Umuahia, Aug. 25, 2021

The family of late Dr M.I. Okpara, former Premier of the defunct Eastern Region, has formally announced the death of its Matriarch, Mrs Adanma Okpara.

The second son of the family, Chief Uzodinma Okpara, announced the passage of their mother at a news briefing on Wednesday in their Umuekwu Okpualu Ohuhu country home in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia.

Uzodinma, who lived with the deceased since the death of their father in 1984, said she died on Sunday at the age of 99.

He said: “My mother took ill in the early hours of Sunday, Aug. 22. We quickly rushed her to Madonna Catholic Hospital, Umuahia, where she died.

“She lived a full and accomplished life.”
He described the deceased as a community leader, a philanthropist and politician, who supported her husband during his political sojourn in the old eastern region.

“Our father reigned as the premier of the old region from 1959 to 1966.

“He became famous because he ran one of the fastest growing economies in the country then.

“And you know that behind every successful man there is a pillar and Adanma was that pillar,” Uzodinma said.

He paid special tribute to the deceased for carrying on the task of raising the children after Okpara’s death.

He said that while alive, she engaged in community and church activities, doing humanitarian services that touched the lives of those that came in contact with her.

He said the family would remain eternally grateful to God for the exemplary and fulfilled life she lived.

“We have no regrets. But we shall miss the bond we enjoyed with her because she lived here with me.

“But her death is a celebration of life for us,” he said.

He said the family would formally write to the Abia State Government and eight other states that made up the old eastern region, about the death of their mother.

Uzodinma, a one-time state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed gratitude to friends and sympathisers, who had called to condole with the family.

He said the burial arrangement would be announced later by the family.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Uzodinma was flanked at the briefing by the Traditional Rulers of Ekeoba Kingdom and Umuegwu Obiohuru Afugiri Autonomous Community, Eze Iheanyichukwu Nwokenna and Eze Charles Ngwuli.

Others were the President-General of Ohuhu Welfare Union, Chief Obi Aguocha and former Minister of Defence, Amb. Thompson Aguiyi-Ironsi, who was there to condole with the family.

Amb. Aguiyi-Ironsi’s mother, former First Lady of Nigeria, Lady Victoria Aguiyi-Ironsi, also passed, on Monday, August 23, 2021.

In a brief interview with NAN, Aguocha paid glowing tribute to the late matriarch, saying that she lived an exemplary life and would be sorely missed by the Ohuhu clan.

He said the deceased was never found wanting in community and church activities, adding that Ohuhu people would strive to uphold the ideals she and her husband were known for.

NAN reports that the deceased was survived by six children – three males and three females – in addition to grand and great-grand children.