Writing in Julius Caesar (1599), the 16th century English playwright, poet and actor, Williams Shakespeare, famously said, “When beggars die there are no comets seen: The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.”
The foregoing excellently captures the flurry of tributes that trailed the demise of Egena-in-waiting, Prince Drisu Aruwa Ohioma, who joined the ages on Sunday, 24 June, 2023.
Prince Egena is the very expression of royalty. Like every prince, he was very courageous. He approached life with the tenacity of a bulldog. Egena was not only royal but discipline in life’s aspirations. He found himself in top spots of life because he never approached life with hands in the pocket. A seasoned banker, Prince Drisu was until his demise, a Chartered Accountant, holder of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and regional manager of Unity Bank, Lokoja.
Shakespeare is right, moments after the news of his demise broke, comets started pouring in. Engr (Elder) Yakubu Attah, one the elites, role model in the community and beyond; significant contributor to Oganenigu community development, especially, the establishment of Oganenigu Community Secondary School, Prince Egena attended. He wrote:
PRINCE IDRIS EGENA, PhD by Engr (Elder) Yakubu Attah
Of the eight sons of Aruwa Ohioma, the late EGENA of Oganenigu, your father, you were the last and most characteristic sibling. Everyone, including your father, listened when you spoke.
Dedication to duty, professionalism, transparency and teamwork propelled you from grass to grace in your chosen career, banking. This elevated you to the office of Regional Manager, Unity Bank Plc.
You became a Chartered accountant at an enviable age. As if that was not enough, your thirst for knowledge paved your way into academics. You defended your doctoral thesis and bagged a Doctor of Philosophy degree, PhD, in Financial Ethics in 2021.
Oganenigu misses you as heir to the throne of EGENA OGANENIGU.
You were amiable with all and available to many. Losing you is indeed a loss.
May the gates of heaven welcome your soul. Crown Prince Idris, rest in peace.
Similarly, an illustrious son, and Law Professor at the Windsor University, Ontario, Canada, PD Ocheje, wrote on the demise of Prince Egena:
It is jarring news to the ears, accompanied by a shock. The death of a prince is a major event in any part of the world. Drisu was the Crown Prince. He was the closest to his departed father, the much-respected Aruwa Ohioma. And I knew this by observation when his father frequently came to Et’aja for one kingly duty or another. His Higness, without exception, held court in the old Ocheje family house by the village market. Something to do with an ancient bond with my grandfather.
Drisu was conscious of his place as a future Egena. He was royal in character and demeanor. He was a repository of knowledge about the Oganenigu royal heritage. He was not hesitant to assume leadership, the only restraint being the nature and constraints of his work as a civil servant.
I am sad that Drisu has left us so soon. His tenure as Egena would have ushered in a modern age of kingship at Oganenigu. His reign would have improved the position of Oganenigu among other communities in our land. For Drisu was not only well-educated, he was also steeped in culture and tradition. He had learnt at the feet of the Master. The reign of his father is still spoken of today in respectful terms.
I feel a rush of emotion as I speak of Drisu now in the past tense. I was hoping to be able to say my thanks to him for his recent visit to my parents at Abuja. My parents relayed to me how generous he was to them on that visit. Alas!
As he joins our ancestors, may he be welcomed into God’s presence by the Choirs of Heaven. May he be granted a fulsome rest from his earthly struggles. I have no doubt that by God’s grace and mercy, our paths will cross again.
In his tribute, a secondary schoolmate and close friend of Prince Egena; Director of Laboratory Logistics, USAID/Global Health Supply Chain Project, Nigeria, Dr Theo Faruna, wrote:
The news of the demise of Prince DA Egena (PhD), came as a rude shock in the ungodly hour of Saturday night about the sudden collapse of this colossus of a man soliciting if I could get a hospital that will accept the remains in the morgue as several facilities were reported filled beyond capacity.
I thought it will just be a matter of moments for me to be informed that he had been revived, so I failed to break this unpalatable information to anyone; when someone flew the kite in the early hours of the morning on a social media handle, I tried to douse it, saying that further information is being awaited, hoping that it will all turn out to be like the rumored news of Governor Akeredolu. Alas, it rang faster, that the body was being returned to the root for committal. It took the video of the internment for me to rationalise.
The last we spoke was when Drisu called me with cherry news of the defense of his PhD thesis and we cracked jokes as we used to because we were in the same class from Primary 2 to Form 4 (10 solid years studying together). A place where you and I bequeathed each other a name- Caliban (a noble character in our Literature in English Textbook written by William Shakespeare) in form two. You and I never call our real names ever since then as we refer to each other by the name *Caliban*.
I have been dazzled with many thoughts and felt reluctant to pen down anything, but this is a call of duty to say these few plaudits of someone with a mind of his own. Dr. Egena Drisu never seeks anyone’s opinion and avoids as many people as he could. Several times, we have planned to see each other to discuss what we can do to help our Alma Mata but fear of the unknown always keeps you at bay to dare further, hence we couldn’t see each other physically after several attempts except only limited phone calls. You hate injustice and fear to harm a fly, the reason you avoid almost everyone as a potential threat.
