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… As Deputy Governor commissions project
There are mothers whose departure leaves an indelible vaccum that time cannot completely fill, but there are also mothers whose lives continue to speak long after they are gone through the values they planted, the people they touched and the families they raised. In Rumunduru community, Obio/Akpor local government area of Rivers State, on Sunday, September 20, 2026, the memory of one such woman, the late Mrs. Justina Nkechinyere Ihunwo, came alive in a remarkable celebration of faith, family, compassion and service.
Ten years after her passing, Hon. Chief Amb. Chijioke Ihunwo and his family chose not to mark her 10th memorial anniversary merely with words and remembrance. Instead, they transformed the occasion into something tangible, meaningful and beneficial to other people, beginning with a two-day medical outreach that provided members of the community with free medical check-ups, medicines, eye drops and eye glasses.
It was a fitting tribute to a woman remembered as a reverred matron of note during her life and times, whose identity was deeply associated with motherhood, christian devotion, dedication to service and commitment to the work of God. The late Mrs. Justina Nkechinyere Ihunwo was remembered not simply as the mother of a former local government chairman, but as a woman whose influence within her family and Christian community continued to endure a decade after her passing.
The memorial celebration culminated at St. Philip’s Anglican Church, Oro-Igwe District, Rumunduru, where a newly constructed parsonage, built in memory of the late Mrs. Ihunwo, was commissioned and dedicated.
At the centre of the occasion was Ambassador Chijioke Ihunwo, immediate past Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. But on this particular day, the former council chairman stood before the congregation less as a former public office holder and more as a son paying tribute to the woman who gave him life, values and a foundation of faith.
The ceremony attracted the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, alongside prominent government officials, Anglican Church leaders, traditional rulers, political figures, family members, friends and well-wishers who gathered to honour the memory of a mother whose influence remains evident in the lives of those she left behind.
Among the royal fathers at the occasion were HRM Eze Chike Amadi Worlu-Wodo, Eze Oha Apara IV Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, as well as HRM Eze Leslie Eke, Eze Gbaka-Gbaka. Also present was Sunny Ewule, Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Governor, while Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, former Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Governor, chaired the occasion. The parsonage was dedicated by Ven. Chidi Worgu.
Commissioning the project, Deputy Governor Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu commended Ihunwo for choosing to honour his mother through a project that would continue to serve the Church and its ministers. She appreciated what she described as his clear-cut contribution and thanked him for sowing the seed of the parsonage for the Church. She also pledged her support towards furnishing the building and encouraged other well-meaning individuals to support the Church.
For Ihunwo and his family, the parsonage represented far more than a physical structure. It was a permanent expression of gratitude to a mother whose Christian life and dedication to God’s work remained central to the family’s remembrance of her.
The significance of the gesture became even more profound when viewed alongside the medical outreach that preceded the ceremony. For two days, the family took the memorial beyond the walls of their home and Church, bringing healthcare directly to members of the community and providing assistance to people who needed medical attention.
In that sense, the anniversary became a bridge between memory and service. The family did not simply remember what their mother had done in her lifetime; they created opportunities for others to benefit from the values she represented.
The Bishop of the Diocese of Evo, Rt. Rev. Innocent Ordu, also used the occasion to speak about God’s faithfulness and the importance of gratitude, drawing from Psalm 71 to reflect on God’s sustaining grace throughout life’s journey.
The ceremony also coincided with Ihunwo’s birthday thanksgiving, adding another emotional dimension to an already significant gathering. It was a day that brought together remembrance of a departed mother, gratitude for continued life and celebration of a family determined to keep her memory meaningful.
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For an occasion so deeply personal, the public-service background of Ambassador Ihunwo provided another layer of context. As a former Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, his public life has been associated with grassroots initiatives and interventions touching areas such as education, healthcare and empowerment, including support for students at different levels of education.
But September 20 was not about politics. It was about a mother.
It was about a family standing ten years after her departure and asking how her memory could continue to make a difference.
That question appeared to find its answer in the medical outreach and the newly constructed parsonage.
Nigeria media consultant, public analyst and PR expert, Njoku Macdonald Obinna, who covered the ceremony, witnessed firsthand the emotional depth of the gathering and the powerful symbolism behind the family’s decision to turn remembrance into service.
From the solemn moments of thanksgiving to the commissioning of the Church facility, the presence of dignitaries and the personal reflections surrounding the late Mrs. Ihunwo, the ceremony carried an atmosphere that went beyond an ordinary memorial anniversary.
It was a gathering where grief had been transformed into gratitude, memory into service and a mother’s legacy into something that could continue to touch lives.
The story of Mrs. Justina Nkechinyere Ihunwo, therefore, did not end with her passing ten years ago. Her memory continues through the family she raised, the Christian values she upheld and the enduring projects established in her honour.
In Rumunduru, her 10th memorial anniversary became more than a remembrance of the past. It became a demonstration that the most enduring way to honour someone is sometimes not merely to speak about how much they meant, but to allow the values they lived by to continue benefiting others.
The medical outreach brought care to the community. The parsonage provided a lasting facility for the Church. And the family gave a departed mother’s memory a new expression one rooted in faith, compassion and service.
Ten years after Mrs. Justina Nkechinyere Ihunwo passed on, her name once again brought people together.
This time, however, her memory was not only spoken about.
It was built. It was shared. And it was put to service.
