ADVERTISEMENT
The Sun Nigeria
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
The Sun Nigeria
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Ley Your Dreams Come Alive – With FCMB Loans
Home Features

Kenny Ashaka: A deep cut

29th January 2021
in Features
0
Kenny Ashaka: A deep cut
0
SHARES
135
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Muyiwa Akintunde
ON Tuesday night, when my wife and I spoke to him, we resigned ourselves to faith. There’s nomiracletoodifficultforGod, weprayed. Unfortunately, that miracle didn’t happen.
By 4:30am Wednesday, my phone beeped. It was Onome, the first child of Kenny Asha- ka, at the other end. Amid tears, she managed to say, “Uncle, my dad is gone!”
My good friend of over 36 unbroken years, Kenny, who is qualified in every way to be called my brother, was gone. And that was just as we were mourning his wife, Dorothy, whose death had shattered the children and her loved ones.
Saturday brought sadness to the family that was all joyful the day before. The baby of the house got married the previous day. Mama Onome must have applied all her being into the responsibility of a good hostess to her guests so much that she became stressed out and fell ill. Sadly, she didn’t make it to the hospital that Saturday night.
An ailing husband transformed into a griev- ing widower. I got to hear the news of Mama Onome’s transition through her only surviving son, Onoriode, on Tuesday morning. My wife and I couldn’t speak with Kenny until around 8pm as he had been sedated. He mumbled
a few words. We allowed him to rest and continued the discussion with Onome. We knew we had to intensify our prayers and seek divine intervention. God answers prayers in His own way. By the dawn of Wednesday, He chose to call Kenny home to join his dutiful wife in His bosom.
Flashback to 1984. Kenny and I met at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos, as classmates. We struck a relationship that would last until death parted us.
We shared a lot in common, one of which was getting into full-time journalism the hard way. We both chose to practise with The Guardian. Unless you had a university degree or equivalent, you were not considered good enough to report for the Flagship. And so it was that we chose to freelance. At that time, The Guardian paid six kobo for every pub- lished line of a freelancer’s story. Yes, six kobo! But, we were not discouraged.
Kenny travelled all the way to Yola to do his job from the then Gongola State (now Adamawa and Tarawa states) capital, while
I took my destiny to Port Harcourt. I was eventually employed by The Guardian. Kenny secured a job with the Weekly Scope, published in Yola and later worked with other newspapers.
In the late 1980s, my older brother, Yemisi, needed to move out of the “room-and-par- lour” we lived in at Itire, Lagos, as he prepared to get married. My brother contacted Kenny and his wife volunteered her time to find us
a place in Egbe, near Ikotun, where they also lived.
Kenny later took his wife and daughter, On- ome, to Kaduna. And there he had three other children, one of whom died quite young, a situation that issued forth hypertension.
My trips to Kaduna would not be complete without checking on Kenny and his family. The first time that I went straight to their resi- dence with my luggage, she tucked it where I couldn’t locate the stuff, insisting that I must stay with them. I later learnt to first check into a hotel before checking on to the family: “Uncle, this is not good ooo”, she would pro- test as I walked in without my luggage.
Mama Onome was at home with any environment, which explained her being able to speak many languages. I had assumed she was Isoko like her husband. I didn’t bother
to ask in all our years of interaction because where you come from does not matter to me.
Ashaka
It’s who you are. As I was about to put this article together, I learned that she hailed from Umuahia.
At some point in the Ashakas’ sojourn, Kaduna was so turbulent that many non- indigenes fled. Religious and ethnic riots necessitated their relocating often. But Kenny and his family remained faithful to that city.
While his work as a journalist took him to different parts of the country (the North par- ticularly), Kenny connected with his family in Kaduna at the slightest opportunity.
He worked as media adviser to Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor when the latter was president of the Christian Association of Nigeria. I assisted him with stakeholders’ management while the task lasted.
He returned to The Sun, worked in the head office in Lagos and had to get back to the North preparatory to retirement.
The year 2019 was the last time I would see him. I was in Kaduna on assignment. By that time, the family had moved to Unguwar Television. I connected with him near that locality where he came to pick me to their new home. Mama Onome was so happy to welcome me. By then, Kenny had been diag- nosed with diabetes. He kept faith with his medical regimen. He checked on me twice in my hotel before I returned to Lagos.
When he retired from The Sun last year, he called to say that he would like us to do some projects together tapping into his connections. He didn’t want to be inactive or depend on the lump sum from the pension fund administra- tor. But we couldn’t progress with any of those ideas until his last day.
Recently, our colleagues set up a WhatsApp group for the 1986 NIJ set. Kenny did not participate in our discussions. I knew it wasn’t because he didn’t want to, but he couldn’t. He was getting weakened by what I only learned after his death was Hepatitis B.
When his wife’s death was broken to us in the virtual group, one of our classmates in Kaduna, Pastor Tony Inwulale, immediately took charge on our behalf, visiting the family. He prayed for and counselled the children daily. Through the last calls to him on the day his daughter got married and the eve of his departure from here, he knew his classmates cared about him and he was grateful for their support in all ways.
Kenny and Mama Onome, you touched lives positively. I am, therefore, beseeching God to look kindly at your children, grand- children and all that are connected to you. Kenny was a rare gem. He believed totally in friendship. He was committed to the good of the other person. He was faithful to his family and his friends. It’s a big gap too difficult to fill.
For his children, grandchildren and all who knew him well, this indeed is a deep cut.
•Akintunde is former editor, The Post

