“Captain ‘Hosa Never Dies”: A Fitting and Enduring Funeral Song, by Sufuyan Ojeifo

On Thursday, August 8, 2024, at exactly 3:36 p.m., the Editor of the online newspaper VeracityDesk, Mr. Emmanuel Ajibulu, drew my attention to a documentary on Arise TV about my late elder brother, Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo, fondly called by those of us close to him as Captain Hosa. He not only drew my attention but also sent me the link to watch the documentary. It was a well-produced documentary that bore the imprimatur of my friend and brother, Akpata Omoruyi, the CEO of Creative Signals. Creative Signals was in the business of documentaries and commercials, especially television commercials for Captain Hosa’s Ocean Marine Solution (OMS). Captain Hosa hired Omoruyi Akpata’s Creative Signals because the company’s productions were always top-notch. Captain Hosa certainly had refined taste and was not prepared to settle for the ordinary or routine. He believed in creativity or ingenuity that bordered on added values. He was a sui generis businessman, in a class of his own. He was fearless even though he was strongly focused on innovative approaches. He always thought outside the box to provide answers to existential questions that ramified the socio-economic and political landscape. He intervened in very utilitarian ways in different sectors (maritime, aviation, hotel and hospitality, agriculture, broadcasting, crude oil handling safety) with his eyes firmly focused on building legacy projects.

Captain Hosa had a meticulous identity, relentlessly upping the ante for the best: the best in work ethic, service delivery, compassion and, above all, the best in life. He was the leader of all his activities, not an absentee CEO who simply threw money at ventures for others to manage. His presence was a recurring decimal point in the premises of the five-star Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments in Abuja’s Asokoro district. He once took some editors on a tour of the hotel, whose grandeur remains impressive. One question that could not escape essential reflection was: how could one individual build, single-handedly, this architectural masterpiece worthy only of Ozymandias? But he had since put to rest concerns about the conception, financing and completion of the landmark hotel project. At the inauguration of the hotel, which was done by Professor Yemi Osinbajo while he was in the saddle as Vice President, Capt. Hosa had claimed that he completed the landmark project without getting a loan or overdraft from any financial or banking institution. He, however, hinted that he had sold one of his private jets at some point to ensure the completion of the multi-billion naira hotel. Come to think of it, this underlined the astute nature of the African business titan. With the hotel completed, he has added value to Abuja’s hospitality and hospitality sector.

Let’s consider another legacy project: Hosa Greenhouse Farms in Benin. The multi-million dollar venture was supposed to be a game changer in food production for both local consumption and export. He had already factored export logistics into the farm’s master plan to include an airstrip where planes could land and take off to evacuate farm produce. When he passed away on August 8, 2021, the farm was still not at its peak performance, but don’t worry, the farm is being run by Mr. Kingsley Okunbo. Captain Hosa had his younger brother involved in farming while he was alive. I remember the day he connected Kingsley and me on the phone. We spoke and met for the first time in 2021 during Captain Hosa’s burial in Benin.

Significantly, Captain Hosa’s remains were laid to rest in his Mausoleum in the Greenhouse Farm. Again, even in his death and funeral arrangements, Captain Hosa was involved and made sure that it (the funeral) had a touch of class. Word of mouth had mentioned how, during his battle with pancreatic and liver cancer, for twelve months, despite the doctors giving him only nine months to live, he had the divine privilege of preparing for his final call home. He reconciled with His creator, the Almighty God. He put his house in order, including his involvement in his burial: where he should be buried and how he should be buried. According to word of mouth, he deposited the mega funds for his burial in an account and appointed two trustees to authorize payments or expenses.

At the burial in Benin, even though my tears refused to dry, I was happy with the celebration of the life and times of the man whose generosity brought happiness and joy to the lives of thousands. The settings, moods and nuances of the entire celebration reinforced the essence of Calpurnia’s postulation in William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” that “when beggars die, no comets are seen; the very heavens burn with the death of princes.” The solemn night of tributes, without razzmatazz, offered very profound and moving moments to interrogate once again the life and times of Captain Hosa through his bequests and, equally importantly, his act of almsgiving that found anchorage in his brand of a reliable philanthropist. The theme song for the night of tributes was a masterpiece and I wondered if it too had the imprimatur of Captain Hosa when he was battling cancer in London. Each line of the song communicated meaningful messages to the distinguished audience at the event. In a piece I wrote, titled: “‘Hosa never dies’: Truly and phenomenally so”, which was published in the December 29, 2021 edition of THE CONCLAVE, I reproduced the lyrics of the theme song in extenso. Read it below and also listen to the song uploaded in the body of this piece:

“Eeeh eeeh eeh

“There is a house in the sky, far above the deep blue horizon

“Where you keep flying to a place where your spirit never dies;

“This is not goodbye,

“I will see you again, because good men never die;

How can I begin telling the story to the world?

