Is’haq Modibbo Kawu
It is a daunting task, to have to begin to write, speak or think about Sir Lucky Omoluwa, in the past tense. He was such a remarkable force and presence for good, that in the days since his tragic passing, I have not stopped wondering about the finality of death, and the consequences. The hollow feeling that we are left with; the shock of the situation and the remembrances of the deep gulf that has been created in the lives of so many people, in all stations; from all walks of life. And with Sir Lucky Omoluwa, he has left a whole community of family, friends, associates, workers, casuals, all kinds of people, wondering how they would begin to fill the spaces, that he discreetly or openly, helped to mend in their lives. I cannot stop marvelling at where he got such an incredibly large, and most generous heart from. Always knowing how to offer a hand; never abandoning people in times of distress and anticipating at every turn, the good that needed to be done, for this or that person. It was the way that he lived his life; a consistent commitment to making all and sundry, from whichever description of humanity, as happy as he possibly could. I have been privileged to see him; be with him or hear him, in different settings, to be able to say that he was certainly, one of the most generous human beings I ever had the privilege to meet, or be associated with.
With Lucky Omoluwa, one found a genuinely decent human being who knew that his stupendous wealth was a special gift; and the true measure of that wealth, its intrinsic value, was in how much it can be deployed to better the lots of other people. There are many rich people; and many are even richer than Lucky was. The difference was in his generous disbursement of his wealth. Many rich people are wont to humiliating, before they eventually offer assistance. They have to extract some awe from the needy, before they offer a hand. Not Lucky Omoluwa! His sense of empathy was genuine and deep; his offers to assist came from the inner recesses of his incredibly kind heart. And if he were a diplomat, I am sure that he would have made a success of it. This is because conciliation came so naturally to him. He had the unique gift of being able to cut through issues, to find that median point where all parties, can find something that they can identify with. And he would never accept that anyone was totally bad. He said it so often, that there was good in all, and what we needed was to relate with that good in people, to make them even better.
Lucky Omoluwa was also an incredibly loyal person to his friendships; and I think that is why his circle of friends spanned all backgrounds; different places, and every confession. He was a very committed Catholic; a Papal Knight. But there was no discriminating about what you are, or where you were from, when you were Lucky’s friend. He stood by you through all situations, looking for every means to take you out of any difficulty. I have witnessed his incredible staying power when there is a cause he is convinced about. He would not spare resources, nor himself and his incredibly wide network of contacts, to achieve success. Like so many other people from all stations of life, I have been at the receiving end of that large heart, so I can testify to his humane disposition. Most of those who have cried so profusely since his passing, have done so, because in their individual and collective anguish, they were sincerely mourning the exit of a man, whose death, means the appearance of a deep gulf in their own lives, that would literally be impossible to fill.
I have known Lucky for decades and in that period, I never stopped admiring the manner that he conducted himself in the company of people all around the world. His commitment to his work, especially the investments he had continued to make in broadcasting, through Pinnacle Communications Limited, was very exemplary. He pulls all stops to ensure that his business practice remains above board and proudly very ethical; and the manner that he delivered his side of the transmission systems for the Nigerian Digital Switch Over (DSO) process, is a noteworthy example. It is one of the tragic ironies of the Nigerian public space, that instead of being nominated for a national award for delivery of the project, the man was put in the dock in a ludicrous trial; and was in the process of redeeming his name, when he passed on. I have no doubts in my mind, that he would eventually be vindicated, albeit posthumously!
I was in the classroom at the Nigeria Defence Academy in Kaduna, presenting a PhD Seminar, in the morning of Tuesday, February 18th, when I received a text message, informing me that Lucky Omoluwa had died. I was stunned! I could not stop crying as we drove from Kaduna to Abuja, and in the couple of days after. With Lucky Omoluwa’s most tragic passing, we have become a head shorter; and that certainly is one of our very best heads! May the Almighty God forgive his shortcomings and give his family, friends and associates, the fortitude to bear his tragic passing. We bury Lucky Omoluwa today, the 6th of March his birthday; he would have been celebrating his 66th Birthday today, but it was not granted by the Almighty God. Sir Lucky Omoluwa, thank you very much, for the selfless life that you lived; thank you for sharing so generously with so many people, your wealth; thanks for touching so many lives and putting smiles on the faces of people, near and far; and thank you for being such an unforgettable part of our lives!!!
