RIP Femi Segun - You Came, You Saw, You Lived To the Full

Olufemi E. Segun was a charmer and a perfect gentleman. Learnt through Facebook yesterday that he passed away, and seeing his obituary on websites and blogs just got me emotional all over again.

He was among the many people I met on NVS - the same nigerian message board I met my husband and I loved his stories, his drive, his ambition, his young at heartedness, if that's a word. He discussed with a certain intellect and insight that not many online Nigerians are able to display in passionate political discourse.

This suave and knowledgeable Femi, the online persona, Count1, did my husband and I the honor of celebrating our marriage with us, though we had known each other mostly online, and for less than a year at that point. He equally turned up with no long drama when I came to Lagos to promote my first book. He was a man with a big heart, full of giving.

Femi came from the elite but he was never shoving it down people's throat. He could have remained in his rich man bubble, but he was always reaching out, wanting to help, giving back through his political ambitions, and also in his personal life. When I got to know him, I realized the humility that made it possible to be himself among those he knew in most probability were much younger, and less accomplished.

Femi was a veteran broadcaster, publicist to stars and politicians, a successful businessman, and a well known master of ceremonies. He was a prominent member of his secondary school Alma Mater, Igbobi College, was married to Fela's daughter, Yeni Kuti, and the son of respected author, Mabel Segun.

Femi also was a writer, he made several article submissions to NVS which you find HERE. He also shared a lot of his writings on Facebook. He even joined Naija Stories at a point and I used to tease him that I would publish his stories one day. It makes me really sad that maybe that day would never come. Femi why now? When I had already set up the publishing company?

God knows best I believe, and a lot of the stories are already out there. You can also find more on his Facebook NOTES. Below are some of my memories of sharing the same physical space with Femi. He made it so easy to connect with him and to know him was to love him.

Some are making his death about the fact that his hobby was riding powerbikes and he died as a result of complications from injuries sustained in a powerbike accident he had. But Femi had been riding since the seventies, and he was a very safe biker as you can see from the picture above. We all have to go one day, right? And isn't it better to have lived to the max, to have found out the things that made you happy and taken passionate joy in them? You only live once, after all.

And Femi touched so many lives. He touched mine, even though like most online acquaintances, we could have been like two ships that pass each other in the night. For reaching out and being a real friend, I'll never forget him.

May his soul rest in peace. And may his family be comforted.