Okpalaeke matriarch goes home at 100, burial holds March 5 in Azia

By KEN EMORDI

The matriarch of the renowned and respected Okpalaeke family, in Azia, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, Lolo Agnes Ogbenyeanu Ikpejiaku Okpalaeke, is no more.

Mama Azia, like some of her grand children and great grand children fondly and affectionately called her, died days back.

Aged 100, she was married for decades to the great Chief Offong Okpalaeke, aka Ekwuamaoji. The union was blessed with highly successful children, among them the enviable triumvirate behind the well known Ginpat Aluminum Industries Limited – Ichie Godwin Okpalaeke (Onowu Azia), Ichie Uzama Okpalaeke (Ikenga Azia) and the late Ichie Patrick Okpalaeke (Omezilibe Azia).

We learnt that mama’s remains would be interred on March 5, 2021 in her compound in Azia. Her burial ceremony, from what we gathered, will be carnival-like, because like one of her children, a former member of the Anambra State House of Assembly (Uzama) told us, ‘we are not going to mourn on that day, but rather celebrate and thank the Almighty God for a live well lived and spent by our mother.’

Continuing, he said, ‘We plan to celebrate her in a grand style on that day and are therefore inviting, specially, all those whose lives she and her children, grand children and great grand children have impacted in one way or the other to join us in Azia on March 5’.

Plans, we further learnt, are already in top gear to make the day memorable, and of course with many already looking forward to the D-day. Yesng