Cyril

Cyril

Related Posts

Catholic Bishops, priests cry out:  We are now endangered species
Features

Catholic Bishops, priests cry out: We are now endangered species

2nd July 2022
Words of wisdom from the Ejiofors: The best wealth is one that couples struggle together to make
Features

Words of wisdom from the Ejiofors: The best wealth is one that couples struggle together to make

2nd July 2022
Mysterious death inside cell
Features

Mysterious death inside cell

2nd July 2022
Next Post
Organ snatching causes panic in Imo

Imo Ohanaeze flays perpectrators of orlu mayhem

Terrorists invasion of army base in Borno leaves 19 terrorists, 3 soldiers dead

Troops recover IED materials, firearms, ammunition from terrorists

Army seek media support in fight against insurgency, kidnapping, banditry

NITDA pledges IT support for Army Resource Centre

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Highlights

2023: Six govs move against Atiku

I saw a Governor in Fashola —Tinubu’s wife

Abia NPC assures credible census in 2023

Kidnapping: Abia Govt out to tackle insecurity frontally’

Osun election: Oyetola confident of victory

2023: Crisis brews in PDP over zoning of presidential ticket

Trending

Police arraign 3 guards for failure to prevent thieves in Osun
National

Viral video of lady barking like dog: Police arrest ‘yahoo boy’ in Ogun

2nd July 2022
0

By Christopher Oji The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a young man for allegedly using a...

Buhari hails Bello, Tallen at 63

Buhari says FG will continue to exploit maritime sector’s potential

2nd July 2022
Presidency: Injustice to Ndigbo ‘ll soon end – Ohanaeze

Presidency: Injustice to Ndigbo ‘ll soon end – Ohanaeze

2nd July 2022
2023: Atiku begins consultations

2023: Six govs move against Atiku

2nd July 2022
Winning with the Nigerian spirit

I saw a Governor in Fashola —Tinubu’s wife

2nd July 2022
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on social media:

Latest News

  • Viral video of lady barking like dog: Police arrest ‘yahoo boy’ in Ogun
  • Buhari says FG will continue to exploit maritime sector’s potential
  • Presidency: Injustice to Ndigbo ‘ll soon end – Ohanaeze
  • 2023: Six govs move against Atiku
  • I saw a Governor in Fashola —Tinubu’s wife
  • Abia NPC assures credible census in 2023
  • Kidnapping: Abia Govt out to tackle insecurity frontally’
  • Osun election: Oyetola confident of victory
  • 2023: Crisis brews in PDP over zoning of presidential ticket
  • Catholic Bishops, priests cry out: We are now endangered species
  • Ekweremadu: Court orders NIS, banks to release Ukpo’s biodata
  • Insecurity: To be honest, Buhari has not done well – APC Rep, Legor Idagbo
  • 2023: Nigerians should vote for who‘ll unite the country–Ucheaga
  • 2023: zonING political offices, undemocratic–Oba Maduabuchi (SAN)
  • With Atiku and Okowa, PDP remains a better choice for Nigeria
  • Words of wisdom from the Ejiofors: The best wealth is one that couples struggle together to make
  • IPMAN threatens legal action against NMDPA over alleged 74bn transport claims
  • Stakeholders strategise to end crude oil theft in Niger Delta
  • Akwa Ibom APC petitions INEC chairman over REC
  • Man stealing cables electrocuted in Aba

Categories

  • Abuja Metro
  • Anambra Watch
  • Arts
  • Broken Tongues
  • Business
  • Business Week
  • Cartoons
  • Citizen Joe
  • Columns
  • Cover
  • Culture
  • Duro Onabule
  • Editorial
  • Education Review
  • Effect
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Features
  • Femi Adesina
  • Food & Drinks
  • Frank Talk
  • Funke Egbemode
  • Gallery
  • Global Square by Kenneth Okonkwo
  • Health
  • Insights
  • Kalu Leadership Series
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Letters
  • Lifeline
  • Lifestyle
  • Literary Review
  • Marketing Matters
  • Muiz Banire
  • National
  • News
  • Offside Musings
  • Opinion
  • oriental news
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • PressClips
  • Public Sphere
  • Ralph Egbu
  • Shola Oshunkeye
  • Sideview
  • South-west Magazine
  • Sponsored Post
  • Sporting Sun
  • Sports
  • Sun Girl
  • Tea Time
  • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
  • The Sun Awards Live
  • The Sun TV
  • Thoughts & Talks
  • Time Out
  • Today's cover
  • Tola Adeniyi
  • Travel
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Trending
  • TSWeekend
  • Turf Game
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Views from Abroad
  • Voices
  • World
  • World News
  • About Us
  • Paper Ad Rate
  • Online Ad Rate
  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

Posting....