LIVE A GOOD LIFE, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO LIE AT YOUR FUNERAL

Buhari and Charlie Kirk died, and Nigerians reacted the way Nigerians do best; loudly, passionately, and in very different directions. Some were celebrating, some were reflective, some were calling for conscience. Me? I just want to be spared the hypocrisy.

You can’t guilt trip people into grief. You can’t force sympathy for someone whose life left more scars than smiles. The life we've lived is a testament whether good or bad to who we are. Death doesn’t suddenly erase who a person was or what they did. It only amplifies it.

This isn’t about Buhari or Kirk alone. Their death dragged up a memory for me, one I had felt guilty of over the years. It was the first time I didn’t feel bad about someone’s passing. I was about fourteen or fifteen. My mum tried to soft launch it to me but it didn’t land. I could see how visibly affected she was but it really meant nothing to me and that was my concern.

That nothingness disturbed me. It felt cold, heartless, wrong. It didn't feel like me. 

But as I sat with it, I realized I did care — just not for the dead. I cared for the family left behind, the people who had to live with their absence. My prayers were for them, not for the one who had gone, I couldn't care less.

And maybe that’s the point. Grief is not a performance. It isn’t universal. It belongs to those who loved and lived with a person or were imparted by their works or lives. For everyone else, there’s no obligation to manufacture feelings.

So, when I see people celebrating or refusing to mourn Buhari, I don’t call it wickedness. I call it honesty. Because your death doesn’t change your life; your life determines how your death is received.

Live well. Treat people well. Leave memories that make tears flow freely when your name is mentioned. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if the world meets your funeral with silence, indifference, or even relief.

In summary, Live a good life so we don’t have to lie at your funeral and If you have ever felt guilt like me before, it's time to release yourself and move on.

Till next time,

Lots of love,

BUNMA (IMAX)💕