BBM from Nelo: “Nne please wake me up from this horrid dream

     Cos people are saying that Tagbo is gone.

     It can’t be true please, it just can’t.

     Please wake me up from this horrid nightmare”.

I have been replaying this scenario in my head and it doesn’t quite fit:

Flashing lights red white and blue

All those people you once knew

People crowd around

The twisted metal is badly charred

The beeping stops and all goes quiet

Not a breath comes from among the riot

No pulse, no beat, a silent scream

A life so great is now lost.

The price came at a deadly cost 

The lives you touched, the ones you loved

I keep asking myself if everything is going to be all right 

I keep telling myself to wake up from this dream

I am still in a state of shock and disbelief.

I shut my eyes hoping this is all a dream

But unfortunately, I am writing this tribute and it is the most difficult thing I have had to do.

I hope someday I will understand why it had to be this way.

Tagbo!! This is to you and may the Almighty grant your family the courage to bear this loss.

My bro from another mother, I'm still in absolute shock and I can't quite get my thoughts together right now. Last time we hung out was in 09 and I just spoke with you a few months ago while you were in NY and also when you got back to Lagos. I had no idea what happened and still don't. Just logged into facebook this morning and saw this very sad news.  Tabana we've been bros since I was 3 years old and you 4. As I post this I can't seem to stop the tears. Peace bro till we meet again!  Dad, Mom, Nnamdi, Ada, Ify and Nnenna, our sincere condolences go out to you from our family to yours.

The  last  soldier this  was  not  the  plan  , but  God  has  a  higher  calling  for  you .
Rest  in  perfect peace  my  brother . 

                                                                                           15th August, 2013

Dr. & Mrs. Chuba Agbim

CONDOLENCE MESSAGE

On behalf of His Lordship, the Rt. Rev. Dr. E.O. Chukwuma (OON), and the Cathedral family, we write to commiserate with you and your family on the transition to glory of your beloved son Mr. Tagbo Agbim.

He was young, full of life and purpose driven, yet, it pleased the Lord to call him home. In all things, we give thanks to God. As we mourn his transition let us also celebrate what he stood for and give thanks to God Almighty.

We pray the Almighty God to grant you and all whom he left behind the fortitude and wisdom to bear the loss. May his gentle soul rest in the bosom of the Lord. Amen.

Every Blessing,

Ven. Emeka Ezeji

Canon Residentiary

Death has become us
When we so joyfully embraced the vigor of our youth past
In sweat earnestly toil to wind the hour hand back
Death would you say Nay your time is nigh come what may
O Tagbo, I would that you would play one more set with me
You would that form attain like you promised as you so hard tried
Alas you depart too soon to mock our toil on earth
Your stoic disposition come what may for the game we love
You would play fearing no man nor price nor F&F

I knew you for a short time in my esteem you stood high
Tall proud well intentioned a gentle giant to behold
O death cruel intentioned you are your signage obvious not
Who do you mark next so devious you scheme
Away with you from our midst we pray you not

O Tagbo, my court side mate brother in kind
For you I cry for what could have been
For this one passion that our lives crossed dearly
You paid the ultimate sacrifice I would too I know
Adieu Compadre Rest In Peace Your serve.

Tabana....

I am blessed to have known you bro. Our grandparents were friends and its passed down 3 generations to us.. The best baller I ever jammed with and the happiest times of my life on court in fgc warri was always with you. Everytime I hear my nickname, I always remember you and the first day you called it out to me on court in our junior fedgocol waffi days....

My wedding in March was the last time we saw.... We  will see again and jam up high with the angels.... 

I thank God for your wonderful life and how it touched so many people.. miss you .

Jabbar 

Tagbo was a year ahead of me in Warri.  I was rude to Yinka Oye, who then reported me to Tagbana.  When i got the messag that Tagbo wanted to see me in his class, it was akin to someone saying Abacha wanted to see you in Aso-Rock back in the days...

suffice to say, i didnt go, Tagbo eventually caught up with me somewhere in the classroom area, the "Tennis-Slap" he landed on me is still the stuff of legend with my former classmates today.  This was about 10pm.  I ran away, crying and went straight to the hostel, got money from Fatai Akiolu and headed to Lagos THAT NIGHT!!!, vowing never to come back to FGC WARRI.

