Justice Iheanacho Patrick Chima, a popular Ebonyi Judge, has revealed how his birth and those of his sisters exemplified the faith, patient and resilient character of his mother in the midst of life challenges.
Chima made the revelation Saturday in his country home, Itim Edda, in Edda local government area of Ebonyi state.
He spoke during the funeral service of his mother and matriarch, late Mrs. Mary Chima.
In a funeral oration, Justice Chima narrated how his late mother took his late father’s outbursts over repeated female births preceding his own with patience and equanimity trusting God, to ensure that peace reigned in her home.
He noted that his name “Iheanacho” is symbolic because his birth became an answer to many years of prayer and waiting for a male child by his parents.
Iheanacho narrated: “In the sphere of patience, Mama was a Czer; this her uncommon patience Mama humbly and aptly ventilated in her marriage with Papa when Papa erroneously thought that the sex of a baby was singly determined by the woman.
“Mama’s first child was a girl; Papa was calm.
“Mama’s second child was a girl, and Papa blew his top.
“Mama took the outburst of Papa with the patience and the equanimity of the Biblical Job.
That second child is my eldest sister, who is right here with us.
Mama became pregnant again, and for the third time, Papa named the child in Mama’s womb Iheanacho.
“Mama maintained her cool, and after much fuss and distress, named the third child Chinedu, who is here with us today.
“Mama was calm and patient and made no issue out of this.
“Mama became pregnant a fourth time, and Papa named the foetus in Mama’s womb Iheanacho.
“The baby arrived and was a girl.
“After the effusive discharge of discontentment, Papa named the baby Onyekachi.
“Mama exchanged no words with Papa and was patient and calm.
“Mama became pregnant a fifth time, and Papa once again named the foetus Iheanacho.
“The baby arrived, and that’s my humble self, and Papa became extremely jubilant and very happy with Mama and promptly named that baby Iheanacho.
“That was Mama for you – she could condone any discomfort to ensure that peace reigned.
Justice Chima who further expressed pride over his mother’s legacy of love, determination and courage said the matriarch had a special grace of seamless delivery and knowledge in traditional midwifery.
He said: “I am proud of my mother; She lived a seamless life, a very determined life.
“My mother was so strong-willed that even when she was in labour, she kept doing what she was doing; she just went to the backyard and gave birth to me.
“My elder sister heard the cry of a baby, and Mama just said, Go and call me that neighbour.
“The neighbour came and did what they did, and here I am.
“And my elder sister too; while she was heavily pregnant, she took her tray and went to the farm.
“She gave birth to her on the way to the farm.
My mother believes that there’s nothing impossible to accomplish; her moral standards are unmatched.
“We will miss her so much.”
The Prelate and General Assembly Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Ekpenyong Akpanika who presided over the funeral service, urged parents to endeavor to leave behind legacies of good values and character above material wealth as inheritance for their children.
Akpanika, who pointed out the inevitability of death emphasized that sinful wealth is ephemeral bringing sorrow, dissensions and pains to the inheritors while a person’s strength of character built upon legacies of love, empathy and generosity endures over time, giving peace of mind to successors.
Speaking on the life and times of the departed matriarch and her many positive impacts as enunciated in the glowing tributes and orations, the clergyman maintained that a virtuous life produces great reward and enjoined Christians to always take their children through the right part and be meaningfully involved in the development of their communities.
Referencing the Biblical book of Proverbs Chapter 13 verse 22, he further cautioned against the growing craze for inordinate wealth especially among the youths in the present day society, stressing that the wealth of a sinner is laid up for the just.
Akpanika emphasized: “And based on the testimonies that we have heard about her, we can say of a truth that late Mrs Mary Chima left a good testimony, a good legacy not just for the family but for the entire community.
“I therefore urge you to strive more to leave value and character rather than wealth and material things for your descendants.”
The Chief Judge of Ebonyi state, Justice Elvis Ngene, in his tribute described the late matriarch as a woman with incredible strength and virtue, talented, industrious and highly enterprising.
“She was her best in everything she did, including her trades in fabrics, which took her beyond the shores of our state. Her intelligence and high acumen were evident in her ability to read the Igbo Bible fluently without formal education” Ngene stated.
Others who spoke, including the daughters of the deceased, Ngozi Okoro and Chinedu Ejem; her daughter in-law, Grace Iheanacho Chima and one of her grand children, Ijeoma Ezikpe, described their mother as angelic and promised to continue to uphold her legacies as a way of immortalizing her.
The late matriarch Mary Chima passed on during a brief illness on May 20, 2024 at the age of 93. Her funeral service witnessed an unprecedented roll call of who is who in Southeast, Nigeria and beyond comprising the clergy, political class, the academic, lawyers, women groups and the traditional institutions.
