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CHIKE OKOLI It is difficult to fully describe a man
as phenomenal as Chike Edward Obiora Nnabuenyi Okoli (Ozuomba!!!).
He was born on the 26th day of May 1980 at Queen Charlotte
Hospital London, SW6. I can vividly recall the joy of
looking into his infant face. He was a perfect gift from
God. I loved him at the very first instance. I loved him
more than life.
He had part of his primary education in Nigeria (Our
Saviors' School and Corona Ikoyi). At the age of nine, he
moved on to Cottesmore Preparatory School, England and from
there to Kings Canterbury, Kent where he formed life-long
friendships with his classmates. Watching him grow up moved
my soul to dance. He made the sky more beautiful to gaze
upon. He held out the promise of a great life.
He graduated in law at the University of Hertfordshire and
obtained his masters degree (also in law) from the
University of Exeter. While in school he maintained an
uncommon contact with home. He knew every new restaurant
that opened in Lagos. His heart was here. He loved Nigeria.
He followed every development in the country with a keen
interest.
On graduation, he decided to come home and run his own
business in oil and gas. He saw vast but untapped
opportunities and he creatively deployed his talent to
harness them. In 2003, he set up Carden Energy Services
Limited. As I watched him navigate the murky waters of the
corporate world, I marveled at his quiet but dignified
maturity. At many instances I had to ask 'how did you do
this?' He will say with his characteristic smile that he
learnt from the best. He was gracious with words but more
importantly he was gracious at heart.
He loved fast cars. He loved football. He loved Arsenal. He
loved rugby. He loved Mama's food - jollof rice and bitter
leaf soup. He loved life. Who could have thought on the
quiet Tuesday morning, 31st May 2005 that he will breathe
his last? He died five days after his 25th birthday from
undetected coronary artery disease.
I searched for meaning after his death. Why him? Why so
soon? He wanted to do so much to make the world a better and
safer place to live in. I am yet to find the answers but I
know that every blade in the field, every leaf in the
forest, lays down its life in its season. Beauty is not
measured in length. Impact is not a function of time alone.
His brief but beautiful life had meaning, grace and glow.
If it is true that to live in the minds of our loved ones is
not to die, then Chike lives. I see him anytime I do the
very things that brought him his greatest joy - restoring
broken dreams and helping people tell a better story.
In furtherance of the ideals of his life, we are happy to
introduce the Chike Okoli Foundation. It is time to exchange
the memories of grief with the deep experience of joy that
comes only from genuinely helping those in need. |