How can I write this wonderful journey?

Words are not enough, there is no time

But this is not goodbye; we’ll see each other again

Tears may fall; I know you are with God;

I know it’s okay

I will dry my eyes; I will remember your smile

I know it’s okay with WELLS

You gave it your all and answered the call

I know it’s okay

This is not goodbye; we’ll see each other again

Tears may fall; I know you are with God

I know it’s okay

I will dry my eyes; I will remember your smile

I know it’s okay with WELLS

Captain, you gave your all and answered the call.

I know it’s okay

So, this is not goodbye; and we will see each other again

HOSA NEVER DIES!

The Captain Lives Forever (6x).”

***Theme song composed and performed by Peter at Captain ‘Hosa’s funeral***

Let me also paraphrase my piece below reference: The above text eternally captures the carefree life and times of the late business magnate, Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo who passed away on August 8, 2021 at the age of 63 and was laid to rest on October 8, 2021 at his iconic multi-million naira mausoleum built at his equally iconic multi-million naira Wells Hosa Greenhouse Farm in Benin City. Both icons, the first architectural and the second agricultural, exemplify the panache, standard and taste that Captain ‘Hosa was known for.

The beautiful lyrics and phenomenal stage performance of the theme song would have received Captain ‘Hosa’s approval if he had been alive to appreciate the singer and his performance, on another occasion of course.

The qualities adumbrated in the opening paragraph – panache, standards and taste – are reflected in all of Captain ‘Hosa’s endeavors and successes: his iconic billion-naira Wells Carlton hotel and apartments in Abuja; his architectural masterpieces spread across the globe; his enigmatic combination of business acumen and brilliance, which manifested itself in the acquisition of fifty-two deep-sea vessels in the Ocean Marine Solutions (OMS) fleet to transport crude oil safely to the nation’s refineries, as well as his involvement in securing oil pipelines and two private jets (which he later diverted to one of his many companies, Gyro Air, to expand his business empire) and many other areas that bear his stamp and Midas touch even in death.

Captain ‘Hosa’s taste, style and elegance reflected in the song and the entire burial remain an eternal credit to his progeny who collaborated with each other and worked in concert with their uncles, Captain ‘Hosa’s elder and younger brothers, to bring about a phenomenal funeral.

The entirety of the funeral was simply phenomenal. It speaks to the phenomenal personality that Captain ‘Hosa was with us. He was phenomenal in compassion, hospitality, giving and loyalty to friendship. This certainly explains the phenomenal convergence in Benin City by family, friends and business associates to pay him phenomenal respect. I was on the ground in Benin to pay my last respects and honor a man who gave me extraordinary support. He did the same for so many others, both rich and poor… I thank God for the life and times of Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo. I thank God for the phenomenal legacies he left behind. I thank God for his phenomenal family. I thank God for his phenomenal memories that live on in my heart. I thank God for giving Captain ‘Hosa to humanity. I thank God for the grace He gave him to define his eon with the greatness of his phenomenal successes after which he took a bow and left the stage, yes, he made an exit, but he did not die. And it is on this point that I agree ad idem with Peter and his group who composed the theme song: “Hosa Never Dies”, that is, that Captain Hosa, in fact, lives forever.

The documentary broadcast on Arise TV on August 8, 2024 to mark the third year since his death, was a measure of his exceptional and astonishing identity, including a signification of the excellence he represented in his life and times. And, beyond the documentary and celebratory externalities, there is the pragmatism of the philosophical offering of a Scottish poet, Thomas Campbell (July 27, 1777-June 15, 1844): “To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.” Captain Hosa is not dead! He lives, yes, forever in my heart, in our hearts.

■ Sufuyan Ojeifo, a member of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of THE CONCLAVE.

 

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