The Umuahia Township Stadium was filled to capacity on Saturday, as dignitaries from across Nigeria gathered to pay their final respects to the late Elder Mrs. Chinyere Margaret Ukeagu, who passed away at the age of 76.
Fondly known as “Mama CONNAK,” the late matriarch was the mother of Dr. Kenneth Nnamdi Ukeagu, National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) representing the South East and founder of the CONNAK Foundation.
The funeral ceremony attracted an array of high-profile guests, including the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti; Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Peter Mbah; and the Governor of Taraba State, Dr. Agbu Kefas. The Governor of Imo State was represented by his Deputy, Lady Chinyere Ekomaru, while the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Princess Patricia Obila, represented the Ebonyi State Governor.
Also in attendance to bid the late Mrs Ukeagu farewell were Members of the National Assembly and former lawmakers, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu; Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe; and former Minister and prominent Abia son, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah.
The Abia political class was also well represented, with the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 8th Abia State House of Assembly, members of the Assembly, State Executive Council members, political aides, government appointees.
The ceremony also drew captains of industry, business moguls, Traditional rulers, religious leaders, family members, friends, and well-wishers, members of the academic and professional communities, and other notable figures who came to honor the life and legacy of Elder Mrs. Ukeagu.
In his tribute on behalf of other South East Governors, the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, while celebrating the life of the departed matriarch, described her as a pillar of compassion, faith, and a gift to her community, the State and the nation at large.
Governor Otti who said he was shocked upon receiving news of her death, noted that her life of 76 years was impactful.
“I want to start by thanking God for the gift of this woman that we popularly call Mama CONNAK, even though I was shocked when I learned of her departure on the 3rd of March this year.
“Even though we cannot question the Almighty, we would have wished that she stayed long with us here and continue to be that luminous figure whose life was adorned with rare virtues of compassion, courage, faith and boundless generosity.
“No doubt, her death is a huge loss to the family and all those she touched with her heart of gold.
“She was a woman of character, an affectionate mother and community mobiliser and a philanthropist who turned her pension and gratuity into lifeline for widows and ladders for the underprivileged to rise.
“Mama CONNAK lived not for herself, but as a light to her generation and a balm to many hearts. She gave not because she had plenty, but because she understood that giving is the truest expression of love”, God Otti noted.
He encouraged the Ukeagu family to find strength in continuing the legacy of their mother, adding that; “the only gift you can give her today is to hold dear her legacies and continue from where she stopped”.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, in his tribute eulogized the late matriarch and her impact on her family and community, describing her as a woman of exceptional virtue and determination.
“Greatness is found in a woman who did not allow marriage to stop her dream. She went back to school after marriage and pushed until she got to the peak of her career.
“Greatness is more found in a woman who used her gratuity not for self-serve, not for her family but for her community in need of support for growth. Let the sun rise to her face as she walks into eternity”, Kalu said.
The first son of the deceased, Dr Ukeagu in his tribute, described his mother as a woman of deep faith and a true embodiment of practical Christianity, who possessed a strong desire to help others and devoted her life and resources to fulfilling that mission.
Dr. Ukeagu also pledged to uphold and preserve the legacy of compassion and service that his mother had built and appreciated all this who joined the family to honor and bid their beloved mother farewell.
Delivering the funeral oration, the first daughter of the deceased, Mrs. Carole Emeka-Sunday, described her mother as a “tireless advocate for humanity”,;who spent more than a decade of her life supporting the less privileged.
“Though we mourn her passing, we celebrate a life well lived, a life poured out in service to God and mankind”, she said.
Earlier in his sermon titled “You Need God,” Pastor David Bamigboye of Winners Chapel, Umuahia, urged attendees to seek God for fulfillment of destiny, noting that Mama CONNAK had a personal relationship with God during her lifetime.
“God has a great destiny for us and it is our linkage with God that will cause our destiny to shine”, the clergyman said.
Aged 76, Late Elder Mrs Chinyere Margaret Ukeagu is survived by four children including Barr. Chidiebere Ukeagu, a legal practitioner and employee of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Mr. Charles Ukeagu of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA).
