So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.
- 2 Corinthians 5:9
It is hard not to feel sad about the death of a former staff that was at home with all journalists of the NUJ Plateau State Council during the tenures of most chairmen.
When I became Chairman of the Plateau State Council in 2007, he was already working in the secretariat as Admin Officer.
Ordinarily, I would have loved to have started lamenting the passage of the longest serving Admin staff of the Council when the news broke out.
You will pardon me; rather than cry, I can only be grateful to God for keeping him alive until June 26, 2025. Don't read any meaning into it.
For those who know, he has been down with a debilitating health condition, which kept him in and out of hospital for long.
It won't be out of place to say, he has been healed. He has rested from the physical pains he went through. And for ever, you would say.
It is without doubt, he loved his job. He was passionate about it. And gave it his best. He got an award for his long years of consistency in service.
The two awards were bestowed on him by the Council in 2019 and another earlier on in 2016 by Reality Chapel.
He executed every assignment without complaining, and also worked outside his schedules by assisting some journalists, who sought for his assistance.
He didn't know how to say, 'I can't', if he was engaged to provide a service. He was willing always to offer assistance.
Early in our tenure when we observed that he was over worked, we resolved that he took a day or two to rest each week.
He would not hear any of that. He came to work seven days a week.
I know that he loved his family; his wife and children without let. He did what was humanly possible to provide a shelter for them by asking Council to give him a soft loan after he had acquired a piece of land.
For being close working with journalists, he had several names (aliases): Zaki, Kawu, Kura, See Pikin, Baban Aboi, Iri etc.
They are not derogatory; they were meant to eulogize his comradeship with them.
Over the years, he had a business he ran at the Press Centre. At some point, a young unlettered guy came to help him out.
Since the guy didn't know most journalists, he recognised anyone who patronised his bar and didn't pay by the sex of the person.
Therefore, each day, in order to balance his accounts; he gave description of such debtors thus: 'Sombodi' (if it was a male) and 'sombodiya', (if it was a female).
It is a long story, but the guy always got around to collect what was owed him by the ' 'sombodis' and 'sombodiyas', who patronised the bar.
It must be placed on record the efforts put by the Council and members who stood by him, when his health started to fail him.
Some organisations would have done little and left the rest to his family. Some may have even ask him to withdraw his services and take care of his health.
What better understanding of his sacrifices could this be than to show care and love. Only God will bless the Council.
The leadership of Comrade Paul Jatau and the current, Comrade Ayuku Pwaspo significantly were his benefactors. We owe them and members of the fraternity huge amount of gratitude for not abandoning Irmiya.
The last days of his 53 years on earth were, no doubt painful on his physical body. NUJ will never forget the services he rendered while alive.
It is to his memory that we commit his wife, Augustina, son, Ernest, two daughters, Precious and Hope Utinaye and people of Kofa to prayers for comfort.
