Chinedu Akuta writes a moving tribute to late brother.

An Eulogy to my Younger Brother: Uchenna Henry Akuta. When you died on Saturday 3rd May 2025, a part of us (your sibling, parents, close relations) died with you. It is one death too many. I started the day by driving from Leicester to work at Swindon, a journey of 97 miles with roughly 2 hours 5 minutes drive. Along the way, I had two prayer points for you (1) For God to show you mercy and (2) for your divine healing. This was not the first time I prayed for you. I started praying for you before your hospital admission, during the hospital admission and have continued to pray even as you have passed to great beyond.

While you were in the hospital, I made sure that I was getting hourly or two hourly updates on your health situation from Michael Onyenze (our cousin) and Ezenwa (younger brother). When Ezenwa informed me that you were down, that you were struggling to make audible comments.  My heart jumped out of my chest. But knowing your resilience and strong will, my panic attacks ceased.  I began to say to myself that if you can pull thru on that Saturday 3 May 2025 that you will be alright. For some unknown reasons, my mind kept repeating that if only you can pull thru that very day, but sadly that was the day you died.

I left work by 20:00hrs. Unknown to me that you had passed to eternal glory an hour earlier by 19:00hrs. On my way home, a thought flashed on my mind that I might be the person to write funeral tribute to you. Immediately I rebuked this silent voice and continued with my prayers.

Finally about 22:00hrs, our in-law called and broke the sad news to me. Your death destabilized and devastated me, your siblings, parents and some of your friends. The shock wave is still reverberating. It’s like daydreaming. Unbelievable. The flashbacks have been constant and continuous.

Two days after your death at exactly 6am in the morning on Monday 5 May 2025, I dreamt about you. In the dream, you walked home from hospital very strong and physically fit as if nothing had happened. This was your resilience and strong will that I highlighted in paragraph 2 above. I woke up only to realize that I was dreaming. I wanted to go back to that dream but it was not possible.

One of your childhood friends called me from South Africa to tell me how you convinced him to go to secondary school. One of the mourners that came to our house told mama how you stopped school kids and solved mathematics for them. Dad said he never knew you were this great, except that your death has revealed it. “Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another”. Ernest Hemingway. According to Mother Teresa, “Death is nothing else but going home to God, the bond of love will be unbroken for all eternity”. John Milton succinctly stated that “Death is the golden key that opens the palace of eternity. We are no doubt, left with fond memories of you. Your departure has created a vacuum only you can fill.

Ecclesiastes 3 verse 2 reminds us “about a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot”. As Christians we are informed in Ecclesiastes 3 verse 20 that “we came from dust and shall return to dust”.  You have completed your race on earth.

However, death takes away only the physical body, as the soul and spirit returns to the creator who is our Lord Jesus Christ. I have no doubts that your seated with the heavenly angels. On the last day we all shall meet to part no more. Rest in perfect peace brother.

Uchena Akuta was born on March 30, 1974 and he died on May 3, 2025.

Brotherly Yours,

Chinedu Akuta: For the family.