Most people think that the significant ones in the society do not need a ‘how are you?’ message from the rest of the population, especially when they are perturbed. There is a false impression pointing that due to how financially muscled they are, they do not need to be cared for and that everything is okay for them.
No. They need our care and expression of love outstandingly in their isolation from the public called office they spend most of their time in. It is because they are not above life (even though that some of them feel that they are above life) that I want to extend my expression of commiseration to the Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, over the passing away of his Chief of Staff, Chief Chijioke Nwakodo, who died in London, as was transmitted by the media of August 11 2017.
It is not painless to lose a loved one as a Chief of Staff at the age of 56. It would not be uncomplicated to forget such a death even though that heartache helps human beings to overcome and makes the deceased much weighty in the eyes of the living.
We however undergo the death of our loved ones in our lifetimes and the governor should put every mechanism in place to bear the permanent loss. I would not know the emotions the governor might be wearing now, but it will be nice he grieves in his own way without hurting himself. There is no amount of “Be stout!” or “Applaud up!” or “Move on!” that might heal Dr. Ikpeazu.
The governor may be wondering if Nwakodo is actually dead. Many of us had thought this way, when we lost our loved ones. But it is an incredulity that is a reality after we come to our distanced senses. The death of a loved one, keeps us defocused. No doubt. But we heal gradually with time.
Even with the time, our minds send a cluttered message to our hearts and we begin to wonder if there was a way that could have saved the life of the loved one that we didn’t apply or follow. Well, we have to understand that unhappiness is beyond thinking in different directions after death had snatched a loved one or appearing in seclusion.
The deceased, I didn’t know him in person. But I’m somewhat compelled to tell the governor through this means that I could not allow him stay alone or in a lonely mood in this gloomy time. If Nwakodo’s life was something that money or might could redeem, he would not have gone the way of our ancestors. At least, he was in London, where the healthcare is lively, unlike the moribund and on the-deathbed healthcare system in this country.
Let all the people that loved Nwakodo take heart. So, let the governor take heart and be happy that he had a man like Nwakodo who served in his government. Again, all and sundry should take heart.
It may not be easy for Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to describe the death of his Chief of Staff – Chijioke Nwakodo, but for him to realise that Nwakodo is no more, the better. There is no other time. The time is now!
Odimegwu Onwumere is a Poet, Writer and Media Consultant based in Rivers State. Tel: +2348057778358. He contributed this piece via: apoet_25@yahoo.com