TRIBUTE
Nseobong Okon-Ekong
Following the trauma of losing her only child, Victoria Nkanga-Herman, former first lady of Akwa Ibom State, Udy Umondak has returned to Nigeria from the obsequies of the 40 year-old, licensed skincare therapist and makeup artist who was better known as Vicky by friends and family members.
At her Ikeja-Lagos home, she told this reporter that though she may have overcome the initial shock of the sudden loss of her only child, “there are many reasons her memory will live forever. We thank God that He blessed us with a grandson, Aiden (through her), who I fondly call ‘Tanese’. Our birthdays are close. Vicky was born on December 21 and I on December 23. This year is my 60th and was supposed to be her 40th, but she passed on September 28. Of course that changed my plans for my 60th birthday celebration. From now, every December is going to be a challenging period for me. My heart has been broken into pieces in places I never knew existed. Losing Vicky is like losing your breath and never catching it again. It’s been a forever panic attack.â€
Carefully arranged on a coffee table nearby were photos of the life and times of Vicky and memes from her funeral with heart touching messages like, “those we have held in our hands for a short while, we keep in our hearts forever.†The funeral arrangements were handled by Bianchi Funeral Services LLC in Washington DC. Church service for the repose of her soul was conducted at Capital Christian Fellowship at 10411, Greenbelt Road, Lanham, MD with Bishop Glenn Kauffman officiating; while her remains were interred at the National Harmony Memorial Park Sheriff Road, Landover, MD on October 9.
Victoria, owner of NuYou Skin & Wellness Studio was born in Kano, Kano State, Nigeria to Udy and Retired Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State. She attended primary schools both in Lagos, Nigeria and Alabama, USA. She had a Bachelors in Liberal Arts from Queens College of the City University of New York with a major in Psychology. She also had a certificate from The Elizabeth Grady School of Esthetics and Message Therapy in Massachusetts.
Udy, host of an increasingly popular self-styled talk show, ‘The Udy Factor’, whose company, Gooseberry Media, is the buying agent for some international broadcast companies, plans to return to work with the recording of an edition of her programme which will feature people who lost their only child. Her reason sounds acceptable: “It will be a tribute to the departed ones and also help with the healing process for parents like me.â€
