The other side of General Lucky Irabor

 Reporter’s Diary

By Austin Ogwuda

All over the world it is difficult to see a trained soldier smiling while on duty even when everyone else in a gathering has been knocked down over rib cracking jokes,  rolling on the ground, you can hardly see a soldier in uniform smiling.

 They wear stern looking faces especially those on sentry. 

 As a ‘bloody civilian’,  I am not going to dwell much on why it is so.

An aged long military tradition? Well, that is not the subject of this piece.

 For it not that the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Lucky Irabor has pulled off his uniform after about four decades of active service in the Army one could have probably think he doesn’t laugh at all.

 Far from it, this Reporter discovered that the Army General does not only laugh heartily but is also a very good family man.

 This happened on Saturday  during a grand reception organized in his honour at Agbor, Delta State, his home State.

 Immediately he was called upon to respond after barrage of encomiums, he quickly walked up to the podium in a fast pace as a soldier that he is, retired but not tired.

 Even his personal guards were battling to catch up with him.

Guess what?  Immediately he climbed to the stage, he dashed down.

As everyone was stunned what was going on, the General beckoned on his wife to join him to to stage.

 Amidst round of applause, he held the wife’s hand and climbed back to deliver his response to the admiration of all to the extent that one of the masters of the ceremony quipped, “a round of applause we need to take  marriage lesson from the General”.

A good family man indeed!

Another point that caught the attention of this Reporter was that General was referring to “we” meaning himself and wife instead of saying “I”.

Hear him, “As for me I remain committed, having served the country for close to 40 years almost two decades what is left,  so the rest of my life is left to serving Nigeria.

 “Is a commitment that I am making after consultation with my dear wife whatever it takes for us to have a beautiful country, whatever contribution that is required of me that we will make”.

 He did not stop there as soon as he took the microphone he took time to recognize his family members including his inlaws.

He called out the names of his siblings one by one and other relatives.

 You will agree with me that such a family man deeply attached to the spouse, siblings, relatives won’t forget the mother who carried him for nine months in the womb.

 Trust him for his mother he said that but for age he could  have loved to bring up the mum seated in the gathering to come up stage.

 “I remember my mother, as a toddler the motherly care and support she gave to me to become what I am today;  mama I can’t forget you”,  he said about his mother.

 He also didn’t forget his friends and associates, thanking them and his alma mater Ika Grammar school Agbor for producing him and other numerous successful personalities across the globe found in different spheres of life.

 The General was all smiles adorned in native Anioma attire was found moving round exchanging pleasantries with people including the Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, hugging and throwing banters in great style laced with beaming S-M-I-L-E-S.

Yes, the General can smile!