Rest on in God's Blossom ,Obiora.

Rest on in Go

Brodam,

Happy Birthday in heaven.
Alot has changed since you slept.
Sleep on dearly beloved Broda.
Missing you.

Goal Keeper.

Happy birthday in heaven my dearest Uncle Obiora. Continue to rest in peace in the bossom of the Lord.

Heaven is your Prize Obiora.
Continue to rest in perfect Peace. AMEN

Keep resting in the bossom of the Lord.
Uche

Rest on in God's bosom Obiora.

Obi, it's not easy to talk about you in the past tense. So I say Happy birthday to you where you are in the hereafter. May the perpetual light of Christ shine on you.

You live in our hearts, Obimbo!
Peace perfect peace, bro

My dear Uncle Obiora. I Did not forget you on Christmas day. I very much remembered. How can I forget when you always visited me on Christmas day. Saying that I miss you is an understatement, but what can I do? Sleep on my dear brother. May your wonderful soul continue to rest in peace.

Rest on Obiora, may God console your loved Ones. AMEN

Merry Christmas, Obimbo.
Keep resting peacefully...
Miss you my dear friend and bro.
Udo

Still can't believe that you are no more. Happy birthday Uncle Obiora. My brother with a golden heart. Looking at your picture just reminded me of that black Christmas. So much pain and sadness. Sleep on my dear Uncle Obiora until that morning when I ll see you in heaven cos I m sure that you are in heaven.

Continue to rest in Perfect Peace Obiora.

4 years... yet it still hurts so fresh!

"Kedu...?" as you'd always say in different circumstances, as you offered calm assurance.

Obimbo! Dreams shared, ambitions nurtured...

God knows best.

Keep resting peacefully, dear friend and bro

Merry Christmas!

My dearuncle Obiora you could have added another year if you were still here on earth but God chalked you home when He wished. Who am I to question God? Continue to rest in the blossom of the Lord. You will always be missed.

3 years gone and it is like you are still part of us. so much has happened my brother and they are all you desired for me. Your questo tion if l escorted orders to work to work has been answered....(

Obiora, Continue to rest on in the bosom of the Lord. Amen.

Obimbo,
Another Christmas without you...
3 years, yet so fresh...
Rest on, my dear friend.
May HIS light continue to shine upon you...

Nike,
A good man gone too soon......May your warm soul continue to rest in perfect peace. Amen.

Always ib our hearts. Stay blessed and continue to rest in perfect peace Good Good Man

Obimbo,

Happy birthday my dear friend and continue to rest peacefully, Amen.

Obimbo!

It wasn't to be like this.

The dreams, vision, projections and expectations... Whither?!
You always counseled patience and calm... To this end?!
Your sudden transition, Obiora is quite heart rending!
May Almighty God receive your gentle soul in His bosom, Amen.

Thank you for your unalloyed friendship and forthrightness.
For your exemplary unflinching faith and trust in God.
For your humaneness and unapologetic candour

Good night, my dear friend and brother.
Fare thee well, Obimbo...the quintessential "Cecil Gee" gentleman.
Kachifoo...

Obiora, Nike, Shairman, Chartered Cashier, Oil Magnate... you were a many of many monikers and indeed of many colours. You were peace-loving and full of wisom; yet witty and incredibly humorous; unassuming and also a great athlete.

Nike, you left much too early, but in your brief sojourn here on earth you left a positive impression on many people.

Shairman, I remember you with mixed emotions - laughter and tears. Go in peace, my brother!

Osondu.

I'm still lost for words at your passing Obiora. I can only say I was privilaged to have known you in my life, and glad I spent some quality time with you up to the few weeks leading to tour shocking demise. A true gentleman and loyal friend, our loss is heavens gain. Till we meet again "Nike", Adieu my brother!!