My mother almost collapsed when she saw me on our front door in the early hours of the next day.  I narrated what had happened to her. without much ado, my mom made preparations and put me in the car for the trip back to Warri....on the way, with the full realisation of what was happening dawning on me, i turned to my mom and tried to persuade her not to go and confront Tagbana, realising that my life was finished if my mother went to confront Tagbo..

My mother refused and we continued to school. on getting to school, it was during Assembly, my mother had spoken to the Vice-Principal, Mr Balogun, who promised to attend to th matter, then my mom turned to me and said i should point out Tagbo to her...i fearfully pointed out his over 6-foot frame to her and immediately went to hide under cover of the brushes in the slassroom area..

The vision of my 5ft 3inches mother glaring at Tagbo and jabbing her fingers up at him in her Iro and buba, with Tagbo towring over her will remain with me forever...my mother left for Lagos

I immediately started living a nomadic lifestyle, hiding behind lockers, coming late to the hostel to sleep, knowing that i would be dealt with heavily for going to report Tagbo....

A few days later, he caught up with me during night prep, he called me outside my class, towering an glaring over me, he asked why i had gone to report him to my mother....i stammered some lame excuse that i cant even remember now...

The words he said next still  shocks me till this day...he dipped his hands in his pocket and gave me 1 Naira i think, or maybe it was 10 naira, and said " well, if you ever need nything r if anybody ever bothers you in this school as long as i am here, let me know, ok?" and he turned and walked off.  i was shocked, my mouth hung open for what seemed like ages....

suffice to say i never went near him again for anything, but the few times i saw him after that, he would smile at me and enquire how i was doing.

I never saw or spoke to Tagbo again till date.  a few years ago, i somehow stumbled upon his facebook page, and i smiled, lookig at his pictures...

I KNOW he was a good man, and the comments and tributes i have read do not surprise me at all....

I KNOW it is well with his soul and he will be resting with God.... 

Tabana ! TGB Works! Onye Nkem !

My brother through thick and thin !  You have been a solid dependable friend and brother!  Your support and concern  for me and my family is one that I cherish. Where do I start from ?  is it from our trips from Enugu to FGC Warri, or our basketball tours that took us round Nigeria or  our trips abroad. 

So no more phone calls from you saying " Lorda biko I wan enter London, look for best deal for me" I would laugh and ask you if I am now a travel agent and you would say why should you bother when you have me.  I am still in shock, little did I know that our last stay together would be our last. It was on 5th July  that JayBee and  I saw you off, saying that we will soon be back home together. Now you are not here with us.  What a devastating blow and I wish it not to be true.

God knows best my brother !  We miss you !

R.I.P.

Tagbo... i still remember our meeting @ Chubbys house...from that day it was birthdays,breakfasts at cactus, Sunday buffets,evenings at the sites,long talks on buildings,business,dreams,family, future,our agreements and disagreements,we spoke about life. I remember the trip to Enugu to start the makeover...i can go on and on...i remember when I decided to change jobs it was you who spoke to TS, you did it for me.

Tagbo....more than a friend you were a brother to me. Our conversation on Aug 2nd still lingers;You looked all dashing in trad on Aug 3rd;I couldn't make lunch on Aug 4th;I still recall your bbm 711am on Aug 5th 'Morning babe,how was your night'...few hours ltr you leave this world!!!... I refused to believe it! seeing you laying in CRI-you were asleep to me...Aug 6th I drove around lekki, looking for you, hoping to see you again.

Tagbo...it is hard to accept this as it is unbearable. Amaka misses you dearly.  You were like a brother to her and even chi, you will always remain in her heart, you made her bday a special one, always checking to see she is okay. You were the best. I still remember you harrassed and nicknamed me 'Baby Oku'...lol...and I gave u urs 'Bobo Oku'.

