From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
It was all tears and tributes as the remains of Mr. Ifeanyichukwu Raymond Eyisi, husband of Prof. Joy Eyisi, Deputy Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), were committed to mother earth in his hometown, Adazi-Ani in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, on November 24.
The funeral which began with a church service at St. Jude’s Anglican Church Adazi-Ani, and later followed with an interment in the family compound, was witnessed by a large crowd of family members, relations, friends, acquaintances and sympathizers drawn from all walks of life.
In his sermon, Rt. Rev. Israel Okoye, the Bishop of Ihiala Diocese and the presiding minister of the day, spoke on the need for people to live an exemplary life and to leave behind a legacy that others can emulate.Various tributes given by people on the occasion showed that the late Eyisi did just that.
Speaking with Daily Sun, Prof. Eyisi, who confessed that she would miss her husband’s love, care, affection, advice, counselling, kindness and company, urged all women to care for their husbands while they may because, from her experience, life is too short to show love to one’s spouse or partner. She averred that the worst thing that can happen to any woman is for them to lose their husband.
But the tribute given by his second son, Noble, former President of Students’ Union, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, appeared to outclass them all. He talked about his father’s knowledge and love for politics, which he said later rubbed off on him, his personal security-consciousness, his pride of his Biafran identity, love and care for his family, starting with his mother, timely valuable advice, strong faith in God and his last moments.
He said: “I remember growing up and we would sit around the dinner table and watch the 9 o’clock news on telephone. Thereafter, my dad and I would talk about politics. Looking back now, I’ve come to realise and understand that my love for politics came from those discussions. We would go back and forth. We asked him many questions. And my dad would always answer me. Most of the things I learnt came in handy: including when I was contesting for the SUG President. I asked my dad what I should do, and he told me what to do, without mincing words. He gave me examples of persons who had used the strategies and succeeded. And I went back and did what he advised me to do and they worked out.
“Up till today, I still check the door five times a night before going to bed. That was because growing up, my dad taught me how to secure the household. He would always lock up all the doors in the house and make sure they’re locked before he goes to bed. He was always the last to go to bed and at some point, I took over that responsibility and began to lock the doors myself and make sure they were all locked. With my dad, it was always his actions that were lessons for us. The lesson was simple: It was my responsibility to look after my family and protect my family. It was my job as a man to do that.
“My dad would always tell us the story of Biafra. I remember we would sit down in the room, on the floor and my dad would tell me the story of the civil war. It wasn’t until recently after I had read Chinua Achebe’s book, There was a Country, that the moral of that story stuck to me. And looking back now, I appreciate the stories he told me of Biafra and giving me that sense of identity with my people and my culture.”
He also talked about how his father would make tea and prepare bread for breakfast not only for his children but also for his wife who might end up not taking hers because she was busy somewhere researching and writing the books that would later make her a Professor of English. Noble added: “She wouldn’t even look at tea or where it was on them table. And so, we would always wait because we knew at some point, we would be the ones to drink the tea and eat the bread. And my dad did that religiously. I also remember as a kid, he would always come back from work with biscuits for us.”
But of all that he learnt from his father, the greatest he said, is respect for women and love for God. “Although we live in a patriarchal society where women are considered second-class citizens, with my dad, it was always important for him that his wife becomes who she is today. Of all the things you taught me, I think the most important of them was to always have faith in God and to always believe in Him. You were a man of great faith and a very prayerful man. Although sometimes, I struggle to understand the level of faith you had, the most significance is that you died a born again Christian and at the end of everything, when all is said and done, that’s what matters. That you bowed out a true believer, a warrior of faith and a champion of God; that you left the stage believing in God.”
Eyisi, his mother’s second son and third child, was born on April 12, 1957 to the family of Chief Eyisi Ojiaku and Mrs. Ifeyinwa Eyisi of Eziora village, Adazi-Ani. He died at 65, after what the family described as a brief illness. The funeral service was rounded off on Sunday, November 27, with an outing service.