Nkrumah Bankong-Obi/Lafia
The only basis upon which any human being can be remembered after their demise is the impact of their deeds while alive. Since death ends all and transforms the individual beyond the physical realm, those left behind can only fall back on what the deceased did or failed to do, rightly or wrongly. This was the crux of the message at the funeral Mass celebrated in memory of Zakari Allumaga, a lawyer and Executive Secretary of the Nasarawa State Emergency Agency.
In his homily on centring on life, living and character, the homilist, Reverend Father Vicent Ojiri, drew the attention of the worshippers to the inevitability of death. He noted that all men created and born must leave through the same process in death, shrouded in uncertainty and material emptiness.
“Each of us is one of us. One of us is each of us. We came into this world naked, we shall return naked. We came through the same process and we shall return through the same process. We came weak as infants, we will go back weak at old age, for those who are lucky to get there,” He reminded his listeners at the event, which was held at Saint Williams Cathedral, Lafia, Nasarawa State, on Friday.
Drawing copiously from the gospels, he quoted Jesus as providing a template for which Christians must live: care for one another, be concerned about the welfare of strangers and prisoners, care for the poor, the sick, among other virtues. “Life as we know it is beautiful. But the beauty of it is to be sown as an eternal seed, so that it will germinate and fill the earth,” he said. He noted that the failure to adhere to the teachings of the scripture in building blocks of positive relationships will put man at variance with God’s will, hence drawing eternal damnation.
Citing examples from the work of the renowned German philosopher and thinker, Martin Heidegger, Reverend Father Ojiri, a priest at Saint Williams Cathedral, Lafia, advised people to desist from being afraid of death but instead accept its finality, since it is an abiding companion wherever we are or go. Therefore, this knowledge should nudge mankind to live, knowing that “Death is an essential part of our human existence and it is the unavoidable reality of our existence that helps to shape our lives.”
In his message, the deputy governor of Nasarawa State, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, described the deceased as a forthright man who served his community, State and Nation. He said, “I know him as a man of his own, a man of his words who was guided by his beliefs and the truth.” Dr. Akabe said that as the Chairman of NASEMA, he found the briefings he got from Allumaga deep, informative and actionable at all times. He praised him for the vital services rendered in the key area of the Nasarawa State humanitarian and interventionist architecture.
Zachary Zamani Allumaga, a lawyer, was an activist and public space intellectual. He was the Ubangari of Eggon. Until his death, he was the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Agency. he passed away on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.