OTUNBA AYENI IGE SAMUEL: AN ENCOUNTER WITH A KIND HEART!

On Friday, December 01, 2023, the Year 2023 Christmas came early for me and my family.

It was the first day of the month. It was Friday, December 01, 2023. The Year 2023 was ending very fast. And it was the Year 2023 birthday of one of our former Executive Directors, Olorogun Okumagba Francis Daniel Megwarire (Treasury and Financial Institutions Group). As I entered Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 14, Shehu Musa Yar’adua Street, Victoria Island at about 06:00am for the 06:30am adoration (exposition of the Blessed Sacrament) preparatory for the 07:15am Mass and to allow for total silence in my spirit, I needed to switch off my data and as I was able to do this, his chat came in.

His chat came in at about 06:01am with the photograph of our Executive Director, Olorogun Okumagba with the caption ‘happy birthday Mr Francis Okumagba, wishing you God’s blessings always’ to which I quickly responded, ‘already posted on the platform’ as we have a family WhatsApp platform for members of Oceanic Bank International Plc where we celebrate the birthdays of our members on daily basis.

And as I was in a hurry to switch off my data so that I can quiet my spirit before the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, he engaged me further when he responded, ‘okay. Thanks, and good morning my dear brother. Please inbox me your account details and let me send you a token.’

Still, in a hurry to switch off my data so that I can have a silent moment with the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament when it is exposed in my prayerful reflections, I quickly responded to his request by sending him my account details. This was now at about 06:27am, just three (3) minutes before the Blessed Sacrament would be exposed and I switched off my data.

However, I did not switch on my data again until about 08:04am after the 07:15am Mass when I saw his chat of the transaction receipt and in total surprise, I could tamely, but with tears in my eyes, say to him ‘ xyz amount of money this early morning, the first day of December? God bless you Sir. I am very grateful’ to which he simply responded ‘you are welcome, dear brother. You deserve more than that. My regards to your family.’ 

Sincerely, I was left speechless on this first day of December 2023 when Otunba Ayeni Ige Samuel decided to bring the Year 2023 Christmas so early to me and my family because we did not deserve such a Christmas gift, so early in December from him.

In this, I just cried. Tears just rolled down from my eyes. I cried because at a time that many are going through hard times because of the global economic challenges, he could find in his heart, the noble virtue of kindness and compassion and in this, blessed us without prompting.

Incredibly, while I was in a hurry to switch off my data so that I could quiet my spirit for the thirty (30) minutes adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Otunba Ayeni was in a hurry to bless me and my family, completely unsolicited.

Again, I just cried. I cried because unknown to me, by 06:31am, I had received an alert from him, an alert of kindness and compassion, an alert of goodness and generosity and this period can never be lost on me because I was just coming out of November 2023 that was very overwhelming, financially for me and my family.

On that day, Friday, December 01, 2023, Otunba Ayeni became an example of kindness to and for us as his kind heart was a saving grace for us because it helped us to attend to one of our critical responsibilities at this time of the year, the welfare of our dearest mother, Mama Jeminetu Osabomeh (Nee Idi Ekpoki).

He gave me and my family the greatest gift that he could, the gift of hope and we shall be grateful to him and his family, forever.

And like my big sister, Barrister (Mrs) Enai Agodo wrote on her ‘Monday Morning Comfort’ page on Facebook on Monday, December 04, 2023, ‘that day, God brought home to me, the meaning of love, pure, undiluted love’ and I cried.

However, this was not the only time that he was an example of kindness to us.

On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, I saw a missed call from him at about 07:22am while I was at the early morning Mass and by the time that I returned his call at about 08:15am, he simply said to me that my thoughts came to his mind very early in the morning, hence he decided to call me to know how I was faring with my family.

That was simply a profound moment for me because it is those that we care about or for that we think about and on that day, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, Otunba Ayeni cared about me and my family to think about us and acted. On that day, he did not used poetic poetry or language or word to colour his positive thoughts for us, but acted, acted sincerely and truly by following up on us.

I will forever be grateful for such gesture.

Sincerely, in my daily life experiences and reflections, I have since discovered that the rich are not always generous, but the brave and courageous because there are always multiple reasons why one could not be generous and on Friday, December 01, 2023, Otunba Ayeni proved once more how brave and courageous he is in the generosity of his riches.

