Reuters photo
By
Prince Charles Dickson
You may never know the number of people that die everyday, until death takes someone you know.
An award-winning Film editor/Animator, Jibril Mailafia, who was killed by unknown men in Jos, Plateau State, on Tuesday, has been accorded a posthumous honour.
In a category tagged ‘Jibril Mailafia Award for Best Animation’, the deceased who had earned a nomination in the same category, in this year’s edition of the AMAAs, will be honoured.
Ms Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, the Founder/CEO of AMAA, made the development known to the members of the public.
According to her, the decision was reached by the Board of Africa Film Academy (AFA), parent organisation to AMAA because of the place of the deceased as one of Africa’s shining lights in the area of creative animations.
She said: “This young man was one of the leading figures when it comes to animations for movies, clips, and short stories. He has been nominated severally for the AMAAs and won in 2016 for the first time under the international award platform of the Africa Movie Academy Awards”
She noted that AMAA will forever honor him by renaming the best Animation award in his name.
According to her, “Jibril was easily one of the top 10 animators in Africa – a crazy editor, a fantastic crew member, a no stress team player, the vicious death is a wake up call for us to speak out. We create things, it is time we used our voices in film, music, dance to shout loud and clear that these unnecessary killings should stop.”
Mr. Tony Anih, AMAA’s Director of Administration, while speaking on the death of the Plateau State-born animator and product of the premier film school in Nigeria – Nigerian Film Institute, (NFI), said it was with rude shock that AMAA received the news of the death of Mailafia who “was nominated in the animation category in this years award. His entry is titled Group Foto. Yes, he was that good and consistent with his art.
He will forever be remembered by AMAA as one of the young brilliant creative talents in animation to ever come out of Africa. We will continue to hold a candle in your name that will never burn out.”
In a related development, unknown gunmen attacked Rukuba road community of Jos North Local Government Area, leaving about nine persons dead.
Also Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong lost his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Emmanuel Nanle who passed away Monday evening in an Indian hospital where he was receiving treatment. Lalong, according to a statement issued by the State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Yakubu Dati, expressed deep sadness over the demise, describing the death as “shocking.”
He said the late DOPA was “not only a close ally but a pillar of his administration as he worked consciously for the success of the Rescue administration, being a committed patriot who pursues his beliefs with uncommon zeal.”
He recalled that the late Emmanuel Nanle “braved all odds in 2014 and tirelessly worked for the success of the APC in Plateau state in the 2015 general elections” and his government will “surely miss him especially at this time when his services are most needed.” He said death though painful is the will of God and asked the family and people of the state to be comforted by the Lord Almighty adding that “arrangements will be made to bring back the remains of the Late Emmanuel Nanle home for a befitting burial.”
The Joint Task Force constituted by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai has found the Toyota Corrolla Car belonging to Major General Idris Alkali, former Chief of Administration, Army headquarters at a Jos Pond.
A post by the Army said, “The Joint Task Force constituted by the COAS Lt Gen TY Buratai comprising officers and soldiers from 3 Division Quick Response Team, Operation Safe Haven, Nigeria Police Force, Vehicle Inspection Office, Fire Service, as well as Local Divers have found the vehicle belonging to Maj Gen Alkali RTD at a pond in Paddock in Lafendeg Du Plateau State.
Grief is not an enemy or a sign of weakness. It is a sign of being human. Grief is the cost of loving someone, but forgetting them, and not really honoring what they stand for is another thing entirely.
So Jibril Malafia was my go-to-production person, himself and Kelly, they were my best. Jibril was at the house on Friday, as he finished the first draft of a documentary for Peace Direct/ICIN/Nexus Fund. We talked through the details. Sadly, he was stabbed to death, the knife left pierced from back through the tummy, clothes changed…the details are gory and scary.
AMAA has honored his memory, a very rare act, but would our failing, failed criminal justice systems give closure to his family.
We are grieving but really we will forget, we just will, no matter how long, that’s how we are, from time to time we remember but as long as justice is not served, as long as we do not tie the loose ends, like the souls cut short in Rukuba Road area of Jos, they also will be forgotten.
Nanle, has been laid to mother earth, his wife and kids never will forget the loss of such a wonderful man, many loved to hate for many different reasons. But trust me, the government will not only forget, his family will be forgotten by the same persons who did ballads and odes to his death.
All those sweet words from friends in consolation to the family would be forgotten, we will move ahead. We always do, on few occasions we will recall as a result of one-thing-some-thing and then quickly move on to the next matter.
Our conversations at Crest two months back have now been relegated to the dirt bin of what could have been.
And finally Maj Gen Alkali RTD killed by only Allah knows, his service to Nigeria, rendered null, and almost void by some group whom I dare say are roaming free, and may never get karma visit through the right channels. His life was cut short, no explanations would ever suffice, a wife, children and family left to grieve, and yes again we will forget.
Did we not forget Abacha, ooops, I mean do we ever remember the labor of our heroes past as the anthem implores us to do?
We deplete our population through all forms of criminal brutality and leave grief in the wake, and after a while we forget. We forget those DSS officers that were killed by Ombaste in Nassarawa, all those killed in Borno, Aadamawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara, Benue, are collateral damage, no memorial by acts of commission by us saying #neveragain.
Like Bola Ige, like Dokubo, like that dude in Lagos that wanted to be governor, political killings, ethno-religious killings, Zak Ibiam, Odi, Abia IPOB Killings, the list is endless, we get the news, we grieve and then we forget, and the question is how does a nation grow in such manner, how long do we continue in this manner—Only time will tell.
Prince Charles Dickson
Currently Prince Charles, is based out of Jos, Plateau State, and conducts field research and investigations in the Middle Belt Region of Nigeria with an extensive reach out to the entire North and other parts. Prince Charles worked on projects for UN Women, Search for Common Ground, and International Crisis Group, among others. He is an alumnus of the University of Jos and the prestigious Humanitarian Academy at Harvard and Knight Center For Journalism, University of Texas at Austin. A doctoral candidate of Georgetown University
Born in Lagos State (South West Nigeria), Prince Charles is proud of his Nigerian roots. He is a Henry Luce Fellow, Ford Foundation grantee and is proficient in English, French, Yoruba Ibo and Hausa. Married with two boys, and a few dogs and birds.
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