By Muyiwa Adetiba

Dear Muyiwa,

Your column in the Vanguard of Saturday, May 23, 2015 that dwelt on Uncle Sam’s specific personality image from your own angle, prompted this letter.

I am certainly not taking over your usually rich column, but to make public Uncle Sam’s humanistic simplicity of life.

You know we both worked under him in the Punch Newspapers as reporters. To me, he never allowed those under him to feel that he was a boss. He exhibited that simple and disciplined attitude of making one to feel very relaxed and humane. Let me recall a few instances.

Each time I met him when he came through Benin City enroute Sapele, his ancestral home, he would welcome one with “Usman, eat something,” pointing to a heavily stocked table of assorted edibles. But he would only take a bite.

When on the telephone, his chats usually make you feel good, loaded

with pleasant offers – “Usman, come to Lagos for a few days with

Okada…”.

Reminded that Okada airline was no more operating, he would hit back… “come by Okadaman or keke na pep.” He would cut in, in a diction laden with humour. “Let your photo journalist follow me from Benin”, I would respond.

Uncle Sam’s concern for people at all levels of life could have cut to size the nomadic and egoistic false attitude of many Nigerians, especially the politicians, who, in my observation, have turned Nigeria into a bleating and noisy he goat.

I am compelled further to reveal this: in one of my telephone chats with him, he asked if I was in Auchi (my hometown) or Benin City where I reside: “I don’t have a house of my own yet, so I don’t go there (Auchi) often,” I said. He laughed in a disarming diction: “So you no get where de

dey go bury you when you die? As I tried to establish a defensive explanation that there was a public burial ground in Auchi, he quickly cut in: “send me your bank account details, yeye man,”

terminating the chat with “say hello to your wife”.

Under one hour, I got a bank alert, I called him to register my profound appreciation. Uncle Sam cut in…” that na first installment o” ending with a teasing laughter laced with an effective chuckle.

Finally, I ought not to have told him that I would facilitate the reception aspect of his late mother’s burial ceremony in Sapele with a Masquerade troupe from Etsako land to add colour. He laughed heartily for over twenty seconds and said “no worry yourself Mr. Culture”.

Were he to pick a card to contest for a political position in his ward, thousands of realistic Nigerians, including me would be his campaigners in his constituency as one man’s opinion can influence thousands of voters. Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka did tell the nation that he had sixty (60) reasons why he wouldn’t vote for a particular presidential candidate in last March Presidential election.

Uncle Sam is neat in character, manners and relationship with people

who have come across him in life.

I look forward to joining you and others to celebrate this fine gentleman who is humble and noiseless on June 13th, to celebrate his 80th birthday.

Sincerely yours,

Usman Abudah

08023397100

Email:daggashabudah@gmail.com