William Shakespeare (1582-1616) remains essentially relevant, “What the great ones do, the less we prattle of”. Even at the other extreme, we have no problem with society eulogizing the great ones beyond their life time. What may be unfair is the present attitude of remaining stoically silent on some lesser mortals who were impactful within the little spaces they occupied during their lifetime. Today’s Subject is intended to provide a lesson on how not to ignore the meek and the humble, even onto death.
This is where we reckon that the community services currently rendered by our media houses would benefit from further expansions with a view to penetrating through more remote areas of the country, where some of our best citizens live.
The only way to start this tribute is on a confessional note: The last time I spoke to her on phone, she extracted a promise from me – that I would return from Canada to meet her alive. Now, she is gone but the lie I told her is alive, and in the sight of God, every lie is a sin. Let all who read this tribute join me in asking God for forgiveness.
This confession has become necessary because mama was a virtuous woman – an honest woman who would not tell a lie even at the edge of doom; a woman who was a total embodiment of kindness, and a woman who rendered justice to all with universal equality. She was indeed the Esther of our time. Within the Igbanke and Oghada axis, she will be greatly missed for her invaluable advice and counsel. She was, indeed, a Community Leader!
Mama realized early in life that life is a gift from God and your service to humanity is the rent you pay for being on earth. She lavished her milk of kindness on me. From the very beginning, she supplied all my basic school needs. Even when I was yet learning to write letter, she fully supplied all I asked for. Remember the early age of learning to write letters: “kindly send me one pencil, one ruler, one 2A exercise book, one 2C exercise book, one 2D exercise book, and so on”.
At the home front, that she ever slept could have been anybody’s imagination. In truth, I have not seen her eating. But I know that every living being must eat to stay alive. All I have seen her do is serving others. Similarly, I have never seen her asleep. Apparently, she slept at night after everyone has slept, and woke up in the morning before everyone. Essentially, her life was one of deprivation for herself to ensure the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.
In the household of Igbinedion, mama ensured that there was always food, even for perfect strangers. Information reaching me indicated that this attitude persisted until her final days. On her death bed, as soon as they entered she would say, “Lucy, go and give them food”. Even where such visitors hesitated, mama would force them to eat.
One day, her daughter Lucy called me to say, “Brother see me, see trouble o, one of these days, we shall run into a case where the food we are giving to strangers does not digest properly. Will they not think we have forced some poisoned stuff down their throat?”
I told her not to worry because mama was on a Mission – a mission that must be fulfilled. Just keep doing good. For as long as God is on the throne, he will keep protecting his people. She was one woman who was thoroughly endowed with the spirit of industry. That’s one way of understanding why she became the best in anything she did.
She was everybody’s delight in the home. Whatever came out of her kitchen was “Finger Licking Good”. Of greater interest still was the speed and precision with which the food came. Although it was in the era of the firewood, her food came with the speed of the pressure cooker and the micro-wave, even long before those devices were invented!
Mama was a philanthropist extraordinaire, she rendered service to humanity without counting the cost. She was the “Doctor” we knew. This was an accrual from the experience she gathered from her short stint with the Health Department of the defunct Akugbe District Council. To that extent, she was a pioneer in the delivery of free health-care to the people.
Perhaps unknown to her, we conferred on her, the title of Director of Sanitation. In neatness, she was unbeatable. She preached and practiced hygiene and always maintained that neatness is next to Godliness.
Mama finally arrived at her destination when she got into catering. In the name of running a restaurant, what she actually had was a Soup Kitchen. All who knew her went there to eat free food- some, three times daily. How, then, was mama making her money? Her life is a testimony to the fact that no one does the will of God and comes out regretting! Mama lived for others!
There was an annual pilgrimage of sorts – The New Yam Festival (Egu) at Oghada. She usually arrived some days before the festival. Every day, she followed my mother to the farm. Under any weather, she worked tirelessly, thus beating those hardworking Oghada women to their own business. That was not all.
Homeward bound at the end of the day, she loaded her hamper full and delightfully carried the load that would ordinarily be too heavy for two people.
In her life time, we kept short-changing her by calling her Nne-Nwagholor when, indeed she was a mother to ALL! Mama lived a good life; she ran a good race; she fought a good fight – the fight of faith; and she finished her course. As happened to the Great Apostle Paul, we are sure that the crown of righteousness already awaits her in the bosom of the good Lord.
It only remains for us to pray to the Almighty God to give those of us she left behind the fortitude to bear her temporary separation from us.
Accordingly, we so pray…… Amen!
Adieu Mama Adieu!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Josef Oligie Omorotionmwan writes from Canada
