HRH Chief Williams Uloko Idode 1959-2022
HRH Chief Williams Uloko Idode 1959-2022 When beggars die, there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of prince. Shakespeare There is a time to be born and a time to die, so says the good. HRH, Chief Williams Uloko Idode, born 4th April 1959 to Mr. Momodu Ojakpai Idode and Mrs. Lametu Amiunomhene Idogho, both of Ivhiobore quarters, Ogbona, has played his part and took his exit but at a time his ingenuity, sagacity and pragmatics approach to life are most needed. We give God the glory for a life well spent. Much as one is not old enough to do a comprehensive comparative analysis of all the Okphe Ukpis that have ruled our community before now, it goes without saying that his reign helped to unify the community and brought quantum of developments hitherto unseen in the history of our community, chief among which were renovation of schools, provision of furniture, renovation and construction of health center, drilling of boreholes, extension of electricity to some parts of the community, provision of new and maintenance of old transformers . He had this unquantifiable passion for human capital development for the community which manifested in the number of people he helped to gain employment and admissions to schools of their choices. His rich knowledge and exposure to the outside were well leveraged in the areas of security and the engendering of peaceful atmosphere for development to thrive. It is on record that no sooner was he enthroned than His Royal Highness set up Ogbona reconciliation committee, purposely to insulate chieftaincy affairs from partisan politics, thus setting the tone for healing that helped the community to see common issues that united it than the ones that divided it. Chief Idode was a just arbiter who never feared to speak the truth regardless the parties involved. He saw the cup as half full than half empty. His love for Ogbona community was without rival. I remember in January 2018 when I got a call from him, inviting me to join him to see the Chief Medical Director of UBTH in Benin City. Chief Idode came prepared and with all the composure, mental alertness and seriousness the occasion demanded, he reeled out the challenges faced by Chief M.C.K Orbih Comprehensive Health Centre at home. The high point of the visit for me was when he made a case and personally submitted application letters from Ogbona people to be employed as medical personnel. His leaving home to live with his uncle, Dr. J.B.Idode in Benin City in 1970 where he attended Arinze Primary School and Western Boys High School Benin City 1972 -1977; his stint with Nigerian Defense Industry in Kaduna and as teacher at home in 1979 prepared him for the task ahead. It was not surprising that he was invited In 2007 by elders of his Ivhiobore kindred, with pressure from the then Clan Head, The Ogieavianwu of Avhianwu, Chief Patrick A. Oboarekpe to accept and hold in trust, Egboise for them which is second position to Ukpi title. He accepted albeit, reluctantly because he was doing very well in business and politics. The Egboise graduated to Ukpi drummer in 2008 when HRH T.A. Osigbemhe died and he remained The Okphe-Ukpi of Ogbona until his demise. He was particularly thankful to God that collectively, we were able to move the community forward, better than where it was when he took over. Good night Your Highness John Odior Anaweokhai Peter Aigba Adieu…. My dear King! O death! Where is thy sting, ……. Today is a sad day for us all. The death of our King is monumental loss by all sense of the word after a protracted illness. I woke up this morning and I was shocked to learn about this tragic loss, and I know we are all shocked, scared and perhaps angry at the unfairness that took him from us in such an untimely manner. We are probably all seeking answers to why this happened, but undoubtedly, this is part of God’s plan. We all knew the exemplary fashion with which Chief Willy loved us, loved our community, saw strength in our unity and advocated radical emancipation from our old ways that were emmeshed in trado-political imbroglio and rancor in our community. He was a bridge-builder, a scores-settler, and a peace-making king, such of which is rare to find in our generation of kings. His demise has thrown our community both at home and in diaspora into mourning. We cry to God and ask why once more, but we are assured that he has done well and for that, he may as well be in a better place now. As we now accept that our king is in a better place, we must now as a community, as family, as friends, acknowledge our loss and contemplate the great importance of Chief Willy Idode’s life even as we grief and wallow in sadness. We now owe it to the Okphe-Ukpi and ourselves to focus on the big picture of what Chief Willy Idode life meant to us (as Ogbona community) and what it stood for. The Okphe-Ukpi’s transition to the great beyond will definitely have a lasting effect on us and therefore his legacy must never be undermined. From his youth days through school, he worked so hard to maintain financial independence despite his humble background. Amongst the many opportunities within his reach, he sought a teaching career until he succeeded thrown in 2007, this is quite an impressive journey and perhaps a journey that was full of difficulties yet surmounted. Chief Willy Idode had an active but a progressive mindset, never say never attitude, an elaborate thought process, excellent memory, exceptional taste for knowledge, unwavering and well thought through opinion, and was a listening king. Our Okphe-Ukpi, was hard-working from the day he wore the crown till death, even on his sick bed he pondered about our people and about our unity. Above all of
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