LIFE BEFORE AND AFTER RETIREMENT
Monday, 14th June, 2021
@ All Souls Anglican Church,
Osou-Ogu Parish, Abuloma, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Dearly beloved brothers and
sisters,
I thank the noblemen and women
of this great Church for finding us worthy to speak to this diverse audience
this afternoon. I am truly honoured for this gracious privilege.
I suspect that you invited me
because as a retiree, I should be able to share my personal experiences and
thoughts on this subject matter which is very apt and relevant today: LIFE
BEFORE AND AFTER RETIREMENT.
But I will like to start the
conversation in the context of the general theme of this year’s Fathers’ Day
Celebration in Okrika Diocese.: THE HONOURABLE MAN. PROVERB 20:3, for you
cannot live a good life before and after retirement if you are not honourable.
If your life is not straight.
Proverb 20:3 says:
“It is to one’s honour to avoid strife,
But every fool is quick to quarrel”.
(the New International Version)
When you quarrel with your wife
or husband, mother-in-law, your neighbour, etc. you are a fool. Children raised
in an environment of strife end up as troublesome children. I took a decision
to build a peaceful family before I got married and has kept it till today. May
you live in peace with your families in Jesus name
In Matthew Chapter 7 verse 16, the
Bible asserts “By their Fruits we shall know them. (NIV) The King James Version
says: ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits”.
Fruits which are a common
metaphor in both the Old and New Testaments represent the outward manifestation
of a person’s faith, your work and lifestyle.
Sir, what kind of life are you
living? Are you the type that creates confusion in your church or your
community? You bring chieftaincy matters into the church.
Madam, are you living a fruit of
life that is positive or negative?
Positive fruits of life would
include love, peace, kindness, faithfulness, honesty, and integrity. As President
of FESTAC’77 Rear Admiral O.P. Fingesi built the famous FESTAC Town in Lagos,
but doesn’t own a single flat in that place. That is integrity.
Negative Fruits of life would
include opposition, you are always in opposition in your workplace, your
school, club or Church – led by the flesh, envy, drunkenness –many Christian
brethren still drink iresponsibly. May you never be drunk to become a disgrace
to your family. Other examples of negative fruits of life are selfishness,
anger, wickedness, fornication and adultery, etc. Cases of corruption,
insecurity, promiscuity and rape are on the rise. Proverb 14:34 reminds us
that, “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
What kind of life do we want to live
before and after retirement?
LIFE BEFORE AND AFTER RETIREMENT.
Retirement is the physical and
psychological permanent separation of an individual from his/her employment
classification. At close to 50 years and above, you have 10 to 15 years of
active working life. So, what Plan do you have for your retirement now that you
are still active Nature is not kind to men who did not plan for their old age
when they are young: Everyone desires a good life after retirement: How then do
we guarantee this.?
Invest in ventures that will feed
you in your retirement. Create conveniences that will engage you in your old
age. There are limitless opportunities in agriculture, business, trade, etc. –
Take them. Princess (Dr.) Hetty I. Ogan has one of the best-managed
agricultural farms in Nigeria today – Ibiteinye Integrated Farms. Experts from
within and outside the country visit to understudy her methods. She was
recently appointed Technical Consultant for the Niger Delta Basin Development
Authority (NDBDA) Songhai Farm at Kpong in Ogoniland and has been selected as
one of the 100 best female entrepreneurs in Africa by Centre for Global
Enterprise in New York, USA. She started her Agric venture before retirement.
You too can be a role model if you start early to PLAN your life. Build a
foundation today that will sustain you tomorrow.
Before retirement take care of
your family. Make your spouse your number one priority after God. Use words to
edify him/her. Proverb 18:21 warns us, “Death and life are in
the power of the tongue.” In James 3:8 the Bible tells us, “But no
one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. For
men, do you build your wife up or tear her down with your tongue? We are
enjoined to support her ambitions, let her be, give her freedom to express her
talent, don’t envy, but encourage her. Be proud of her achievement. Women are
enjoined to do same for their husbands. And give your children the best
education your income can afford. Pursue a relationship with each of your
children. The family is the “building block” of the community. The Bible shows us
examples that portray how we ought to live our lives. But the families have
been under constant and prolonged pressures today. These include divorce,
fatherlessness, abuse, incest, rape, violence and other influences that have
brought great dysfunction to family life. May we promote good family values to
enjoy peace at home before and after retirement?
