A most charitable friend has been plucked from our presence. He was jovial, perpetually funny, hearty even at his lowest moments, and eternally spirited. I cannot ever recall meeting my dear Francis at a low point. He consistently put up a smile regardless of the circumstance. He was a friend to many, a foe to none. Everyone was easily his friend, and he stood for them at all points—whether he was called to, or not.
From our first year to fifth at the University of Abuja, he was a pleasant rolling ball of happiness. One that knew no ethnic or religious boundaries. It was perhaps the nature he had picked from his fledgling days in the metropolitan city of Kaduna, where we grew up dyed in the many colors of cultures and blind to bigotry.
When hunger roared in our stomachs, in that sun city of Gwagwalada, I recall how we would hop on bikes and head down to Francis’ house; down Phase 3, few blocks after the famous “EFCC Estate.” There our friend would do what he seemed to love best: make a delicious meal for us, joyfully cooked. And you could see the pot of beans was smiling, as happy as the cook who made it was. Yes, Francis was an exceptional cook, who loved to show-off every dish he made.
On one odd day, I cannot recall if it was when we were in our second or third year, under the tree, as we infamously called the shed in front of the Indoor Theatre, Faculty of Law, the late Francis had clairvoyantly said to me: “I see you putting on weight.” We both laughed at that prophecy. It made no sense that a skinny, lanky-sized chap like I was then would ever go beyond that broomstick stature. By law school, even though he was in Abuja and I was in Kano, the prophecy began to manifest. When we caught up during the mandatory externship programme, he was the first to remind me that he was the first to call it. He laughed wildly like he often did—a laughter that I sadly will never hear again.
Francis, beyond his characteristically jovial personality was a truly supportive friend who went the mile for those around him, hand-in-hand, even at dire cost to his convenience. In his elegant and majestic style, he would often travel long distances to be at the wedding of one friend or the other, including mine.
Sometime in July 2014, while a volunteer with the Hayi Mark Godwin Foundation, I invited Francis to join me on a trip to a hinterland community deep in Kwali, to make donation of medical equipments. He did not hesitate to join me. That was Francis: ever ready to put his foot into other’s business, to help, to be present, and to share his joy and kind heart with the world.
He cared for others, many times abandoning himself in that selfless venture. Few can match the kind heart he had. And on the 20th of December 2024 he succumbed to the unkind grasp of death. To all of us who ever came across him while he journeyed this earth—whether as family, friend, acquaintance, or colleague—this loss is a painful and devastating one. Yesterday, on the 31st of January, 2025 the late Francis Chukwuma Ewelike was laid to rest, his face never to be seen in person on earth again.
Like his laughter, so also his dance, his signature dishes and his majestic outfits we will forever miss and remember everything that Francis stood for. We love you Francis; but God does more.
Goodbye Nwannem, till we meet again.
Tobi J.
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