Gov Soludo, Archbishop Okeke At Fr Ebube Muonso’s Mother’s Funeral Mass

By Chuks Eke

His Grace, Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Onitsha Archdiocese, and Metropolitan of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, has taken issue with Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, for threatening to fine the Obimma family for holding Ezinne Grace Obimma’s funeral ceremonies in a flamboyant manner at her country home, Nkwelle-Ezunaka Oy Local Council Area.

During yesterday’s Requiem Mass for Ezinne Grace Obimma, mother of Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obimma (also known as Fr. Ebube Muonso), Spiritual Director of Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke in Idemili South Local Government Area also of Anmmbra state, who passed away at the age of 88, Archbishop Okeke and Governor Soludo exchanged these words.

After Prof. Soludo placed the blame on the Obimmas, especially Charles Obimma, a member of the State House of Assembly, who signed the State Burial Law into law in 2019 to cap funeral expenses, Archbishop Okeke responded.

By revealing that his late father Pa Simeon Soludo’s meek, Iow-keyed funeral procedures were child’s play in comparison to the late Ma Obimma’s exuberant and flamboyant funeral, Soludo had opened a can of worms.

However, Archbishop Okeke chastised the Governor for invading territories that were not under his purview and urged observance of jurisdictional limits.

The Cleric said, “In the separation of power, you don’t make laws for the church on how to bury the dead because it’s bound to fail.

“It’s not the duty of the governor to make law on how Christian burials should be done because there are more serious things the government should do. Any law that is impossible to keep or enforce should be considered unjust maw.”

According to him, the church can only make a law where it has exclusive ecclesiastical paw, but not for the government because they’re two separate jurisdictions.

He pointed out that the church made suggestions on how to cut expenses during burial, but noted the choice of celebrants to decide whether to spend hugely or meagrely, stressing Soludo chose to use and blow siren at his father’s burial out of choice.

Before the mass, the late Ma Obimma led a life that was worthy of being emulated, according to the presiding cleric, Rev. Fr. Dr. Prudentius Aroh, the Chancellor of the Onitsha Archdiocese and Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the most recent general election.

Rev. Fr. Obimma, the founder of Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry Uke, expressed his gratitude by noting that his mother, whose life is firmly anchored in Christ, passed away on All Saints Day, November 1st, a sign that heaven had received a saint.

As the parish priest of Blessed Iwene Tansi Catholic Church in Umudioka, Dunukofia Local Council Area, Rev. Fr. Obimma made hints about the philanthropic activities of his late mother, saying that she was “rooted in love and passion for people who with nobody to help them especially the widows and less privileged.”