A Tribute to a Friend, A Brother, and a Colleague Dr. Emmanuel Ibanga Umoh by Rev. Fr. Joseph Michael Uko (Udo-Mma), Chairman of Ati Annang USA Constitution/Bylaws Review Committee on This Last Day before His Body is Laid to Rest Tomorrow, the 19th Day of September 2024.
‘Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” The Spirit says, “Yes, let them rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Rev. 14:13)
The above words from the book of Revelation speaks to the death of my friend, brother, and colleague, Dr. Emmanuel Umoh who has been snatched away from us the very week we were still busy together in our committee carrying out the assignment entrusted to us by Ati Annang USA.
For Ati Annang USA, he died in full active service. No wonder why God would pronounced him blessed for all the services he rendered to our organization and to humanity as a whole as can be testified by all who had known Emman in his various capacities. Yes, it is right the Spirit of God Himself bids him farewell to go and rest from his labors in these many capacities and his good deeds follow him to bear witness to God that he was a good man who did good things to many.
It was very late on that Saturday when we finished with one of our presentations and Dr. Umoh who, as usual, was very active and engaging during our deliberations on the topic was to be the very next presenter on the topic assigned to him and he was ready to do so. Recognizing that we had already spent many hours at our work that night and that we have to go to Church in the morning being Sunday, I called off the meeting and asked Emman to prepare to be the first presenter when we meet again in a fortnight. Any can imagine the shock when I heard Emman was dead the very week were to meet again.
Outside Ati Annang, we have had a lot of discussions about life and about helping our communities with our ancestral concept of Community labor (Utom Idung) which demands forgetting about oneself and sacrificing for the good of the community with your talents and resources. That was Dr. Emmanuel Umoh and that was the spirit that moved him to give his best wherever he found himself which he saw as his community in that time and place.
As I find it very difficult to imagine why Emman should die at this time when he still should have had many more years to live compared to the very many others who are by far older than himself, the Book of Wisdom tells me something else about Dr. Emmanuel Umoh who is not dying young as some would dare to think. He could have lived much longer and could have done much more including the task we had at hand if he did not die before to complete those things; but by his live and achievements, he had reached a ripe old age and it was his time to go. That scripture passage states:
“The just man, even if he dies prematurely, will be at rest. For the honor that comes with age is not due to the length of life or determined by the number of years.Gray hairs for anyone consists in understanding, and ripe old age consists in a blameless life.” (Wisdom 4:7-9)
Therefore as Dr. Emmanuel Umoh goes back to his creator, we recall the parting words of Jesus Christ Himself from this life as we read from the Gospel of St. John Chapter 17:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, …
“I have glorified you on earth by completing the work that you entrusted to me. So now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:1, 4-5).
There is no way that we can sympathize enough with Dr. Mrs. Dorothy Umoh and the beloved children that Emman has left behind. For them, the pangs of separation must be great but we encourage them not to mourn as those without hope for Dr. Emmanuel Umoh is going to a better place to receive a just reward from God for all that he did while alive on this part of God’s creation that we call the world.
As we mourn and sympathize with all left behind to mourn him, we offer the prayers of Christ himself on behalf of Dr. Emmanuel Umoh, their father, husband, brother, son, uncle, in-law and close friend as his parting prayer and blessings upon them in John 17: 6ff.
“… to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, … Now they have come to understand that everything you gave me is from you. For the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they have accepted them and know with certainty that I have come from you, …“It is for them that I pray. I do not pray for the world, but for those you gave me because they are yours. Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine,and through them I have been glorified.I will remain no longer in the world, but they will still be in the world while I will be coming to you.
“Holy Father, protect by the power of your name those you have given me, so that they may be one, … While I was with them I protected them by your name that you have given me, and I kept them safe. … “Now I am coming to you, and I say these things while I am still in the world so that my joy may come to full measure in them. … I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I do ask youto protect them from the evil one.” (Confer John 17: 6-15). May God hear and answer these prayers in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.
Mma Dorothy and all members of Emman’s family, in the above prayer, your husband, father and friend prays that his joy may come to full measure in you. I am sure, that Dr. Emman Umoh would not be very happy to see you mourn to bitterly. It is my belief that he would want you to lighten up and dance for him as you bid him farewell. That is very much in keeping with Annang tradition because we do not only bury the dead but we celebrate the funerals of our loved ones. Our ancestors bid you to remember the proverb, “Abuk eka asesin ike” meaning that even the person burying his/her mother do take some time to enjoy themselves. If this is your turn to do it for Emman, feel free to do so as you remember the joyful days and occasions you had with him and danced with him.
May the Gd of all consolation be with you to comfort and support you now and always.
Rev. Fr. Joseph Michael Uko (Udo-Mma)