The leadership of Olu Owerri Unity Association, the apex socio-cultural body in Owerri senatorial district of Imo state, on Sunday, March 28, 2021, visited the country home of Chief Emeka Diwe, the National President of the Association of South East Town Unions (ASETU), in Akpulu, Ideato North, to condole with him on the demise of his mother, late Nneoma Georgeana Ewuzaku Diwe.
The delegation which consisted of the group’s national executive, members of board of trustees and local government areas coordinators was led by the the national president of the association, Chief Martin Opara, who in his address described Diwe as a symbol of integrity.
His words: “Our mission here is simple. We have come to commiserate with our leader and mentor, Chief Emeka Diwe, who is the symbol of integrity in Imo state, on the death of his mother. We had to come ahead of the burial date to show our closeness to Diwe and extend our sincere condolences to him and the entire family. This visit today is a great opportunity for us to give thanks for the grace of longevity which God offered to the late Nneoma Georgeana Diwe,” Opara said.
Speaking further, he eulogized Diwe, who also is the President-General of Orluzurumee, for his selfless service to humanity, and thanked the leaders and members of Orluzurumee for joining to receive the delegation.
In his response, the visibly elated Diwe hailed the leadership of Olu Owerri for the visit. He said Olu Owerri has shown him brotherliness.
Diwe recounted that he had no opportunity to bury his father who died when he was barely ten years and left him and his eight other siblings in the care of their now late mother.
“And all of us were still tender and none of us was grown enough to provide even food. This happened just after the war. We had just been dislocated from Port Harcourt and we ran back home. You can imagine the shock, the trauma, the predicament and the grief of my late mother who was widowed early in marriage and bequeathed with many dependents. But she never gave up. She lived and stood firm and catered for us till the age of 92. She lived a life of prayer and God answered her. All her eight surviving children are today well-established, likewise her grandchildren,” Diwe revealed.
He continued, “My mother was known for her values. She was a woman who worked hard and traded in a lot of things to provide for us. She was a devout Christian. Whatever leadership qualities people say I have are obviously genetically transferred through her and my late father, too. Even in her sick bed, people were still besieging her for advice on issues of leadership and human organization. And she still counseled them.”
He also said, “Her prayers provided us with a hedge of protective fire in this house. In the history of our family, nobody has lived above 80 years. But my late mother passed on at 92. That was God’s reward for her good deeds. That is the reason her burial is for us a celebration of life. When the Catholic Bishop came to this community sometime in the past, my late mother was the only person the Bishop visited. The Bishop never did that because of me. In short, the Bishop never knew she was my mother. But the visit was owed to her role in the growth of the church and the Christian faith. Even this burial was fixed by the Bishop based on merit,” he said.
Diwe concluded by thanking the leaders and members of Orluzurumee for responding within a short notice to receive Olu Owerri. He notified that the burial has been scheduled for April 22, and promised to give his late mother a befitting burial.