Rip uncle obiora

To Uchenna ,siblings,Adora and amazing Obiora's Blessings from the most high.I feel your pain,hurts,why this or that........two years ago we lost a brother Barr Ikechukwu Okoroafor same age as Obiora we were all devastaed but we all agreed to celebrate him ............Please lets all celebrate Obiora the name speaks volumes.!!! Adieu Baby brother Obiora we lost you on earth but an Angel was gained in heaven on the 25/12/15.It is well .

Jesus said" I am the Ressurection and the Life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and every one who lives and believes in Me will never die".
...Obiora,never in a million years would I have guessed that you would go home before any of us your sisters, but God knew. Through the tears, the pain,the hurt, the incredible sense of loss, I am reminded that to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ. I know deep down that you are with Christ right now, and truly"Nsogbu adiro" as you would always say regardless of the situation. And so I will not mourn like one who has no hope. Instead I will thank God for the 48 years He allowed you to walk this earth.
I remember how much our mother longed for and prayed for a son. After multiple miscarriages/ still births,and 3 lovely daughters( that will be me and your 2 sisters) our mother like any other Nigerian woman desired a son. I remember praying with her, I remember when she told us we would have brother and he would be named JAMES IKECHUKWU. I remember when you were eventually born, August 281967, just before the Nigerian/Biafran war broke out. They named you JAMES OBIORA IKECHUKWU .(had to get that 'O' in there so you would have the same initials as our Dad!)
I remember during the war in Umuchu, how you would not eat until we put on a dance show for you, and so each meal time our Father's sister Echenwa would call us"Olukwanu o, bianu telu Obiora egwu." And we would joyfully dance our little hearts out!!
I remember how once in a while Echenwa would place you on my back and I would rock you to sleep. I say once in a while because the woman never put you down! Echenwa and our mother were more than sisters in law, they were great friends, and we were not just her brothers children, we were hers too, and more so you! I remember you used to say that our mother gave birth to you, but Echenwa was your mother!!!
I remember knowing you were extra special to every one, even to our mother who never played favourites! And you were special to us your sisters too. Growing up with you was a blast, we knew to be protective of you, and you made it easy.
I remember 1999 when I came home because our father was sick. I spent the night in your house in Lagos,and next morning on our way to the Airport, you stopped by your office to call Enugu and let them know we were on our way. Little did I know that our father had passed on. You came out no change in your demeanor,and we carried on till we got home and I got the news. I remember asking why you didn't tell me in Lagos, and your response? Ka gini mezi a".
 And again in 2002, I remember, you and I alone in our mother's room,and you consoling me. You told me you did not cry because our mother did not die, that you and Nkiru watched her peacefully transition. You told me you wanted two things : first, that many would give their lives to Christ during our mother's funeral services, and secondly, that when your time came , that you would transition as she did! And by all accounts, you did too!!!
I am comforted every time I read the many many FB chats we had over the years. You finally agreed that you would come visit this summer!
 I remember my last phone call with you on 12/23/2015, my birthday. Yes you were sick, and in the hospital , but you were your normal jovial self. You even pulled a prank on me by pretending you were so sick you couldn't talk, and bursting into laughter when you heard my alarmed voice! You sounded so good, I didn't even think to call on the 24th. Surely, I thought you would be home on Christmas Day, so I will call you at home! You sure did go home on Christmas Day,but I will now have to wait for that resurrection morning to talk to you, I have that hope.
 So my beloved Ujuora, I will forever miss you, but we will take solace in knowing that you are with God, and that we have you living in your four children...Kamsi,Adaora, Fumnanya, and Uchenna. They will by the grace of God carry on your legacy and our Father's name." Ezi John .O.Ibeziako ama echi nata". Your sisters and I , God helping us ,will become to your wife Chinelo as Echenwa was to our mother. Rest in Perfect Peace.

