Penultimate to the message from Prof. Nick Damachi, I had thought about The Prof a lot. I had been unable to reach him for a while, especially with COVID-19 shutdowns and social distancing. But he was always on my mind, especially with the labour challenges being reported in the media, and a recent event at Michael Imoudu National Institute of Labour Relations (MINILS), llorin, late 2021. Then on December 14, 2021, I got this message, “It is with a deep sense of sadness that I am informing you that my elder brother Prof. Ukandi G. Damachi, OFR, NPOM, JP, passed away in Geneva on November 29.”
I was very sad and I teared up at the thought of never going to see him to talk to tease, “harass”, and laugh with again. He was a true helper who used his steely determination not just to better himself, but to better the world that he lived in.
I first met Prof in the early 1980s, when Knight, Frank & Rutley was retained to evaluate landed property he was trying to acquire for the establishment of some enterprises in Obudu, Cross River State. My late husband was in charge of the valuation. I got to meet him then. We all lived in Surulere and I got to know that he was a professor at the University of Lagos. But I must say that he was very simple, urbane, classy, affluent and a far cry from professors I used to know. I got to know that he studied in Ireland and the United States. And he was indeed a professor of considerable standing.
He had consulted for the International Labour Organisation and had solid tentacles all over the world, especially in the U.S., UK and Switzerland, and with very highly-placed persons in those countries, through which he supported African and Asian interests in the international roles he played. He epitomized dignity and grace. He was a genuinely regal man with endless excellence. He lived a life of legacy, instead of only a life of success and opulence. He made colossal achievements look easy. But because of his strength of character and willingness to stand up for what mattered, he was highly respected and sought after at national and international levels. And yet he was a very simple, happy and jolly man with no airs.
In the 1980s and 1990s, he served Nigeria in different capacities and positions, especially assisting the government to come up with positions and policies on labour issues, concerns and relations. He was highly respected, productive and reported on for the different critical roles he actively played in support of the then military governments. He also invested in the private sector and he was a very successful businessman.
Fast-forward 2003! I was deployed to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity as permanent secretary. And Prof walked into my office in 2004 to congratulate me. Of course, we reconnected. Prof was really and truly very happy for my appointment. After our exchange of pleasantries and catching up, I got to know he was the chairman of the council of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies. I was very happy that he was still willing to serve Nigeria. We worked well and I really didn’t have any worries about the institution under his watch. He assisted in attracting support for training and equipment of the institution. Prof had a strong sense of family, both his nuclear and extended family. And through him they were dotted all over the world. I got to meet his siblings who all adored, respected and deferred to him. It was clear he had contributed to who they turned out to be. He was reputed to help all who approached him for assistance, especially admissions into University of Lagos and others. He equally had very good plans for his Obudu home base.
In fact, as I had stated earlier, in about 1981/82, Prof had completed an arrangement with a Swiss company to establish what was to be the first medical syringes, drip and medical latex gloves company in Nigeria. My late husband was one of the team that went to Obudu to establish the suitability of the land where the project was to be sited. He acquired the land from Segen Company after the company completed their road construction project. When the team from Lagos got to Obudu, some personalities organised some locals to cause trouble and confusion on the land. This prevented the project from going forward. He never got to establish the industry that would have changed the future of the young people and families of that community.
Nonetheless, this didn’t dampen his love for and loyalty to his people. He was involved in matters in and between the community. He was a humanitarian who used his national and international contacts to help people.
I commiserate with his family, especially his wife, children and siblings.
As we mourn him, let us keep his memory in our hearts and remember him with love. May his light continue to shine brightly for generations to come and may his memory be a blessing. Rest in peace.
•Dr. Timiebi Koripamo-Agary