By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha
Pharmacist Chima Maduekwe, first son of a deceased veteran journalist, writer, publisher, teacher and broadcaster, Nze Joseph C. Maduekwe, disclosed during burial ceremony of his late father, at Ngogwugwu village, Ndiabor quarters, Ojoto-Obofia, Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State, that his Late father’s publication was delivered to him few weeks before he died.
“My dad was my confidant and a mentor, the legacy he left behind is that you should fight with what you have, don’t play with your position, very humble, when he was around, he has been covering so many things, but now I have to be coming home regularly and I promise that I will not disappoint him.
“He was a journalist, a mentor a writer and a man of so many parts, he even was writing and wrote the last book before he died and that has affected my siblings. They are all writers, and I as a secretary, I write a lot, the vaccum he left, we are still going to make up the space. I pray that everybody that comes here to witness the burial will tap from the longevity my father enjoyed, and good health and type of life he lived, I have never seen him smoked”, he stated.
Okey Okoye from Akabo Ojoto, who attended school with the deceased third son, Nonso maduekwe, stated that, “We are here to stay with the third son, we were DMGS 89 set. He lived a life well spent, and was a known man, he is equally my uncle, he used to use his beetle then(Volkswagen) to bring rice, drinks, gave us one naira each person. Apart from attending school with his son, I ate his bread as well. I have a memory of him well, he was also a very good friend of my father, the most important thing is that he trained his children very well and they are all doing well”, he said.
Also Samuel Onwubufo- Ezeabata and Ezekwude, his brother, in their separate speeches said that he was their uncle, “But a father to us since the death of our parents, he trained his children very well and he is well known, a traditionalist, always stands on the truth, I personally can’t forget what he did for me, I am very happy and grateful that he trained us very well and we can never forget him, I was with him in Umuahia in 1969, It is well for his family and we, the nephews,” he stated.
The wife to the last son, Okezie Maduekwe, Mrs Juliet Maduekwe, said, “My father in- law was a renowned writer, a great man, a writer even in the old age, he sleeps with books, he made us to know that education is the best, to love people, share their pain, whenever he comes back home, he shared whatever he came back with, groundnut, chin chin, even if I was not around, he kept my own for me. I pray that we will keep on living with the legacy he left,” she prayed.
The head of Ojoto Akanasato, High Chief Donatus Anozie, said that, “I am one of the in-laws, he left an indelible mark, he was a full fledged journalist, he contributed to culture and tradition of Ojoto. He wrote many books like the history of Ojoto.
“He was called Akwudoroeze, Nshansha mmili,” by his admirers, very intelligent man, we pray God to stay up to his age, for the family to follow his foot step,” he prayed.
The late Maduekwe