Am still in shock since i heard this sad news this morning , obi may ur soul rest in peace , son to a woman who was part of what i am today , My sympathy goes to the ibeziako family , and to vivian and the kids may God grant ur comfort at this sad moment ijn amen

I am shocked. I can't believe such a great guy is gone. Obiora was a peaceful man whose quiet presence influenced things more than the loudest words could. He will be sorely missed. Now I am weaned from any illusion of immortality. Death in the family might deal us a shattering blow, but it's the death of a peer that jolts us to a palpable sense of our mortality.

OBIORA!!! NIKE!!! , Odiegwu!! I have come to these pages several times to leave you a tribute. Each time, I bulk at the thought of describing you in the past tense! I have waited, not sure what I was waiting for, but I can no longer wait. I have struggled to find the right words to describe you and the relationship we had. That, perhaps, is one of the major reasons for this feeling of melancholy. I have known you for over 33 years and together with several others, we have had this loose, easy, unassuming but very intimate friendship. We have discussed every aspect of our lives, easily. There have been long periods of silence, sometimes of over 2-3 years but we all always pick up where we left off, like we all saw each other the previous week. Those are friendships that are built for life, those are friendships that are not easy to replace. In a lot of ways, you have been the glue to hold this easy unassuming friendship amongst us all together. You have been the one that never let your ego or anyone else's ego for that matter, get in the way of doing or saying the right and truthful thing. You have always been there to say the right words when egos get bruised. You have been peaceful, patient, honest and without guile and in spite of all these, you were firm and steadfast when you needed to be. You have always approached life with this enviable sense of calm, and the firm belief that after all said and done, God's will, will be done, but that has never stopped you from working hard. Hanging out with you has always been one of the high lights of my visits to Enugu. I am going to miss you a lot my friend but I also know that you have left behind a young family who will even miss and need you much more. I will pray that the God, in whom you had an unshakable, uncomplicated belief, will give them the strength to cope and thrive in spite of your not being with them physically. Farewell OBIORA until the day that has been appointed. Adieu NIKE!!!

Man of Peace. I had a joke to crack with you on the morning of Dec 25 and was waiting for you to come on board but ended up receiving the devastating news . We love you but God loves you most. Je nkeoma.

For 33 years that we were close friends it was like we have been friends since I was born. You changed my life and thought me the value of patience in life. You were honest, loving ,caring. You held all the virtues of Christian life that you grew up in. Obi we truly and sincerely love you but only God knows why. Continue to rest in the Lord till we meet to part no more.

Obiora, may your kind soul rest in perfect peace, Amen

Ujuora... My one and only brother, friend and confidant. Gentleman par excellence. To know you is to love you.

Dear Br. Obi I never got to see you in Ibusa but it's a testament to your brotherliness that you came to witness that special day for Ik and I in spite of our inability to see you during our very short visit to Enugu. I had heard so much about you before and after your death. The summary is that you were a peaceful and unassuming man. Blessed are the peacemakers. May God show you that you are truly his son. RIP.

NIKE, my brother may your very gentle soul Rest in Perfect Peace; you were a man of peace. . . i have never known anyone quite like you. even as very young men you showed us ho to live.... we will miss you but we will take comfort in knowing that you must be somewhere better; somewhere made for Angels and Saints.

Uncle Obiora, Ur usual response could have been Bitimbi, and that was ur last word on earth . l can still hear your voice calling my name as u took ur last breath. Bros d tears refused to stop, even as I write this, I can't help and stop d tears from flowing. Nwanne m has gone home too soon. How I miss u, looking at ur lifeless body that day bearly few mins that I was talking to u on phone was d greatest shock I ve ever had in my life. Don't know what to write . u know U have a particular chair where u always sit in my eatery Dinning. Uncle Obiora that sit is empty. U ve not come around since Xmas. I looked forward to ur coming and is still looking forward to ur coming. But d truth is that u will never come again. Bros u encouraged me like no other person ever did. Jesus!!!!!!!! Those days we will talk and talk and d food u ate will dry up on ur palms. Ur contagious laughter and ur way of dismissing every trouble. Uche rapu ifeaaa. I missing u greatly. When I walked into my shop on d 4th of January. I looked at ur table . It was empty. Just couldn't stay. But what do I do. Rest in peace my brother rest in peace ezigbo mwannem. I miss u. My workers miss u. D entire DINNING miss u . Rest in peace Uncle Obiora.