Otunba Ayeni’s kindness to me and my family reminds me of the tremendous privileges that I have received and continued to receive from my professional colleagues in Oceanic Bank International Plc and in a continued reflection, I have come to the inevitable conclusion that I do not deserve these privileges because with privileges, come responsibilities and in my primary responsibilities in the Records/Performance Unit and later as Team Lead, HR Business Partners, Lagos Zone II – Alausa, Team Lead, HR Business Partners, North 1 – Kaduna, a huge responsibility of three (3) massive Zones spanning eleven (11) States in the North: North Central 1 – Kaduna (Kaduna, Bauchi and Niger), Middle Belt – Jos (Plateau, Nasarrawa and Benue) and North East - Maiduguri (Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Adamawa and Gombe), Team Lead, HR Business Partners, West Zone - Ibadan (Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo and Kwara States) and Team Lead, HR Business Partners, Southern Directorate, covering thirteen (13) Zones of more than one hundred and eighty (180) Branches in the South West, South South, South East and Mid-West Regions, I only played my role, the tasks assigned to me because I so loved to do my job and tasks in the Human Resource Department, Oceanic Bank International Plc, but with the benefit of hindsight now, I wished that I had played those roles more professionally, more responsibly, and more proactively because in it and through it, God has continued to sustain me and my family through the kindness and compassion of hearts of my colleagues which Otunba Ayeni represented and demonstrated once more on Friday, December 01, 2023.

Truly, life is better and beautiful with good friends and on Friday, December 01, 2023, Otunba Ayeni Ige Samuel proved once more to be our good friend from the kindness of his heart.

Honestly, I have felt the warmth and closeness of the Oceanic Bank family and I have continued to feel their love and concern for me, and my family and I can only be grateful.

When I joined Oceanic Bank International Plc on Monday, August 23, 1999 as an Assistant Officer (EP) and considering and knowing my family background and what I needed to do, buying and owing a car was not part of my immediate priorities, but when my small path crossed with his big path on Tuesday, October 04, 2005 when he was employed as a Deputy Manager (DM), the Ilesha born Ige took a particular interest in me and since then, he gave me an uncommon attention.

Otunba Ayeni was the one that truly first sold the idea of owning a car in Lagos for obvious reasons into me and worked to see that he helped me to get one from the US, which I failed to follow up because of the other projects in my hands at that time until Friday, January 13, 2006 when I bought my first car, a Toyota Carina E from Mr Lucky Okonoboh Elujokor which was equally from the United States of America (USA), fulfilling the work that Otunba Ayeni started earlier which I have since chronicled as ‘Mr Lucky Okonoboh Elujokor: A Good Man And My Cheer Leader’ on Saturday, August 08, 2020.

And like I had already chronicled in ‘Temple-Chukwuyere Ukamaka Onyekachi (Asampete Nwanyi): A Woman With A Clean And Pure Heart’ on Thursday, August 19, 2021, I recall when I was posted to Abuja in March 2007 as the pioneer Zonal HR Representative, FCT Zone, Otunba Ayeni was one of my friends and colleagues that was very excited about my posting and encouraged to me come, but when the posting was eventually reversed, he felt so bad, but looking back now, I wished that decision was never reversed by my Home Department, Human Resource Department, Corporate Office because in Otunba Ayeni Ige Samuel, I would have had comfort in FCT serving as the Zonal HR Representative.

Sincerely, since our path crossed on Tuesday, October 04, 2005, Otunba Ayeni always tried to be a positive example, to inspire others to be positive and he has continued to be a positive influence in my own life.

It was the wedding of one of our colleagues, Mr Ayodele Olabode Akintayo (Team Member, HR Business Partners, FCT Zone) on Saturday, March 05, 2011. The reception was at the impressive Darlington Hall, Ilupeju. And the Oceanic Bank family was impressively represented.

However, I was about to leave the venue of the reception when Otunba Ayeni signalled to me and when I got to where he was dancing joyfully as if it were one of his children that was getting married, he asked me ‘are you going already’ to which I responded in the affirmative and I left the hall, but I was surprised when we got outside and he was already there like a magician and called to my wife and before we could realize anything, he had thrust into the hands of my dear wife, Mrs Racheal Osabomeh (Nee Enaruna) wads of new Naira notes and he was gone like the way he came out in the first place.

