By Ingram Osigwe
When you look at Mrs Marcelina Ekwutosi Omagie a.k.a Nwaezebuona (daughter of a king is precious jewelry ), you don’t just see a woman who is one of the rare persons to have lived through a century. No! Her cheerful mien and sharp wits belly her age. Rather, who you see is a beautiful soul, a strong, resilient woman who, every day, inspires you to endure and overcome every trial and tribulation of life.
Yes, Mrs Omagie is a centenarian. Not many, especially in this part of the world with short life span, are blessed with longevity. But she is. Mrs Omagie will be 100 on April 9. God has been good to her, she enjoys good health and uninterrupted grace in her 100 years on earth.
As mama turns 100, her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren will be rolling out the drums to celebrate a woman whose longevity is seeped in quality of life for according to Martin Luther King Jnr; “the quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important”
Though mama has no biological children of her own, she has spent the better part of her 100 years on earth mentoring the young and old and contributing tremendously to the goodness of humanity, growth of the Catholic church and tranquillity of the society.
It is, therefore, no surprise that a plethora of individuals, groups and organisations who have benefited richly from her fountain of love and who see her as a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great great grandmother will be celebrating Mrs Omagie’s 100th birthday
One of such organisations is the Stella Maris Catholic Church (outstation), Onitsha.
According to snippets from Mrs Omagie’s chequered life history, a time came when she immersed herself in the work and worship of God and then discovered that life and everything therein was all vanities. Mama thus decided to bequeath all she owned, including the land on which Stella Maris Catholic Church now stands, to God and the betterment of mankind.
On the day the church was dedicated, the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Valeria Maduka Okeke declared that even though mama has no biological children all members of the Stella Maris family are her children and would always celebrate her as their matriarch.
This explains the elaborate birthday events the church has lined up for her.
Born on April 9, 1922, in Onitsha, Anambra State, to the family of His Royal Highness, the late Eze Timothy Williams Obiosa Ibuaka and late Catherine Ibuaka from the present-day Delta state, mama, as a kid, spent much of her time in the service of God through membership of various societies in the church including the Block Rosary and Mary League.
This was after her baptism at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Onitsha, now Basilica of the Most Holy Catholic church.
Her dedication to the church and things of God was to lead her to insist on becoming a nun.
However, her mother thought otherwise and persuaded her to get married. Thus on December 26th, 1944, mama sacrificed her desire to become a nun for a married life when she tied the knots with Solomon Omagie.
The marriage did not produce children and following a series of challenges arising from that, mama travelled abroad where she combined the work of God with furthering her studies.
In Rome for example, mama served the pope for many years as an altar girl. She was also active in the choir where she was noted for her exceptional appearance in African apparel.
In the field of education, Mrs Marcelina Omagie was one of the pioneer Nigerian lecturers at the then University College, Ibadan, now the University of Ibadan. She was in the employ of the University till 1975 when as a Senior Lecturer, the then Nigerian leader, General Yakubu Gowon pleaded with her to proceed to the fledgeling University of Maiduguri to help solidify its formation.
The elegant, flowery chapters of mama’s life, especially her contributions to the growth of the Catholic faith in Nigeria, will not be complete without mentioning her role in the formation of the Catholic Women Organisation, CWO.
She was one of the Catholic women in Nigeria who in 1964 met and birthed the CWO.
April 9 is indeed a date to keep for mama’s birthday will be a celebration of a salutary life well lived and still living in the service of God and humanity.
The commercial city of Onitsha will come alive as all roads will be leading to Stella Maris outstation, Onwugbenu street, GRA, the venue of mama’s 100th birthday celebration.
According to organisers of the event – Nneoma Lady Maria Ihionu, Dr Dorathy Ezenwanne and Barr. Lizzy Anyaonu – mass to herald mama’s birthday celebration will be officiated by His Grace, Archbishop Valeria Maduka Okeke, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Onitsha.
– Chief Ingram Osigwe writes from Akokwa, Imo State
