Prof Okey Igbonagwam celebrates Mama Grace at 90yrs

Austin Okoro

The erudite professor of Computer science based in United States of America, Prof. Okey Igbonagwam has celebrated Mama Grace Anusiem as she turned 90 years of age.

Igbonagwam said he was celebrating with her because God has blessed mama by adding extra 20 years to her age in good health.

He stated this while addressing newsmen at the Rockview hotels Owerri , Imo State on 3rd January, 2024 during the celebration.

The erudite scholar  noted that he was also celebrating mama because of his relationship with her children.

He added that they all hail from the same family and the same community, Obazu Mbieri in Mbaitoli LGA, Imo state.

” I’m celebrating mama Grace because her children are my friends and we are from the same place, and family” , he stated.

Prof noted that he prefers to grow old with good health so that he can see his children’s children.

He said it is better to celebrate someone when he or she is alive  than when the person passes on as copied from the West.

” Tell them you love them while they are alive, tell them what they mean to you. Not when they are gone you start celebrating. When you do that, you are doing it for yourself”, he noted.

Professor Igbonagwam said that the situation in Nigeria today is self inflicted because it can change if we engage the right leadership.

He gave example of Abia state that changed within two years because they engaged a good leader.

I visited Aba and I was amazed at what happened there. Aba that was a refuse dump just changed within two years and every where is now clean”, he stated.

“We all have a role to play. Government has a role by providing trash Cans in every pole so that when people are walking by, they can drop dirt there.

“There are self inflicted problems. What can we do to mitigate these problems. Everybody should play his or her part.

“For instance, my wife is American and we have been married for 40 years. My children are all grown and we have been growing stronger.

“When my children where growing up , I told them to mixed up what is good about Igbo culture and what is good about America and they’ll be the best.

“And to the glory of God, my eldest child is a nurse, with two grand children. My twin boys are now medical doctors, so they listened to me.

“As a professor and a retired technical director that worked for Department of Defense DOD, I brought real life situation to my class room.

“My advocacy to young people is that in any culture take what is good from it and leave what is bad because in every where you go, you can find the good, the bad and the ugly.

“I’m afraid that the generation we have today are not going anywhere. But we need to reorientate them as to change the attitudes of the youths”, Prof. Igbonagwam opined.

One of Mama Grace’s children, Rev. Father, Dr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem said longevity is all about grace.

” Mama’s name is Grace and without grace life will be a race. Grace means God in a race. And God’s grace found her”, he stated.

Rev Father Anusiem said what he learnt from mama about longevity is the ability to be happy with others and to love Jesus Christ.

“My mum was active even to the point that she was still serving God in Choir even in her old age.

” Your lifestyle also matters if you must live long. Mama was not drinking nor living carelessly”, Father noted.

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