Never in a thousand thoughts did I imagine that I would be writing a tribute for Victor in 2023. I cannot get used to the concept of death – its finality; its unanswered questions; its deafening silence – but I must say that the news of his passing has been one of the most shocking and disheartening to me.
He was a smart, vibrant and super-resourceful young man. We could see his potential right from our very first semester in the university. Wit, poise, congeniality, charisma, ‘swag’ and overall pleasantness – Victor honestly had it all. I do not know anyone in our course who ever had any issue with him, as he was very likeable, always with a smile, and very responsible. His business acumen was also very inspiring as he was able to nurture various ideas and grow them into successful business ventures, and profitably so too. One of the brightest bulbs in any room, he had such an undeniably bright future ahead of him – oh what a great loss to Nigeria and the world at large!
Dear Victor,
I honestly do not know when exactly I would come to terms with the fact that you are really gone; that we would never be able to see you attend any of our sporadic Mech. Eng. reunion hangouts ever again; that I would no longer get to see you hail me on WhatsApp/Instagram. I mean, you were literally just here! It still doesn’t make sense to me.
You ARE such a huge inspiration to me, even if I may not have said this to you while you were still here. You were a true ‘victor’ by all definitions in the book and I feel blessed to have known you. June 10 will never be the same again, my guy.
I will dearly miss you and keep your blessed memory alive in my heart until we meet again! Please rest in perfect peace.