OH LATO, WHAT A WAY TO GO

A Tribute To Tochukwu Chukwumerije by Seth Amaefule, Esq.

On the breaking of the sad news of the sudden death of our colleague Tochukwu Chukwumerije (who is better known as Lato by his many friends) on Friday 29 Jan 2021, I posted a lamentation over him on the WhatsApp Group where the newsbreak was published.

At the break of dawn today (wee hours of the morning), my phone began to ring. I took the phone and looked to know the caller. Lo! and Behold! It was Lato. I immediately suspected that the announcement of his death may have been made too early, and that he perhaps he was in a coma and from which has revived. So I took the call. Lato, in his usual booming cheery voice shouted to me: *"Seth, I am alive"* I instantly fell over myself with ecstacy and began uttering profuse thanks to God for bringing him back to life; Lato was just saying "thank you, thank you, thank you" in a voice showing he was overwhelmed with appreciation for the numerous expressions of sadness and endearment by lawyers and friends on the news of his death. Just then, I heard the Moslem morning prayers booming from the loudspeaker of a mosque on my street. I was startled awake. I shook my head to clear it. It was all a dream. I heard myself say: Oh Lato, what a way to go

I recall that my early association with Lato was sometime in 2007 when I was Secretary of NBA Lagos Branch. He was a young lawyer then, very affable, always handy, willing to participate, and at all times in good spirit with a ready smile. Seeing him often reminded me of his uncle Senator Uche Chukwumerije who served as Minister of Information under Gen. Abacha and later rose to become an astute and Honourable Senator, a standard bearer, the conscience of the Senate and a rallying point and leader of the Integrity Group.

We eventually became foot soldiers in the Movement called MARSAN of which Pa Tunji Gomez (now of blessed memory) was the spirit and the leader from 2009. Lato also worked with me in 2012-13 on the Legislature Liaison Committee of our Branch of which I was chairman. He seemed to have a pet name for every friend. But generally just make him happy and he would acknowledge by saying: "You are a good man" and crown it with a hearty laughter.

I ran into Lato in about the third week of December 2020 at Tejuosho area of Surulere. We talked as friends, and hoped to meet again to carry on our chats.

The news of his death on 28 January 2021. came as a rude shock. I just could not understand it. But such is life - characterised by Shakespeare as "nothing but a poor player, strutting and fretting away his time on the stage, a tale told by a fool, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing".

Seth Amaefule, Esq.