“Peter Bello was to be my wedding photographer,” heartbroken friend says
By Rotimi Akinola
Michael Onome Ejoor will be taking his heartthrob to the altar pretty soon.
Of course…he’ll walk down that beautiful isle with the love of his life, a heart full of joy, and a face radiating with novel smile.
But with every camera flash and shutter at the event slated for December may walk a bitter memory of what could have been.
“That could have been Peter Bello,” Onome, as he told Newsroom Bello fondly called him, may repeatedly reflect at every sighting of the man who must take Bello’s place behind the lens.
“I had not told him but I was going to ask him to be the photographer for my wedding,” Onome told Newsroom in a recent chat.
Peter Bello, 26, died alongside five other people after a Bristow helicopter he was co-piloting crashed into the Lagos lagoon.
Six other people who survived the crash are reportedly in intensive care at a private hospital in Lagos.
Bello’s involvement in the crash has been widely reported by the media. There has been a focus on his brief yet apparently breathtaking life.
His decision to follow his passion for photography landed him an enviable connection with Nigerian celebrities. Top Nigerian artistes blew Bello tributes after his unfortunate passing.
See more at Bello’s photo blog.
At 26, Bello was a celebrity photographer, an actor, a pilot, and a chemical engineer.
Before joining Bristow in 2014, Bello served at ExxonMobil between 2011 and 2012. That was where he met Onome.
READ: “Almost there,” then the helicopter crashed into the Lagos lagoon
“We served together in the company,” Onome said.
“I used to give him a lift to work because we both lived in Lekki. That was the origin of our friendship.”
“Even though I refused many times, he forced me to take money for fuel for the lifts I gave him. He was such a sweetheart.”
“After years of life separated us, he said he’ll be at my wedding. I had not told him but I was going to ask him to be the photographer for my wedding.
“On July 1, I asked him to be there as a guest and he said he would… but he won’t. He obviously won’t!
“That’s the saddest thing,” Onome said.