You were one of our best scholars, at least, one of the top five from form one to form five when we were in the same class. *You were our Timekeeper Prefect from form 1 to form 5 because of your diligence and timeliness*. No wonder, you were called upon to stay back in the Oganenigu Community Secondary School Aloko, to help build the younger ones immediately after we finished our secondary education. You paid your dues and moved to the defunct Lobi Bank and crafted a profession in the banking industry for yourself where you travailed in the East, West, and North-Central part of this country, culminating in becoming a very senior executive staff with the Unity Bank of Nigeria where you worked till your last breadth.
You won’t read this anymore but those that want to have a glimpse of you may have the opportunity to reflect on your sojourn here on earth.
Adie, Caliban! My Caliban!
Engr Dickson Idakwo, President, Oganenigu Christian Forum (OCF) and Prince Egena’s school mate at the Federal Polytechnic Idah (1987-89). He wrote:
Tribute to late Prince(Dr) Idris Egena:
How are the mighty fallen!
The Gentle giant has gone!!
Our crowned Prince has passed on!!!
Oganenigu’s hope of restoration to dignity and progress through the Royal stool just passed away!!!!.
Idris(“Idirisu” as I used to call you), my dear friend and brother, your sudden departure from our world was a rude shock to me and many.
No sign, no symptom, no warning…just death.
Oh death, you are truly rude.
Your wisdom, good counsel and encouragements to me about issues of life and our community will forever be remembered and valued.
Recalling our days at FPI (’87-’89), your doggedness and focus to both academics and life issues saw us through the harsh academic environment then. No wonder you rose to higher ranks in your chosen profession/carrier and even obtained a doctorate degree to colour your feathers.
How unfortunate that death in its rudeness came now that you should be resting to enjoy these Labour.
Furthermore, your death has increased my fear of what is becoming of our dear community, Oganenigu (Nevertheless, I fear not).
Only God knows why.
It will be well with Oganenigu.
Our common friends Mr Enebi John Adegbe and Joseph Arome Adejoh extend their tribute.
Good bye and rest well IDRIS.
– Dickson Idakwo
(Ocf president)
One of Prince Egena’s mentees, Muhammed KB Ibrahim of The Presidency, Salaries, Wages and Incomes Commission, Abuja, and one time Secretary General of the Oganenigu Community Development Association (OCDA) wrote:
“Death, the inevitable has dealt another blow on Oganenigu community. We condemned in strong terms the ones that happened earlier this year, how do we describe this now? Our highly respected crowned prince, our hope for the elevation of Egena stool to a first class one is gone. I encourage us to learn from these occurrences and make amends where we are going wrong in our relationship with God and humanity.”
His knack for excellence is unparalleled. His ‘mindful’ generousity speaks volume. Conscious of the enormous responsibility divinity, culture and tradition have placed on him, he was never to be found in careless places. He was deliberate in his acts.
Besides his sound sense of judgement and modesty, Prince Egena believed in Samuel Jackson’s assertion that “Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties, passing from one step of success to another, forming new wishes and seeing them gratified.”
He realised early in life that “Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine; that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation – Nelson Mandela. Hence, his dogged pursuit of personal development. At the cradle, he paid every price to acquire Western Education along with the moral tutelage under his father, His Royal Highness Aruwa Ohioma, the 5th Egena of Oganenigu, a man revered by many as a role model indeed.
The price for acquiring Education then includes trekking everyday, along with Benjamin Idris, Abdul Musa Otu etc., from Ugbabo/Aja-Adufo to Aloko for Primary Education. Prince Egena doubled as one of the most modern men but steeped in ‘positive’ cultures and traditions. This author was the errand boy, who fetches water for them to wash their feet, then help themselves to Pigeon pea, placed on the fire by my mother (Alolo Dirisu, who is from Ugbabo) before departing for farm. After a healthy ‘Agwugwu’ meal, without wasting time, the young lads hit the road for the four kilometre journey back to Ugbabo. This was their daily circle, except for Weekends and Sundays.
When Professor Ibrahim Omale mobilised the entire community for a secondary school to be berthed in 1979, destiny opened up for many young people, whose parents couldn’t afford Government Secondary School Dekina or Ochaja Boys. He graduated with six credits and two passes, behind his bosom friend, Benjamin Idris, who came top with seven credits and a pass in Literature in English. For the benefit of hindsight, this was an era, when the West African Examination Council (WAEC) was conducted through the eye of a needle.
As the 1983/84 first set graduated and dispersed to Kaduna, Lagos, Kano etc., for greener pastures, Prince Egena remained with his alma mater as a cashier/clerk and CRK teacher, before proceeding to the Federal Polytechnic, Idah, where he studied Accountancy. He began a glorious banking career with the Benue State owned Lobi Bank, in Makurdi, Benue State. Suffice to place on record for posterity sake, that it would have been impossible for Prince Egena to be employed with Lobi Bank but for God, who positioned one of Oganenigu’s illustrious sons, Mr Michael Alfa, who was then a member of the bank’s board of directors.
He later proceeded to All Well Loans Ltd, Onitsha, Anambra State. Prince Egena was never out of job for once, throughout his work life/banking career. That, in itself is a prove of character, pedigree, excellence and discipline. By the time he closed his eyes in death, he was a holder of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and a Chartered Accountant.
Death is the eternal debt every mortal must pay. We take solace in the fact that he lived a life worthy of emulation.