We met in my secondary school days.
We were just friendly then.
After the certificate examination, each of us attended different higher institutions.
Incidentally, we finished schooling the same year.
As fate would have it, we were posted to the northern state of Kaduna. We met in camp, and our friendship began at a chummier level. At the end of camping, both of us were posted to – if I’m not mistaken – southern Kaduna. He was posted to some military training school while I was posted to Government Day Secondary School, Damau, in Ikara Local Government.
Quite often, we converged at the Military Base in Zaria, where the amiable Lava Kevwe accommodated us. Towards the end of the service year, we thought of a business idea we could do in the state we had fallen in love with. After toying with many ideas over bottles of green bottles, we felt establishing a garbage disposal company in the state would be an innovative idea.
So, we enquired in government offices about getting our proposed company registered. However, we could not finish our enquiries since we had only a few weeks.
So, our proposed company was stillborn!
We met twice in Lagos, each doing some business. He tried was in various business ventures while I combined many jobs with farming.
However, he travelled abroad at some point—to the United States specifically. When I got to the United States much later, he called me unexpectedly. He thought I was in Nigeria. I told him where I was, and he saved my name with Mobile, Alabama.
When I came to Canada, we spoke about various issues several times.
When my phone rang today, it was Rotimi Onaghise, my great friend. As usual, we conversed at great length.
