Before settling for this caption, I toyed with many others for this entry, some of which are here next. Death is not final. Death is not the end of it all. Nothing dies in your hands.
In addition, I considered death in all its ramifications. I thought first, of course, about physical death. Then, about spiritual death, about financial death, marital death, political death, professional death, name them. Since there is life after physical death, all other deaths are child’s play.
My mind dashed to John 12:24 (KJV) which says that verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. A seed dies in the soil and voila, lives again; regenerates a plant. Even human beings don’t die and go as we say in Nigeria; they die and live.
There’s life, post-death. Death is not final, life is. The afterlife is not all about death. No, death is only a channel through which man transmutes from life on earth into life in the higher realm: death is not a permanent state.
I believe that people who die here are alive somewhere else. They are absent in this body but present and active in the invisible with the Master they worked for while on earth. If they had been for Christ, now they are having a ball in His presence. If they had chosen Satan all their years and had elected not to repent even at the point of death, now they are gnashing their teeth in eternal pains.
See, even these so-called sinners or rejecters of Christ are alive. That is why they can feel pain or gnash their teeth and beg Lazarus and company for water. You cannot feel any pain in death. Death is dead to everything: joy, pain, sound, speech, thirst.
Death is not a state otherwise those dead people could not have been thirsty and demanded water and help to communicate need for repentance to their families. Death is only a connecting flight, a journey, a voyage that takes man from life to life. From life here to life there. Death lasts or concludes in a nanosecond.
Immediately one dies in the physical, such a one starts living in what my pastor (no, my spiritual father), Global Ba’aba, Dr Abel Damina, calls the immaterial. When I had not met him, I used to call it the intangible, the psychical. Those of you who pooh-pooh the dead had better change. They can see and watch and understand everything you do to their memory, to their family, to their legacy, to their possessions, to their trust. This writer believes there is a party wherever the dead are to welcome the new dead as well as later to watch funeral events.
Which reminds me of two such events I attended over the weekend. On Friday, at Shelter Afrique Field, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, family, associates and friends had gathered for the funeral finale of a former two-term member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Abuja, Rt Hon. (Elder) Bassey Etim (aka Bafil). The petroleum magnet and business mogul, who I trust is with Jesus this instant, must have shaken his head all through the ceremony and especially in the build-up. On the day that mattered, the House of Representatives -of which he would forever remain an alumnus- was nowhere to be found.
Or, perhaps the team said to have been despatched by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas arrived long after the event (because of flight issues)? Furthermore, Bafil spent his political life empowering and connecting thousands of our people to employment opportunities nationally and locally. I didn’t think they stepped forth enough from start to finish of activities marking his death and burial. Except for one Hon. (Chief) Chijioke A. of Imo State who did everything to get the microphone to thank Bafil publicly, even if posthumously, for his pioneering role in his business life.
The federal constituency (Uyo, Uruan, Ibesikpo Asutan and Nsit Atai) that Bafil represented, fought for and empowered the most via federal projects and jobs also proved ungrateful. The current man representing us in the federal house (remember never to say federal house of representatives since there is no state house of representatives) and most of the other leaders across the different strata of leadership in the other three constituent local government areas, all stayed away or so it seemed. Thankfully, I saw one man we would have thought would never show up and that sent an important message to the effect that on the day of reckoning it is those we thought enemies who would show up for us. Obong Emmanuel Obot, of Ibesikpo Asutan local government area, who fought a tedious legal battle with Bafil and at some point replaced him in the House of Representatives, was present physically with his dear wife, Goodness, who is Vice Chairman of Ibesikpo Asutan local government.
What about Uruan, the home local government area of the departed political star? Senator Aniekan Bassey, political leader, was represented by his deputy, Rev. (Engr) J. B. Effiong. The Honourable Member, Uruan State Constituency in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon. Itoro Etim, Ph.D. was present and also supported the event. The Council Chairman, Rt Hon. (Surv.) Iniobong Ekpenyong, accompanied by Council Secretary, Arc. Destiny Edet, not only contributed massively to the event, he also attended and spoke glowingly of the deceased at the ceremony.
For once, it was good to see our great local government area set aside useless politics to rally round one of their own. I saw PDP and APC members together with some topshots from the academia, judiciary, etc. and it felt really good. In no particular order, many thanks to the retired Honourable Justice Andrew Okon, Prof. Bassey Ndon, Prof. Donatus Okon, Hon. Justice Winifred Akpabio, Rt Hon. (Barr.) Usenobong Akpabio, Sir Okon Okon, Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Internal Revenue Service, Obong Dan Akai, Pastor Bassey Isin, Dr Eventus Edem, Rt Hon. Hogan Ben Inyang, Barr. Edet Mbiam, and others too numerous to mention. Our Ward, Uruan South V, from which Bafil hailed, was represented from top to bottom: Ward Leader, Yours sincerely; Ward Chairman (Hilary Leo Nyong) and entire PDP Ward Exco; Councillor (Hon. Paul Okon); Personal Assistant to the Governor (Hon. Idongesit Okon); Caucus Secretary (Hon. Nsikak Okon) and his spouse, Margaret among others.
