I was posted
to Nnewi in Anambra State where I got acquainted with a young man named
Onyedikachi. I called him Onye for short. We were lodge mates and pretty
much became good friends. He was the most optimistic being I had ever
seen. In the face of whatever difficulty, he saw nothing but blessings
and glory. He wasn’t much of a singer, but I guess that ‘show me your
friend and I’ll tell you who you are’ thing came into play. We both had
everything in common. We shared ideas, pursued happiness, and hoped for
better days to come. Until that very moment, FOREX was my only source of
income, and that weighed me down a whole lot because I had thought that
I would make it in life before graduating from school. The only thing
that had power enough to lift the burden of such thoughts from my
shoulders was Ogechi’s call, which didn’t come in often. And if I
called, some guy would pick up and say he’s her manager and that she
wasn’t available. Hmmm. So I moved the good old days to the present and
revitalized my Christian living. I and Onye went to church and prayed a
lot. We became church boys. We even joined a drama unit in church where I
got to discover more about myself. More gifts and talents of mine
emerged from my inmost being. This was really good for me because I got
to know what I needed to do and how to do them. I did a lot of creative
writings, some of which I documented in my blog, and others far away
from a second party. However, I made myself known by people as one who
does such writings. After youth service, I worked as a broadcaster in a
radio station and was a bit fulfilled. Onye, who was more of a business
man, began communicating with a relative abroad, urging her to keep her
promise to send him some cars to sale and start life after graduation.
He normally communicated with her via Skype. One of those days he
introduced me to his relative and we got talking. Our steady
communication built some sort of relationship between I and Onye’s
relative, who was an unmarried lady in her early thirties, and she fell
in love with my writings, music and poetry. She said I couldn’t afford
to end as an ordinary university graduate working as a broadcaster in a
local radio station. She asked if I would like to further my studies
abroad. I was so excited to hear that. She made necessary arrangements
and made the funds for me to get a visa and fly abroad. I testified in
church and everyone was happy for me. Onye went well with the idea of
studying masters abroad and as such, dropped the idea of business and
joined me.
We were set
to leave, and a couple of folks accompanied us to Enugu airport where we
boarded a flight to Abuja international airport. At Abuja airport our
flight to America was delayed for a little bit. While we sat there
talking and waiting for the flight to be ready, shouts of celebration
right outside the airport caught ours and everyone else’s attention. We
moved out to see what was happening and found that there was a crowd
around an unknown personality, probably the governor or something. We
went back and took our former positions on our sits. But the shout just
wouldn’t stop and as such, we couldn’t enjoy our chat because of the
noise. The noise kept drawing nearer and nearer unstoppably. I wondered
what sort of person could pull such crowd. So my curiosity led me
outside to find out who it really was, and guess who it was; OGECHI.
This girl is a
bomb! Mehn, she was becoming like Michael Jackson. I was amazed at this
coincidence, but that was just the beginning of my amazement. Well, I
would have loved to say a thing or two to her, but for the crowd I
relented and let go. I found myself a spot from which I could view her
clearly. She was signing autographs, responding to the press and doing
all the superstar stuff. When my eyes had seen enough of her, I returned
to Onye. He asked why I went to that extent just to get a clear picture
of her. I told him I was her fan, and had wanted to see her for a long
time now. Our discussion continued, but I wasn’t a part of it anymore. I
was thinking about so many things at the same time. As a matter of
fact, I mind travelled.
What brought
me back was the crowd, which seemed to be drawing close to where I was
sitting. I snapped out of it and tried to understand what was happening.
I saw some people pointing their fingers at me and saying things I
couldn’t hear. Then it dawned on me that Ogechi had seen me. But why all
the talk and finger pointing? I couldn’t comprehend. Next thing that
happened was that Ogechi screamed on seeing me, ran towards me, and
jumped on me. WHAT THE HELL? I m..i..s..s..e..d.. youuuu, was the first
thing she said to me. I was FLABBERGASTED! Ogechi! I called out in utter
amazement. Yes dear, she replied all happy and smiling. Suddenly the
whole attention was on me. The press started commenting and asking
questions immediately. I was live on AIT answering questions I hadn’t
planned to answer anytime soon. Oh, what do we have here, said the press
woman who headed the press team. ‘This is more like a happy reunion’ do
you mind letting us in on what’s going on now? She asked Ogechi. And
Ogechi began talking;
‘Well, I’ve
been in the in the United States for the past fifteen months. I
definitely missed a couple of people at home, and prince charming here
happens to one of those I’ve missed the most.
