Condolence letter Edo Delta Diocese of the Methodist Church of Nigeria goes here.
 

TRIBUTE TO MY DEAR FATHER (IN LAW)

I am indeed grateful to Almighty God for the life he gave to you my dear father (in law). You lived a fulfilled life with fierce love for your family and absolute dedication to serving God and humanity.

Papa was very kind, honest, humble and consistent gentleman. He was very supportive of me and my husband, his son, from the time I was married into the Obu family.  I was privileged to be papa’s daughter in law that he spent most time with, since he lived with my family for four years before his demise. During this period, papa demonstrated deep love and support for us, particularly at the early part of our marriage when we were waiting on God to have children. Unlike some fathers in law who may be indifferent, papa continually prayed for us and often encouraged us with words of hope till God exalted His Name. He treated me like his biological daughter. He advised and criticized constructively anytime the need arose, maintaining that dogged hard work and perseverance pay off in the long run.

Papa was a devout Christian. He studied his bible at quiet times and sang hymns joyfully even till the later period of his illness. His humility, dedication and commitment to Christianity is worthy of emulation.

Thank you for relocating to Asaba which you did with Mama,to support my husband and your grandchildren while I was out studying in the United Kingdom. We truly miss your fatherly advice, unconditional love and great support. Your exit has created a vacuum in our lives that no one else can fill. Our children, Onyemachi, Chizaram and Otito miss you dearly, they can’t stop asking questions.

Rest on Papa till we meet to part no more.

Adieu dearest Papa.

Your (daughter in law)

Ifeoma Obu.

Poem: 'If' by Rudyard Kipling
Songs: "Amazing Grace" and "I Did it My Way" by Frank Sinatra 
Colour: Grey 

As a surgeon returning to an area in the developing world  Dr Gabriel Obu found himself challenged by the absence of some essential equipment. In this situation he did not fold his hands and complain but took it upon himself to endeavour to improvise and invent whenever possible. This was the situation in March 1973, two months after his return to Nigeria from Scotland. Dr Gabriel Obu working with the skills of local craftsmen especially metalworkers, designed and fabricated several basic surgical devices with which he consistently saved many lives. His first inventions a device modeled after the leg extension splint of Hugh Owen Thomas was successfully fabricated and used in 1973. An accident fracture of the left femoral neck of a patient was successfully treated in a hospital that did not have an orthopedic table. This device is the subject of an article published in 2004 and titled: SURGEONS WORKSHOP: A DEVICE TO FACILITATE HIP NAILING ON A STANDARD OPERATING TABLE - THE OPERATING LEG SPLINT 

Dr Gabriel joined the service of the then Eastern region he first worked as a house officer in Enugu before he was posted to Calabar and later back to Enugu from where he proceeded abroad to specialize in Orthopedic Surgery. Before specializing in Orthopedic surgery he had already been trained by eighteen American Orthopedic surgeons at Enugu. The team was led by Professor Enneking. The American specialist adjudged him as having the expertise of a qualified specialist and encouraged him to go abroad and obtain a fellowship in Orthopedic Surgery to back up his outstanding skills.

He traveled abroad on in-service training in 1964 to specialize in Orthopedics initially in Canada and later in the United Kingdom. He worked at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto (one of the largest and most specialized childcare hospitals not just in Canada but indeed the whole of North America). The family later moved to the United Kingdom in 1965 and after periods in London and Edinburgh they moved to Greenock and finally Glasgow Royal Infirmary where he was when he obtained his fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow. It was from here Gabriel returned to Nigeria with his family in 1973.

On his return to Nigeria he worked at Owerri General Hospital and later Okigwe General hospital as Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon. He had returned to government service in 1973 but was forced out in 1975 following wrongful accusations from which he was subsequently completely exonerated. He continued to work in the Private sector and later started his own Hospital the Obu Clinic in Aba,  from where he retired from active medical practice in 1999.

Dr Gabriel Obu has been keenly involved in community development all his life. He has single handedly treated hundreds of Umuasua and Isuikwuato sons and daughters many treated completely free of charge and most for very little indeed. In addition to community health contributions he was the first person to grade and maintain the main road up the hill into Umuasua town via Ugwuogu and the hill is popularly called 'Ugwu Doctor' till today. He was Chairman of the governing board  of the Isuikwuato Boys High School for many years as well as Patron of the St John’s Ambulance Brigade at Ovim Girls Secondary School in the seventies. Dr Gabriel Obu was one of the founding members of the Isuikwuato Development Union (Home Branch). Concerned about the plight of war wounded Biafran soldiers he dedicated his time and resources to treating and providing prosthetic aids to inmates of the Catholic Church run,  Hope-ville Rehabilitation Centre, Uturu Okigwe. His efforts in this regard were recognized when he along with Dr Nnanna Ukaegbu received  a letter of Papal commendation for humanitarian services “as true leaders of their people” from the late Pope Paul VI. Dr Gabriel Obu has also been committed to encouraging the training of younger doctors for the community. He was a mentor and referee to younger doctors such as Eze (Dr) Godwin Ugbam and of course it makes sense that three of his own children would follow in his steps and train to become doctors. His eldest grand daughter has also graduated as a medical doctor from his very own alma mater the University of Liverpool. He has always taken a keen interest in the progress of the community and encouraged his children to do likewise. 

