Saturday 11 January 2014

Happy Birthday Fab!

orn after him. While he was boasting about that in class, Fab asked him, "when were you born?" and he replied 14th January, Fab then told him, "you see, I was born before you because I was born on 12th!" So since that day, I don't forget 12th and 14h January.

I started knowing my friend Fabian from our days at our Church's Vocational Bible School which normally take place during Long Vacations. Later he disappeared from us and went to ASTEC for his Secondary Education. He later came back from ASTEC and joined us in our school where a big part of our childhood was shaped together. We used to see each other almost everyday of the week (weekdays in school, Saturday in Church and Sunday for Pathfinder Club Meetings) with so much visits to eache other and those memories are always there with me.

Fab was one of the best Football players we had in our set in those days, He and Kedy were among the highest Goal Scorers (I didn't score any Goals because I and my twin brother were the best sort after Goalkeepers then). During Utuaka days (General beating) Fab, Man and Chisom including Chinaka and some other guys were the biggest threats as they could make the entire JSS 3 class descend on you by just shouting and pointing at you. I'm laughing so hard as I write this now, those days, you just have to stay away from these guys after Devotion or during break period to avoid some general beating, my friend that will celebrate his birthday on 14th received a huge part of these beatings and he was so strong to carry it, I mean very strong because after passing through that experience once, I never prayed for such again, it was terrible, but those were some of the things that made our childhood days cool.

Fab was present at my Matriculation on 12th June 2004 and that created a huge impression for me. My Twin brother won't forget his presence during his Swearing-in too.

My friendship with Fab did not end in Church and School, it also got home. Our Mum and his Mum knew us as brothers rather than friends. Fab's Mum doesn't play with us. Whenever we visit, she would always take good care of us, during University days (since we didn't attend the same School), whenever she sees us (my twin brother and I), she'll ask us the last time we communicated with our brother and how he was doing. She never played with us, always took us as her own Children. The last time I saw her last year, while we were talking, she even told me it would be wonderful if we and our brother married the same time. I wept within and without when heard the news of her death last year, it was a painful feeling. While walking down to their place in the village a day before day burial, I was pained because I never visited their village when Fab's mum was alive, she would've been so happy to see me around. I'm sorry if this part will cause some pain to my friend, but I can't mention our friendship without mentioning his wonderful Mum who took me, my twin brother and our other friends as her own Children.

I've been to Babcock University just once (in 2007), and Fab's graduation was one of the things that took me there, I can remember sleeping in his room that Saturday night before the graduation and enjoying some granula served from their canteen the next morning.

For our class mates from Secondary school, don't be surprised when you meet Fab now, he's no more that Fab of Utuaka days, he's now cool, quite and the way he thinks and the things he says, you can only but see the glaring differences hehehe, I told him Babcock changed his life but he told me it was actually the religious books he has been reading and his close relationship with God in recent times.

Today, the Lord has added a year to Fab's life, Glory be to His name! May He continue to bless my friend with testimonies in Jesus name amen.

Happy Birthday Fab Man.

Monday 6 January 2014

Meet Dr. Obinna Andy Ebere
According to @Elexharry

Though we were actually from the same Fellowship, My first meeting with Andie was not in the Fellowship but in my room. He just got admitted then and I was in fourth year (06/07), he came to visit my room mate (Kaycee who was also in 100 level), they had a General Course together (Physics practical) and Andie was rallying from room to room to get guys together so they can confront and correct the lecturer who he believed was not making out time for them. This cause he was rallying for, defines a big part of him, he always wants to see things move in the direction he deemed right, he does anything possible within his powers to control things to his taste.

I've known Andie for close to 7 years now (2007-2014) and all through these years, I've come to admire this young man in so many ways, one of such is his pragmatic stance to issues; though he is a Christian who believes in faith in God, he will work as if it all depends on him and still pray knowing it depends on God. We've worked together at different times and in different positions; I can remember When I was the Fellowship P.R.O. and he was Sabbath School Superindent, I enjoyed working with him because he would always get his programs ready at the time I want it so I can produce the Fellowship bulletin without hitches. Also when I was the Fellowship President and he was the Chairman of the Evangelism Committee, not withstanding that he lost his Dad at that time, he also added his quota to the onward movement of God's work. There were other instances too that would be too much to be contained in this write up.

We also served in the same leadership catergories in the fellowship; I handed over to him as the The Fellowship President and as the Prayer Band Coodinator respectively.

I won't forget to add that He was also a HYPERJACKER! Andie can read for the whole of Africa! Yes! it's that serious! He's always in a hurry to rush back to class and continue with his books, yes he's a lover of knowledge, I can testify to that. From an angle too, if you misunderstand his pragmatic and realistic attitude, and his habit of saying it the way it is, you might see it that he is boasting because he's just plain with issues with no strings attached. Of course, we were once room mates for some weeks before I packed out of the Fellowship Secretariate after handing over to him. SDAH 537 (He Leadeth Me) was the hymn I heard him sing the most, he prefers singing it in Igbo.

I feel it would be incomplete for me to write about Andie without mentioning Armstrong Anonaba. Armstrong is one of his closest friends in school, they share a lot together...

I call him Andie! You can also call him "Andy Baba" as Chybez Ohiara and Armstrong always call him.

He's also an Evangelist and a Preacher. Andie loves working for God with his skills, talent, profession, and anything he could lay hold of. That could be seen from His involvement with Behold He Cometh Evangelistic Team, ALIVE Nigeria and other organisations that propagates the Gospel.