Tribute: Though gone, Rakia lives on!

“To live in the hearts of those that love you is never to die…”
– Thomas Campbell

 When I got the news that my friend, Rakia Ibrahim, has been admitted at the emergency ward of a government hospital in Lagos, I knew she must be in great danger. She had been admitted for anaemia and cellulitis and had to undergo blood transfusions.
I knew Rakia, as our mutual friends often calls her, doesn’t like being in the hospital and rarely got sick. If at all she complains of illness, it may not be far from malaria and body pain.
I met Rakia at the Strictly For Laughs (#SFLAbuja2014) reunion party in December 2014. She was simply dressed and humble to a fault. Ask her to catwalk for you and she may stone you with her shoe, if you’re a guy.
She was a cutie, not so stylish, easy-going, and petite in stature but also had a matured mind set, spirit and soul. She was a Ghanaian single mom and fashion-designer, based in Lagos. She was a bride-to-be for any serious-minded man; not because she was the best cook (I’ve never tasted her meals before anyway), but for the fact that she was homely and rarely stomach hatred or anger against anyone…she will lash at you point-blank if you misfire. But she would do that in a respectable manner. But she knew how to tongue-lash any person.
So, I visited Rakia in Lagos after she was discharged from the hospital on March 10, 2016, and we talked touching almost everything within hours.
When I heard her narration about her hospital ordeal, I knew God was involved in her matter. Not everyone who goes through her ordeal survived.
Exactly 25 days after my visit, I got a Whatsapp message that Rakia was dead! I made some calls to mutual friends and they all confirmed the sad news.
Instantly, it all dawn on me that “…the life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short” according to famous author, Thomas Hobbes.
Rakia Ibrahim passed away on Monday April 4, 2016 in Ghana where she had gone to recuperate fully. “She suffered a relapse of the illness for which she was recently hospitalized and succumbed to it,” a mutual friend confirmed to me.
A kind and gentle soul who celebrated her 39th birthday in December 2015, Rakia’s sole concern was the wellbeing of her son, Abdulmalik and she extended her care over family, friends and even her customers, who she was always concerned were satisfied with the clothes she made for them.
Rakia, who was buried in Ghana, was survived by her mom and son who were with her at her passing. She will be sorely missed on ‘Strictly For Laughs,’ a Facebook group where she was a committed member and a very good friend to many.
Rakia was a fighter! She was a survivor though it pleases her creator to take her away at such a time we all were enjoying her caring and kindness.
I take solace in the words of Oye Machara, our mutual friend:  “Rakia, like a candle in the wind, your light went out, extinguished to burn no more except in our hearts and in our minds.
“You were truly a rare gem exemplified in your character, presence of mind, strong will and calm demeanor. To be gone is not to be forgotten.
“You ran the race till the maker called you into His embrace. I know in my heart you are in the heavenly place watching us. Keep that smile and your glow till we meet again.”
For us that you left behind, especially your son Abdulmalik, may God keep us to continually celebrate you. Though you’re gone Rakia, you live in our hearts till our maker calls us home, where we’ll meet to part with you no more.