Tribute To My Father by Bernard Nwaiwu.
2 min read
Oppose Them O Lord, Nwa Duruohaneho, Nwa Okwaraononihu, Nwa Adaiwu Akudinanwa: Names you lived and so happily answered.
From the great tradition and examples your grandfather Duruohaneho, and father Okwaraonoraihu, you defied all odds to be the man, husband, father grandfather, great grandfather, brother and uncle you became. The first and only child (of nine births) of your mother Adaiwu, that survived. None of the others before you lived beyond Infancy. The great provider and protector of his family. Through hard work and persistence you made sure that we lacked nothing. You ran a good race and positively impacted many lives. We are proud of your accomplishments in business, community service and leadership.
Oppose Them OLord a man of sterling honesty, a loyal citizen with a most striking personality generous in spirit, brilliant in mind and great of heart. You lived a good and impactful life and positively touched anyone you came across. You were an embodiment of hard work and tenacity.
You taught us the virtues and values of hard work, honesty, integrity, humility generosity kindness, good citizenship and above all love for one another.
We loved you but God loves you more and recalled you to be an angel over us. Though dead, yet you live in our memory. No one dies as long as they are remembered. You will not be forgotten. You left us with so many fun memories that will last us a lifetime.
As a family, we are at peace as we enjoyed every moment we had with you. We spared nothing for your care and comfort, while you were here with us. As you spared nothing raising us to be the men and women we have become.
We are thankful to God and grateful for your life and legacy. You have raised us well. You trained us well for this moment. For when you are gone for us to accept the mantle – the torch. The torch handed over to you by your grandfather and father.
As we gather here to bide you farewell, we accept that torch, that mantel, that challenge. We promise and pray to meet the challenges of living up to your legacy. May the Good Lord grant you eternal rest in his kingdom.
Chief Dr. Bernard ChinyereNwaiwu Esq. (Chinyereugo) (Nwo Oppose)
For and on behalf of Okwaraononihu Nwaiwu Duruohaneho Family.
One of the very best of his generation in our community has gone to be with our forefathers. Yes indeed, he ran a very good race. His sense of humour was simply astonishing. His love for mankind is unparalleled. I have no doubt at all in my mind that Dee Oppose is with the angels in heaven.
RE:“Tribute To My Father by Bernard Nwaiwu.”
Very well put, Bernard!
It must be a great relief to you and your siblings now that Dee Oppose has been laid to rest. May his soul continue to rest in peace. Amen!
As I reflected in Dallas during the funeral mass, Dee Oppose epitomized everything I thought special about the Duruohaneho clan. He was very enterprising, hardworking, forthright, pleasant, great appetite for knowledge, and was humane.
As a young boy, around 1974 or ‘75, I experienced his humanity when I had a bicycle accident while recklessly riding my bike down the hill to Njaba river, and a reckless motorcyclist collided with me in front of St Saviors.
On impact, I must have passed out because I had a deep laceration on my cheek. One of our aunties, Dee Nnewuihe Ugwieshiama, not knowing who was involved, had run out of her house and cradled me in her hands. When I came to, I began to scream, “I won’t die, I won’t die,” and that must have attracted more people. As people gathered, Dee Oppose drove past. The crowd must have caught his attention, and he felt something was wrong. He stopped his lorry. And then it was unknown to him that I was involved.
When he got there, he broke through the crowd to help, only discovering that I was the victim. He screamed, “Sani, as he called me, azigbakwa!” Immediately, he pried my bloodied self from Dee Nnewuihe and carried me to his lorry. My mangled bike was brought along and put in the back of the truck.
He put me in the front, where his wife, Dee Beaty, was seated. This was the first time I would ride in front of a lorry, and I felt a significant relief come over me, and I fell asleep. The next time I woke up was at Dee Cos Omerigbonu’s chemist store at Ime Afor for first aid.
Of course, the iodine stung, and I wept. But that was the beginning of the healing of that wound. I don’t remember receiving any other treatment.
We had reminisced on that time during his maiden visit with his wife to Dallas to visit His son, Bernard, and family in the ‘90s. Then I was working on an assignment in Oklahoma.
I had called to welcome him, and in the course of our discussion, he intoned that he had told Bernard that he would not leave Dallas unless we took him to where JFK was shot. I was surprised because, for most of us who lived in Dallas, such a historical place had not been of significance to warrant a visit. So I promised him I would come back that weekend and we would go.
I would say that outing with him and his wife to the Museum at the former Texas Book Depository Building and later the Dallas Zoo was remarkable. He was vivacious and asked all relevant questions. Afterward, Ester, who had accompanied us, commented on how impressed she was with his personality, curiosity, and taste for knowledge.
Good performance at school impressed him. Back in the day, he would congratulate me on my academic accomplishments by employing me to stay the course because as he had been telling Bernard, my dad who shared the same “agbaera” in “ilo Uwa” with him, their children should acquire all the education they missed out on??♂️
On the social arena, the “Ọgba na mma” dance was second nature to him. I think he played an instrument. He once told me that no matter where he was on Ọgba na mma dance day, he made sure he was home in time to shower and get ready to be there in time.
It would be recalled in those days, soon after the Biafran war, the dance attracted a large audience at Ama Ocha, because their people learned about some of the goings-on in the community with their folks. I guess it served, among other things, a way to decry the negative things people did and caused people to keep their acts clean so as not to be sung about at the dance.
My dad’s military service station was PH. He brought home the first tape recorder in the community and taught my brother and me how to operate it to ensure we recorded Ogba an Mma for him. Once we forgot to bring it, Dee Oppose had wondered why and commanded me to run home and get the recorder, which I did.
Dee, Oppose was an exciting guy. I thank God for the opportunity to meet him again in 2019 with my second son, Muna. He is missed, but his memory will exist for a long time!
Good job!
/Simon Mcb Iberosi