By Don Peter Okoro.
It was a day of mourning for the people of Otolo-Nnewi on Friday, the 22nd of September 2023 when they laid to rest their beloved son, brother, father and husband, Mr.Godwin Ikenna Ayasa aka SKB, a one time PG of Otolo-Nnewi Youths.
It was a well attended funeral ceremony that witnessed the presence of many important personalities and youths within and outside the community.
Expressing his gratitude to the people who came en mass to support him in the burial, the deceased’s elder brother, Chief Ayasa, Ichie Ononenyi who is the Managing Director of Godfather Industries Ltd. makers of Godfather Bread, has this to say:”
I want to use this opportunity to thank all the people that came to commiserate with us and helped to make this burial ceremony a success. I thank the elders and the youths of the community for their support and words of comfort.
Where the dead is going is where there is life. He was a strong man who stood gallantly for his community. He will be remembered for the good he did for community and I pray for him to be forgiven of his shortcomings.
What I know is that God has already written the day each and everyone of us will go. His time came and he left. The death of SKB touched everyone of us, but I thank God who gave us the strength to bear it. It is not by man’s power.” On his message to the children, he replied:”My message is that the children should grow up in the fear of God.
I pray that God will continue to give us the resources to take care of the wife and children as we have been doing even when he was alive. I pray that God will give us long life and prosperity and that nobody will die this type of painful exit death again.
If we are to bury anybody again, it will be a Celebration of Life.” In his comments, Rtn. Tony Muodelo said: “SKB was a young and vibrant man who always championed the cause of the community.
In the area of Security, he was there. When I was the PG of Umuzu Mbanagu, we collaborated very well. He was always out to work for the progress of the community.
When he was the PG of Otolo-Nnewi Youths, he did wonderfully well too. You can see the mammoth crowd, especially the youths that came to pay him their last respect. It is because of the way he lived for the people.” On his message and prayers he offered:”First of all, I pray that the Almighty God will accept his soul and that the Almighty God will console his wife, children and the immediate family, because this is an irreparable loss, to die at this young age leaving his young family behind.
I pray that God will console them and give them the fortitude to bear the loss.” Also speaking, a well-known and highly respected Community Leader Mr. Chukwuka Ike a.k.a. Anamatu said: “SKB was a very good man and a personal friend of mine. He was an examplary youth leader who fought for the peace and security of the community.
I advice every member of the family to look up to God. I ask the wife and children to take heart because anyone that losses a husband or wife must look up to God. SKB was a very good ally and we all lived happily together without any problem here.
I also enjoin the brother, Ichie Ononenyi to take heart. It is not easy to bear the loss of a younger brother, but he should take it as an inevitable occurrence. As for the children, I advice them to take their studies seriously so that they can become great in life.”