A LETTER TO HEAVEN

FOR A FRIEND WHO LIVES THERE NOW

HASSAN OGUNBAMBI [1983-2006]

Aburo mi! What’s good? It’s been a while! I feel strange writing you this letter after such along time. It’s not like I haven’t been meaning to reach you but didn’t know the means. I feel writing you the conventional letter is the only way. Hey don’t even call me old school because I doubt you know the magnitude of advancement in technology we have experienced these past few years. Your phone number isn’t going through and I’m sure yahoo would have long closed your projectsxl@yahoo.com email address. I still have same phone number and email address you know, so I’m sure if you could, you would have reached me too. I understand anyway. I’m not angry besides you havent been in touch with anyone I know of.

How is it going at your end? We are very fine here. I have enough to tell you but don’t know where to start. I know you would want the entire gist so I will try. It’s been a long time but I don’t feel that way. It seems like yesterday. So you’ve got a lot of catching up to do, so if it’s too long, it’s your fault oh!

We have all graduated! You too would have if you didn’t leave bro! Most of us have done our Youth service while others are still at it. I served in Abeokuta! You for come see you guy teach now! It’s not easy being a teacher. But you know now, I be bad guys! Sorry rhap nguys! Rhap ihe a! [Smiles]. Do you remember that our line? Do you still use it?

Mikky is now in Lagos. He served here and I think he might stay back. You know he has always been a Lagos boy at heart. Not with the way he had all Lagos people as friends. Lucky, Uche and I still dey Lag! You know we got love for the city mhen except say Lucky still dey go that side often. Daniel is serving in Ughelli. I spoke to him last night even. He has improved his Warri pidgin and is picking up some Urhobo too. The guy still dey support Liverpool. I don tire for am. Chinedu is now in Abuja. Him don turn big boy! Dey run things with the President. And Ijeamaka too! Don’t tell me you don’t remember her. IJ Baby! Chinedu’s cousin! She too be Abuja babe. Linda and Tina are fine with their fine selves. You remember that painting Tina gave Mikky that she tagged us on the drawings. I go still show that girl. Haven’t seen Emmanuel since we left school. SJ dey too! You know Ikwerre people dont travel out of PH. so him still dey there. if him go, who go take care of him land? Nnamdi still dey hold PH down. Mackgee is now a Yankee boy! Blackhalo dey too! I haven’t seen the Naruto head for sometime now.

Guess who is in Naija? Minnie! She is on a visit to continue her adventure. She wants to see the rest of the country. The east and north. We hung out with her at the beach recently. Oga do you still remember that our Badagry experience? It was mad fun.

Tammy is serving in Imo state. I still remember that day we were travelling to Lagos through Owerri in our first year. You and Lucky yabbed me into almost abandoning my state. Meanwhile you should go to Owerri now. You go bow now. You know how we felt when we got to Lagos that day after staying in that ‘then’ boring PH for a long time. Yeli and Stella are now Doctors. Your Ogechi is now studying in the Caribbean. You had something for her then or so! I am not sure which way it was. She couldn’t come to our room for a long time after you left.

And now the best part – I know it will interest you the most. Bisi is now a lawyer. I can imagine the smile on your face. Come on wipe it off before I slap it off for you! Yeye boy. Ehm come oh, I still remember that valentine wey you go town go give one mystery girl valentine gift. I just dey remember, I no talk anything oh! I’m still hoping you will tell us who she is one day. I no understand why you code that one sha!

We didn’t lose our groove. Everyone had serious party on their birthday. Then we hard these parties called SHINDIG. But the icing was the Graduation party. Egbon mi it was crazy. When I look back to that Matric party we had at Nellyville and how you ended up, I wonder what would have happened if you were at the Graduation. It was well organized, strictly by invitation to keep the riff raffs away, in a brand new house at a secret location with plenty of food and drink. Chidi’s mum owns the house. You know chidi now? AIESEC and pink car Chidi. I almost forgot about the three musketeers. Really don’t have much gist about them. Haven’t seen Onyinye in a while now! You remember that theory for Ogochukwu? If you don’t remember that one, just forget it. I no fit shout jare! I don’t know who else you will share this letter with out of excitement. I guess Shirley too is doing well.

Down to some serious stuff now. What happened that day now? Do like to hear it from you, though guys have told me what they know. But I can do with some firsthand information. Why I’m asking? The truth is that it still hurts to know that you are gone forever.

You! Lion King? The brave one? Egbon! Die? Hey I still have doubts about it. I just don’t believe it. You are too strong for death.

Do you know your mum called me that morning? You were still alive then but your phone was off so I couldn’t get to you. Now I wish I spoke to you that day, even if for the last time. I’m sure she would have loved to hear your voice too! She called me because she was worried about your certificate verification. I told her I will have you call her later. She didn’t know that I was still in Lagos. When I called her at night to tell her what has happened to you, she fainted. That was the most difficult phone call I have ever made. I was shaking like a jelly fish. Just didn’t know how to give her the news. I rushed to PH the next morning. I refused to cry all this time because I hoped these boys were playing pranks. As soon as I arrived PH, I insisted on seeing you immediately. When I saw you at the morgue, I screamed and cried like a child. I thought you would just stand up and say ‘catch ya!’ and we all will laugh and go home. But you didn’t. It was crazy. You were wearing that crazy jean you tore on the knees with your black singlet. Your hair was skinned as usual. The lion kings’ trades mark. Infact I didn’t know why I was crying because I was still insisting that it was a joke taken too far like Baba Iyabo will say. Mikky and co. tried to stop me. I just thought they were crazy. They were in pain too. But then I asked them if they realized you were gone forever? I hated them then because they couldn’t look me in the face or answer my many questions. They kept saying ‘Stanley its okay’ but never looked me in the eye to say it. What was okay I asked again. For you to die at your prime? I thought they had lost touch with reality. I just didn’t realize they were in the same boat as me, and someone needed to remain sane for all of us.