Tagbo...i probably didn't harass you enough to come along Sunday services, maybe I should have made that lunch on Sunday I could have noticed something??.. my heart is heavy,my nights are sleepless,tears are not enough now, All I
can do is to learn from this loss and hold unto God the comforter. Everyday my prayer is for your soul to rest in perfect peace.

Adieu My dear.

Tabs, The occassional phone conversations here and there, BBMs, most recently a bit of phone tag on the 25th of July, I was travelling, so incommunicado. Finally spoke on the 26th when I arrived my destination. I wanted to know if you were joining Nnamdi's family, Ify's family and mine along with a host of others on the cruise. You quipped that you take your holidays off season. The cruise promised to be such fun and it was indeed. Cruise over, Sunday night my family went on to the most magical place in the world - Disney World - life was good!! THEN Monday morning Disney looses its magic, and everything just comes crashing!!! Ah Ah!!!!! kedu ife ana kolum ifa??!! No, I refuse to accept it. I'm not having it. Then I get a message to send in a tribute. See me see trouble o! Tribute for what? absolutely not!! its not Tabs' birthday. Gone? gone where? We left certain aspects of our conversation for my return to Abuja. I am not back in Abuja. We are yet to conclude that conversation. No! I won't accept it. So what if I don't see you for a while?? You're Lagos based, I'm abuja based, we don't see each other all the time. Who goes to Lagos anyway?! What about BBMs, voice calls?! the networks are always so bad, you can never reach anyone when you want to. Family functions nko? We are all so busy these days, one can miss the odd family function. My brother we will see when we see and do all the chatting and catching up then!! I just refuse to deal with all this right now. Can't. Maybe sometime. 

Just last week Thursday I had called Tagbo randomly as we usually do to talk to him about things generally, so we spoke for about 45 minutes from business to everything and I was telling Tagbo that he should make sure that doesnt get married without telling me' say I go vex oh and he said to me in his usual way that you know now, that no go happen, na una go dey the front, I told him how The church was ready, the clothes that he would wear was also ready and venue for the reception was ready that the only thing remaining was him bringing the bride and he said in due course. Then he told me about how his brother would be upset with him for buying a car, so he mentions a Lexus jeep and I told him that he's had that car for a bit now and that why should he be angry, he quips in his usual way, oldboy the car never even reach 4 weeks sef I just buy the 2013 Lexus jeep and I told him that una dey enjoy for Lagos and he said yes yes yes, then I went on to say una come want make me dey London dey do wetin? Then he goes dey come now we dey here and we rapped it up there cause we talk like once a week so I knew that we would talk the following week only to recieve a call on Monday afternoon that Tagbo has passed on, I nearly summersault.some of you are even more previllaged than myself as you spoke to him minutes before his passing. Jee Nke Oma my man.

I haven't been this shocked since my Dad's passing..

Tagbo, you are the only cousin I've truly known.

We lived beside each other on campus, so we bonded, laughed together, exchanged ideas and shared moments..

You watched over me like an elder brother ..we were similar in many ways - jovial and friendly..

 Now I'm left wondering and repeatedly asking unanswered questions..

It' s really hard to believe you are gone..

You were a great guy.

Anyone that crossed your path couldn’t forget you.

To leave us at the prime of your life is a misnomer that can only be accepted if seen as Divine will.

I keep telling myself that I could have been a better cousin, I should have communicated more, I could have made more positive contributions..  but these are all futile "after the fact" feelings that cannot be remedied.

Ultimately, life's conclusion centers around our need for GOD and dependence on HIM..otherwise life is but a fleeting shadow..a flower that soon withers..

Your passing has made me re-commit to a deeper relationship with GOD, and to being a blessing to anyone I come in contact with.

If for us all, this becomes the legacy your passing lives, then it wouldn't be in vain.

Goodbye Tagbo.