TRIBUTE
DR TOM MIACHI: A CULTURAL REVOLUTIONARY WAS HERE By Emmanuel Nathan Oguche
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t was on Tuesday, 20th September, 2016. Torrent of anguish surged from the bottomless pit and soaked both the firmament and terrestrial spheres. Kogi state has been drenched in salty tears instead of torrential rain of heavenly bliss. Dr. Tom Ajayi Miachi, one of the strongest voices of African cultural renaissance has bowed to man’s most hostile enemy, death. The lens through which we viewed the depth of our rich cultural heritage has been broken. The news of Dr. Tom Miachi’s death came to me as a rude shock. The last time I spoke with him was on 11th August, 2016. Although his voice was frail, he expressed optimism that he would get out of sick bed soon. How would I know that it would be the last time I would hear his voice. If only I knew, I would have recorded his voice and preserve it for the future generations; I would have told him how much I cherish every moment we spent together in his office at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kogi State University. Although my parents and I were in Ajaokuta when Daddy was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited, but my first one-on-one encounter with the late Dr. Tom Miachi was on the 21st July 2011 at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, many years after he had left Ajaokuta. It was during a meeting convened by the Society for Self-Support and Development (SSS & D), a non-sectarian, non-political and non-governmental organisation committed to the economic and social development of rural people. Dr. (Mrs) Rekiya Abaji, the Chairperson of the Organisation and the convener of the meeting had invited me to attend and give media coverage to the event. I still recall that Daddy Miachi shared same table with Chief Robert Audu, Air Commodore Achem Okpanachi and Hajiya Halimat Wada, the wife of our erstwhile Governor, Captain Idris Ichalla Wada. I recall also that I offered a copy of the second edition of ARISE IGALA magazine to him. As an avid reader, he cherished the gift. I watched in awe from a distance as he devoured the contents of the magazine, from page to page. Since that day, Daddy took me as his son and treated me as one. Dr. Miachi was a complete gentle man. As a husband, he was reliable, responsible and supportive to Mummy Otini; he treated Mummy with utmost respect both within and outside the home; as a father, he sacrificed his own comfort for his fatherly responsibilities and prepared all his children for adulthood; as a renowned anthropologist, he told stories that had never been told in the past and accentuated his narrations within contemporary realities; as a leader, he was down to earth, accessible and pragmatic in his approach – he inspired others to dream bigger, aim higher and achieve greater; as a teacher, his influence was boundless – he unlocked the potentials of the younger ones, making them better; and as a human, he was not perfect, he had his flaws.
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The last time I set my eyes on this elder statesman and unrepentant promoter of Igala culture, was on Saturday 23rd May, 2015 at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja when ARISE IGALA magazine presented to him the prestigious ARISE IGALA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. The second recipient of the Award was Chief Arc. G.Y Aduku, Amana Ogohi I and former Minister of State for Health. The Award was given to Daddy in recognition of his numerous contributions towards the promotion of Igala culture. On this day, Daddy was full of life. As a man who was always proud of his daughters, he came in company of three of them; Ojonuma, Uyo and Eyikojonwa (OMA Daddy). I believe that if Eleojo and Ufedo (the older children) were in the country at the time, he would have come with them as well. Daddy, I know how much you treasured history. That photograph we took together would forever be preserved; the picture would be a crucial bridge between the past and the future; it would be one of the historical evidences that a great cultural revolutionary was here. Dr. Tom Miachi would be remembered and missed by all and sundry. However, my consolation is that he left so many things behind for the future generations to masticate and ruminate on. The rich historical and cultural books he left behind would be consumed by many generations to come. Copies of those books are clear assurances that he would always be with us. Daddy, those autographed copies of your two great books you generously gave me; The Incarnate Being Phenomenon in African Culture: Anthropological Perspectives on the Igala of North-Central Nigeria and Becoming an Agabaidu, have become eternal incenses. As one of your disciples, I will continue to preserve their fragrances. Yes, I will tell the whole world that Dr. Tom Miachi is not dead; his words and works will continue to reverberate from generations to generations.
Arise Igala-Issue 35