Nike, you were one of a kind;..your gentle nature and sense of humour will be missed by us all. I was looking forward to meeting you in Enugu in February at the FGCE Independence House '84 set Re union. After creating that Forum and that of FGCE '84 Set, you turned your back on us. We shall for ever miss you. Rest on till we meet to part no more.

I don't know what to say. Too early you left... RIP

This tribute was added by Samuel Dimkpa
Dear Nike, as fondly called. Classmate, Friend, Companion.
Your humble nature is worthy of emulation. Miss You.

Nike, (as you were fondly known) our 're-connection mid 2015, after 31 years, was enabled by you @ the Independence house chat forum. It was brief, but impactful. I recall a private chat you sent me, where you made your deep thoughts about the Lordship of Jesus known to me. You offered me a slot in the planned February 2016 reunion to espouse on that subject. I have no doubts that those thoughts shaped your life till your very last breath. You are @ peace. At rest. For now, fare there well; bcos together with you "on that day we will sing Holy, Holy! On that day, we will bow down in the light. And then we will rise and turn our eyes to the One who is the Light of that City".

When I close my eyes, I still remember you in your Independence House uniform at FGCE. You were a year ahead of me in class,but one thing struck me about you was that you were very unassuming and kind. When we became friends on Facebook,that came to my mind again, how kind and gentle you were. I heard of your passing on Christmas day, and I was saddened but I take solace on the fact that you were a simple and good man.
Rest in Peace,Brother! We shall all see again in Greater Glory!

Uncle Obiora,

I cant get myself to accept your transition.

As soon as i got that painful call i screamed and kept saying its a lie and refused to accept it.

I told my husband that we must break the protocol and gather all the Men of God that had assembled for our annual RCCG LETS GO A FISHING program me to pray for your resurrection including our guest speaker Pst J .T. Kalejaye.

Bros m i was so sure you will get up and stay much longer with us.After all the prayers OBI you did not rise. Pst J. T told us that you would have come back to us if God wanted you to do so.

OBI, I remember growing up with you, i remember the days we played football together and you and i were a team of two with me as your goal keeper and the garage was our goal post,challenging Uche, IK and Chuchu. Despite the fact that they were THREE against us TWO we always defeated them lol lol .Bros you will give me a HI five and we would hug when we scored but when they scored us you will laugh at me and say Nini i na fe esepa ebe afu Ik enye anyi GOOO. it was so much fun. Fun Loving Bros!!

OBI, I remember our trip to Jos to visit Aunty U in the 80s,  I particularly remember  our visit to wild life park and how cold i was because i had left my cardigan in the car I must have under estimated the weather. Bros u looked at me and said Oyi ana tu gi ? I nodded and you quickly pulled out your sweater and gave to me.That is typical of you. Kind and affectionate Bros!!

OBI, In 1995 while going to look for you in Ajao Estate i met my husband PJ. You told me that he was your friends friend and encouraged me to marry him.That day you begged me that due to tight work Schedule  you would not be able to take me out for lunch. Bros you gave me N4000 and told me to make sure i go somewhere nice and treat myself.

Bros i took your counsel and eventually married John. Thank you for that counsel and encouragement. It was you that God used to fulfill my destiny of early marriage.

OBI NWANNEM you eventually became my neighbour i recall how i used to send my maid to call you for lunch whenever i made a sumptions meal.

Nwakaibeya, you made my trip to Ibuzo during Iks trad memorable  we were together in Aunty Nkirus house in Illah .We gisted through out the night with Aunty Nkiru, Bros we laughed and played as we remembered our childhood days, at interval you will signal me to go to Aunty Nkirus fridge to get drinks. I remember how i grapped your chicken from you. We played till about 2am when i forced my self away because of my early trip to lagos next day.

