Victor Otuya, Macaulay Wilson and Ben Ndubuwa
High Chief William Boyi Agbakanya Ibori, the Unugblogodo of Oghara Kingdom and elder brother to former Delta State governor , Chief James Onanefe Ibori, yesterday bade the world a final goodbye when he was interred in his country home at Ogharefe, in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State.
Family members, dignitaries and well wishers led by Governor of Delta State, His Excellency, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, HE Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo State, former governor Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, His Excellency Chief James Onanefe Ibori, Deputy Governor of Delta State, HE Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, HE Amos Utuama and others could not hold back their tears as Chief Ibori’s casket was being lowered into the grave.
Governor of Delta State, Senator Okowa, described the late William Ibori as a man of many parts whose life imparted many people in different field of human endeavour.
He said the late Ibori was a man of great courage and conviction who was not just a pillar of support to his quest to be governor in 2014 but was a fountain of wisdom from which he drank.
In a touching tribute, His Excellency, Chief James Onanefe Ibori former governor of Delta State and brother to the deceased described the late elder statesman as ‘ a brother like no other ‘. He said: “If I had the gift of a poet, I would have eulogies you in rhyme. Where I endowed with the talent of a playwright, I would have scripted your life in a play to be dramatised for humanity to watch. Nonetheless, I will tell your story in a tribute as a narrative of a life well lived, a life of selfless devotion to the attainment of the noblest of ideals.
I knew you when I was a child and when our father went the way of all mortals you stood the gap and held me by the hand as I went through life. You were a father, a brother, a friend, a mentor, a teacher and many more to me.
You provided leadership to our family and you were a perfect symbol of dualities of life. Your philosophical disposition expressed in the wisdom from which we all tapped remains unparalleled. You taught us to love unconditional. You taught us tenacity believing as did Abraham Lincoln that ‘only the test of fire made the gold ‘. Your wisdom and support saw me riding the waves in all my endeavours and climaxing in my making a mark in politics.”
Chief James Ibori also said, that his late elder brother stood by him in his moment of travail, remarking that, himself, Oghara Kingdom and humanity will miss him.
Former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, in his tribute maintained that Chief William Ibori gave him strong support in his quest to becoming the governor of Delta State in 2007.
His eldest son Kingsley Ibori, described his father as a courageous and truly beloved father, while his sister Mrs Christy Ibori Ibie said the job of being the patriarch of the Ibori family landed on the shoulder of his late elder brother very early and he handled it very pleasantly with tenacity and wisdom.
Born on 25th April, 1942, Chief William Ibori attended CMS Primary School, Otefe – Oghara, Â between 1949 and 1955. After helping his parents briefly in their farm work, he proceeded to Lagos on 3rd March, 1969 to seek for greener pasture. A man of destiny he was, he easily got employed in the Nigerian Army Pay & Records Department as a Clerical Officer. At the beginning of the present democratic dispensation in 1999, Chief William Ibori retired home to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He stood solidly behind his younger brother, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, in the event leading to his election as the executive governor of Delta State in 1999.
Chief Ibori, gave up the ghost around 11pm on Wednesday 10th July, 2018 night after watching the world cup match between England and Croatia.
His death threw Oghara Kingdom, Ethiope West local government area and indeed Delta State into mournful mood.
A member of the Delta State Elders Council, Chief Ibori will be remembered for his generosity, courage and wisdom.
The post William Ibori: The Final Goodbye appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
William Ibori: The Final Goodbye
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