CHIKE EDWARD 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.
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