ORATION AT THE GRAVESIDE OF ELDER KENNETH NNAMDI EKWESIANYA, SISTER GRACE UJU EKWESIANYA AND SISTER CHIOMA GRACE EKWESIANYA ON 30 JUNE 2021 AT EKWESIANYA’S COMPOUND AZIA, ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

TRIBUTE TO A LOVING FATHER, MOTHER AND SISTER

Life may be beautiful like summer flowers, but in death it withers like autumn leaves.

On that fateful day of February 3, you all went to church to pray; and like Abel, your bloods were spilt on the altar of righteousness. 

Dad, our hearts still search for you, our minds still talk to you; our Spirit tells us you are at peace. Like you knew you were going to leave, you summoned us all home, a month before your death, and blessed us. 

You raised your family in love, led the Church in humility, supported the weak in grace, and exited the scene on the Altar of your Maker. You rose from the dusts of poverty and idolatry, to bequeath to us the gifts of success and morality. Indeed, you were not just a biological father: you were a patriarch, a leader, a teacher, a role model, a beacon of hope and support. You eased the burdens of those around you. 

We cannot adequately describe the magnitude of your service to God and humanity, as that will amount to a great disservice to the memories of your existence. 

In our journey through life, we will continue to uphold your values of hard work, good judgement, courage, justice and integrity; we will never fail to raise our voice, in favour  of the oppressed, in favour of the suppressed. 

Mum, the vacuum created by your departure has left us in a great state of bewilderment. As the world moved on, we stood alone in grief, broken in heart, shattered in expectations, frozen in uncertainties. For like an angel, you lived amongst us, showed us the way, and led us to where we are today. With your love, we were so blessed for so many years. 

You were an epitome of a virtuous woman, a Christian mother and a dream wife. Your companionship to dad is a reference point to us all. As Christ loved His Church, you loved dad even unto death.

Your children are crying; your grandchildren are asking; your loved ones are hoping. When shall we see you? We miss the sound of your voice, the stories of your life, the wisdom in your counsel, the touch of your kindness. We so much miss the prayers and blessings you always offered us each time we spoke, whether on phone or in-person; in times of success or in periods of challenges.

Your dogged attitude and indefatigable spirit in the face of challenges will ever remain a light on our paths of life. 

Sister Chioma, the highest tribute we can give you is not grief, but gratitude. For you led a life of sacrifice for the welfare of your siblings. At critical moments of hardship, you gave up your university education so that we could have enough resources to complete ours. And while we moved out in search of better lives, you elected to remain with dad and mum, taking good care of them. Your love for us was manifested even at death, that you had to die first, leaving mum and dad alive so that we would not be orphans. You never lived to know that the same barrel of the wicked that took you away would also snatch away these loving parents from us.

We appreciate your loving sacrifice, and will forever engrave these deeds in our hearts. We cannot have a better sister than you. 

The dead cannot cry out for justice: it is the duty of the living to do it for them. That is why we have apprehended your killers and, by God's grace, will get deserving justice on your behalves. To God Almighty we still remain grateful, for His streams of grace that have kept us afloat. 

The tears we shed are not a mark of despair: they are messengers of overwhelming grief, of unspeakable love, of loads of affection unrepaid. Good people must die, but death cannot kill their names. To us, your passing away is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the light because the dawn has come. 

As we stagger between the two events of birth and death, the loving memories of your existence we will forever cherish. This bond of sacred love will remain unbroken for all eternity. Neither gun nor death can erase your good deeds from our hearts. 

Have a great rest, Elder. Have a peaceful rest, Mummy. Have a saintly rest, Chy. We will surely meet on the Resurrection Morning, to continue to live as one, never to be killed again, never to die again. 

Dr Andrew Chiagozie Ekwesianya.

A few weeks before dad's demise, he had a dream where he was running a race with mum and another lady whose face he could not decipher. The road had marked lines. As they were running the race, they reached a point with a road sign written "20 KM FROM JERUSALEM". And he woke from sleep.
Dad told this dream several times in church and also during our family morning devotions when we came back home.
From the dream, we were all sure dad, mum and the other person (then unknown) were on the right path toward the New Jerusalem. But what about 20km? Would dad and mum die on the same day? Who was the other person? All the church members were still perplexed over the full interpretation of the dream.
My personal interpretation of the dream was that dad still had at least 20 years more to live before being called to rest. However, I could then not explain why mum and the other person were running at the same track level with dad.
But God had His own way. When He said "20km", He really meant "20km"; no addition, no subtraction. 
A few weeks thereafter, dad, mum and sister Chioma lost their lives as they were praying during church service. They had reached the end of their race.
"Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Isaiah 46:10.