It is usually not that pleasant to take up the task of writing about a good friend in the past tense. Prince
Emeka Obasi was not only a childhood friend; he was my boss and mentor.

Sincerely, Prince Emeka Obasi is one of those titanic persons whose lives have been so signifcant, purposive,
and impactful that we begin to pray that they will never die.

Of course, everyone is aware that this is merely wishful thinking, given that life is transient. But we are consoled that Emeka Obasi did not die because he has left an enduring legacy in his children, the organisations he founded, and the numerous persons who drank from his fount of wisdom and profound intellect.

Today, there are many Emeka Obasi’s whose inks are still very active and fowing. Obasi shook the media industry and created a unique style of writing that holds you spellbound until the last word. He did not only dazzle with casting headlines, but like the accountants who crunch numbers, my boss was an expert in turning dumb scripts into award-winning stories.

Though he was one of the best in the journalism profession, he preferred to be known as a writer. Not many know that this enigma and unusual idealist found his calling from childhood.

Before age 13 and 14, Emeka had read up all his elder brother’s books in senior classes in secondary school. He was an avid reader. This addiction to reading brought him to my house in the village every evening to read the Nigerian Statesman Newspaper my father always bought.

Emeka understood early that the world does not cut the weak some slack. He was bold, courageous, confdent
and an achiever.

He was a man who came before his age and could create something out of nothing. ‘’If you are not accommodated, build your own house, ’’ he said. Emeka brimmed with ideas until his death.

He was deliberate, generous and philanthropic. He had big plans for my small village, Umuaroko, but we missed it. He called me several times to commiserate with me on my immediate younger sister’s passing earlier in the year.

He was a pace-setter and our role model. After he gained admission into the University of Calabar, the
young people in my small village and its surroundings were motivated.

“I don’t allow anything to distract me’’, Emeka had admonished subtly when I left my books to go and watch
football at the local primary school pretending to have gone to stretch my legs. One of those times, we went to
read for the General Certificate of Education (GCE) exams.

He was reading for A-levels because he had already cleared his O-level papers in form 3 while I was studying
for O-levels. Coming frst in his class became a norm in every exam in the primary school we all attended. We spoke several times daily, mostly on weekends when he had to review our work for publication.

His passion for publishing and writing kept him going. From his sickbed for over six years, Emeka worked harder than ever before.

Earlier in his sickness, he worked on the scripts and titles while I sat by the bedside. But later, when the phone through WhatsApp served us better, our conversation went thus, ‘’Okay, check your WhatsApp’’, “No, change that top story’’, Give me some time, I will get back to you’’; sometimes this conversation took place in the middle of the night, 12 pm, 1.00 am, and 2.00 am.

“I will revert’’, “Okey, drop that story for next week’’, Oh!

You don’t have good stories this week. “But let us see what we can salvage’’; at some other times, he would
say, “you have very good stories this week’’; this was our routine every weekend until Prince Emeka Obasi, my
boss, breathed his last.

I sincerely thank his wife, Dr. Betty Obasi, the prayer warrior, who would always treat you with dignity, respect and ensure there is something for you to eat or munch.

She was dedicated and nursed her beloved husband until his passing. Only God can console the family.
Rest well, Prince Emeka Obasi. Rest well, my brother and boss, the man who thought deeply about things.
Posterity will never let you die. We regret your passing.

Okey Onyenweaku
Business Hallmark