He will go home in a blaze of glory on July 4
By Vivian Onyebukwa
Family, friends and religious gathered for the requiem mass held at Regina Mundi Catholic Church, Mushin, Lagos, in honour of Lagos business mogul, Chief Cajethan Amadi. No fewer than 10 Catholic priests, including the Episcopal Vicar of the Archdiocese of Lagos, Mosignor Ayodele Okodua, and parish priest of Regina Mundi Catholic Church, Mushin, Lagos, Rev. Dr. Julius Olaitan, were in attendance.
In his sermon, Rev. Olaitan, extolled Amadi’s virtue, describing him as a devout Roman Catholic, the trait which is most apparent in his good and exemplary family life. He also described him as very active Catholic both in his home parish, St. Augustine Catholic Church, Akpakwume Nze, Enugu State, and in Regina Mundi Catholic Church, Mushin.
According to some members of his parish, the late Chief Amadi contributed in no small measure to the development of the Church in all spheres by helping in the maintenance and sponsorship of priests and religious.
“He supported all activities of the Church in various building projects, etc. Chief Amadi belonged to several church groups: Sacred Heart Society, St. Joseph Society, Catholic Men Organisation, Blessed Tansi Solidarity Prayer Movement, etc. He was also a patron of many societies, among which were Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria, St. Vincent De Paul Society, Christ the King Catholic Church Choir, etc. We cannot exhaust his life profile in this short write-up as his achievements are overwhelming. His life was well lived in the service of God and humanity,” a member of the parish said.
Born on June 7, 1950, he hailed from Akpakwume Nze in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State. His philanthropic gestures attracted a lot of chieftaincy titles to him. He received the titles of Ochiri-ozua 1 of Akpakwume Nze and Ochiagha of Ibutenze, among others.
In the course of his business career, he successfully piloted his company: C.A Amadi and Sons (Nig) Ltd in Lagos. To further develop his business, he travelled extensively to other countries as Germany, Japan, Hong Kong and China etc. where he went into negotiations with several manufacturers for direct importation of batteries and battery products.
He succeeded exceedingly and became one of the big names in the battery business. One of the reasons generally alluded to his outstanding success as testified by many, was his profound commitment, hard work, fairness, honesty, integrity, absolute professionalism, diligence, and, of course, fear of God.
For the successful running of his business, he was said to have engaged many young men, especially from his hometown and environs, as apprentices in the trade. Over the years, about forty- three apprentices have been successfully trained and fully settled at the end.
“These young men are scattered all over Nigeria and even beyond, thriving in the business of battery sales and making giant strides in the family, society, and the world. At a point, they established a group called, C.A Amadi Alumnus.
“Often, we hear our daddy say that the success of these young boys is one of his happiest achievements in life. This was among the reasons he was bestowed with the beautiful well-earned chieftaincy title: Ochiri Ozua 1. Many of these young apprentices were very difficult boys, but he accommodated and tolerated them. With the patience and humanity of both of us, he helped those young boys to become useful humans. Many of Chief Amadi’s brothers and cousins also joined him in this business,” his wife, Mrs Chioma Amadi, stated.
In 1982, Chief Amadi married his heartthrob/soulmate, Lillian Chioma Oyigbo, from the neighbouring town of Affa. They are blessed with five beautiful children. The choice of Chioma as a wife learned credence to the fact that “a good wife is far more precious than jewels” (proverb 31:10) and “she is the crown of her husband” (proverb 12:4). “That is our dear mom who is our dear daddy’s greatest blessing and asset. They loved, understood, and respected each other passionately to the end. Our family is an enviable one, and our door is always open to everybody, with food always readily available.
“There is no dull moment as dad was a very lively and humorous person. Daddy loves and enjoys his food very much. We recall how mom, a great cook, often prepares certain specialties for him. We learnt everything good from our parents: hard work, diligence, generosity, love for all, and the fear of God,” his daughter, Engr Mrs Chinyere Ughelu stated.
Recalling their secondary school days, another of his daughter, Mrs Uchechukeu Ogbogu, said: “Dad came on visiting days, and he was fully present in our upbringing and every other aspect that concerns us. He was generous, often to a fault. He worked hard and was very successful, but most of his wealth was spent on charity.
“We cannot imagine the number of people he sponsored in education, both secondary and tertiary. The number he set up in business, the hospital bills he paid, the house rents he paid, the poor he fed, etc are overwhelming. We will forever be thankful to our mom, who was never against his philanthropy but supported all his goodness to humanity. Our parents were a couple of faith who prayed in and out of seasons. It is their exemplary marital life and union that prompted many new couples to request their sponsorship in marriage, which they often respond to.
“So far, in their 42 years of marriage, they have sponsored forty-one marriages in the Catholic Church. This is an unprecedented record. It is worthy to note that most of the marriages they sponsored are happy, and often when they encounter some challenges, they visit and are counselled quietly by dad and mum. For their exemplary married life, Daily Sun
featured them in their ‘’Diamond Couple page, a publication specially made for couples who have lived together from 25 years and above’’, while their Lagos Parish, Regina Mundi Catholic Church Mushin, awarded them’’ Couple Of The Year’’ for two consecutive years,” said his son, Engr. Obiora Amadi.
According to one of his daughters, Ogechukeu Amadi, his commitment to his home town, Akpakwume Nze, remained very relevant until the end. “He was the President General of Akpakwume Nze town Union for more than 10 years. Throughout his tenure, he ensured that peace and unity reigned supreme. He contributed to all facets of development in the town, especially in the progress of the youths. He sponsored many young boys and girls in secondary and tertiary institutions, businesses, especially as apprentices in his battery business, vocational skills acquisition of various kind. He initiated the football tournament in the town that every indigene looks forward to during the Christmas season. He single-handedly sponsored a team known as “Amadi Old Babes”, to which he donates a Cup for winners annually. This team made waves over the years”.
About 20 years ago when his visual challenge occurred, he was said to have established and registered a non-governmental organization, “Cajetan Amadi Eye Foundation”, to save people from such horrible ordeal. “The foundation has helped many people who have eye problems in Akpakwume Nze and environs, Mrs Amadi noted.