Chief Owen Chamberlain Obaseki

“TIME IS NOT MEASURED BY THE PASSING OF SEVERAL YEARS BUT BY WHAT ONE DOES, WHAT ONE FEELS, AND WHAT ONE ACHIEVES”

The ill news broke over 72 hours ago, yet too tongue-tied have I been to pour out my heart. How can I find my voice when in the last couple years, not a day passed without sharing that same voice with my mentor and benefactor: Captain Hosa Okubor?

But as our ancients have taught us: to every man his due and to every situation its due. I now must speak.

Cracked and tear-drenched my voice may sound, but I must celebrate a life well lived and a life well shared. I must now, like King David shout in agony: “How are the mighty fallen…” I can say in great pains, “Tell it not in Ogbé, publish it not in the streets of the uncircumcised; lest the unenlightened rejoice, lest the hearts of the ungrateful exalt!

And MKO too? What’s the connection? Well, those who know me very well know that I have always considered MKO Abiola as my hero and mentor.

Of late, I added Captain Hosa to my very short list of men who have demonstrated that uncommon existence amidst the common mediocrity today that passes for greatness.

The difference for me between these two men is that while I never met Chief MKO Abiola, I had the great honour of not only meeting with Captain Hosa but of interacting with and confiding in him, ultimately sharing a father and son relationship with him.

I only read about Abiola’s rise from abject poverty to stupendous wealth, his philanthropic activities earning him the pillar of sports in Africa and his scholarly activities ultimately earning him a first class in Accountancy from Glasgow, Scotland.

MKO Abiola and Captain Hosa were two of a kind. Both of them were not just very scholarly, religious, kind, morally courageous, their hearts were as large as their pockets or even larger.

Humanists they were, often pleasing others to displease themselves: avuncular, altruistic, compassionate, cultural and genuine lovers of people. For them there was no class distinction, they related with the high, mighty, rich and poor in equal proportions.

MKO and Captain both lived godly lives and exemplified the truism that “life is short but the act is long.”

Truly, their lives can not be quantified by the number of years they lived but by their character and the millions of lives they touched. The outpouring of grief the world over since news filtered in on Sunday morning has been humbling but totally expected.

When it was breaking news on all the television stations and online newspapers with all the papers carrying it on their front pages on Monday August 9th, one element was a common denominator: here goes a giver with a heart of gold.

From President Buhari to Governor Obaseki; from notable world leaders to the heads of social and religious bodies, the condolences have been plentiful and the message the same.

They all seem to say, like Mark Anthony does about his beloved Julius Caesar, “Here was a Caesar! When comes such another?” Indeed, here was a Captain, when comes another? When comes another Captain of industries and Captain of goodwill?

When comes another Captain raising an army of philanthropy against poverty and lack? When comes another Captain that’s a cultural icon and an ambassador from Benin to the whole world? When comes another?

I have wondered how I would mourn him. Would I, like the endless Sunday rain flow, ceaseless in amazing pain? Will I be like Odia Ofeimun, screaming:
“The drum is silenced in midthrob
The flute is flung away
and ears strain to master the malediction of the thunder”?

But I choose to follow the pathway of gratitude. I choose to celebrate his imperishable legacies because he touched my life in no small measure. I choose to shed tears openly.

For, as José N Harris has said, “Tears shed for another person, are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.” I will celebrate because I am able to remember with fond memories the honour of identifying with you publicly when it mattered most. You’re simply unforgettable.

It never will become hackneyed what William Shakespeare penned,
“When beggars die there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.”

I celebrate with open eyes the cosmic signature of divine orchestrations. A tale of two philanthropists. MKO Abiola, born 24th August, 1937 died 7th July, 1998. Captain Hosa Okunbo, born 7th January 1958 died 8th August, 2021.

The symphony of their synchronous exits, MKO on 07/07 and Captain on 08/08 signs a signature of dual numerology that is an echo of divine predestination.

Rest in peace Captain. You live in our hearts. You cannot really die.

Kept in evergreen memory by.

Vanguard News Nigeria