Nigerian Twitter user and crypto influencer, Gaius Chibueze, popularly known as Bitcoin Chief, has been thrown into mourning after losing his father just hours after mocking the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Just a day earlier, Gaius had taken to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle to react to Buhari’s passing.
“Buhari was a very terrible president. We must not pretend now. May his soul get what he did to Nigeria.”
However, in a surprising and tragic turn of events, the Bitcoin Chief returned to the platform early Monday to share heartbreaking news about his own father’s sudden death.
“A Few Minutes Ago, My Father Passed Away in His Home in Enugu State,” he wrote.
“I am comforted by the memories like when I was just 5 years old, and he was already teaching me how to read the Bible and preach from house to house as a Jehovah’s Witness.
“At a young age, my dad dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but his family couldn’t afford university education. Despite that, he never gave up on learning. He loved books deeply and read voraciously. During his time at Izzi Boys Secondary School, he was always first in his class.
“I grew up watching him read all day and all night. My dad owned one of the biggest personal libraries I’ve ever seen. He taught me to read when I was just five.
“At just 19 years old, he left our village and moved to Ikom, Cross River State, to serve under his elder brother in business. It was there he met my late mother and got married.
“In 1992, my dad came in contact with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and from that moment, his life was never the same. He devoted the rest of his life to that faith and remained a staunch member until his final breath.
“Nine years ago, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and had been battling it ever since. Last year, I flew him, his wife, and my younger brother to Turkey for a deep brain surgery. After the expensive procedure, he spent four more months there recovering. I even secured permanent residency for him in Turkey.
“He felt better than he had in nine years, but despite that, he asked to return to Enugu. He missed home and wanted to continue his ministry as a Jehovah’s Witness.
“When he returned, he was doing well and could move around fairly normally again until four days ago. My younger brother rushed to my house, which is in the same compound, to tell me the battery implant in our dad’s chest had gone off. The tremors were back.
“I immediately contacted the hospital in Turkey. They had given a 10-year warranty on the battery. After some back and forth, they told me he needed to return to Turkey for a replacement. But my dad refused. He looked at me and said, “You have tried. I am grateful. But I’ll prefer to wait for death.”
“In my usual way, I insisted he must go back. I told him I’d put him on a flight this week. The last day I saw him before traveling to Abuja for the Igbo Fest, I told him again that he would be flying back soon. He smiled and still said no.
“Then today, my younger brother, Jehovah-Buikem, called me: “It has happened o. Mpa is gone!”
“I felt deep sadness… but in truth, my father had been preparing us for this moment since I was 10 years old. He always talked about death with a smile. He had full conviction, as a Jehovah’s Witness, that Jehovah God would resurrect him when His kingdom comes.
“If I were in Enugu today, I would have buried him immediately, just as he instructed. But I will fly back tomorrow and carry out his wishes exactly.
“My dad wasn’t perfect. I carry many scars from the wrongs he did to me. But one thing I will never forget is this: he never told lies, and he never coveted what others had.
“We settled our lifelong differences 9 years ago when I gave birth to my first son, IKEMBA.
“Adieu, Chibueze Ngene.
“In this 1998 picture, my father had taken me from our village, Obeagu Awkunanaw, to Topland in Enugu State, where I was to begin learning carpentry under his younger brother, Emeka, at the Enugu Timber Shade.”