For a moment, we were just speechless and confused about the whole happening because it happened so fast, but when my wife asked, ‘why is he giving her so much money,’ I could not respond, but tears immediately sprang to my eyes, and I wept unashamedly.

I wept because of the message of his kindness and compassion was so clear and willing as he gave us the gift of hope through his kind heart, a gift that we never anticipated nor solicited for.

This is another encounter with the kind heart of Otunba Ayeni Ige Samuel that I can never forget but will remember every single day of my life and in thanksgiving, we will continue to have him and his family in our fervent prayers even if this is the only way that we can ever repay his kindness and compassion for us.

Honestly, Otunba Ayeni has been kind to me and my family. He has showed deep compassion for us.

And in this, the life of Ayeni presents us with an impeccable life of kindness and goodness. It presents us with the life of charity and charitable acts. It presents us with the life of compassion and gratitude. It presents us with the life of uncommon generosity.

Otunba Ayeni Ige Samuel is a kind-hearted man! He believes in the acts and power of kindness and goodness.

Sincerely, as I recall that event of Saturday, March 05, 2011, I have struggled to try to force myself to choke back tears from my eyes once more.

Thank you, Otunba Ayeni for giving me and my family a warm hug on Saturday, March 05, 2011 and Friday, December 01, 2023!

Prior to the remarkable events of Saturday, March 05, 2011 and Friday, December 01, 2023, Saturday, April 12, 2008 was the wedding of two of our colleagues. While Miss Ayodele Aminat Busola was of the Customer Service Unit (CSU), Zone 4-Abuja Branch, Mr Soyemi Olufela Adewale was of the Human Resources and at that time, serving as the Zonal HR Representative, FCT Zone, a Zone that I was supposed to be the pioneer Team Lead, but for other administrative considerations.

The wedding reception was at the iconic Cocoa House, Ibadan, Oyo State. And as we all gathered there, men and women from different walks of life, especially from the Oceanic Bank family to witness an impressive reception, Otunba Ayeni displayed his uncommon kindness and generosity.

At the traditional wedding ceremony, the previous day, Friday, April 11, which, coincidentally was my Year 2008 birthday, I was reliably informed that Otunba Ayeni in the company of other notable members of staff from the FCT Zone were on hand to adequately bless the marriage of their children, Aminat and Fela.

I was told of the kindness and generosity of Otunba Ayeni. Perhaps, it was because Aminat and Fela were his children as both were working in the FCT Zone while himself was serving as the Regional Manager, FCT Zone Region 2 at that time, but more than this, it was because of the kindness of the heart of Otunba Ayeni Ige Samuel.

By simple definition, Otunba Ayeni always brings his best moment in kindness and generosity which are always a hard and difficult thing to do, but this is the natural talent that he has, the talent of consistency in his kindness and goodness, generosity and compassion.

And this is the beautiful story of Otunba Ayeni Ige Samuel, the beautiful story of my encounter with his beautiful heart!

As you have done this to us this Christmas, our dearest Otunba Ayeni Ige Samuel, especially as we celebrate our nine (9) years as friends on the social media platform of Facebook on this day, Thursday, December 21, 2023, but more than eighteen (18) years as professional colleagues, brother and friend, may the Angels of God continue to watch over you and your family to guard and protect you. May they continue to minister to you, watch over you and keep you safe.

May God continue to save you and your family from impossible situations that you cannot resolve yourself or even seem difficult for you to pray for. As you have done this to us this Christmas, may you continue to trust God to come to you and act in you. And may His peace continue to abide with you and your most amazing family.

And with Jesus Christ in you who always comes to us in memory two thousand years ago, in mystery in our worship of praise and thanksgiving to Him and in majesty in His second coming, may you and your family have a beautiful Christmas 2023.

Thank you for everything. Thank you, our dearest Otunba Ayeni for your kindness and goodness for us. Thank you for your compassion and generosity for us.

God bless you and your family, now and always.

Na me

Your brother and friend

Mark Osabomeh (HR)

Thursday, December 21, 2023