When Bro Yomi arrived in the evening, we picked him from the airport and headed to the morgue again. Tears flowed freely again. I doubt Bro Yomi will like you to hear this but he too cried. We couldn’t sleep that night. You were so everywhere in the room. It was scary. Egbon mi! You didn’t want to leave us right? The lion king! At a point I thought you would just carry out that our stupid threat to burn the room down to get our attention. Its funny remembering those days when never lacked jokes or something to laugh about. Some people were not happy about our laughter but we no send them now. You almost took that away from us. That was the only time we cried in that room. We tried to do the things we used to do before though it was hard.

Your church really helped to make things easy. They appreciated your work in the Youth Ministry. The police tried to make things difficult [they wanted bribe before the police report would be released for us to get a death certificate], but we eventually got it all settled. Do you know it was Chachangi Airline that flew you to Lagos? You should have seen your guys crying when we went to pack your things in the room. I cried from Rumuosi to Nellyville. It got worst when we got to the airport. A lot of people were there to say goodbye to you. I tried to say goodbye too but couldn’t, tears didn’t let me, couldn’t find the words, I was too shattered to thick clearly. I hope you not angry about that. I wanted to be at your grave side in Lagos but couldn’t make it. Chinedu was forming hard man, but cried more than all of us that night. Don’t tell him this oh! I don’t want to seem to be snitching abeg. Infact all of them cried.

Egbon! I was frustrated. I started asking God a lot of questions. I just didn’t understand why you He took you in your final year after all the UNIPORT suffering. I doubted He was up there but knowing that you are with Him answers my doubts. My imagination was running wild, I imagined if you hadn’t gone out that evening or why He even didn’t stop you from going out. I wondered why the road was not bad or why that learner drove a car on that road on that day. Are you surprised? The boy was a learner. That day was just a wrong day. He was a learner, driving on a high speed, talking on the phone and overtaking another car at the same time. I heard you somersaulted and rolled over the car. Is it true? What kind of speed was he on that will tumble the lion king? Na wa oh! I kind of believe it, knowing you as a strong man! Lion king! That’s the only way you can give up on the spot. I refused to set eyes on the driver at the police station. Trust me! You know I kill for fun! Laughing? You don’t believe me? You dey fall my hand oh! I still don’t understand why they didn’t take you to the hospital. I heard on the way to the hospital, someone decided you were dead and they turned to the morgue. Without a doctors confirmation? Those illiterate students.

I have since reconciled it all with God. Ferdy was there to pray for/with us. He gave us words of encouragement and insisted we say how we felt, to express our anger. He told us it was okay to cry. He advised us to have a service of song that it will help us in getting over it. He helped organize it and officiated. I guess he realized that we were in denial. And we had the service of song at Nellyville for you bro!

A lot of people said lovely things about you. What I took away from it was that they misunderstood you most of the time. Egbon you were too much for them jare! Sophiscated is the word! Ijeoma Aniebo said great things about you. Didn’t know you two were such close friends. She had words of advice for everyone that day. Lucky and Chinedu took the bible readings. Mikky and I talked about the friendship we all shared. I told them about how we all met in year one. My God memories are flooding back now. I would rather not recount it, don’t want to get mushy and you will start yabbing me. Though I messed up that day as I told the story, tears welled in my eyes after I stopped myself several times from crying. Let’s just forget that day abeg; I’m already getting close to tears as I write this even.

I went to see your mum afterwards. It was another crazy day. It was your twin brother that opened the door and I almost ran away. Thought I’d seen a ghost, forgot you guys were very identical. Don’t blame me; I always think that twins are like me and Chijioke. We hugged and I entered the house. Mumsy wanted to start crying again but left for the kitchen. Hussien couldn’t stand the whole thing so he went upstairs. Your dad wanted to ask questions, you know, if there was any detail of what happened that I might want to tell him about. I couldn’t talk or even stand the situation so I left. Haven’t gone back since then though I have been on the estate a couple of times. Do you think I should go and see them? I don’t want to reopen healed wound for them.

So do you still draw? How far with your fashion designing and drawings? I had wanted to keep your drawing book but felt Hussien would like to have it. I was thinking you could still hook up that shirt for me! Make I no worry you jare. Don’t know how busy your schedule is. We all took one thing from you as souvenir to always remember you. I initially took your drawing book but gave it to Hussien and then took some of your pictures, Lucky took your Beautiful Nubia CD. I can’t remember what Mikky and Chinedu took again. Maybe you should ask them about it.

The lion king himself! I miss you oh! We all remember you all the time, we always wonder what you will do whenever we hang out. Since you were such a hand full, we were never sure. You were unpredictable so we clung to the memories of you that we have.

We all miss you! You are forever on our mind, forever remembered, forever loved, forever on our hearts. I will tell everyone that I wrote to you. I’m not telling them now because they will turn me into their errand boy to you. Please reply if you can, it will be interesting to know what’s up with you.

Take care of yourself okay

Sun re ore mi! [Sleep well my friend], Sleep tight sha!
God be with you till we meet again.

One love!

Hassan Ogunbambi died in a senseless accident along Aluu road, very close to UDSS Uniport. He was a final year student of Environmental Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt. He was my roommate in Year One and later lived with Lucky and I until his death.