By Peter Igho
If I had a choice, I will rather be doing a toast than engaging in this unpleasantness- writing an obituary on Amaka. Amaka and I were extremely close, not only because of our fraternal interest in the arts, but also because our families enjoyed an affinity even at the domestic level.
The news of her passing has left my wife and I in complete shock. Several days after the tragic event, I will wake up in the morning, tormented by the expectation that one call just one call will come through, saying it didn’t happen. God’s will is different and from time to time, man must come to terms with passing adversity.
Amaka Igwe was a great soul and Nigerians will bear eloquent testimonies to her prodigious creative powers. She drove the asset with unrelenting passion. But there is also a part of her that is only scantily recognized. She was a deep family person, and even though we were in the initial stages, only professionally linked, our creative collaboration soon blossomed into a fluent family relationship.
I am a generation removed from Amaka’s. Even though her accomplishments have bridged more than the age gap, she treated me with great veneration, referring to me fondly as ‘My Oga’. She also extended this humility to all those who came across or worked with, junior or senior.
Amaka was a phenomenally gifted multi-talented writer, a producer, a director and a source of inspiration to countless Nigerians. Her passing away has cut several things short or at least will cause a revision of several agendas. This includes an important movie on which we were both working. We must now carry out the work without her considerable gifts.
We were truly close and I recall the special pleasure of being received by her elder sister, the principal of an A-list college in the United Kingdom. Amaka mediated my facility to that school. It was a family gesture and she took huge pride in showing off the works of her dear sister. The work done by Amaka’s sister in that school eventually earned her a CBE. I was myself deeply gratified with the excellence of the institution and came way with the conviction, that genius is native to the Igwe family.
Amaka was the public figure and hugeness of her reputation, often obscured the equally worthy contributions of her husband, Charles Igwe. Igwe has remained the lesser-known part of this creative Siamese partnership. He more than most, will feel the impact of this painful hammer blow.
My wife and I are deeply saddened by the loss and our hearts and prayers are with her husband, children and members of the family at this trying time. May God grant her soul eternal rest.
A brief tribute by Peter Igho, delivered at the Haven Event Centre G.R.A on Monday, June 9, 2014.
