The Biography of Lolo Roseline Ikwubuo.
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CHILDHOOD LIFE: Our sweet mother, EZINNE LOLO ROSELINE EGO-OYIBO IKWUBOU(nee Anyaibe ) for whom the sound of her death news has made the rounds is here being laid to rest in strict compliance with the law of nature that every living creature is one day appointed to die as what goes around comes around. It suffices to say that the life of man in this our mother earth is ephemeral, transient, short and fizzles out in a jiffy / brief moment. Mama was no exception to this cosmic imperative.
Born since 93 years ago (1928-2021) to the noble family of Nze Peter Anyaibe Onumaka and Mrs. Elizabeth Anyaibe of blessed memory at Umuawaha Uba Umuaka in Njaba L.G.A of Imo State, as the 3rd child of her parents, Mama was adored as an elegance personified, a child of destiny with good luck and thus too precious to behold. It was against these backdrops that they named her “Ego-Oyibo” which figuratively portends “a precious jewel of inestimable value” indeed a “treasure crest”
EDUCATIONAL LIFE: Mama attended the St. Mary’s Primary School Umuaka but she dropped at Standard 2 due to compelling circumstances. Suffice it to say that out of the 9 children of her parents, Mama and her eldest sister, Late Mrs. Oludazie Anueyiagu Agwumezie (nne Anyaibe) were denied the ample opportunity to complete their formal education as to pave way for the education of their younger siblings. This was a supreme sacrifice they made that provided educational advantage to their younger siblings over them.
OCCUPATIONAL CAREER: Due to the situation she found herself, as an obedient child, she joined her parents in the agricultural occupation where she showed a great enterprise with tenacity of purpose right from her early stage in life. She was well-grounded in livestock, food crops, fruits, vegetables and palm produce production using organic farming techniques. Little wonder when she grew up, as a woman with a Midas touch, she made a successful career in agriculture and established agro-service farms at Ohaji/Egbema, Obide, Agwa, Izombe communities of Imo state and Umunede in Delta State where she held sway in the production and sales of palm produce (oil and kernel), processed cassava (garri and fufu) and other foodstuffs.
Mama was a child-prodigy, precocious and imbued conventional wisdom. Also, she was bequeathed with a sound home training and social etiquette which distinguished and always made her stand tall among her peers or contemporaries. As a damsel, she was intelligent and well-groomed, always looking clean, cute and charming, cheerfully dressed and gorgeous which sterling virtues were inculcated to her by the parents who were well-informed.
Driven by the aforesaid attributes, Mama became a renowned cosmetologist or beautician and used to manufacture hair dye, hair conditioner, shampoo and was an adept in hairdressing business from which she eked out a living, fended for the family and made ends meet. As a role model, she mentored a lot of the indigent women especially the widows in her businesses and empowered them economically.
MARRIAGE LIFE: As a damsel, Mama became a cynosure and toast to all the prospective suitors of the time within the vicinity who could not resist the allurement of her dazzling beauty, demeanour, strength of character, entrepreneurship, adroitness and above all, her godly and altruistic dispositions which was unprecedented and unparalleled. However, among the suitors, the young High Chief Michael Ugboaja Ikwubuo – the then Paramount chief of Uba Umuaka Ancient kingdom, a man of high intelligent quotient and a scion-cum-doyen of traditional customs, emerged victorious as the lucky winner against the runners-up, by dint of fate. They got married and tied the nuptial knot in 1953 in the catholic church and, the glory of God, the marriage was blissfully consummated with the gift of 6 children (3 males and 3 females) of whom there are 4 survivors alive today including High Chief Hon. (Dr.) Eddy Chidi Ikwubuo (Agunechemba Njaba), the Executive Chairman (sub-sisting) of Njaba and Ezinne Victoria Offor (nee Ikwubuo) amongst others.
SOCIO-POLITICAL LIFE: Mama was a seasoned political and played an active politics in the 1st Republic Nigeria. As an NCNC (National Congress for Nigeria and Cameroun) member, she was a great woman leader and women mobilizer of repute with late Mrs. Nwanneneya Ihenacho and Mrs. Margret Ekpo as her political contemporaries. She chaired so many women organizations. She was also a trade union activist who pioneered the formation of the Afor Di Mkpa Cassava Traders Association, Umuaka.
SOCIAL ATTRIBUTES: Mama loved her parents and siblings obsessively, and a pillar of support to her husband. She was an avid sponsor of her children’s education to the university level and macadamized the voyage of her 2 sons to the United States of America where they made their fortune, she was a mother figure to the children of her neighborhood who drank from her milk of magnanimity without any discrimination, Mama personified loyalty, humour and a good business sense.
RELIGIOUNS LIFE: Mama was a devout Christian, a communicant with bias in the Catholic faith, an Amazon who fought a good fight of the faith and left so many legacies and footprints in the sands of time that shall remain evergreen in our memories.
Authored by Hon. High Chief Dr. Eddy C. Ikwubuo
(Agunechemba-Njaba)
