Tuesday February 18, 2020 will forever remain etched on my memory, unfortunately for a reason that continues to make my heart bleed, a reason that still keeps me drained, a reason that underscores the ephemeral nature of life on the planet earth.
Time was 1:20pm and I had just sauntered back to my office from the mosque after the obligatory Zuhr prayers. There, waiting for me, was a colleague, Maxwell Loko, with the unthinkable and unbelievable story of the demise, an hour earlier, of Sir Lucky Omoluwa, Chairman Pinnacle Communication.
To say I was stunned, dazed and petrified all at once will be the height of understating a fact because I was really that and much more. Lucky dead? The Lucky I had talked about with Ambassador Yusuf Mamman less than an hour earlier? The Lucky that had called me at exactly 3:02pm the day before? The Lucky that I had called at 10:07pm the night before? No, it could not have happened but happen it did. I was in denial for a period of time but slowly I came to the dawning realization that indeed my brother, friend and professional ally had actually departed this world.
I accepted the fact that once again death the leveller, the inevitable terminator and denominator had victimized us. Sir Lucky had capitulated. Death had ended my earthly communion with a man I had come to know as one of the finest of humanity.
Lucky’s path and mine crossed in 2016 and until his demise we remained an item not only professionally but also as brothers and friends. Professionally, Lucky epitomized singularity of purpose, doggedness and a seemingly unquenchable thirst for success. This trait was amply demonstrated when, in record time, he turned a virgin forested land in Abuja into broadcasting edifice for the Abuja DSO launch. Similar feats characterized his many endeavours.
Not by any means a giant in physical terms, he radiated purpose rather than severity. He never had harsh words for his employees not because they were infallible and without inadequacies but simply because it was never his way. When he had to rebuke anyone, you knew you were listening to a gentle and thoughtful person who had your interest in mind.
His ebullience was such that he tended to draw people firmly and enthusiastically into his orbit and hold them there by sheer generosity and magnetism. He executed all his public acts deliberately and wilfully without projecting extreme guard or aggression. Sir Lucky helped multitudes, guided several and cheered many, including this writer.
Yes, Sir Lucky is no longer with us but his legacies endure. He was not in a hurry to go. He went because God called and he answered. We will answer when our calls come. Before then, we have the duty and responsibility to continue to pursue the dreams we shared with him especially that of the Digital Switch Over process until it is fully and successfully consummated.
Abraham Lincoln the late US President once said while condoling a bereaved family “in this life of ours, grief must come to all.” Grief has indeed come to us – Sir Lucky Omoluwa’s immediate family, the Digital Switch Over family and the larger broadcasting community.
Sir Lucky’s ideals were lofty but we must strive to live up to them in his memory. Adieu my brother; Adieu my friend; Adieu my professional colleague.
Yakubu Ibn Mohammed is the Director-General, Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).
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