In 1962 while a young doctor at Calabar the handsome Gabriel met and married the beautiful young Regina Udunwa the daughter of Gabriel and  Lucy Udunwa of Umuonyeali Mbieri, and prominent members of the Igbo society in Calabar at that time. Mr Gabriel Udunwa was the Life President of the Owerri Provincial Union, Calabar branch as well as the Life President Igbo Union. The young couple started married life in Calabar after a society wedding that was the talk of the town of Calabar in those days. Dr and Mrs Gabriel Obu have now been very happily married for over fifty three years and have six children together. Ever the egalitarian, Dr Obu is the father of three sons and three daughters. Among his six children he has three chartered accountants and three medical doctors, all specialists in their chosen fields that include an Orthopedic surgeon, a Psychiatrist/Medical Director of a Psychiatric hospital and an Obstetrician/ General Practitioner . His eldest son and namesake is a Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon just like his father. His children who are accountants work variously as Management Consultant, Payroll Manager and a partner in the international firm of PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Dr Gabriel Obu returned to Nigeria in 1960 after his medical studies as the first doctor in the then Okigwe division of the old eastern region. The Okigwe division of those days covered areas that are now parts of Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi States. At the reception which held for him in Port Harcourt where the ship bringing him back berthed, he was received by the entire Okigwe division at a colourful event chaired by the late Sam Mbakwe later to become the governor of Imo State who had the distinction of being the first lawyer in the entire Okigwe division.

Gabriel proceeded to the United Kingdom in 1952 as a regional scholar and was admitted to the prestigious University of Liverpool in 1953 to study medicine. His stay at the University of Liverpool was marked by academic excellence. During his stay at Liverpool while excelling at his studies, he found time to go and listen to 4 boys as they practiced in a basement. This four man musical group (still boys at that time) would later become world famous as the "Beatles". He also found time to visit the Liverpool Philharmonic, and support the Liverpool football club

For a couple of years Gabriel taught at Methodist Boys High School and later City College both in Lagos and also volunteered as  games master being an avid footballer and cricketer who had represented his house and school in football and cricket.

Gabriel Onyemachi Obu was born in 1929 to the illustrious family of Late Pa Obu Nwafor of Ugwuogu, Umuasua  and the late Mrs Orieji Obu nee Iroegbu of Ndi-Okoji also of Umuasua (known to all as "Nnenne") his mother the  late Orieji Obu was popularly called Nnenne and she was truly a mother and grandmother to all and sundry. At the tender age of four years the young Gabriel briefly attended St Barthlomews Pre-School, Enugu until he was brought back to the village by his maternal uncle Gordon. In 1936 at the age of seven Gabriel started Primary School at Methodist Primary School, Umuasua. His classmates and friends included the late Jeremiah Okorie and Phillip Ahia. In 1937 while in standard one his mother bought him an English Bible and so started his love of the Bible.

In 1938 Gabriel was sent by his father in the company of his cousin the late Isaiah Onwuka to Collegiate School Amaogwugwu-Ihe, Mbawsi where he spent a year studying under the principal-ship of the renowned late J. Ben Liverpool (M.A. Columbia, M.A. London). After a swimming accident where he nearly drowned he returned to Umuasua and later went with his uncle Silas Onwuka (Mgboo) to complete his primary education at St Peter's School Benin City. Throughout his primary school years Gabriel was always the youngest in the class as well as the first in the class.

In  1943 Gabriel gained admission to Government College Ibadan reputed to be the best secondary school in Nigeria at that time under the principal-ship of Rtd. Captain H T C Field and later V.B.V. Powell, after passing the highly competitive joint Kings College Lagos and Government College Ibadan entrance examination. His father an accomplished farmer died shortly after. Not being from the Western region he was not eligible for a Western regional scholarship but after his first year he was awarded the privately sponsored Newbury scholarship in Government College Ibadan on merit. He later enjoyed a full Eastern regional scholarship through the efforts of Principal Powell who wrote to the Regional government on his behalf (he would have gotten the scholarship automatically if he had been schooling in the Eastern region). Gabriel graduated from Government College Ibadan in 1948 with 9 (nine) distinctions. While at Government College Ibadan some of his schoolmates were HRH Oba Eradiauwa, the Oba of Benin, who was his senior, Dr Tunji Otegbeye who was one year ahead of him and Prof Wole Soyinka renowned Noble laureate who was his junior. The young Gabriel was not only an outstanding student but also a keen athlete. He represented his school in football and cricket and was popularly called Don Bradman, after the famous Australian bowler, due to his prowess in cricket.

 He gained admission as a pioneer student to the University College Ibadan in 1948 to study medicine but left with several others the following year after being victimized for protesting the inhuman massacre of 21 coal miners and wounding of 51 others in Enugu by the then colonial regime in 1949. This was the first demonstration of Gabriel's penchant for the defense of human rights.