Wada Garba: One year after

The name Igeh was coined by his siblings from Gabriel, which happened to be his biblical name, which they could not pronounce.
Some of his friends also called him Garus, meaning Garba and Garba was gotten out of Gabriel. I personally called him bros as a sign of respect because he was also my in-law. But at work, he was officially addressed as Inuwa Wada Garba.
To me, Inuwa Wada Garba, a star journalist, was my colleague, friend and brother-in-law.
He was a specialist in Hausa vernacular reporting and contributed lots of interesting human interest stories to the Aminiya newspaper, published by Media Trust Limited. In the newsroom there, they call him Wada.
In 1999, when we first met at a local football match organized by the PTF staff of a specialist hospital (now Dr. Araf Specialist Hospital) against some youths from Angwan Nugu in Lafia, Nasarawa State, where I played against him as a defending midfielder, he really overwhelmed with his height and skills over my smallish status.
 After the match, I passionately inquired about him to find out more about him. I eventually discovered that he was my prospective brother-in-law as my fiancée was his younger sister.
Garba was the second child of his aged parent, after the death of his elder brother Michael Wada. Fate made him the breadwinner of the family and he worked very hard to live up to expectation by engaging himself in various writing jobs to keep his family going.
My closet experience with late Inuwa Wada Garba took place in 2005, when he came to Abuja for greener pasture. He got so many jobs, but finally settled   for journalism.
Before then, he had worked with the Precious FM Radio in Lafia as a Hausa vernacular translator. He was engaged as a casual staff for some times and cut his teeth in journalism during that period.
I one day revealed his potentials to a colleague, Malam Abubakar Haruna, a pioneer staff with the Aminiya newspaper, who in turn took up his case with the newspaper’s management.
After several tests, Garba was given an opportunity to serve as a freelancer and a columnist. His ability to learn fast earned him respect and he rose to become a shining star.  
He started his widely read column “Wa’Azin Krista” as was popularly called Mai-Bishara by his colleagues in the office. He later reported from Nasarawa State as the newspaper’s correspondent and received several awards from the management for turning out Best Story of the Month for several  months.
Garba made friends from all nooks and crannies of the state. His write-ups brought him fame as people called him to cover events.  Most stories he sought for were exclusives and he travelled between his media outfit’s headquarters office in Abuja and rural areas at Lafia.
He was a real workaholic, who enjoyed doing his job passionately and was a source of encouragement to his peers.
Apart from his official responsibilities, Garba also sourced for adverts. I can remember vividly that on several occasions, he called me to design some advert pages for him which he presented for approval.
Before his final journey on   May 26, 2012, we had an arrangement to meet in Abuja so that I design some adverts he secured from the Nasarawa State government.
I woke up early the next morning and was preparing myself at home for the meeting, when I received a call that informed me of the demise of Garba.
At first I thought it was as a result of an accident, but later I learnt that on that fateful night, he went to bed without showing signs of illness and never woke up the following morning.
Many of his friends expressed shock at the news of his demise and testified seeing him airing news the previous night. His parents also said he came to their house after the news and spent quality time with them until after the rain before leaving for his residence.
One of his neighbours  also said   they were together until around 12am and waved each other goodnight before retiring to bed.
His fiancée who was with her sick brother in hospital, said   they also engaged in a long conversation with him between the hours of 12am to 1am on the night he died. He even told her about his plan to travel to Abuja that morning for official duty. She was the last person to have spoken with him on phone before death quietly sniffed life out of him.
My wife, Mrs. Joy Rachael Yohanna, also described him as a philanthropist and said he dashed her N10,000 one morning. To her, Igeh was a kind person who liked helping people. 
No wonder, during his burial ceremony, important personalities trooped there to pay their last respect. My thanks goes to Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State, who contributed immensely to that  rite through one of his aides, Mr. Danjuma Joseph, Director of Press in Deputy Governor’s office. 
Media Trust Limited was not also left out, it delegated some management staff to condole Garba’s family and offered great assistance in making the ceremony memorable. The NTA Lafia were also not left out as they sent their condolences through some personalities.
May the good Lord bless them all, Amen.
His aged father, Pastor Joseph Wada of Christ Disciples Church (CDC) as well as the proprietor of Faith Nursery and Primary School Lafia, still remembers him for the supports he rendered, while his mother of nine children, Mrs. Caroline Wada, still sheds tears whenever she remembers him and the naked fact that three of her children (two male and a female) have been snatched away by death. 
He left behind his aging parents and six siblings with the lady  he anxiously wanted to marry that fateful year.
Igeh, we love you but God loves you most. May you rest in perfect peace in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.