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President Goodluck Jonathan led dignitaries to the funeral of the mother of Senator Ayogu Eze, Ma Paulina Omadaja Eze in Umuida, Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State. CHRIS OJI reports.

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan was there. He led a powerful team from Abuja to the funeral of Mama Paulina Omadaya Eze, mother of Senator Ayogu Eze. It was an event attended by the high and mighty. The Senate virtually relocated to Umuida, the Eze’s hometown in Igbo-eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, to commiserate with one of its own.

Umuida had never seen a thing like this before. Its bumpy and dusty roads spewed dust as one dignitary after the other arrived. The President landed in an helicopter in the community’s school field. He was accompanied by Governor Sullivan Chime. The mass was on when he and his entourage arrived at St Theresa’s Catholic Church.

Catholic Bishop of Nsukka, Godfrey Onah conducted the mass.

He was assisted by more than 40 other priests. There were also top clergy men and women from other Christian denominations.

The mass, held at the deceased’s compound, was conducted under a giant canopy, customised to take no fewer than 3000 people.

It was filled to capacity.

The first Bible reading was taken by Mrs Nkechi Ayogu-Eze; the second lesson was read by Senator Eze’s sister, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeja.

The parish priest of St. Theresa’s, Rev. Fr. Joseph Odo, was in charge of the officiating protocols.

Mama Eze’s remains were in a white casket decorated with golden rims and a large cross on top. It was lifted by six pall bearers from APAMS undertakers.

The body was taken to the ancestral home of the Ezes, not too far from the church and buried.

At the graveside, Fr. Odo spoke of the three principles of gratitude, welcome and prayers.

The clergy took turns to perform the dust to dust ritual and were followed by Senator Eze and other members of the family.

In his homily, Bishop Onah dwelt on the fear of death. He said he avoided political topics so as not to turn the funeral into a rally.

The president, Senate President David Mark and Senator Eze said they overcame the fear of death after listening to the homily. Bishop Onah said only those who lived in sin fear death. He said the righteous, like Mama Obodo did not fear death because they knew they were heaven bound. He praised Mama Obodo, who was born into a traditional home but embraced Christianity.

“Her positive disposition to God and the church endeared her in giving her children good upbringing,” he said.

He enjoined parents to emulate Mama Obodo. Quoting from the scriptures, the bishop warned against fetish practice insisting that one cannot serve God and Satan.

President Jonathan asked the clergy to pray for the country.

He said: “A moment like this when we are talking of somebody who has passed on during the burial, there is something that always encourages us – that is to be thankful for everything that has happened to us. Maybe some young men will ask why we should thank God when somebody has died. To me, I believe we are not thanking God because somebody has died but we are thanking God for bringing that person to have done what the person had done over the years.

“Today, we are here to celebrate Mama Obodo. The scriptures say that we are to live for three scores plus ten. And looking at the programme, she was born in 1931, we are in 2013. That is a decade plus above what the scriptures prescribed for us. So, we have every reason to thank God.”

Senator Eze said: “I must confess that until the Bishop gave his sermon since my mother died on October 2, I cried every day, till today. I am not lying about it. But after the homily by Bishop Onah, I convinced myself that maybe crying could be one of the warning symptoms of fear because I have to desist from succumbing to that symptom.

“Like the bishop said, my mum was a very exemplary person. She did not go to school. Her mother was about four months pregnant when her father died. She was born into a polygamous family. But she had a life of her own from day one. She was able to school herself and she started in a very pastoral way.

“She wasn’t always a Christian. And it is important that I make that admission. She embraced Christianity at one point but she was losing her issues in quick succession. Every time she had a child, she lost it. So she began to question ‘this place I ran for refuge, there is no refuge here.’ So she returned to the traditional way of worship. But something was waiting for her. On that day she had bought the fowl, yam etc and everything that was needed for sacrifice, It was in the night, and then a scorpion stung her. She left the worship of the idol to run to place where to save her from the sting of the scorpion. After that, the next Sunday, she was the first person to arrive in church. She said: ‘If this idol could not prevent the scorpion from stinging me on an auspicious day with all these provisions for it, then that idol is not worth worshipping.’

“She ran back to the church and she never left the church. And we grew up under her footsteps because she must send you to farm, she must send you to market and all places. She will never pamper you. I thank God for the training she gave us.”

Also in attendance were members of the National Assembly, Chief Justice of the Federation, Aloma Mukhtar, other top ranking members of the executive and judiciary, ministers; governors, mostly those of the southeast and diplomats.