, he refused to turn an herbalist by the offer of his in-laws and so his wife was divorced from him. Six years later. Baba Nehemiah remarried to Azamlian in 1946.
LEADERSHIP SUNDAY gathered that Nehemiah first joined the NKST indigenous mission at a very tender age under the guidance of Berabo Azande, an early Tiv evangelist who was appointed by the then colonial missionaries and that he was constantly sleeping in Nehemiah father’s house whenever they were travelling for a church crusade.
Nehemiah told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that in 1939, he was sent to preach the message of God popularly called “waaji” with his bosom friend known as Jam Gbeji, when he was baptized after he had excellently carried out his duty of preaching the gospel and was posted to head an NKST church at Jato-Aka, in Kwande local government of the state as trainee evangelist.
Rather than remaining at Jato-Aka for his armature evangelism, he went to NKST church Mbaakon with his wife in 1958 to meet the head pastor, Ortese Bem, for the translation of the Holy Bible from English to Tiv language. He later moved from Mbaakon to Zaki-Biam in Ukum local government in 1964, the year the Holy book was finally translated and published.
Nehemiah had some unfortunate road accidents between 1968 and 1970, for more than seven times in the course of his quest to becoming a renowned evangelist but that he was never at any of these instances hurt or admitted in the hospital.
Evangelist Nehemiah, who has clocked 122 years, just as he has actualized his dream of becoming an evangelist, on February 25, 2012 celebrated his birthday and accomplishment of his mission of working in God’s vineyard under the NKST church, an indigenous mission in Benue state. The event was held at NKST church Uka, Mbawuar in Vandeikya Local Government.
But Nehemiah said that he was still physically fit and healthy, and that he has 12 children, 80 grand children and 57 great grand children. He attributed his long life to the fact that he eschews evil, appealing to Christians to worship God truly.
He further stated that he was thankful to God for the days he has lived on earth as well as that was why he answered the call to propagate the message of God.
The head pastor of NKST Church Uka, Mbaakon Classis, Rev. T. N Yaji, who read from Leviticus 19:32, quoted the Bible as saying “you shall give due honour and respect to the elderly, in the fear of God. I am Jehovah”. He told the congregation that there was the need for the celebration of Evangelist Ndur’s old age and that he was pioneer member of the NKST mission.
Rev. Yaji disclosed that though Ndur’s quest to becoming a pastor could not be actualized, the accomplished evangelist played major roles in the translation of the Tiv Bible and added that he was the only surviving member of the team that translated the Holy book from English to Tiv.
Evangelist Nehemiah obviously is a quintessential evangelist who has accomplished his hopes and no doubt, has posed a big challenge to Christians and his contemporaries within his 122 years of stay on this mother earth. He is greatly, a rare gem that would forever leave his footprints in the sands of history.