I received an an e-mail from one Nanpan Guyit - obviously the son of the late Nigerian ambassador to Hungary, Gershon Guyit. I had written an article about the late ambassador sometime in December on this inspiring website. Like many other writers I do receive letters about my articles. However, I consider Nanpan's letter to be a proper rejoinder hence the need to reproduce it without editing. Secondly, it contains information I did not include in the said article (Eulogies for departed Nigerian Ambassador to Hungary

Please read this letter from Nanpan Guyit:

May those bound by prejudice be judged by it. As much as I respect your right to opinion or _ expression or whatever you wish to call it, I can't help but pray for you. I dear anyone to speak truthfully bad about the late ambassador, and I pray God to judge he that lies. I felt hurt about your writing about the late ambassador because I felt you were a person sitting on your high horse, looking down, having no idea about the temperature of the sand but insisting on racing with a man on foot with no shoes and honestly tell yourself that it is a fair race.

Believe it or not he was a visionary, and a true patriot. Before you sit in your prejudice chair and insisting on talking about what you don't know just to be different? Do a research on him and his works when he came to the Hungarian Mission and even before. You will discover that the mission has been more active in his little period than ever before. To the extent that because of the frequency of correspondences with the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ministry had to send a delegation to Budapest to actually inspect and see if the embassy is as busy as implied by the files in the Ministries office.

Find out how many delegations he has led to various states in Nigeria to find investments. Find out how the embassy actually became a home to Nigerians in Budapest. He made a lot of effort to expose the Nigerian tourism potential, and believe me he made headway and it was just a matter of time and the fruits would start to yield.

Even before he was an ambassador, I hope you realize he was the first Local Government Chairman that I know to be elected unopposed, and of which he refused to collect any salary or allowance during his tenure but choose to dedicate it to the service of the poor and underprivileged. At that time he was still not a rich man and even considered to be bigger in status and qualification for the post but he choose to serve his people because he felt he was never bigger than service to the people.

He was never a rich man by the worldly standards and died not a rich man by worldly standards. But he was rich in his heart and rich in love for humanity and that is why you heard everything you heard. I wish you were at his burial in Nigeria, you would have experienced the Spirit of God and you would not be thinking the way you were. Because I can tell you, you have not heard the half of it.

I wish you understood what it means to be a poor boy, with no Godfather, who had to make it from the scratch by hard work only. I can go on, and if you do your research and find me wrong in anyway may God  judge me. I wish you knew whom you were talking about; I wish you would not talk if you had nothing to say.

You see ambassador Guyit died because he choose to be good, do your research! It is enough pain to loose a man who was a great teacher, a good friend, a great father, to a the hate, envy, insecurity, and evil of this world when you know you have not seen the best of him yet, how much more the only thing he left behind in place of worldly wealth is a good legacy for his family and friends to live with. To have someone uninformed attempt to attack it for the fun of it or even just for a column, is gravely unfair and a call for the justice of God. May each man be judged by his works.

I realized that this world is strange and like a hexagon has many sides. While I can barely believe the situation and my tears are barely half way down my face, the world had dealt me a very strong blow, At the same time, some people will beat drums of joy, some would thrive on the situation to make head way, some will find laughter.

A strange cruel world; pain, joy, envy, tears, laughter etc. in the same room. My father barely lived in this world, at least let him Die in peace.

