My visit to, His Excellency The Deputy Governor Of Anambra State, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim on 29th day Of December 2024.
I was invited by the Deputy Governor Of Anambra State last December of the year 2023 to his country home at Mbaukwu but incidentally I couldn’t make it due to other engagements.
In early December this year 2024, he also extended another hand of invitation to join him in his country home because of the way we cordially related when we were kids which was funny and full of powerful memories imbedded in our minds which happened more than 30 years ago. This is because we were very busy trying to know who can outstudy each other. Then, if I tell my childhood friend, now His Excellency Dr Gilbert OnyekaChukwu Ibezim that,
‘Charles law states that the volume of a given mass of gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature when the pressure is kept constant’,
he will instantaneouly respond by telling me that Newton’s third law of motion states that ‘actions and reactions are equal and opposite’.
That was when parents were actually parents and parental control,care and children’s upbringing was an uphill task.
Our parents were/are devote Anglicans and I still remembered instructions and teachings impacted on us by late Pa Gilbert OnyekaChukwu Ibezim (Senior), father Of His Excellency, The Deputy Governor Of Anambra, Dr Gilbert OnyekaChukwu Ibezim (Junior).
My own father’s name is Augustine Ngwu Obuna (Senior) while just like that of His Excellency who’s Junior, am also Augustine Ngwu Obuna (Junior; Onochie).
Then, I always joined the women evey Saturday morning in cleaning up the compound of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church Adani as I must do so because in My family, we are boys mostly and one of the boys had to do my mom’s own portion of the collective responsibility in the house of God. So I always joined people like late Ma Christiana Ibezim, Rohda Amaechina, Theresa Amoha, Angelina Chike, Comfort Nweke, Veronica Ede etc to clean up the portions which ordinarily should be done by Ma Elizabeth Obuna because she turned a Lioness charged with that responsibility for upbringing of her kids (us) after the death of our father Late Augustine Ngwu Obuna (Senior). She was very much busy and occupied with other more important and pressing responsibilities which made her delegate that duty to be done on her behalf. I have to digress a little bit for the arousal of old memories.
On my arrival to The country home of the Executive Governor Of Anambra State at Mbaukwu with My first Son, Nwachukwu, we were given a warmly welcome.
We met the elderly Sister to His Excellency, Barr Florence Ekwy Nwigwe (Nee Ibezim), popularly called Dame as she’s actually a Dame in the Anglican Church, as well as, Benjamin Ikechukwu and Isaac who are all elder brothers to our Chief Host comfortably seated and enjoying themselves because of God’s favor and grace to the Ibezims. Dame inquired about all Obunas especially after the only female member of the family, Lady Ijeoma Ujunwa Ugwu (Nee Obuna) a Lady of the Order Of Order Of St. Paul in the Anglican Communion, Church Of Nigeria. Lady Ijeoma Ugwu, Nee Obuna is the first Registrar Of Enugu State Polytechnic Iwollo Oghe.
On my arrival with my first Son Nwachukwu, both the guests and hosts, were actually filled with emotional outbursts in our reunion. We also had nostalgic feelings about Adani as we recounted our gains and losses in both families such as the tragic loss of Mr.Thompson Ibezim on their own side and Barr Eric Onyebuchi Obuna on our own side. Both Men cannot be easily forgotten by both families because they were sources of inspiration to many people.
The tripartite relationship between Eric, Thompson and Chima was the talk of the town in Adani. Eric was their coach and mentor. Eric is best described as the greatest brother’s keeper in history. Both Thompson and Chima, my immediate elder brother, were behaving like identical twins then. They appeared together in public functions, and also sleep in each other’s room either in Ibezims house or in the Obunas house in Adani. Chima Azubuike Obuna is a money magnet and a Lagos based Business Mogul who still mourns his dearest friend Thompson till date.
The sudden, painful and tragic deaths of Eric and Thompson shook Neke, Mbaukwu And Adani like the combination of both shock waves and devastation released in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the WWII. I may not be able to address what caused the death of Thompson but I think that he had health challenges from infancy, but on the part of Eric who was a brilliant Lawyers full of life and vigour, I can convinentily give a vivid account of what happened to him. His life was cut off by friendly enemies who pretended to love him but were actually very much envious and jealous of his exploits. Eric’s main crime is that he was overtly over ambitious and therefore must be cut down to size least he rules over them like Julius Caesar. Eric was telling those brotherly terrorists how he had unlimited access to Gen Sani Abacha through Lt Gen Jerry Boy Useni courtesy of the then Honorable Minister For Mines and Power, Alhaji Barshiru Dalhatu, who’s Gen Sani Abacha’s Son in-law (now Waziri Walin Walin Dutse), how he plans to go into the Senate of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria in the next democratic environment without knowing that plans were actually being concluded on how best to send him to the great beyond secretly.
I saw this evil conspiracy in a trance as reviled to me by the Almighty God, I told him everything I saw, we took precautionary measures as mortal without knowing where it can come from. When it finally happened just within some few days of my staying in touch with him before he went to New Jersey USA for International Bar Conference, I was able to withstand the traumatic experience and I took it in good faith without questioning the hand of fate. They never came to tell us what they did to Eric because to them, the Obunas are helpless, defenseless and capable of doing nothing. We, the surviving sons of Late. Augustine Ngwu Obuna(Senior ) left everything in the hands of Almighty God who said in the Holy Bible that vengance belongs to HIM and I must admit that most of those who masterminded Eric’s death have already joined him to the great beyond and that those who actually executed the plot are living very worthless and miserable lives. None of them will ever smell the enviable heights and achievements of Eric Onyebuchi Obuna whose death was a sunset at midday or darkness at noon. He was sharpening his political teeth before his gruesome and most painful end.
This is what I wrote in his Poetic Epitaph:
In God I ever trust
In mud I never rust
Wherever my body lies
Thereever my boold cries
In peace I never rest
Till my very best,
Killers can run
Far and wide
Under the Sun
Never can hide.
We equally recounted our gains and blessings from above and remained ever thankful and grateful to God Almighty.
On the part of the spiritual dimensions of both families, I can say that both families are firmly anchored in God Almighty and serve the Supreme Deity faithfully and honestly with all sincerity of purpose.
The Ibezims already have an Arch Bishop, His Grace The Most Rev Alexander Ibezim who’s the Arch Bishop Of Awka Diocese Church Of Nigeria Anglican Communion. On the side of the Obunas, we have Reverend Dr. Ikemefuna Obuna whom God Almighty uses to transform the lives of many people.
It was a nice, memorable and eventful day as People and Spirits trouped in into the magnificent duplex of His Excellency to receive their individual blessings, separate anointings and benevolence from His Excellency who’s really
‘A Man Of The People’.
We later went into private chat as I have also come for some kind of political apprenticeship and tutelage.
After several hours of evening relaxation with His Excellency, we took pictures, embraced each other and I and My first Son have to leave the stage for our journey back to Enugu City on time.
To God Be The Glory.
Onochiengwu Obuna Esq.
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