Guy pays tribute to his sister who died a year ago in the Chlorine Explosion at Waterworks in Jos,Plateau.Read it.

From David Bigila.

A TRIBUTE TO NGUSEER, MY DARLYN SISTER.read on


If you have never lost a loved one, you have never really known pain.

I thought I had known pain in my life before, but not until this moment last year did I really feel it- that was when pain, in its vile and unvarnished essence hit my innards, tore through the core of my being and left me empty, shell shocked and broken.

Nguseer, on this day last year, you left us…in the aftermath of the Chlorine explosion at Waterworks in Jos. You died in your sleep without even knowing what killed you. I cried, for the first time since I was a little boy as a part of me died too, you were my best friend- it was July 25, 2015

An early morning call woke me up- it was a saturday. It was maama on the other end, shouting, talking, shrieking and crying at the same time. I couldn’t even piece together what she was saying, as I tried to calm her down -till the words hit me.

I scrambled off the couch I was sleeping on, to digest what I was being told. I still yet couldn’t decipher anything and I had to call dad, who in his quiet voice, confirmed my worst fear. I sunk to the floor, my back against the wall, lost to the world, lost to feeling, lost to time. A tear rolled down each of my parched cheeks as I shuddered at a world without your beautiful soul.

Nguseer, dead? You? I couldn’t believe my ears, I had spoken to you only that night, no? How could this be? Why should this happen? Why at this time? I wondered. God why do you let bad things happen to good people? I kept asking, but God was nowhere near, to provide an answer.

As I sat there in a daze, that morning, I contemplated your life and your relationship with me vis-a vis the rest of our siblings- Jayke, Queen, James and the battalion that grew up in our home. You were the matron, the mother of the house, the one who protected everyone’s interests, the one who made sure everyone was alright.

You could share your ration, without a thought, empty your piggy bank for a friend, do the chores of any of any of us who was too lazy. You were the pastor, the evangelist, the prayer warrior, the firebrand- you kept the family safe and peaceful with your constant intercessions and devotionals.

All through the journey from Abuja to Jos- and I don’t know how I made it -I kept thinking of all you had been to me. You were a pillar all through my tough times, all through those moments I had nothing to hang on, but hope. You never let me alone- you were always willing to share what you had, material and otherwise, and this carried from your days at MIS to Airforce to Uni Jos right up until your untimely demise.

I stood at the morgue looking at your lifeless body, and struggled not to cry, only because maama was crying so much. I saw that you hadn’t gone without a fight as you shred your night dress fighting death. Death, like the coward it is, had sneaked up to you and tried to smother you unknowingly. You fought this invisible killer, even in sleep to a standstill, only your frail limbs failed you at the last.

I walked dejectedly out of the morgue, remembering our previous discussions and our plans. Your end was so painful because it was avoidable, only made inevitable due to the careless of both man and the mandarins in government.

It has been a hard loss to take, more so since you were more than a sister to me and the rest of us- if only you could come back. Mother is particularly shattered, and she has not recovered from your loss to this day. She cries any opportunity she gets and has withdrawn into her shell.

Even now as I write, she is standing on the sands of the city that did you this cruelty, fighting your cause with other bereaved and asking that your death be avenged, seeking justice and restitution from those whose carelessness hastened you to the great beyond.

You died in Jos, the city you schooled, lived and worked- skivvying at a job I kept trying to convince you to leave. I couldn’t, because I hadn’t been able provide a better alternative at the material time, dillydallying till the inevitable happened- herein lies my guilt.

I had failed you- and the world had lost a gem. I was shattered, and broken…and till this moment, I seek forgiveness from above, absolution I know will never come.

Where ever you are my sister, and I know you are looking down on us from the bosom of the lord, look upon me with kindness and the family with compassion- we loved you, we cherished you but God loves you more. Who are we, to question him?

Rest on sister, while we soldier on. Till we meet to part no more.

On behalf of the family, its me, Big bro- as you called me. I sign off, without a flourish, with only tears in my eyes.


So sad,may she continue to rest in peace......