Strive to build a house of your
own today, so at retirement, you don’t use your pension and gratuity to pay
house rent or start a house you may never finish. It is possible. Don’t say, I
am a poor civil servant, my salary is too small. Yes, you can. A
childhood friend of blessed memory attended only a typing school at Okrika. But
in addition, he learnt a skill. He was an electrician. Leaders invest in their
skills Proverb 22 :2-9. May you add a skill to your present qualification?
He was on Grade Level 5 or 6 in Okrika Local Government Council at the time of
his death. But he planned for the future and built a house of his own. Today,
his family lives in that house. Also, my cousin with School Certificate on
Grade Level 5 in the civil service, started a house and completed it when he
was on Grade Level 7. He retired on Grade Level 8 in 2020 and today lives in
the house he built before retirement. Whereas, another relation who
retired as a Director on Grade Level 16 did not plan for his retirement. Today,
he is dragging his father’s bedroom with his own son. No house of his own.
Similarly, a very close friend was a Director in one of the Government
Ministries and was incharge of a World Bank Project, controlling millions in
dollars and fleet of exortic cars. Life was sweet, but he never planned for
life after retirement. On retirement some years ago, he moved from Government
Quarters to a rented old house at Ogbunabali. -Life became sour – then his wife
of over 30 years left him. May this life of painlessness never be your portion
in Jesus name.
Build friendship and goodwill
that will save you in your old age. If you are up, bring others that are
willing up. If God has helped put you in position of leadership, help others to
better their lives. Some of the people we helped with jobs and
scholarships at Total are better off today. Leadership is not about title
– Chairman/CEO, Bishop, VC or Chief. Leadership is taking responsibility to
make a difference in your community. Leaders bother about improvement in the
quality of life. « Let your light shine before men that they may see your
good works and glorify your father which is in Heaven » Matthew 5 :15-16.
I don’t know what is happening in your father’s house, your church or social
club. You will be the answer.
Right now start to be relevant in
your Church, club or community, so you could be reckoned with in your
retirement. Do not say I am too busy. Sir Daibi Selema was President of Men’s
League of Christ Church and Director of Protocol of two Anglican Dioceses –
Niger Delta and Okrika when he was at Shell, I was Chairman of Ogan Ama Deanery
Inauguration Committee, Chairman of Central Synod Planning Committee of Okrika Diocese
and Chairman, Father’s Day Planning Committee of Christ Church, Port Harcourt
as à Manager in Total. And the current President of the Men’s League of Christ
Church, Engr. Stanford Tasie is the Managing Director of a big oil service company
in Nigeria. May we be relevant to our community and society.
What of those in private practice?
I own a lucrative legal practice, a flourishing hospital, a huge pharmacy or
car leasing venture. I own an iconic accounting firm, I am an astute Architect
designing and supervising projects and I own housing estates, I am a big party
man with big Government contracts and other successful businesses, do I need a
retirement plan? Yes you do. Planning for uncertainty is a difficult exercise,
so start early. Have a succession plan and save for the rainy day.
Our fathers and mothers with
skills in fishing and trading also need to plan for their old age. Children of
these days are struggling for their own survival. Remember nature is not kind
to men and women who did not plan for their old age when they were young. At
old age, a fisherman can lease his boat and paddles. He can also become an
expert in mending or repairing and selling of nets and other fishing gears to
earn some income. Mama has left her market shed on account of age. But her
children can open a store in front of the village house so she can earn a
little income and remain physically and mentally alert. May we plan for our old
age in Jesus name.
After retirement life can be
very lonely. How do we overcome?
Avoid loneliness at all costs.
Make yourself happy no matter the situation, because life goes on with or
without you. Be happy, thank God every day for your life. If in doubt visit the
hospital ward or prison yard.