‘Wow! I’m sure he’s glad to see you too’ said the broadcaster
‘(Confused) Definitely! I replied.
‘(To Ogechi) I heard you say something like ‘Prince Charming’; can you please say more about that?’ The broadcaster asked
‘W..e..l..ll.., I will, but definitely not today. Some other time I guess’ Ogechi replied smiling joyfully.
‘That seems to me like something private’
‘You bet' said Ogechi
‘Apparently,
prince charming here and your fans in Nigeria are glad to have you back
in the country, and probably wish you wouldn’t leave again, but we know
that is not likely to happen. So can you please tell us how long we
should expect to have you around?
‘On the
contrary, I have come to stay. You see, my contract with my recording
label abroad just expired and I refused to renew it because there are
some people I really need to be with in Nigeria. If I had renewed that
contract, that wouldn’t have been possible because I would still have to
stay abroad. (Turns to the camera) So to my fans in Nigeria and Africa,
it’s you me together forever.
(Crowd hails)
‘You said
there are some people you really need to be with here. Can you please
name a few of these people and the roles they will play in your life
which is more important than that which your recording label would have
played? I know for a fact that they would have funded your account with
some cool dollars. So who on earth would you forgo that for? The
broadcaster asked.
‘Sometimes,
our determination to excel in life can be outweighed by our willingness
to accept our destiny’ Ogechi replied tenderly.
‘So you’re saying destiny brought you back to home? The broadcaster continued.
‘Exactly!’ Ogechi replied
‘Well, that
explains a lot. We’ll stick around and see how this turns out. (The
broadcaster turns to me) So prince charming, would you say Oge’s
sacrifice to leave the United States for the sake of some set of people,
or should I say, destiny, is worth it?’
‘(Stammering)
Y..e..a..h.., I would say it is, considering the fact that she left a
lot of people who love her behind when she left to America, and some of
those people have really longed to see and be with her all these years.
Luckily for them, she’s back here to stay’ I replied with an attitude of
less concern.
‘Do you in anyway happen to be one of such people?’ The broadcaster enquired.
‘(Stammering) Y..e..a..h.., I am. I’m one of her greatest fan. I’ve followed her right from the start’
‘Wow! That’s
obvious enough. But isn’t there a little bit more to it than just a
celebrity and fan thing? Judging from the look of things, I mean, her
excitement on seeing you, the hug, you being here to pick her up, it
seems there is. I bet she would have kissed you if not for the camera.
(Crowd roars)
‘You know
she’s been in America for a while. Judging from the Hollywood movies
I’ve watched, kisses and hugs are like handshakes over there’ I replied.
‘That was a smart one prince charming. Can we know your name?
‘Jesusboy’
‘What?’
‘Jesusboy’
‘What is that, a name?’
‘Yes oo, a name. My name’
‘Why do you call yourself Jesusboy?’
‘Because Jesus is the One I claim’
‘Interesting.
I guess you’ll have to pray for us then. (Turns to Ogechi) Well, we are
set leave you to your fans now. It’s been a wonderful time out with
you, and once again, welcome home. Any lasts words for our viewers?’
‘Yeah. (Ogechi turns to the camera) Thank you everyone, I love you all, I’m proud of you, believe in yourself and trust in God.
‘Well viewers
that was one of Nigeria’s most talented singers landing all the way
from the United States not to visit, but to stay. You can see her fans
showing her the love she needs to keep going higher. I believe you all
out there watching have in one way or the other joined to welcome her
home. We’ll keep you posted on more celebrity talk as you stay with us.
My name is Shola Ade, AIT.
Ogechi signed
a lot of autographs afterwards. All the while, she didn’t let go off
me. Anyone who saw the way she clung to me would not be mistaken to
think we had something going. Indeed we had. But was it still alive?
To be continued.