Thankfully, those were not all. Vice Chancellor of Bafil’s alma mater, the great University of Uyo, Prof. Nyaudoh Ndaeyo, was quite present as indeed was prominent lawyer, Samuel Ikpo, esq. Ditto, the VC’s home local government chairman, Hon. Inibehe Umah, as well as chairman of Akwa Ibom State Petroleum Products Monitoring Committee, Rt Hon. Godwin Ekpo. So too, Bafil’s in-laws; University of Calabar MBBCH Class of 1995 who came to show solidarity to the widow, Flora, a medical doctor and their four children; Bafil’s University of Uyo political science couremates; leadership of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association in AkwaCross (of which he was a founding member and leader).
Above all, beyond the presence of and speech by Mrs. Inemesit Enobong Uwah, Ph.D., wife of Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government, special thanks for success of Bafil’s funeral must go to the planning committee. Many thanks, His Excellency, former military governor of Ogun and Rivers states, Elder (Group Captain) Sam Ewang, retd; Senator Aloysius Etok, Ph.D.; The Rt Hon. Bernard Udoh (Otuekong Mkpat Enin) who served as Chairman and Mkpisong (Barr.) Augustine Edet (Secretary). Others were Akparawa Nse Ubeh; Rt Hon. (Surv.) Iniobong Ekpenyong; Dr Edem; Rev. Joshua Ekperikpe; Dr Eyo Etim; Apostle (Hon.) Emmanuel Edemeka and Supol. Michael Asuquo. Add to that already long list: Engr David Ekan; Mrs. Mary Joe Edidem; Hon. Udeme Obot; Hon. Shirley Allen; Hon. Ekong Okon Etim; Mr Nsikan C. Akpan; Otuekong Bonny Nyong; Engr Nduke Denis Etim, Rev. Hilkiah Eliatha, Ph.D.; Hon. (Barr.) Uduak Effiong and Yours sincerely.
As an aside, and this has nothing to do with Bafil, some deaths and burials, as did those of Jesus, teach me evergreen lessons. One, as already alluded to, is the fact that works matter nothing to anyone seeking self glory. When you die, only very few direct beneficiaries of your life may honour you publicly let alone privately. More of those you perceived as opponents shall be physically present, even contributing money.
Two: if you have money, enjoy all of it while alive. Sell what you can even to plan the one immediate future you won’t witness. Give out or share what you want. It is the only way you won’t spend your afterlife grumbling about the hullabaloo that is bound to arise after your demise.
Three, we learn from many deaths and burials that life is an empty shell. You may have lived a life of honour and justice and peace but get only dishonour and injustice and unpeace when you are no more here. You may have belonged to a class and helped a clan but they may conveniently forget to say a mere goodbye or come out to help you get what we call befitting burial. As I see it, Bafil was even fortunate to have at least one former governor (of Ogun and Rivers states); a former senator; a former member of House of Representatives; his House of Assembly member; his council chairman; vice chancellor of his alma mater, a retired police chief, DIG Udom Ekpo Udom; his church (Assemblies of God Nigeria) and many others come out personally and corporately to pay him that last respect.
Moving on to last Saturday, when I undertook that sweet ride to Ikot Akpa Nkuk, headquarters of Ukanafun local government area in the northwestern part of Akwa Ibom state. The iconic, award-winning record-breaker No. 1 Akwaibomight of aesthetics and presentation and protocol, Mr Aniekpeno Tom, (we await the announcement of his doctorate degree soon) had lost his seniorest personal aide, Mr Idiongo Akpanukoh, and family and friends were converging for the funeral. Approaching the venue of the event, you get a sense that this has a signature of Mr Mkpanang right on it. One had thought this was a simple event to honour Idiongo, a simple man of service and of speech and of substance.
I was wrong, completely and totally. Had Idiongo been just a simple man, all of Ukanafun could not have come out to honour him. Such honour is rare in Akwa Ibom; well, to be fair, except in Annang land. The roll call at the Qua Iboe church event was intimidating.
Almost all Ukanafun persons of note were in attendance, in person. State Chairman of People’s Democratic Party, Rt Hon. (Elder) Aniekan Akpan; Ukanafun Political Leader, Rt Hon. (Obong) Eno Akpan; Oruk Anam/Ukanafun man in House of Representatives, Abuja, Rt Hon. Unyime Idem; Ukanafun member in House of Assembly, Hon. Emem Udom and council chairman, Hon. (Prince) Uyo Ukpanah, were all there. Also in physical attendance were of course, Mr Aniekpeno Tom Mkpanang; Messrs Nana Udom and Nsikak Umoekpo (two big boys in the Umo Eno state government); London-based Moffat Ekoriko, a Nigerian/British journalist and media entrepreneur and the Ward Leader, Rt Hon. Saturday Akpan, Commissioner 1 at Akwa Ibom State Local Government Service Commission, to list but a few. Idiongo pulled so much genuine crowd in death that his elder brother, Dr Uwem Akpanukoh, had to confess publicly he used to think he was more popular. There must be something special about Idiongo Akpanukoh or Ukanafun or both.
That something is one we must decode and imbibe. If you live among good people, your death won’t diminish your value. Also, you may lead a simple, not-so-rich life and may be apolitical but be respected even in death by the high and mighty as well. Annang people of Akwa Ibom state generally have a way of coming together to support the living as well as to bury their dead in style: others need to emulate this godly culture.
In conclusion, we can glean that Bafil and Idiongo are alive although dead. Not only in terms of their legacies by which we remember them daily but really that they are alive in a higher realm. This reality should minister to us who are still here. It should guide or remind us to strive to be good since we shall forever live, here or there, with the consequences of that choice.
God bless Nigeria!