Igbotonma Festival
•Eminent Nigerians hail Elder Eunice Kalu
Wednesday, January 14, 2009

When on December 30, 2008, Elder (Mrs) Eunice Uzor Kalu, mother of the former governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, formally retired from the Eche-mee Age Grade at the popular Igbotonma Festival held at Camp Neya, Igbere, the community was overwhelmed by the large turnout of eminent Nigerians who came to grace the occasion.


Elder (Mrs) Eunice Uzor Kalu




The personalities had come to identify with the Kalus and their mother who they held in high esteem. Below are the excerpts from comments and interactions at the occasion with some of the dignitaries, as well as the children of Elder Kalu popularly known as Odiukonamba:

Chief Theodore Orji, Abia State governor

There is an Igbo adage which says if you respect old age, you will reach old age, and thus we are today respecting tradition and age and we are celebrating a woman.

I am privileged to have associated with her and I feel I am also privileged to have known her better than any other person. Odiukonamba as we call her is a courageous woman, she is a Deborah who when you come close to her, if you are privileged to come close to her, your impressions about her will automatically change. This is a woman who fight for what is just, this is a woman who fights for the less privileged, this is a woman who championed the cause of persons who had nobody to champion their cause. Therefore, we are gathered here today to celebrate this woman and to say that we are happy that she is retiring and that all of us will retire one day.

And happily she is retiring as a mother who has produced people who can take up from where she stopped. Starting from the immediate family, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu took after her and he is a dogged man who is firm. For the mere fact that he has stepped aside from power, and yet he was able to gather this cream of persons here goes to show you the type of person he is.

Today, as Odiukonamba is retiring, we are happy she is retiring but then, I want to tell you the truth, don’t take advantage of her retirement and think you can play in certain areas where she is an expert because if you do so, she will tell you that she is not tired.

I want also to use this opportunity to call on every person to say that it is always good and beneficial to respect elderly people, like I said if you respect age, age will obviously reach you. Finally, I want to welcome every person who has find time to come and celebrate with us on the occasion of the retirement ceremony of our dear mother and to say that it shall be well for all of us.

Adams Oshiomhole, Edo State governor

Let me say that today we are here to celebrate a mother, a community leader and a woman who has made the difference and, indeed, we are also here to celebrate a family. To celebrate a woman who gave birth to a fighter, the only fighter that conquered the elephant. A man who made a statement that he will never go down on his knees to beg, that he will stand on his feet to fight, he fought and he won.

So, today, I am not going to make a long speech, because it is not in the tradition of governors to make long speeches when presidents have spoken, it’s just to say, on behalf of the government and the good people of Edo State I salute Mama, I salute the children and I appreciate the family.

Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, Niger State governor

Elder (Mrs) Eunice Uzor Kalu has lived a life of integrity, uprightness, dedication to duty and service to humanity and thus she is being celebrated here today. We wish to express our gratitude to God for our mother, Elder Mrs. Eunice Uzor Kalu, Odiukonamba, on her honour at this occasion. I also wish to express my delight that she has been an epitome of honesty, hard work, generosity and dedication to the service of God. We also recognize the role of our mother in bringing up good children, and good leaders for the nation, that is why we are all here today to congratulate our brother and friend Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu for making this event possible.

We, therefore, call on all of you to look at this occasion and reflect on the imperative of building bridges of solidarity across the ethnic divide of this country. I am also very happy that with the number of people from different states and society and, indeed, from the whole of West African that are here, this is the time to reason together, and we thank Dr Orji Uzor Kalu for this opportunity.


Prof Dora Akunyili, Minister for Information

I want to appreciate Dr. Orji Kalu for inviting me to this wonderful ceremony. I also appreciate his brothers, Nnanna and Mascot, the political juggernauts that were brought up by this wonderful woman, Mrs. Elder Eunice Uzor Kalu, Odiukonamba. I want to thank your children for what they are doing today, every time when people die, children bring out the money they never brought out before, feasting and saying that they are celebrating life, today we are witnessing proper and real celebration of life, and this is how to celebrate life of your parents, not when they die you start celebrating life. So, this is something that I want all others to emulate, to celebrate their parents and their loved ones when they are still alive.

Mama, Odiukonamba, congratulations, congratulations for your resourcefulness, congratulations for your hard work, congratulations for the good life you have lived and the very good life you will continue to live. She was able to rise not just as a very successful business woman, but also a respected politician.

So, we thank you very much, former Governor Orji Kalu and I thank you all those that have come here to support us, because we are all doing it together. When you honour people, God will honour you. As we are here to honour her, I believe that all of us that are honouring her today hope and pray that one day our own children will honour us.

Comrade Ezebunwa Chidi Ubani, Chairman, Uwunagbo LGA, Abia State

The ceremony was, indeed, wonderful. It was a success, a very big success. It is the first among others and that shows that Mama is accepted the world over. It shows that she has so many well wishers all over the country, all over the world, that the family is very, very nice, that she has a lot of followers, she has built a political dynasty that cannot be pulled down, that they are widely connected, and above all that the Lord, God Almighty is with them.

Honestly, we need to know that whom God has blessed, nobody can curse. People here today need to know that it is good to trust in the Lord because she and her family trust in the Lord. From a humble beginning, one can see where they are today. The people you see here today are those they have touched their lives in one way or the other. If she or her son has not dealt with them in all honesty, you will not see them here today. This is a crowd of admirers and supporters.

