JUST IN: GOV. MBAH, DIGNITARIES Honour LATE CHIEF DUBEM ONYIA FUNERAL MASS.
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Friday joined other well-meaning Nigerians to pay their last respects to the late elder statesman and former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Chief Dubem Onyia, describing him as a legendary figure whose life impacted many.
Speaking during a well-attended funeral mass held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Ngwo, and officiated by the Catholic Bishop of Enugu, Most Reverend Callistus Onaga, Governor Mbah extolled the virtues of the deceased.
“We are gathered here today to pay our last respects to a legendary figure, a moral giant, and a man whose shoulders were a ladder of success for many,” Mbah said. “Sir Dubem Onyia was quite exemplary; a man whose light shone on all those that encountered him. There is no doubt that the void his exit has created will be very difficult to fill. But I urge us to find solace in the impactful life that he lived. He inspired many of us, and we will continue to hold the family tight in our prayers. Let us always remember that it is God who gives and God who takes.”
He encouraged the family, friends, and well-wishers to take comfort in the Christian hope of eternal life, adding, “We are not hopeless. So, may his soul continue to rest in peace.”
In his homily, Very Rev. Fr. Franklin Eze reminded attendees that the funeral mass was not only a rite of passage but a call to the living to reflect on the vanity of life and strive to live purposefully. He praised Chief Onyia as a man who etched his name in the sands of time—politically, religiously, and socially—emphasizing that the difference between heroes and villains lies in selflessness and sacrifice.
The funeral mass was attended by numerous dignitaries, including the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi; former Governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo and his wife, Patricia; former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu; former Governor of Ebonyi State, Senator Sam Egwu; Senate Minority Whip and Senator representing Enugu West, Osita Ngwu; and Chairman of the National Burial Committee for Chief Onyia, Senator Ben Obi, among others.
ONYIA AT FUNERAL MASS*
