Dear Mum; 

You're not a God created by human hands
You're not a God dependent on any mortal man
You're not a God in need of
Anything we can give
By Your plan, that's just the way it is
[2x]

[Chorus:]
You are God alone, from before time began
You were on Your throne, You are God alone.
And right now, in the good times and bad
You are on Your throne, You are God alone.

[Verse 2:]
You're the only God whose power none can contend
You're the only God whose name and
Praise will never end
You're the only God who's worthy
Of everything we can give
You are God, that's just the way it is

I don't think anyone can or will ever understand who and what my grandma was, what she meant to me. So let me make it clear.

My grandma was a warrior, she fought for her children and grandchildren, always fought to see that we got the best there was. She was there whenever any of us were ill or such. She would take care of us. Now I ask myself what I was doing, what was so important that I couldn’t have been there for her, to soothe her pain? Now I spend my time weeping, over what I should have done but didn’t, over my own ignorance.

She was not only a physical but spiritual warrior. She always prayed for us all. I remember some days before she died, I was on the phone with her and she said, “pray for grandma, grandma will not die but live." Grandma I'm so sorry, I can't expect you to forgive me because I can't forgive myself. You entrusted me to pray for you, pray for you to live, but once again I failed, disappointed you. I'm so very sorry.

My grandma was also a genius, she is still one of the smartest people I know. She was always there for me, corrected me when wrong. I didn't know before, but I realize now that she was also many steps ahead of me, she knew what I was thinking, and told me the consequences in advance. 

Above all this, my grandmother was a major part of me, she kept me intact. I remember one of the nights I would lay awake thinking of my grandma, especially when she had stayed with us for some weeks and left. I remember crying that night, missing and longing for my grandma. I spoke to her the next morning and wept to her to come back, and she did, though maybe a month or two after.

I never thought those nights would come when I would weep, but wouldn’t be able to make her come back. I always thought my grandma would always be there, just for me. Death was far from anything I expected to happen to anyone near me, and certainly not her. I didn’t even consider it a possibility. I was so confused, like, do people still die? does that still happen???

Now I don’t understand anymore, my world feels like a blur. I don’t know what to do, when a part of me was yanked out. I keep hoping, believing that I’m living a nightmare, that grandma is in Ibadan with grandpa, and that I can speak to her whenever I want, just to hear her voice. But as I think of picking up a phone, I feel an emptiness in me and remember that she’s not there, not here.

I haven’t explained half the woman my grandma was to me, but I hope you at least have an idea.

Grandma, I love and miss you with all I have left in me, and I always will for as I long as I live.

MUM SINGING (AND DAD DANCING) - DEC 2014

Mum ‘discovered’ a special Vitamin, the only Vitamin in the World not healthy enough, Vitamin Ye! You dare not pass an item across her water or move close when fetching water in her Kitchen. All to prevent Vitamin Ye!

Vitamin Ye, according to my mum with a sense of humor, will make you bloat because of dirt (very funny indeed!).


One morning, I met a Doctor with her. While the Doctor was attending to Mum and taking the necessary info, Mum was also busy, ‘marshalling’ instructions to arrange the Bedside Table and Cabinet, not to allow her clothes drop on the floor, to rearrange the toiletries to a particular side and the medications to another side bla bla…

I noticed the Doctor was smiling and asked her why? She said, Mama is too neat!. Then I asked, neat or Finicky? At that, she laughed heartily and said ‘ I was just trying to be polite”.

Mum will remind the Doctors to ensure they drop the used medical items in the bin. She had different wipes for different things.

While in school at Ado Ekiti in 1996, in the heat of exam preparation, Dad came on his usual once a month visit to see Bunmi and i. I was surprised to get a letter from my mum with the gist of home and amazingly, apart from the food stuffs and other goodies, Mum sent a night portion of home made Okro  and ewedu soups from Abuja to Ado Ekiti, just to taste ‘Home cooking’ during exam she wrote.

She ended the letter with, ‘Your Sister and Friend’ which cracked me up for a long time. I kept the letter for years (still with me till date!) and shocked her in 2015 when I showed her the letter, neatly folded. I got Archiving Diploma from you Mamuski. 

Mummy I remember how you fondly called me Aremu and we both tossed the name to each other. 
I looked forward to everytime you are visiting.

Your stay with us comes loaded with one improvement or another.

You are the second person after my wife who understands my temperament aptly.

Your emotional IQ is sterling!

I remember lots of personal times we had where we discussed with me and you ended the discussions speaking prayers into my life.

I thank God I saw you hours before your translation into higher realms.

You fought a good fight and ended it well.

Sleep on mummy, say hello to my mummy

O digba o, mama rere
 

Mum, the prayer session for your birthday on the 19th of June 

SURPRISE VISIT - 2014

We arrived at Heathrow Airport to connect our flight to Glasgow, Scotland. On getting to the escalator that will take us down to the airport shuttle bus to board our flight, my wife became afraid. I went to show her how easy it is. As I was going down on the escalator, I did not realize that she had decided to enter the lift instead. On getting down, I didn't see her nor another escalator to take me back up to look for her. I was alone and stranded. I called our children in Nigeria that I've missed my wife and that I don't know where to go.

In the mist of this confusion, a man in a suit came and asked me what is my problem. I told him I'm looking for my wife. We entered a door and found myself in a waiting train that took me to immigration room

From far I heard my wife shouting : "find my husband, where is my husband?" On sighting me, she ran into my hands apologizing for not been able to use escalator.

She however eventually learnt it...