By: Ike Philip Abiagom & Benson Nwoko
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]saba town, the capital territory of Delta State, the home of late retired educationist, Community leader and philanthropist per excellence, Ogbueshi James Okechukwu Ndah ,Diokpa of Ogbe -Ogo village, was agog with carnival celebrations, as men women, youths, dancing groups turned out in full, glowing splendour, to receive the body of the late phenomenal elder statesman, as he arrived home for a befitting funeral rites of passage to his final testing place, worthy and deserving of a outstanding man and one of the greatest personages of his generation.
The joyous and pulsating rhymes of drums and gongs, the throbing music of trumpets and trombones, the exhilarating songs and dexterous dances and a breathtakingly colourful regatta parade all blended in seamless panoply.
They evoked the beauty and heritage of rich Ahaba cultural displays, all captured in a kaleidoscope of colours, as the pastoral ambience of the community, Asaba celebrated the return of Diokpa of Ogbe-Ogo village, a beloved scion of the Ndah dynasty and a warrior and defender of the pride and quintessence of the Anioma essence in contemporary, post-modern epoch.
Asaba town exploded in cascade of unfettered joy and exuberant celebrations with the arrival of the body of late Ogbueshi James Okechukwu Ndah in his golden casket on the Shore Front, which was heralded with the booming release of several well loaded cannons that shook the ground to it’s very foundations to signify that indeed a great man has returned home victoriously.
Ogbueshi James Okechukwu Ndah(Diokpa of Ogbe -Ogo village, Asaba) who joined his ancestors on May 23rd, 2023,laid to rest in Asaba, his home town. In a sermon during a requiem mass at Zappa Catholic Church,Asaba, the officiating Reverend father, said Ogbueshi James Okechukwu Ndah led a good life that touched humanity positively.
He said people should live right and impact others positively in order to attract the mercies of God even at death and make haven. He said though the loss of a loved one was painful, death was sacrosanct and must come at the will of the creator, God.
”So, we have the duty to live right because we can only be assured of eternal rest with God based on how we lived our lives.
”There are two realities: one is to be born and the other is to die. We shall be remembered for the good or bad that we did while we lived,” he said.
He described late Papa James Okechukwu Ndah as a ”great father, friend, uncle, a successful icon of international standard and a philanthropists who had directly impacted humanity.
There was definitely no doubt in anybody’s mind that the great late Diokpa of Ogbe -Ogo village himself, Ogbueshi James Okechukwu Ndah, Paramount Head of Ndahs family and a man of excellent style and debonair sophistication, who enjoyed life to the fullest, must have had a satisfied smile on his face, as he listened to these good old guys who brought so much joy in his days when the Asaba city was truly the home of fun and entertainment. He had arrived home finally, and was going home with a blaze of celebration, in grand style.
”Late Ndah was a jolly hard working man, a philanthropists and that is what Nigerians need. Until his death, he was well-celebrated for his philanthropy. He is survived by his wife Mrs Georgina Ndah, children and grandchildren.
