Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Friday, joined other well-meaning Nigerians in paying last respects to the late elder statesman and former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Chief Dubem Onyia, describing him as a legendary figure, whose life impacted many.
Governor Mbah spoke at a well-attended funeral mass in honour of Chief Onyia at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Ngwo, superintended by the Catholic Bishop of Enugu, Most Reverend Callistus Onaga, on Friday.
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“We are gathered here today to pay our last respects to a legendary figure, a moral giant, and a man whose shoulders was a ladder of success for many.
“Sir Dubem Onyia, as I noted, was quite exemplary; a man whose light shone on all those that encountered him. There is no doubt that the void that his exit has created will be very difficult to fill. But I will urge us to find solace in the impactful life that he had lived. His life was inspiring, and he inspired a lot of us. So, we would hold the family very tight in our prayers. I will also implore everyone to remember that it is God who gives, and it is also him that takes,” he said.
He, however, urged his family, relations, and friends to find solace in the hope of eternal life both for Chief Onyia and all the saints departed.
“I do not think I will say more than anything that was said in the scripture – that we are not hopeless. So, may his soul continue to rest in peace,” he concluded.
Earlier in his homily, Very Rev. Fr. Franklin Eze said the funeral mass as a Christian rite of passage was a call on the living to understand the vanity of life and to live impactfully so that both humanity and heaven will remember them for their good and great deeds.
He described the late Chief Onyia as a man, who etched his name in the sands of time politically, religiously, and socially, stressing that the difference between heroes like him and villains were the selflessness and sacrifices of the former and the selfishness of the latter.
The funeral mass also had in attendance many dignitaries, including the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi; former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, and his wife, Patricia; former governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzo Kalu; former Governor of Ebonyi State, Senator Sam Egwu; Senate Minority Whip, who represents Enugu West Senatorial District, Senator Osita Ngwu; and Chairman of the National Burial Committee for the Chief Dubem Onyia, Senator Ben Obi, among a host of others.