I will advise that she should not retire completely from her service to God and humanity. We still need her services. It is true that in the village here, she has retired in line with their custom and tradition, but we still need her in the political field because I know that she is second to none. We will continue to pledge our loyalty, support and carry her campaign to the people.

Chief A. C. Nwanmuo, immediate past Transition Chairman for Ukwa East LGA, Abia State

What we have seen here today is a lesson to everybody. What has happened here is to tell the world that if God is with you, God is with you, and whoever God decides to bless, there is nothing anybody can do about it. First of all, I see the blessing of God in abundance to this wonderful family.

My appeal is that her traditional retirement does not warrant her retirement from active politics since she is still very active. She should also bear in mind that we shall always solicit her advice politically and otherwise.

Dr Ojum Ogwo, Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Training, Office of Head of Service, Abia State

We were thinking that it was a carnival, but we have discovered that it is something more than a carnival. Imagine the small village of Igbere hosting this cream of people from all over the world. It is brainstorming; it is something that will enter the annals of history.

An adage says that a tree can not make a forest, but a tree will contribute to a forest. What we know now is that Orji Uzor Kalu is gradually becoming that tree which can make a forest with other trees surrounding them. I say that Mama is too young to retire; we still need her to act as adviser to the community which has never been. In actual fact, a mother does not retire; a mother will always look after her children.

This is just an official type of retirement; she should be an adviser to her children and community.

Chief (Mrs) Jimimah Ola Kalu, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and one-time Chief of Staff, Abia State

We are celebrating the Igbotonma of our Diamond Mother, Elder Mrs Eunice Uzor Kalu (Odiukonamba). She has mothered so many children, elevated so many people, she has really empowered people that is why people are so happy. Not only people from Igbere, people from all over the country. In fact, she is our mother worldwide.

One of the lessons people should learn is that sacrificial giving does not fail anybody. She has been giving sacrificially without minding.

I would not advise her to sit down at home just because she has retired. She is still young and we shall always come to her for advice. And I will advise her followers to emulate her footsteps. She is God fearing, so kind, people should try to emulate her foot-steps by empowering the less privileged.

Because of her kind heart and gesture, we call her “Mama Omereable”. While other people answer honourable we coin out this name for her because she is always helping people. Omereable is somebody who does things to people without minding.


Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of Abia State

My great mother; today marks a milestone in your life as you join other members of the Echee Emee Age Grade in the Igbotonma ceremony. We your children, brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles, and numerous admirers are deeply gratified that the good Lord has found you worthy before his sight to be alive to celebrate this great moment.

Words may not be enough to capture the hilarity and gratitude in our hearts at this epochal occasion. But the expression of gratitude in our faces and hearts, including the glitterati of personalities that have traveled from far and near to mark this day with you, is sufficient to tell the whole story. We are, indeed, grateful to you for the succour, love and maternal affection you have continually showered on us your children. We are particularly proud of your many accomplishments both in the social and political spheres of our nation’s life. Mama, you are one of a kind!

Mama, you have guided every of our steps ensuring we succeeded in the tortuous voyage of life. This role is specially appreciated in times of difficulty or crisis when your ingenuity and resilience came to play. I can state without any fear of contradiction that whatever I am today took its root in the solid foundation you laid for our cognitive and moral development.

On this momentous occasion, therefore, I and my family join you and your co-celebrators in thanking God for his unfathomable grace on you. We pray him to bless and keep you in His love, give you more continued success, protection and long life.

Mama, we are proud of you and wish you well as we mark this day with pomp and ceremony, I love you dearly, my great mother.


Hon Nnanna Uzor Kalu

Ezumezu is what comes up every three years. Retirement is for every man or woman in Igbere who has gotten up to that age, they look forward to it. When that age grade retires the second eldest one comes on board.

This year’s own is special to me because my mother is retiring. I thank God for keeping her to that ripe age. She is not only my mother, she is the mother of Nigeria and Abia and you can see that with the people that turned up for her Igbotonma. I wish her more years and longer life to serve humanity.

I advise the youths to respect the elders. Igbere is a great community. Igbere has produced four governors because Orji Uzor Kalu served two times, Commodore Amadi Ukwuechegh and Wing Commander Ukaegbu.

By the grace of God we will still have another governor coming from Igbere. It is a prophecy that must surely come to pass. It is God’s doing, not of man. The retiring age grade Eche-mee has left legacies that would challenge other age grades, legacies that would remain a reference to other age grades in terms of achievements.


Mascot Uzor Kalu

My mum is a strong icon. I think all through her life she fought to represent what most women have failed to be. She fought to carry the name of women high. She possesses what most women in Africa don’t have, the spirit to struggle.

I advise women to follow her steps in most of the things she has done. Even in the 70s what my mum was able to achieve when working hard as a woman, the way she did them was seen as a taboo. She struggled, moved and entered into places where other women would not dare to in the 70s. Yes, mummy still looks young, but she is in her 60s and moving on the way she does. It is a thing of joy to us. As she is alive to see all her children married with kids, it is a thing of joy to her and us. I think she has a lot to celebrate even if is not retirement.

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