The Life and Times of the Late Pa Venantius Nwaka Iwuji.

We gather today with heavy hearts, yet filled with immense gratitude to the Almighty, for the long, blessed journey of our father, Pa Venantius Nwakanma Iwuji Iberiaru, who completed 96 years on this earth a true patriarch, a giant in our midst.

Distinguished guests, beloved family, friends, and earth, I welcome you all to this solemn end-of-era sympathizers from all corners of the ceremony. Permit me to stand on existing protocols as we gather at the graveside of our father, grandfather, and patriarch, to honor his life, his legacy, and his transition to eternal rest.

Death? Many scholars of metaphysics have attempted to give valid definitions of death, but all in vain. Why? Because death is the creation of God, and no human flesh can fully comprehend its mystery. It remains beyond the grasp of philosophy, science, and poetry alike.

Think of the reflections of Basilian Shylink, Dan August, Tommy Stoppard, Eric Foreman, and even Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka-each striving to capture its essence yet acknowledging its unfathomable depth.

Pa VNI, the aristocrat, bureaucrat, diplomat, technocrat, meritocrat, and both classical and modern philosophical thinker, was born on December 5, 1929, under the parentage of Pa Iwuji Iberiaru and Mama Josephine Nnennaya Iwuji, both of blessed memory. He was the second of eight children, and his early years were spent in Umulolo Ugbele Umuaka, where he absorbed noble ideas through informal education. Much of his intellectual foundation was shaped by his Socratic father and other traditional philosophers of that epoch, who instilled in him a love for wisdom, dialogue, and reflection. His childhood unfolded within the modest resources of his parents, despite these circumstances, young Venantius grew under the loving guidance of his parents, carrying within him a deep desire to rise above limitations and pursue learning.

Education and Work: During the period he was born, formal education was not predominant in society. My grandfather, a humble peasant farmer, devoted much of his scarce resources to supporting his younger brother, the only son of his uncle, and his own first son according to seniority. Yet my father’s determination to secure an education set him apart.

With courage and humility, he chose to live with his uncle, Pa James Nworji, a revered teacher of his time. There, he endured hardship and served faithfully, driven by the hope of gaining knowledge and advancing beyond his peers. Through perseverance and sacrifice, he successfully completed his first cycle of schooling and earned the prestigious Standard Six Certificate a qualification that, in those days, was regarded with the same honor as a University degree today. He became a “beautiful bride” to many missionary schools, where He eruditely taught, and impacted knowledge to his pupils. Many of his students are now employers of labor, business magnates, and professionals in their fields of endeavour. As a lover of knowledge, his quest for advancement pushed him to the revered Teacher Training College, Obizi, where he obtained the Teachers Grade II Certificate with honors. He taught in numerous schools within and around Umuaka and meritoriously retired as Headmaster Special Class in 1994. Yet, as a true workaholic, retirement did not mean idleness. He retired but was never tired.

He took to full-time farming and seasonal businesses, ensuring that his family and Community were sustained. His industrious spirit continued to provide, to nurture, and to Inspire, proving that his commitment to service extended far beyond the classroom.

Marriage and Family: Our dad tied the wedding knots with the love of his life our mother, former Miss Imelda Urenna Mellah of Uboegbelu Emekuku-shortly before the Nigerian civil war. Their union was blessed with four living children: two sons and two daughters. Yet, life’s journey was not without sorrow. The painful incident of losing a younger wife seven years into the union and leaving behind a six-week-old baby girl, left our father devastated. He was crippled in a self-denial that ultimately culminated in the long-lasting illness we, his family, had to bear with him at different times until the very end. So many years later, in an effort to cut down his grief and rebuild his life, our dad finally accepted to take another wife. He remarried Miss Stella Ashinaga of Ibele Umuaka, and with her companionship he began adjusting his life positively.

Her presence brought renewed hope and stability, helping him to continue his journey with resilience. Sadly, in 2003, our stepmother was taken by death, and once again our father was confronted with the harsh reality of loss. This second bereavement reopened wounds of grief, yet he bore it with quiet strength, leaning on faith, family, and community to sustain him.

Through both unions, our father demonstrated the depth of his love, his devotion to family, and his ability to endure sorrow with dignity. His marriages were not only unions of affection but also testimonies of resilience, sacrifice, and the enduring power of family bonds.

Sickness and the End: Human life is fraught with frailty, especially as we progress in age. So, it was with our dad. His strength dwindled over the last decade, yet he remained positive and hopeful. The best of care was rendered to him by the finest clinicians, and his lovely children were determined to keep his life going with every support available. Truly, if life could be bought with money, our dad, Pa Venantius Nwakanma Iwuji Iberiaru, would still be alive today. Wishes, prayers, and prayers, and resources were never lacking in sustaining him. But God, in His infinite wisdom, saw his struggles, his pains, and his agony from sickness and called him to rest. Who are we to question the will of the Almighty God?

We are celebrating today his transition to heavenly eternity-a great beyond, a happy place prepared for him. Though we are grateful to God for keeping him to the nonagenarian age of ninety-six years, we are still pained by the vacuum his death has created. It will be very difficult for us to adjust to his physical absence.

Your name, dear father, has already been emblazoned into the hallmark of achievement of all kinds. Your legacies will never fade. Your great inputs to the welfare of our family and the Greater society will not be forgotten in a hurry. You transformed, reformed, and left the Iwuji family better than you met it.

Left to mourn our beloved father are his beloved children, Lady Jovita ljeoma Owowo, Mr. Okey Anthony Iwuji, Mr. Uche Magnus Iwuji, Dr. Mrs. Chizoba C. Oparaku. His sons-in-law: Sir Emmanuel Chukwudi Owowo, Dr. Nelson Chinedu Oparaku. Daughters-in-law: Mrs Jennifer Okey-Iwuji, Mrs Bongiwe Uche Iwuji.