OBI my telephone conversation with you on the 23rd of Dec 2015 was somehow, you promised me that we shall see at the wedding despite the fact that you were yet to get the invite.Bros in a nutshell you said we are family and no need for formalities or protocol with family members. Thats how simple you are.

OBI you are one bros i never had cause to say WAKA SHEGE to in my mind as child and even now that i have grown lol lol

OBI i bu Odogwu !!!

OBI I bu nwakaibeya !!!

OBI i bu onye eji eje mba !!!

Obi I bu dike!!!

OBI i bu onye oga adili nma!!!

Obi i bu onye eziokwu!!!

OBI i malunma na ese okwu!!!

OBI i bu Nwannemmmmmmmmmmm!!!

Thank you for the 41 years you shared with me.Nnaa jee nke oma. Ilusie kene lum Father Abraham ,Mama, Papa,Mama Chinwe, Papa Emeka na Mama Adanma.

Nwa Oma Sleep On till Resurrection Morning.

Adieu !!!!

From Your goal keeper
Nini.

Obiora, the news of your sudden death was devastating . 30 years and no contact. Suddenly , everyone of '84set of FGCE was looking forward to catching up or contributing to the chats. I wasn't able to add so much but I so enjoyed every yab ,gist etc. I was at the filling station on the 5th of Dec on a very long cue when you sent in a chat that you were off to go and sell a trailer load of fuel , I thought to myself - If only I was around you -----. We all were friends even before FGCE . We started from Aria , Kingsway road - Chinwe , Chiazo, Amaka Akosa and the Udokwus. My question is , why was it just after we all reconnected that Death snatched you away? I give God praise for this wonderful family you have left behind . The light you have lit will not go out . Rest in Peace dear, until we all meet in Eternity .I pray God gives your loved ones the Grace to bear this Loss.

Obiora,our journey in Federal Government College Enugu (FGCE) started together in 1980 when you transferred from NIKE (National Grammer school Nike) to FGCE in our form 2.You were nicknamed NIKE and that name stood the test of time just like your witty,humorous,genteel,unpretentious,humble,caring,kind,self-less nature.We were both in Independence house (known for it's no-holds-barred njakili (yabis) and practical jokes in our '84 set). I remember many instances when we all got in trouble with senior boys in our junior year for different transgressions and you would always escape punishment by saying to the senior boy . "Ima na anyi adika" .You were reserved in our FGCE days and was always on the receiving end of a lot of 'yabis' (njakili) and jokes but you had a teflon shield to jokes and never got upset or lost your cool.
Fast forward to 2015,you created the whatsapp group, 'Independence house boys 1984 set' ,brought all of us together from different parts of the globe,albeit in the virtual world and held center court with your charismatic,unbridled sense of humor which seemed to materialize magically from nowhere since you were not among the funniest in our Independence house set.Even when attempts were made to use the same 'old fgce jokes' on you,you disarmed everyone with your self-deprecation.When I followed your example and created the 'fgce 1984 set' whatsapp group and made you the first group admin,I knew there would never be a boring moment in the forum but even I under-estimated your hilarious,captivating humor.You enthralled everyone and got most of us hooked on the group.You were planning a reunion of Independence house boys 1984 set for this Feb 2016 and I was looking forward to visiting Nigeria again and trading stories and barbs with you just like school days but God had other plans for you.Adieu Obiora (Nike),my friend till we meet to part no more.
Your spirit and the fond memories will live on with us.
God will comfort and strengthen your wife,Chinelo,siblings and cousins

-Josy

Obi,
The able chairman and chartered cashier you will be missed till we meet at the feet of the master Jesus.

A brother friend classmate and above all an inspiration. Loyal honest and caring till the very end. Sad loss and a complete gentleman in every sense of the word

Obiora,may your gentle soul rest in peace!

Only God knows why. Rest peacefully with him. Amen!