Beloved brother Simon,

I cannot believe that you have departed from us so quickly. It seems like just yesterday when we discussed your symptoms and doctor’s visits. What happened next was a rapid progression to the unthinkable! It all seemed like just a bad dream from which I awakened, hoping that it was only that, a dream.
Oh how I miss you my brother!
You meant so much to us… Your sudden departure has left a permanent void that cannot be filled.
Your faithfulness, unrelenting commitment and dedication to the philanthropic innovative building projects with which you were tasked for the educational and health improvement of your community, is stunningly impressive. You demonstrated that one doesn’t have to possess the accolades of fine education and impressive titles to be positively impactful. As a result of your astute wisdom, competent managerial skills and ingenious abilities, in combination with your unsurpassed trustworthiness; integrity; and unrelenting diligence; you fulfilled the role that none could! You single handedly executed your brother’s philanthropic plans for building a school for educating and training the underprivileged! You also successfully executed the building of the Bishop Peter Adoboh’s Pharmacy Initiative, a tremendous blessing to the community.

Brother Simon, you had a uniquely
close-knit relationship with your brother Amos that demonstrated mutual trust, mutual respect, and admirable benevolence. You were his rock in whom he could safely trust. You were his best friend, his senior brother, and one for whom you only wished the best.
You can imagine then how excited I was to have finally met this amazing brother when I visited Nigeria in January 2018 for the very first time. You not only confirmed all that I had heard about you, brother Simon, but you made my visit to Nigeria very memorable.

Bother Simon your voice was always so pleasant and so kind, it was a true reflection of your generous soul and godly character.
It was always a joy to speak with you my brother. In particular was that profoundly unforgettable last communication we had. I recall that you had just undergone surgery yet you greeted me with such incredible excitement and infectious joy, that my worry for your health instantly disappeared. I knew then that a supernatural healing had occurred! Little did I know that your healing meant transition to heaven.

Beloved brother, your absence in the physical does not mean forgotten. The tremendous impact of your life will be remembered for generations to come.
For us, those precious memories of your well lived life and love will forever be cherished in our hearts.

Well done faithful, beloved brother!
Rest In Peace!

Sent from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

Today June 9, 2022, is the saddest day of my life, I lost not only a beloved brother but also an advisor. Every major decision I made I consulted with him. I even consulted with him before choosing my wife. He was a very wise man. I was fortunate to not only have a brother but also as an advisor. He lived a worthy life because his life was lived in the service to others.

He exemplifies the fact that what really matters is not what people think you are but what you are. I offered to build him a house or buy him a car, but he refused. The reason he gave me was that I was spending too much money building the school and taking care of so many projects. I was surprised to learn that he did not even have a common motorcycle at the time of his death. He refused to use the money I sent to him to build additional classrooms to go to the hospital until I told him that his health was on a higher priority for me than anything else.

The hidden message for all of us here is that you and you alone have a choice to decide the legacy you want to leave. Shimawua could have chosen a big house and a fancy car to show off in the community but instead, he dedicated his time and energy to build a college for our youth. Something that I also learned from him is that no matter what you do, there are going to be people who may not like what you are doing, there will be people who will doubt you and speak ill of you and then there will be you proving all of them wrong.

With his deeds and his actions, he made me to understand that an abundant life here on earth is living a blessed life as a blessing to others. The résumés that we write about ourselves are nothing short of persuading people to trust us. We spend many, many hours trying to convince people to trust us. What I learned from my brother is that if you want people to trust you then do what you said you are going to do but do not stop there, do more than you promised. If you promise something but do not keep your words you jeopardize your credibility and can become known as someone who is unreliable and undependable. He made sure to keep all his promises.

Life is short in our world of chaos, tribal conflicts, hostility, violence toward one another, divisiveness, anger, and pure evil. Indeed, life is short, and I still cannot imagine that my brother Shimawua is gone nevertheless I am again reminded that in the end, it's not the years in your life that count but the mark that your life has left on others. I take consolation that Shimawua has left a mark in Shumba community that will be forever remembered.

Rest in peace until we meet again!
Your junior brother,
Amos A. Ajo