By Ingram Osigwe
The families of Okere of Umuohiagu, Ngo Okpoala Council Area of Imo State and Obiabaka of Umuosu, Awarasi, Aguata Council Area of Anambra State have announced the rites of passage for their daughter, wife, mother and grandmother, the late Lady Alice Chijioke Obiabaka( Nee Okere).
Late Lady Obiabaka died on August 16, 2023, at the age of 78 after a protracted illness. She is survived by numerous relations among whom are her husband, Aaron Obiabaka, daughter and a banker , Mrs Uchenna Anayo-Nwosu, an Airforce Officer, Air Commodore Obiabaka among other children and grandchildren.
A notice of death/burial released by the two families described their late matriarch as a woman of intense passion for God and humanity; a devoted Christian, an educationist, and a community leader who exuded a high sense of wisdom and wits while alive.
According to her rites of passage as announced by the families, on Thursday, October 19, 2023, there will be a Christian wake-keep in Lady Obiabaka’s honour in Chief Aaron Obiabaka’s compound, off Ezinifite/Uga Road, Umuosu, Awarasi Uga.
The next day, October 20th, a funeral service will be held at the same venue at 10 am. This will be followed immediately by internment.
Sunday, October 22nd, there will be an outing service in her honour at St. Joseph’s Anglican Church, Awarasi.
Those who had close contact with the late Lady Obiabaka and whose lives she positively impacted rue that she will be sorely missed.
They are however consoled that she lived an eventful, inspiring and fulfilling life and is now resting in the Lord’s bosom.
An educationist, the Late Lady Obiabaka was born (fourth child and third girl) on March 29, 1945, into the family of late Moses Okere Nwachukwu and Monica Mgbekechukwu Okere of Umuchoko Umuohiagu in Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State.
Growing up, because of her dazzling beauty, she was loved and adored by all, especially her parents who called her numerous pet names, including Olariche (special), Nwayi Bekee (white lady) etc.
Despite the that the Girl-child schooling was rare in the community at the time Alice reached school age her parents blazed the trail and registered her in Saint Michael’s Primary School Umuohiagu in 1952.
Being a brilliant girl, she spent only seven years instead of the normal eight years of primary education.
In 1959 she was admitted into Owerri Girl’s Secondary School, an Owerri Provincial School for girls which was run by the Holy Rosary Sisters of the Catholic Church. She was on an Owerri Provincial £9 per annum scholarship for her study in that school and passed the West African School Certificate examination in division 2. She also had a Grade 1 in Cambridge School Exams.
She later attended the Federal Science School Onikan, Lagos, where she studied Chemistry, Botany and Zoology as preparation for a course in Medicine.
The late Lady Obiabaka was to veer into teaching, starting with a missionary school Owu-Amakohia in Ikeduru. She also taught at Ubuluihejiofor Secondary School and Ihioma Girls Secondary School respectively.
Her question to broaden her frontiers of knowledge made her go to the University of Nigeria Nsukka to study Health and Physical Education in 1975.
She graduated in 1978 with a B.Sc Degree and had her NYSC at Awgu, Enugu. At the end of the National Youth Service, she was posted to Holy Rosary College Enugu where she headed the HPE Department.
Under her leadership of the Dept., the school won many laurels in Sports and academics.
In 1991, at the creation of Anambra State, the late Lady Obiabaka was posted to Anambra State as Chief Education Officer and later became a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Education, a position she held till 2000 when she retired after 35 years of meritorious Service.
The Late Lady Obiabaka was married to her heartthrob, Aaron Obiabaka, a young Captain in the Biafran Army. They met in the heat of the war, fell in love and got married at the end of the war.
