From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
All roads on Friday led to Nnewi, Anambra State for the burial of Madam Martina Chukwuma, mother of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Innoson Group of Companies, Chief Innocent Chukwuma.
The ceremony attracted dignitaries from various walks of life including captains of industries, business moguls, members of Nollywood, government officials and a host of other unclassified guests.
The Catholic Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Rev Jonas Okoye in his homily described the deceased as a virtuous woman who lived exemplary life.
The Bishop said it had been a problem to find virtuous women in society who would be so in every ramification. He noted that the late Mrs Chukwuma as a virtuous mother did not fail in her duty to give her children proper upbringing.
One of the dignitaries was the wife of the former President of Nigeria, Mrs Patience Jonathan, who represented her husband at the event. She excused her husband, saying that the former President was in Mali for an ECOWAS meeting.
Mrs Jonathan said her husband sent her to condole with Chukwuma family over the death of their mother.
“I’m an Igbo woman from Abia State. My husband sent me to offer our sincere condolences to the Chukwuma family. Madam Chukwuma was a kind of mother everybody would like to have who trained her children in the way of God.
“Her son Innoson has contributed immensely to the nation’s economic development. May God give the soul of mama eternal rest,” she said.
Chief Innoson’s elder brother, Chief Gabriel Chukwuma, who is the chief executive of Gabros International Limited said that their mother started with the church and ended with the church as a dedicated woman in the things of God.
He said her mother declared while alive that she would live long and eventually died at the age of 101 years.