Farewell To My Bosom Friend, John Aguiyi-Ironsi!

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

Death has a way of reminding those alive the memories of the past both good and bad; as I look back and reminisce on my tender age years while we were growing up in Umuahia, Abia State.

What mostly comes to mind was the nostalgic prank we played by sneaking out from our homes to play football at Community Primary School, Ugba Ibeku in Umuahia township.
Top among my friends living at Nkwerre Street, Umuahia then were Chima, Ebenezer, Adindu, Chukwuma , John Aguiyi-Ironsi and other friends I cannot really remember their names.
However, John Aguiyi-Ironsi, we fondly called Jonny boy, was most striking. Not that he was the son of the first Igbo Military Head of State in Nigeria, Jonny understood the need to be among his age mates and was always sneaking out to play football with his mates while allowing us the use of his bicycle in order to show us love, care and equality as mates.
Despite his background and the security personnel around the family’s duplex, which they occupied, he still sneaked out to come to us and we played together. Most times, he provided the balls, which we used to go to the football field to play. He would also buy us some sweets, biscuits and other beverages to refresh after our tortuous time on the playing pitch usually in very hot weather. This continued until we finished Primary School and Secondary School in 1980s before he travelled to United States of America for further studies.
We lost contact as we went separate ways and my family relocated to Onitsha after the death of my father.
Since then, he never met and I did not know when he returned to Nigeria while I moved to Lagos and settled down with my own family.
I never heard of my childhood friend, fondly called Jonny boy then, until few weeks ago when I read online that John Aguiyi-Ironsi passed on after a brief illness and was buried last Friday.
Though, I never met him again for a long period of time until he passed on, but the memory of his kindness, love and care shaped my perception to be honest to love people around me, which has been one of my principles in life. It thought me humility and focus to pursue my goals believing that it was achievable. Going down memory lane, I remember that I told him that I would like to be a journalist in the pursuit of my dreams in life.
To the glory of God, I eventually studied Mass Communication and became a journalist but I was not able to see my friend Jonny boy to share the story of our growing up and how it eventually turned out until he passed on.
I know that John Aguiyi-Ironsi lived a good life while he was on earth because he was harmless and cared for people around him. Sad to say, ‘May the Almighty God grant him eternal rest’!

Cyriacus Izuekwe – Associate Editor of P.M.EXPRESS writes from Lagos.