Robot  Villager

# 1 /images/stories/article_images_2/photo1.I received an e-mail from one Nanpan Guyit - obviously the son of the late Nigerian ambassador to Hungary, Gershon Guyit. I had written an article about the late ambassador sometime in December on this inspiring website. Like many other writers I do receive letters about my articles. However, I consider Nanpan's letter tobe a proper rejoinder hence the need to reproduce it without editing. Secondly, it contains information i did not include in the said article(Eulogies for departed Nigerian Ambassador to Hungary....Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 10.02.2006 10:20

Exxcuzme  Villager

# 2 Mr. Babalola, Are you goint to Apologise to the man? You did not contradict you were wrong for whatever write up you did about his late Dad? Posted by Exxcuzme| 10.02.2006 11:55

Ochuko

# 3 Mr. Babalola, your write ups while intelligent, do tend to be very long and sometimes border on pretensious. Why not lean away from a somewhat academic style, and think about being more flexible in your style. Obviously you are intelligent, with a wealth of knowledge, but your style seems to try too hard to prove and let the world know how 'intelligent,smart, academic' you are. Even your picture is somewhat pretensious, why not just put up a regular picture, why the hand on the chin like you are the world's greatest philosopher. What I'm trying to say is keep it real, so your articles can lean away from BORING! Sometimes, shorter and to the point is better! Posted by Ochuko| 10.02.2006 15:41

keem

# 4 Dear exxcuzme, This is my reply to Nanpan. "Thanks for the information in your letter, and I have given it the same attention as my article on the late ambassador. Please see nigeriavillagesquare.com. God knows I didn't mean to rubbish your father. When I wrote that "I was occupied with my own prejudice," I meant to say it's quite normal for people to speak good of the dead, irrespective of what they had done while alive. If I had hurt you in anyway, accept my apology. May his soul rest in perfect peace." Dear Ochuko, It's quite ironical that someone sees me as intelligent because that is what I am not. For me, the word intelligent has different meanings. Ochuko, it's too ambiguous. But like other fellows, I think I am just disturbed - very disturbed - about the way things are going in Nigeria. As for my picture, I think you really got me on that one. Actually I was only making a statement: that Nigeria is worth thinking about. Yeah, it's too "pretentious." And I am going to change it in the nearest future. Thanks also for your observation about my style. The point is that I don't really like Part 1, part 2 stuff... Hakeem Posted by keem| 12.02.2006 08:38

Exxcuzme  Villager

# 5 Good job Mr. Babalola, I went back to read the said article (I am new to this village) and at no time did you disparage the man whatsoever. You were just asking legitimate question. Your question was like the question I would ask my girlfriends (before I got married). If one tells me, she loves me. I will ask why she loves me and give an example. The answer will be: Because you are genorous You're are nice. Immediately, I will just xcross the girl out of my mind. You need to give a substantive reason why someone is a good man; what ACTUAL good did he performed? Those who were at the funeral that could not give you the man's worth were just there , most likely for FOOD. May God continue to give you wisdom. We need to ask question and demand a concrete answer. Stay blessed. Posted by Exxcuzme| 13.02.2006 17:53

Nomps  JJC

# 6 well, my idea was not to put up a debate about whether my father was a good man or not. I know him, i appreciate him even in death and love him truely dearly, we all of us do, (his Family). For who ever is intrested to question the virtures attributed a deceased for the sake of knowledge, i do not mind. Please dont get me wrong. i do not deny Hakeem the right to his opinion, but i was just a bit distort about the approach and timing. i just felt if you came to his service of songs two days after he died to pray with the family and condole them your interest should humanly be with the feelings of the family first and foremeost, and be a little considerate. But i guess like i said everyone may do the same thing but for a different reason. The only problem i had with that article was the method of writing, i felt it had insinuendos. Secondly i felt there were other things of more interest about the whole thing like the issue raised in one of National dailies ( This day). All the same i just needed to exress myself. After all that is what this forum is about. Nanpan Posted by Nomps| 15.02.2006 09:42

nekuj

# 7 Dear Nomps, Very well written articles. I read the first one and wept. It is a pity that most people like to see negative than positive. As much as i believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, i think we should be sensitive as well to the feelings of others. To Mr Hakeem, all i will say is put your self in their shoes. You can never know how it feels till you go through it. My Dear Nomps, Allah ya kara maku hakuri. You know we have got your back any time. xxx Posted by nekuj| 06.04.2006 05:08