Lucky Okafor
of a mingled yarn,
good and ill together.”
– William Shakespeare in All’s Well That Ends Well.
And our own prominent transporter, Edwin Nwaiye, says:
“Uke emene onye,
O ga dua.”
In June of 2019, the Afam Family of Umuikpulu lost the one who proved true to his name – Alexander (a Greek name meaning benefactor)! Yes, Onyebaolonwanne Alexander Nkennor-Monye. Now, fast forward to June 2021.
On Sunday, 13 June 2021, the Afams lost the handsome and dashing Chukwuma Awunzie, an Abuja-based pastor, to the cold hands of sudden death in the prime of his life!
Barely two weeks after Chukwuma Awunzie, and while still in the month of June, someone was jolted with the sad news of a fatal auto-crash which claimed the life of Lucky Okafor, a pastor of The Apostolic Faith Church in Otolokpo. The late Lucky Okafor, though of Umunofo, was of the Afam tree branch of Monye – through his grandfather! We, of the Afam tree, therefore mourn Lucky Okafor.
Our consolation is that those three late brothers of ours left offspring – good enough to carry on aloft the banner and light of Afam. We thank God for this.
And may we draw the necessary lessons from the above quote of Williams Shakespeare and also the saying of Edwin Nwaiye.
Ebon Afam of Umuikpulu
25 June 2021
***
Vincent Uyanwanne (July 9, 1962 – August 16, 2021)
The sad news hit me like a thunderbolt at midday on Monday, August 16. And it was a phone call announcing that Vincent Uyanwanne died in the morning of that day! Upon enquiry, I was informed that he had an excruciating stomach upset all night the previous Sunday till the morning of that Monday.
I suppressed what would have been my emotional outburst but my fleeting thoughts presented a panoramic view of how Vin, as I fondly called him, used to speak so logically and convincingly in all deliberations at our Owerre-Olubor monthly meetings in Lagos. I sighed and asked myself, “So, that eloquent nwa Olubor is gone forever?”
No amount of tears, no amount of grieving, and even no number of entreaties to the Almighty Creator could bring him back from that place of no return. It had become too late! And the loss is heavily more to our beloved hamlet Owerre-Olubor than to Vin’s family! It is extremely sad, even revolting that the cream of Owerre-Olubor is so steadily wearing off and being washed away. Our leading lights are being extinguished so very often. Well, as they say, “God sees and he knows ….”
Then my fleeting thoughts led me to some observable coincidences, as I still remember that the late Vincent Onyemaibi of Idumu-Etiti died in August - precisely, on Sunday the 5th of August 2018. And now, his namesake, Vincent Uyanwanne of Umu-Agboma, died also in August – Monday the 16th of August 2021. The latter being only a few hours after Sunday.
The second observable coincidence is that the late Vincent Onyemaibi's wife is the elder sister of Vincent Uyanwanne's wife. And the third, but saddening, coincidence is their sudden and mysterious demises – both reported to be “hale and hearty a moment ago ….”
The two men are Vincent by name and they both died in the month of August and their respective wives are siblings and their deaths mysterious. I am still awestricken – no, not in a cheerful manner!
Be that as it may, O, how I pray that Yahweh would console our hometown Owerre-Olubor with more men like the meticulous Vincent Onyemaibi, and our Cicero – the eloquent Vincent Uyanwanne!
Frank Monye
Umuikpulu, Owerre-Olubor
August 19, 2021
