It was a celebration of life at Rumuorlumeni community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers state last Saturday as Ikwerre sons and daughter gathered to bid farewell to late Mrs Wordu Grace Wamanda, who at a reported age of 145 years was the oldest surviving woman in Ikwerre land before her death.
Five months ago families and relatives of the Late Mrs. Wordu rolled out the drum to celebrate her record breaking 145th birthday. She had already surpassed the age of any living woman in her clan and the ceremony was marked with fanfare and various traditional and religious rites a day prayers for ageless woman.
However, Niger Delta Report investigation revealed that members of the late woman’s family were unhappy about perceived non-recognition of her feat by both the local and state authorities.
Some elders in Ikwerre land who spoke with our reporter argue that Mrs Wordu was not only the oldest woman in Ikwerre, but in Rivers State and probably in the world.
It was gathered that the debate on whether Mama Grace Wamanda had broken the world record for longevity resurfaced shortly after her death two weeks earlier.
Sources within the family agreed that it was indeed difficult to ascertain the accurate account of her age due to the fact that she had outlived traditional historians and her contemporaries who are the custodians of her family records.
“Most of those who are elders in the various families said they could not give good account of mama because they met her in the family at her old age, that means those who could give a detail account of Mama are no longer living. It is difficult to meet anybody who knew her as a young lady,” a member of the family told our reporter.
Consequently, it was learnt that the age of 145 was unanimously adopted based on the oral accounts of her younger relatives, who have clocked 100 years and their memories of how older she was based on other historical events such as eclipses and natural events and disasters.
But some of the elder members of the family, especially the women folks maintained that Mama is above 145. They lamented that the Ikwerre nation had been robbed of record of producing the world’s oldest woman because of lack accurate and verifiable records.
Mrs. Chinyere Nchelem Manuyewhor Wordu, one of the family’s daughters-in-law, who spoke to Niger Delta Report said. “I was married into the family at the age of 25 years with the approval of Mama. But I met her as a very old woman. She was already using walking stick; she was very old and today I am above 50 years and we are still taking about 145th as her age it can’t be, mama was more than that.”
Speaking further, Mrs Wordu revealed that longevity ran in the family, recalling that, “Mama’s father died at the age of 130 years. I will say that is part of her family’s grace. Mama was a very nice woman who cared for everyone in the family she took us all like her sons and daughters. She never antagonized anybody to the extent of being push to the wall. She was discipline, courageous and hard working woman.”
Chief Sunday Wahunoro, 88, who is the current head of the family and kindred also averred that the late Mrs Wordu’s age could be over 145, adding that the family merely relied on the fact available to them.
“She is older than the age they calculated because my own mother died at the age of 135 years. Mrs. Grace was among the pioneer member of Evo-nu-Apara women meeting of Rumuolumeni in the 70s and 80s. She was the President of Evo-nu-Apara Women’s meeting in Rumuorlumeni and she was a member of Rinya Ohna Rumuorlumeni group.”
Another member of the family, Dr. Agwnu Justice Oduchi, a media consultant said, “Mama should be celebrated as Ikwerre world’s oldest woman, I think it sounds unbelievable to many people but it is rea. The world should know that people in Ikwerre ethnic national are living with the grace of God. If what happen to us was to be other part of the country the news would have been everywhere but here it looks as if we don’t appreciate God. Mama was a peace loving woman she made a lot of sacrifice in pursuing peace in the family and the entire community.”
The Biography of Late Mrs. Wordu, which the family presented to NDR, showed that she had no biological children of her own, but she ‘adopted’ her stepchildren and all the children around her, who she treated with love and care as she would her own children.
Manuyewhor Samuel Wordu, one of those she took as her children said. “Mama Grace got married as the first wife (Ogbotu) to the Late Chief Wordu Wawhnunoro in Mgbu-Iriata of Rumuorlumeni in Akpor Kingdom. Mama was very supportive to her husband who was a teacher at the time of their marriage. Despite the fact that the marriage was not blessed with a child, her husband loved her. Being a well groomed woman she understood what friends may say to her husband, so she advised her husband to take another wife on her behalf like Sarah in the bible. The second wife died after giving birth to two children and they became hers.”
