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Another name for the twin noumena, life and death, is mystery. Both provoke extreme emotions, such as wonderment and fury. Both confound man, who has conquered everything else. Both remain in their honour, as the beginning and end of man: they are his god, his nemesis.
While life is a preface, an opportunity, a journey, death is the exact opposite, a postface, a termination, a finality. While life is the all-light curtain-up, death is the all-dark curtain-down. Nine over ten, life is received by joy. Ten over nine, death is sent off with tears.
If the foregoing is surreal, be comforted that not all that dies is gloom. Death is harvest. Death feeds on seeds life sowed. Death is a no-nonsense judge.
Those who lived for others earn generations-transcending victory, victory that death cannot comprehend. Some lives ended long ago but their impact immortalises them forever. Satan would have become born again and offered himself had he known that crucifying Jesus shall make the Saviour this monstrously world-and-heaven famous. If that is too spiritual, think about Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, Nelson Mandela and the few others on eternal fame’s shortlist, men and women who remain larger in death than they were in life.
Like the aforementioned, I never got the privilege of experiencing the latest entrant into that elite club, Elder Gabriel Emmanuel Nkanang. However, being on his burial media committee and hearing firsthand three of his sons and one daughter-in-law reflect on his times, I now know Teacher Nkanang (as he was fondly called). Enough for me to attempt to market some of his sterling qualities that I believe would make our world a better place, if most people imbibed them. Teaching is another major victory only a few have over death!
Born May 27, 1929, Elder Gabriel Emmanuel Nkanang was a man of many parts. He was a strong family man (six children, 22 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren and counting), fantastic Christian (church sponsor, planter and builder), total teacher (insisted on and ensured education for every child; even turning his home into their correctional centre), trusted community leader (wanted the haves and have-nots to share a table), and no-nonsense disciplinarian (ask his children and students). Even more, the peacemaker was honourable, meticulous, philanthropic, hardworking, and generally humanity-centric. Those who encountered him in his teacher or headmaster heyday remember his uncanny wizardry, especially in mathematics, leadership, righteousness, lovingness and strictness.
His first son, Gabriel, recounted their numerous brushes, one of which should suffice here and now. After Gabriel senior bought a new motorcycle (the Mercedes Benz of those days), he occasionally preferred to go out on the old one. One day, junior unchained the new machine and rode around the whole place, smartly reparking and rechaining it in the nick of time. On return, the man simply crosschecked the speedometer, noticed the discrepancy, invited Gabriel (who was the only person in the house old enough to commit the ‘crime’) and although the rest is history Gabriel junior remembers the spanking to this day.
Now, if you don’t already know, the man in focus is the father of Akwa Ibom State governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel. Discussing his father the other day with our committee, the state chief executive kept it all fond memories. He didn’t recall rough moments with the caner-in-chief. And, since I work with him, how can I volunteer that even the governor used to receive some … ?
Your guess is as good as mine. I am not saying anything. But I can spill that the governor’s younger brother and lookalike, Ekerete, a banker, apart from receiving some strokes now or then for putting a foot wrong also got some either as a deterrent or in advance. Elder Nkanang was so tough he offered his children and wards anticipatory punishment!
His last son, Ekerete, narrated his experience the first time he was leaving for dormitory (today euphemistically tagged hostel): his father overheard him whistling one of those hot disco tunes. Summoned and asked if that was his plan for dormitory, the man lifted him by his ears with the stern warning there must be no lousy report from the college. Of course, there was none; not from Ekerete nor any of his three brothers and two sisters neither from any of the ‘inmates’ of their informal correctional centre.
Tens of others’ children who required more dexterous attention moved in with the Nkanangs, sometimes for years. The moment this aspect popped up, a young man who has a knack for wicked humour joked that he could swear one fine gentleman who comes from the same territory and who has turned out so well benefitted from the correctional centre. I’ve not stopped laughing since the man himself had once told me that, as a child, he had trouble with mathematics. Akwa Ibom, nay Nigeria, should thank the patriarch of the Nkanang clan for cutting down the population of those who would today be kidnappers, armed robbers, etc.
Therein lies the main essence of this tribute. Pa Gabriel Emmanuel Nkanang (who died on December 1, 2019) gave the world so much: successful biological and educational children, one of whom is a governor who follows his examples; the spirit of gratitude and contentment (he maintained that ‘only God’ made it possible for him to afford a motorcycle); beautiful handwriting (you need to see it) and unity (his entire family the last 24 years met every month). In all though, as the late Teacher Nkanang goes home gloriously on February 15, 2020, the best gift ‘the departing inspiration’ left us is the irrevocable lesson that a life of peace with God is a blank cheque that includes choosing when to die. At 90 and with a son serving a second term as state governor, there’s no better time to fly away to heaven, or is there?
God bless Nigeria!
