As Obiano’s mum begins homeward journey today

By James Eze

As Mrs. Christiana Obiano, mother of the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano begins her homeward journey today, family and friends of Governor Obiano have continued to reflect on the life and times of this simple woman whose extraordinary life only became known to many people when she passed on.

Interestingly, reflections on Mrs Obiano’s life are not necessarily influenced by the fact that she is the mother of the governor of a very important state. Nor is it because she was full of years when she passed at the very remarkable age of 90. No. Rather the true weight of late Mrs Obiano is largely felt within the context of the solid values that she inculcated in her children before she passed. Truth be told,  these values are not extraordinary. They are values like a heart for charity and philanthropy, a deep sense of community, respect for the humanity of others and a strong and abiding faith in God.

As it turns out, since her passage at the age of 90 on Friday, June 2, 2017, the torrent of tributes, eulogies and public commentaries have drawn a compelling attention to her role in the character formation of her son, the governor and his overall outlook to life. 

Research and experience have shown that in a male-dominated society like ours, the role of women in shaping the ethos of society and setting its moral tone is hardly appreciated. In much of Africa for instance, men occupy a central position in the socio-psychological universe of many societies. To that extent, the worldviews and dominant sociological landscapes of many societies are distilled down into myths and legends that position men as the ultimate pillar of society.  Projected through several millennia, this incomplete narrative that is mostly driven more by man’s position as the seed-bearer and preserver of lineages than other considerations like morality and wisdom has often paid scant attention to the awesome role of the woman as the vessel in whose care the human species is incubated. Happily though, evolutionary trends have continued to remind modern patriarchal societies of the silent power of women and how it could make the world a better place when fully harnessed. 

Indeed, the world is increasingly becoming familiar with stories of women who rose to enormous power and influence in different societies and left indelible footprints on the portals of human advancement. We are also well acquainted with highly successful leaders who were either raised by their mothers or who credit much of their world views to the overwhelming influence of their mothers. 

Governor Willie Obiano is among the growing list of successful leaders who remember their mothers fondly for influencing their lives significantly to the extent that their interface with the rest of the world is shaped by that influence. Raised by a strict Headmaster father who lived the dictum ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ to the letter, Governor Obiano recalls that it was his mother’s even-handedness that gave him the balance he needed to come to terms with the complexities of life. 

As the first surviving child of his parents, young Willie was the centre of his parents’ world. Quite naturally, he received as much love as heavy-handed upbringing  from both parents who saw in him the opportunity to set the moral tone for what would eventually become a young family of three boys and a girl; namely, Willie, Cyril, Elizabeth and Chinedu. 

Like all fathers of his time, the governor’s father, Pa Philip Obiano, was an unbending patriarch who believed that ‘tough-love’ was the best love for raising a family. As a teacher, a catechist and a scout master, Pa Obiano was often more likely to wield the correcting cane than whisper a soothing word into errant ears. Famous for his iron will, Pa Obiano’s home was a reformatory school of sorts for friends who wanted their disobedient children to be guided back to a disciplined and meaningful life. 

Happily, Pa Obiano’s tough family values found a perfect balance in the enormous soft power that his young wife, Christiana, wielded aplenty. She was never too far away to wipe the tears off the cheeks of a crying child; or heal bleeding bruises with an assortment of secret gifts when her husband looked away. In essence, Mrs. Christiana Obiano offered a soft core to the family in a manner that made for a balanced character formation and reinforced a child’s sense of right and wrong, punishment and restitution. 

There is a striking balance between her husband’s firmness and the corrective tenderness of his wife, Christiana that firmly established the family on a solid ground. In acknowledgement of this balance, Governor Obiano recalls that his parents taught him the virtues of hard work, honesty, prayer, giving alms to the poor and respect for colleagues and elders. “These are the values that guide me till today,” he declares.

Mrs. Christiana Obiano’s recent passage has finally revealed the source of the widely acclaimed generous spirit of her son. In Governor Obiano’s own words, “mum was a very generous woman who gave out money, food, clothes and gold trinkets to the less privileged.” 

Similarly, Chief Austin Anyaeji, a former pupil of Pa Obiano, who also grew up with the governor and his siblings, recalls that Mrs. Obiano ran an open home for all. “You would find it impossible to pin-point her own biological children from others. Never would Mama discriminate. There was no “them”, it was all us. We were her children and she made us happy, comfortable and welcomed,” Chief Anyaeji recalls. 

It is therefore easy to understand why Governor Obiano is perhaps the only governor in Nigeria to have donated his salaries to charity. He did this in May 2015. It is also easy to see why the Governor and his wife operate a home for people suffering from mental illness in Nteje, Oyi Local Government Area. Inmates of this home are randomly picked up from the streets and rehabilitated, healed and reunited with their families. 

It is also clearer now why Obiano granted amnesty to 25 convicts and gave each of them one million naira to facilitate their reintegration into the society. And perhaps we also know now why the governor operates an open home of sort; giving freely and touching lives profoundly without making a swansong of it. He inherited this trait of generosity from his dear mother. Indeed, this is one instance where the apple did not fall far from the tree!

In the end, Mrs. Christiana Obiano’s story is a solid reminder of the silent power of women as a moderating influence on the family and a cornerstone of the society. Adieu Mrs. Obiano. Adieu Mama!