Happy Birthday Wukeh

I like to think that people are like different colours of the rainbow and when you have a bunch of them together as friends, what you get is a rainbow glimmering with many bright colours. But if you’re lucky like me, you get to have one or two people who are entire rainbows of themselves, bringing light and hope into your life.
Today, I am going to write about one of such people.
I cannot remember my very first meeting with Wukeh clearly because there are a bunch of random memories piled up in my head. But there’s one memory that stands out clearly in my mind. I think that was my first strong impression of him as a person.
I was close to the Basketball court back on campus and he was seated in a medical bus with a doctor yelling at him for going to play basketball against his medical advice but Wukeh seemed unperturbed. He just remained in the bus smiling. And I remember thinking to myself “this boy is stubborn sha.”
Fast forward a few months later and Wukeh was to be the best graduating student from my set and chairman of the convocation planning committee. I find that authority and influence combined with a very high intelligence quotient can make people a little crazy in the head and I kinda expected that Wukeh would be like that as well. But I was wrong. Wukeh remained as accessible and chill as the regular guy.
We didn’t have much interactions in school anyway. We were in the same school for 4 years but probably only ever had conversations once or twice. But in my service year, things were different. We worked on a project together alongside a group of friends and that was when I began to get to know Wukeh. I daresay that was when we became friends.
Wukeh is special to me, a different kind of special, an entire league all by himself. And you won’t understand unless you have spent some time around him. Wukeh inspires, teaches, supports and helps like no other. You can ALWAYS count on him. Wukeh is a change-agent. There’s something burning inside his heart to bring about positive impact wherever he goes and that fire is really contagious.
Wukeh is a keeper. And that’s something I deeply admire him for. He has somehow mastered the art of keeping in touch with friends constantly and that is something I envy even. It doesn’t matter where I am in the world, I know that once every few months, I must hear from him. And that’s flattering. For someone who has so many relationships, his ability to manage all of them and leave each person feeling special and loved with his “little reminders of remembrance” every so often is something I find really amazing.
I remember the last time we saw in Lagos. We had made plans to meet up after work but Lagos and crazy traffic and what not, it was almost looking impossible. Once I made it back home, I didn’t think I would make it out again. But one phone call from Wukeh had me dragging my lazy self out of the house. And I remember saying to mister C that night, “there’s absolutely no other person that would have been able to get me out of this house at this time” and I wasn’t even kidding.
But Wukeh is very convincing and it’s one of the reasons I think he should run for president. Not only because of that, but also because he is someone I consider an exemplary leader. And he is balanced. You should see the multiple number of activities Wukeh manages to run simultaneously and then you’ll understand what I am saying. The young man is a genius, well-rounded and involved.
I admire the wisdom he possesses too. In terms of human relationships, people management, business skills, strategy, Wukeh is your go-to person. As far as I know, Wukeh has always had a word in due season, proffering possible solutions to varying manners of conflict.
Wukeh is humble too. And no, I’m not talking about the forced, proud humility some people wear on their sleeves to make them feel good about themselves or avoid judgment. Wukeh is the real deal. What you see is what you get. He is kind, selfless, non-judgmental, quick-witted, smart and an absolute blessing as a friend.
So I am doing this today, for you Wukeh, because you matter to me. And I may not tell you all of the time, I may not keep in touch as much as you do (I’m still a learner) but you absolutely matter to me. You are one of those people for who I am eternally thankful for the privilege of their friendship.
So I pray for you today, that you live fully, that all your dreams find expression and that the desires of your heart come to fruition. That the means you require for all the great things you want to achieve will be available and that your good works will continue to speak for you even till the end of time.
God bless you richly dear friend. You are loved, deeply, truly and in more ways than I can ever express. Have a fantastic new year.