Keep yourself busy. Do something,
read … And if you can, write. Take a second degree or professional course. I am
active in writing and research and my sister Princess Hetty Ogan got a 2nd PhD
in Environmental Management with bias in Biogas production after retirement.
You too can do something. If you do nothing, nothing comes your way. Faith
without work is dead. James 2 :14-26. Heaven helps those who help
themselves.
Be medically stable – check for
Diabetes, Arthritis, Hypertension, Prostate and Stress. Stop smoking, loose
weight. These have become the bane of many retirees. Eat more vegetables and
fruits. Take adequate care of your health. Reach out to people or places of
interest, for as long as your body can carry you. Retirement could be boring
and painful for men who did not plan for it. May you not become a liability on
your children in your old age.
Avoid overeating and drunkenness,
(drink responsibly). Avoid taking a new wife. Some of us use our gratuity to
take chieftaincy titles or marry additional wives or indulge in extramarital
affairs. A popular Radio Evangelist in Port Harcourt Pastor George Izunwa once
said that if the result of fornication and adultery is HIV/AIDs, he would not be
bothered. But when you join your body with another woman, you inherit whatever
spirits or afflictions that are in her, and you pass them on to your wife and
family. 1 Cor. 6 :16 says: Do you not know that the one who joins himself
to a prostitute is one body with her? For he says; The Two Shall Become One
Flesh. » May we desist from having amorous affairs with women or men
beside our lawful wedded wives or husbands.
Make some effort to exercise.
Take a walk atleast 30 minutes in the morning to renew your ageing body. I play
golf, you can take any outdoor sport your strength can carry. And be less rigid
about issues and circumstances. Take life easy. Learn to let go. Yesterday
ended last night, today is a new day. Why are you still keeping issues of
yesteryears in mind? Throw away that bitterness. Cut your expenses. Be
less materialistic. Leaders are humble like Moses. Numbers 12 :3. May we
strive to live a simple life.
To our wives and mummies please
« submit to your husbands ». In a letter to Ephesians 5 :
22-23, Apostle Paul also admonishes husbands to love their wives, just as
Christ loved his church and gave himself up for her ». You need peace at
home to enjoy your work and retirement. More importantly, pray for us. Leaders
need prayers too 1 Timothy 2 :1-2.
The temptation out there –
staring your husband in the face – in his business, at the workplace, in the church–
is enormous. Young girls, including some married women now run after your
husbands for money, not for love. And you know what? The urge for women is one
of the strongest forces that has pulled down the most powerful men in history.
If in doubt, ask Sampson. The Bible talks of one man named Sampson and his
partner Delilah. There was no love in their tragic relationship, she only
wanted his head. (Judges 16 :4). Even David, a man after God’s heart
sent his Elite soldier, Uriah to the war front and took his beautiful wife
Bathsheba who became the mother of King Solomon 2 Samuel 11,12. In the
United States an Intern called Monica Lewinsky nearly pulled down the
presidency of Bill Clinton, the most powerful man on Planet earth. In the
church, Archbishops and Bishops have been disgraced out of office because of
sex scandals. The Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl
resigned in 2018 over sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Vatican and
the Catholic Church. Sexual impropriety has also trailed the Anglican and
Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria. Allégations by the wife of a popular singer
against the General Overseer of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) church
is still fresh in our memories.
For the seven years I worked in
Abuja and Lagos my wife stood in the gap for me with prayers. And even till
date she prays daily, ostensibly for the family. My last prayer point every
morning is « God, may we not enter into any kind of sin or danger and may
we continue to do only those things which are pleasant in thy sight ».
This has been my guiding principle over the years and has remained my battle
axe against adultery. For 5 years in Abuja and two years in Lagos all alone, I
took a firm position that no other woman would sleep in my house. A married
cousin once visited Abuja from the US and I gave him accommodation. Two days
later, he said he would bring his girlfriend to sleep over. I said no. That I
do not bring and nobody brings any woman not his wife into my house. He moved
out the next day. As men, fathers, with faith in God you too can resist any
temptation to sin. Before and after retirement, you too shall overcome
any situation if and only if you PLAN and LIVE a virtuous life, i.e. living the
virtues of Prudence (Practical Wisdom), Justice (Morality), Temper.
