To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  A time to be born … (Ecclesiastes 3: 1 – 2a, KJV)

When on Tuesday, 13th March 1973, the witty baby girl who later became the middle child of their blessed home of nine children, was born, little did Chief Alphonsus and Lolo Theresa Nwogu have in their imagination that a special breed, a bright and radiant star with an irrepressible courage and fearless disposition, and a relentless amazon was divinely apportioned to their domain to become a bastion of strength, support, wisdom, and direction to their Family.

When the elated couple elected to give her two wonderful names of “Nkiruka”, her Igbo name, and “Josephine”, her Christian name on 9th May 1973, they hardly comprehended that the Sovereign One had divinely led them to choose those names to mirror His appointed mission and role for their daughter, not only in their Family, but well beyond the frontiers of the Umuoke Village in Obowo Town, Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State, which produced the legendary Sam Onunaka Mbakwe as the first democratic Governor of Imo State, Nigeria.

Nkiruka, as the name depicted, was born to remain positively inclined to a greater and brighter future; never indulgent with past regrets, always forward-looking, adventurous, having a solid faith of possibilities and an unflinching determination to make success of any positive venture in her path. Willingly, she allowed the divine path cast for her to drive her into taking a leadership position that distinguished her Family into an enviable and exemplary enclave and recipient of glowing references in the community.

Having been raised as a Roman Catholic, Nkiruka imbibed the stoic discipline of the denomination which saw her emergence into an icon of urbane character, and a settler for only high standards. Not a pretentious one, Nkiruka ensured that she lived by example by taking the lead in any set target for achievement. Yet, she remained humble, humane, considerate, fair in her dealings, and never lacked in kindness. Indeed, but for an incident in her youth, she would have ended up a Roman Catholic Nun, entirely devoted to the help of humanity. She loathed mediocrity, laziness, and injustice. She was always willing to fight for the oppressed and restore justice whenever she can. She was sold totally to the ideals of fairness and forbearance and was disposed to not only confront wrongs but to also forgive ills.

Nkiruka’s formal education saw her proceeding to Secondary School in 1984 at the age of 11 years after having a glorious successful primary education. She had a stint of the junior secondary school education at the Assumpta Girls’ Secondary School, Ikenanzizi, Obowo, Imo State, and thereafter, proceeded to Okenanlogho Secondary and Technical School (OSTS), Obowo, Imo State, where she completed her senior secondary school education in 1990 and was issued with the School Leaving Certificate and Testimonial on 26th July 1991.

As a very serious and industrious student, Nkiruka, was a shining example for all to behold. She was appointed a School Prefect and she blazingly maintained sterling results in school for which she emerged from the school as one of the leading lights with excellent grades as a part of the first set of Nigerian students who sat for the Senior Secondary School (SSC) Examinations in 1990 under the 6-3-3-4 system of education pioneered by the then Minister of Education, Professor Babs Fafunwa, of blessed memory.

Having determined to pursue her dream to become a lawyer, Nkiruka, gained admission into the Faculty of Law, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, with Registration Number 9340340 in 1993 from where she graduated in 1999 to proceed to the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. Her dream became a reality on 23rd January 2001 when she was called to the Nigerian Bar as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

For twenty years, Nkiruka gave herself to the practice of her profession. She was aligned to the conservative class of the profession, and played by the Rules. Having done her legal internship in 2000 with the erstwhile Law Firm of ILO & OKOLI (LEGAL PRACTITIONERS) in Victoria Island, Lagos, she had her one year of National Service as a Corper in the Law Firm of DICKSON D. I. OSUALA & CO. (LEGAL PRACTITIONERS) at the famous Western House, Lagos Island, Lagos, in 2001, and thereafter, joined the Law Firm of GEORGE ETOMI & PARTNERS (LEGAL PRACTITIONERS) then in Victoria Island, Lagos, from where she worked for seven years and advanced her progression to become the Head of Litigation.

Nkiruka took her nine years of experience, skill and expertise as a Litigation Guru to AMAECHI & AMAECHI (LEGAL PRACTITIONERS) which Law Firm she managed as a Partner and Notary Public until her transition to glory. Indeed, she loved legal practice and deployed every opportunity to utilize it in the service of mankind. She believed it was not just a profession for financial gains, but a calling to service to humanity, and therefore, stuck to the ethos of the profession in her dealings with legal matters and issues on her table. Nkiruka was liberal in providing pro bono legal services and advice to many beneficiaries. She used her connections and contacts to advance the fortunes of many.

She was a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch, member, Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Committee, NBA Section on Business Law, member of the Capital Market Solicitors Association, and member of Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA). In all of those Associations, Nkiruka contributed her bit to advance the interests of the Association. 

Although she lost her Father less than three months after she became a Legal Practitioner, Nkiruka got married to her University heartthrob with whom she raised four beautiful children before her divine home call on 29th March 2021, after serving God and humanity for more than three decades of her glorious life on earth. Her 20-year marriage to her friend, confidant, and colleague, Chukwunonso Uzoezie Amaechi, was exemplary and became a reference point for some of her admirers as the couple had a reputation of being seen together almost everywhere and in many events, occasions, and public outings. They stuck like Siamese twins. It was virtually difficult to find one without the other. It wasn’t uncommon for some of their acquaintances to perceived them as “siblings” on account of their facial semblance, skin colour, cheerful disposition, and uncanny symmetry. Theirs was a union divinely ordained and knit together with a cord that cannot be broken.

Being a lover of sports, Nkiruka enjoyed aerobics, cycling, played Lawn Tennis, and loved dancing. She was an avid reader, a music lover, and very adventurous in her foreign trips on business, leisure, or for global evangelism. 

Nkiruka prays a lot. She loved God and had such close relationship with her Creator who invested in her a lot of spiritual gifts and commissioned her into executing a lot of intercessory assignments for the deliverance of many from the stronghold of evil and darkness. Nkiruka, who was partially raised by her late maternal grandmother, was a huge blessing to many who crossed her path. She was always ready to make new friends, and was never fatigued to sow into the life of anyone whom God leads to her path. Her life was one of loving sacrifice, and she put a lot of smiles on the faces of many beneficiaries of the grace of God in her life. Indeed, that constituted her ultimate joy in life. She died a consummate born-again Christian and amazon of faith. 

She is survived by her darling husband, four children, mother-in-law, mother, and eight siblings, apart from numerous cousins, nieces, aunts, and uncles from her paternal and maternal lineages.