We had buried her and had come back to Lagos and I think it was one year after and we had the memorial
It was on the lawn in my house and I had invited a few people
And this guy stood up to sing
He first belted – How Excellent
My parents were in the choir. My father was a deep baritone and my mum was a nightingale
When they both sang, the world stood still
If my mum was upset, she would sit on her bed and sing and her voice would ring through, and since my room faced hers I would hear the voice and I would be transfixed
How many favourite songs could be found on the Hynms of the millennial dawn
How Excellent was one of those songs and I used to love how my father would end it with his deep drawl after my mum would have kicked it started with her sweet, soothing voice
Then Peace Be Still was her deep favourite. She would call me into her room, hold my head on her big breast and sing – Peace be still while tapping my back and I would feel so safe and warm
Then she died and this man came to my house and opened his mouth and sang – Peace be still and I died
Goose pimples erupted all over my body and my throat choked and the tears dropped and the show was over
This night, I walked into the La Scala Restaurant and that man was singing.
The crowd was enamoured and I walked the room greeting and generally becoming a nuisance
Then I took my seat and he sighted me and started – Peace be still
It struck me. Impaled me to the chair and the familiar goose pimples started again
And my mother came again and I became that little boy in that tiny flat in Shomolu on Okuyiga street
As he sang, the tears started and one fan who had witnessed this bf quickly grabbed her phone and took these amazing shots of The Duke immersed in sweet pain
The singer gets N100k each time he does this and I didn’t fail him
He brings my mother to me each time she sings and my mum always forgives me no matter how many times I hurt her – she would still put my head on her breast and say, Ini peace be still
Last modified: May 30, 2026
