Vice President, Kashim Shetima (3rd right), Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio (2nd left), Akwa A’Ibom State Gov. Pastor Umo Eno (1st right) and others at the ceremony.
By Etim Etim
What manner of a funeral event would bring Vice President Kashim Shetima; Senate President Godswill Akpabio; Prince Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman of Thisday & Arise News group; Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun; Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila; Emir of Kano Mohammed Sanusi II; ten bank chiefs; many industry captains and governors to a sleepy village in Akwa Ibom State? Was the deceased a monarch; a towering politician or a king maker?
No. She was none of those. She was just a simple widow, mother and grandmother who lived a life of humility and faith. The late Deaconess (Mrs) Eno Nnana Usoro lived a life of courage, purpose and faith. She was an educator who built a community; raised homes and helped lay the spiritual foundations of a church. She died two months shy of her 79th birthday.
In appreciation for her selflessness, her children spared no expenses to bid her farewell. Her first child, Ms Emem Usoro, is the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in charge of Corporate Services and the second, Nsikak, is a general manager at Access Bank. The other two children, Aniedi and Itoro, are also very successful in their endeavours. Together, they brought the cream of the Nigerian political and business class to honour their mother in a four-day event. Their father, Nnana Usoro, a police officer who later became a lawyer, had died suddenly in January 1998, leaving her to bring up four children. ‘’The loss shattered the rhythm of her days and marked a turning point in her journey. With four lives looking up to her, she clung to God’s grace as her anchor’’, her biography reads.
Expectedly, there was a large presence of bank chiefs at the funeral events, among whom were Tony Elumelu of UBA; Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede of Access Holdings and Coronation Group; Adaora Umeoji of Zenith Bank; Paul Usoro and Roosevelt Ogbonna of Access Bank; Nixon Iwedi of Signature Bank (the newest in the industry) and Emmanuel Efe Emefienim of Premium Trust Bank.
From the CBN came two other deputy governors – Mohammed Sani Dattijo and Philip Ikeazor – directors and senior management staff, and from the cabinet came Minister of State, Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite.
Vice President Shettima who stood in for President Tinubu said Deaconess Eno Usoro was a beacon of grace, faith, generosity and selfless service. ‘’Her life was a living sermon, her kindness a ministry, and her legacy an enduring inheritance. Those who serve others truly never die but live on through every aspect of goodness done in their name’’, the Vice President said at a reception held after the funeral service. The reception took place at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Ikot Ekpene, while the funeral service was held at the grounds of the Federal Government College, a kilometre away.
Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom condoled with the Usoro family and paid tributes to the late matriarch, highlighting her profound impact on humanity and honour to God.
Momentarily, the Vice President turned his attention from the main focus of the day and also heaped praises on his host, the state governor, acknowledging Gov. Eno’s ‘’exemplary leadership style, humility and commitment to unity which have driven steady progress in the state’’.
Earlier at the funeral service, the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, said he had met the late Deaconess Eno Usoro at two occasions at home, and was struck by her humility and warmth.
Senate President Akpabio also described her in glowing terms and donated N50 million to her church, Mount Zion Light House Church to complete her legacy project in the church.
Gov. Dauda Lawal of Zamfara and Gov. Agbu Kefas also attended the long funeral service which featured songs, dances and ministrations. They also expressed their condolences to the family and thanked the children for taking care of their mother while she was alive and honouring her in death. The four-day event began with service of songs on Thursday evening at her village in Ikono LGA in the northern part of the state.
The following day, Friday, was Night of Tributes/worship, and it was filled with performances by several gospel artists like Aity Dennis; Moses Blis; Beejay Sax; Prospa Ochimana and Yama Choral group. It was a lively evening. Then suddenly, the audience went quiet. A tall, dark-complexioned man in white buba and sokoto walked in briskly and took his seat. It was the Inspector General of Police.
The climax was the funeral service on Saturday. It lasted over four hours, and featured well-known gospel musicians like Nathaniel Bassey; Tim Godfrey; Aity Denis and Pastor Jerry Eze of Streams of Joy International Church known for his online prayer platform, NSPPD (New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations), among many others.
The thanksgiving service on Sunday ended it all, and that’s when the family expressed their heartfelt appreciation to Nigerians for standing with them in their moment of grief.
This was a clear instance of a funeral becoming a celebration of the life of the departed. Come to think of it, the family’s name ‘’usoro’’ is an Ibibio word for celebration!
