Three hundred and sixty five days after the death of her beloved husband, Idahosa Wells Okunbo, the widow, Mrs Nosa Igiehon Okunbo, has penned an emotional tribute in honour of a man she described as courageous and profoundly good.
Honestly, I wish I had some time with you to walk among the stars to hold your hand and see your face and ask you how you are. I will tell you how things are going here, and say how I missed you so much.
Though you are no more with us, you are not forgotten. The loss is eternal and ever fresh. I can never forget all the priceless happy moments that you blessed me with during your lifetime. Your memories will always be with me as long as I live.
No doubt, I had the great opportunity and rare privilege of being the wife and partner of this great man. Life could not have been better than that because I was living every woman’s dreams. The best of every thing was at my disposal whether I asked for it or not. We had our problems like every family, but making up and resolving our issues were superb.
As husband and wife, we had our moments of disagreement on issues, but we both allowed the sacred saying of Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians in chapter 4 verse 26 to be our watchword: “…let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
In actual fact, each argument we had, deepened our knowledge about each other and strengthened our bond and love.
The exemplary life that you lived and the unending love which you freely gave while here still comforts and envelopes us even as you are in the afterlife.
We are glad and proud that you explored all of life’s options and never left a stone unturned. No greater statement can be made other than that your life was one that was well lived.
Indeed, one year has gone, and the pain and hurt of your loss has not subsided. Life has not, and will never be the same again without you.
Losing you was difficult. Learning to live without you is even more difficult. Who are we to question God’s will? But it really hurts that he called you so soon.
You were more than a husband; you were my father, adviser, mentor, and pillar against the windstorms of life. I missed the stability and strength, and the joy and peace that your presence gave my life and everybody around you.
Your painful departure has created a big vacuum in my life that no one can fill.
It is hard to write this heartfelt tribute to you, my dear husband without it bringing tears to my eyes.
I lost one of the most courageous and profoundly good human beings that one will share time with on this earth. Your demise, dear husband left a huge gap nobody can fill, because you were unique and differently wired.
Your fierce dignity, passion for humanity and unbending will to sacrifice for the greater good in the interest of the larger society spoke volumes of your uncommon personality.
Many have said a lot about you – the magnanimity of your spirit and the generosity of your large heart – as someone who maintained closeness with you, the solidity of your principle set you apart from the rest.
In a world, filled with people of different shades and backgrounds with uncertain motives, your natural ability to deal successfully with all without compromising your entrenched values of honesty and transparency spoke volumes of you as a man excellently versed in human relations and the art of diplomacy.
My darling husband, you were not the one to prevaricate on any matter. You were a man of conviction, whose intents were always known from the word ‘Go’! You never gave room for anyone to question your integrity because your words were your bond. You were not a saint and you never laid claims to being sanctimoniously righteous. If anyone had issues with you, chances were they would be at fault, for you would never take advantage of anyone.
In fact, you would rather deprive and sacrifice your material benefits should they stand in the way of the robust relationships you had with people.
For you, dear Captain, peace trumped everything and formed the basis of your existence; and core to your pursuit of peace was showing love. This was why most tributes about you majorly dwelt on your benevolence and generosity.
Captain, you were also big on passion. You gave every last ounce of yourself to whatever you were doing. You knew how to find new passions for which you dedicated your all and made success of.
More importantly, you were a great dad, an amazing husband. You dedicated yourself to your family and loved your children with all your heart. You never left anything in the tank; you left it all on the floor. I strongly believe that is what you would want for us to do.
I will cherish and hold dear forever the beautiful memories of our time together.
Keep resting in the bosom of the Lord, my love.
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