From Festus Udala Akpati (Husband)

With tears in my eyes I write, who will call me “U” again!! I don't really know where to start. N.G (as I call you), I felt it was a dream but as the days went by, hours turned to days and days to weeks. N.G this wasn't the plan, you just went for your routine check and I still await your return as usual to get goodies as you used to. Now I've spent days without you my darling. It has finally dawned on me that you are really gone. You were such a loving soul, my lifetime partner, my confidant, my doctor, my therapist, my financial adviser, my love, my wife you really meant the whole world to me. We really had a good time together, the ups and downs, our trips and a lot more are still fresh in my memories. You provided a shield to protect me, even till death. N.G I'm deeply pained. I never thought it would be this early, but I can’t question God. It is His Will that you come to Him in a time as this, I therefore submit to His will. You took care of our son and taught him family values, he has taken over the baton of caring for me from you and he is doing it very well. Everything that has a beginning must have an end.

Rest in peace my NG
Adieu my Wife
Festus Udala Akpati

Mum,
I had the unique privilege of receiving your unconditional love for as long as I have been alive. Your love and presence has been my rock and stable foundation through beautiful and hard times alike. The relationship we have is like none other I will ever experience, and I am grateful for it. I am thankful that I was able to show you my full gratitude for that so frequently, even though in true fashion you would compete by thanking me back for simply being alive, which I always found amusing and a testament to how pure your soul is. You taught me so much that attempting to list those things here will never do that justice. Who I am in every sense of the word is the embodiment of your careful and conscious efforts to make as good and kind of a human as you possibly could. I can only hope to live up to that. You were the one I would reach out to and fall back on for almost every difficult situation or question under the sun. From the simplest of things to the most complex even technology/engineering questions where you may not have had expertise in. Regardless, you would typically say a short wise statement or proverb which always had the solution and answer to these questions irrespective of how complex it was.
You lived your life in service to others with little to no fear in your heart, but so much love, and optimism. You appreciated and always stayed open minded to the different views of others on sensitive things like religion, culture, politics etc. and ensured they valued yours as well. You placed very little value in material things, but emphasized the value of integrity, character, courage, and selflessness. Everywhere we went even during your very recent visit to me in the US, you would make a new friend from the doctors, to the nurses, to the janitors, taxi drivers, gardeners etc. regardless of class, social or financial status you consistently treated everyone with the exact same level of respect and kindness. Seeing you do this all my life has ingrained so many traits which I am grateful for and will continue to nurture.
Between you and I there are no goodbyes; both alive and through your death, your spiritual presence around me has been constant. I will celebrate the beautiful life you lived, and pledge to continue your legacy of love, kindness, courage, spreading joy, uplifting the unfortunate, and all that is wholesome and truly worthwhile of this world. Until the very end on your death bed your heart was filled with more compassion for others around you than concern for yourself. In the last moment we spoke, with smiles we blew kisses to each other and were at peace and graceful about the reality of your imminent transcendence from this world. You lived a full beautiful life my dear and I know you will continue to brighten up the heavens.

Until we meet again my love,
Your son Ifeme.

On behalf of Walter Tete:

Tribute in honor of my Aunty: Mrs. Ngozi Winifred Akpati of Blessed Memory

I share this tribute to my very beloved Aunty, my friend, and one of the most caring woman that I have ever known. Married to my Uncle, Mr. Festus Akpati, Aunty Ngozi, as I have always called her, was a special woman with a charming smile that often lights up a room whenever she entered. I recall a moment among many, when I visited her home in Kaduna, Nigeria. Her hospitality and welcoming nature often made my visits interestingly memorable. We joked and laughed on many occasions and she was quick with a joke during our fun conversations. We also discussed some serious issues, ranging from the economic situation in the country at that time, to everyday concerns of the suffering masses. She had wished there was something that she could do to alleviate the sufferings of the masses at that time in the 80’s and early 90’s in Nigeria. Aunty Ngozi that I know was a graceful woman with a caring soul, not just for her family and friends alone, but to everyone, especially to complete strangers. During her time as the Executive Secretary of the then Peugeot Car Company in Kaduna-Nigeria, she handled her duties creditably, and she had received several awards to that effect from top management of the organization. She paid great attention to details regarding her fellow human being both at home and at her job. She will be greatly missed by friends, family, and by anyone who had the opportunity to interact with her one-on- one. I pray that God in His infinite mercy should grant my Aunty, Mrs. Ngozi Akpati eternal rest with the angels above. Adieu, Aunty Ngozi, continue to rest in peace until we meet again to continue from where you left off. Rest on Aunty, rest on…it is well!