My dad was such a doting father.
In the first few years of my life when cameras were fully analogue, there were so many photos of me that I used to wonder... I was told that I was your super model you being the amateur photographer! Daddy you were so protective of us and did not want any harm whatsoever to come near your children, it was almost an overkill! lol! You made sure we were adequately provided for and educated as much as you could afford.
As the child of a military officer, we adapted to the lifestyle of a long distance relationship with you as your career required that you were posted to various stations all over Nigeria often and on various peacekeeping missions outside Nigeria. You were nevertheless involved in our daily life as much as possible. I remember you would call to ask if we had had breakfast & what we ate; you had to know if we were going out to play with friends, if we had done our homework e.t.c. We spoke over the phone at least twice every day over our Nitel phone at the time. If we were playing outside and the phone started ringing, everyone would race into the house because, we all had to take turns to speak with you and anyone absent would be in trouble. It must have been your way of doing a headcount! lol! When you were physically working in the same station as where we lived, I remember you would come home from work during your break time after our school hours to fix us lunch while our mum was still at work. I remember when I was in pre-primary school in Bauchi State and I was asked to draw a tree as homework. I must have been doing a poor job of the drawing, so you drew this beautiful tree full of branches , leaves and fruits!! you then asked me to trace it to my drawing book! lol! It was obvious to my teacher that I was assisted with my drawing but I learnt to draw better from that experience.
You loved knowledge and was always ready to share your knowledge & experience. I remember our conversations and your helpful guidance when I had questions about the law on Prisoners of War as an undergraduate student of International and humanitarian law. You were taking a Masters degree related to disarmament, negotiations in armed conflicts and law at the time, at the University of Ibadan. I thoroughly enjoyed those stimulating conversations and the benefit of gaining knowledge in a relatable way.
Even as recently as 2019, I got some tips on security on Nigerian waters from you. I will miss these kinds of conversations with you.
As we grew older, choices were made and life happened, I nevertheless highly respect you for your fatherly role in our lives. The memories of our early years as a family and the healing power of God ensured that my love for you did not wane. I have learnt from our relationship the potency of the Grace of God.
I take comfort in the hope that I will see you again in the afterlife, until then, rest on Daddy!