Elder Bethel Chukujindu Obuah (1931-2016)

His Birth
The late Elder Bethel Chukujindu Obuah was born in 1931 at Kogi State, former Northern Region of Nigeria, to late Elder Money-hard Obuah of Umu-akelechi family, Umuohali Kindred, Usomini Quarters, Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State and late Mrs. Chinawu Obuah from Anambra State. His mother was the third and youngest of three wives.
His father, late Elder Money-hard Obuah was a renowned fisherman in Odogwu Rivers in Kogi State, an occupation he tenaciously practised to the end. Upon the death of his father, his uncle, Mr. Osayi Daniel (of blessed memory) encouraged the young Bethel Chukujindu Obuah to engage in the art of fishing.
Formal Education
Late Elder Thomas Obuah returned from the second world war and decided to send the young Bethel C. Obuah to school. In 1947, Bethel Obuah officially registered as a pupil of CMS Central School, Onitsha, in the then Eastern Region of Nigeria, where he studied till 1950 when his uncle, Mr. Thomas Obuah decided to return home with him. He continued his education at CCG School, Omoku, still in the then Eastern Region of Nigeria. Upon successful completion of standard three (3), he gained admission into St. Michael’s Primary School where he graduated from standard six (6).
Once more, Elder Thomas Obuah made another far-reaching academic decision in the life of Bethel Obuah when he relocated him to Onitsha for his Secondary School education. However, with intense fire of youth raging within him, Chukujindu opted to try out a career in the military, so he relocated to Enugu, then capital of Eastern Region, with his standard six certificate in hand.
As fate would have it, his quest to join the military did not work out, so he travelled from Enugu with his friend to Ibadan in the Western Region of Nigeria, with a view to gaining a place in the military.
Special Constabulary Force
After several failed attempts to meet with the commandant they were referred to, and having run out of cash and the little provision they had, the two young men became cart pushers in Ibadan as a means of cheating hunger and death in a strange place. They kept this  occupation till 1956.
The young Obuah returned to Onitsha where he joined the Special Constabulary that same year. But this was to be short-lived. He disengaged his service from the  Special Constabulary when he discovered that corruption and fraudulent acts were rife within the service. The Special Constabulary was what became the present day Nigerian Police.
While in the service, Bethel Obuah was in the batch of native policemen to welcome Her Majesty, the Queen of England on her maiden visit to Nigeria in 1956. His search for adventure and exposure took the young Bethel Chukujindu to Spain where he sojourned for three years.
Employment And The Nigerian Civil War
Elder Obuah returned to Cross River in 1959. While in Calabar, Mr. Bethel Chukujindu Obuah worked with Eastern Nigeria Development Cooperation (ENDC). In the heat of the Nigeria Civil War, he brought his family back home to Omoku in 1968, and returned to Ikom, Cross River State from where he elected to join Biafran soldiers. But sadly, he was arrested as a Prinsoner Of War (P.O.W) by Nigerian soldiers and kept with others at Kirikiri maximum security prison in Lagos, Western Nigeria, till the end of the Civil War and was released with other prisoners of war in 1970.
Work And Business
Upon return in 1970, he went into petty catering and hospitality business in Omoku while his wife, Mrs Comfort Obuah sold palm-wine (tombo) and food. Papa expanded his business interest by pioneering daily saving services popularly known as “AKAWO”.
Other salary paying jobs he held were at The Nigerian Water Resources at Ngo in Andoni LGA of Rivers State at that time.
Papa later returned to Omoku and established his own business and became  Chairman/Managing Director of a Civil and Structural Engineering and Construction Company, BCO Construction Company Ltd. Fortuitously, the activities of this iron and steel structural works and building company was to fulfill the Biblical injunction enshrined in Proverb 22;6 (KJV) “Train a child in  the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it”, as this ignited a desire within his son, Bro. Felix Obuah to venture into the business of properties and estate development.
Religious Life
Mr. Bethel Chukujindu Obuah was a devout Christian, having been converted as a member of the Church of God (Seventh Day). He was appointed as a teacher in-charge of Kriegani Church and later transferred to Obrikom Church as Minister in-charge.
Papa was a core and conservative Sabbath Keeper who sacrificed everything to keep the Sabbath day holy. He was fondly viewed as an “extremist” of sorts on matters of Sabbath. Cooking and entertainment of visitors were not allowed on that day in his household. He held many other positions in the church including Minister at Church of God Seventh Day, Obrikom, Kriegani, Oboburu and Omoku; first elected Chairman of United Church of God Seventh Day, Nigeria; Board Member, Seventh Day Church of God and Treasurer – Church of God Seventh Day, Rivers State Conference.
In 2005, Elder Bethel Obuah travelled to Israel on religious pilgrimage and visited many religious and historical sites of Christianity as enshrined in the Bible. He was to describe his experience in Israel as the melting pot of his religious life, as he came face to face with a proof of the awesomeness and reality of God’s presence in life and all things that He has made. This experience marked the ‘Magna-cata’ of his spiritual growth.
Married Life
In 1959, at Ikom in Cross River State, he met his wife, Deaconess Comfort Eyachonka Obuah (of blessed memory) who was born in 1933 to late Elder Ebenezer Otoma of Dibia – Nwaeze family of Umu-Okoya Royal house in Umue-ebe Kindred of Omoku. They got married in 1961, and their marriage was blessed with children, amongst whom are: Brother Felix Amechi Obuah, Ms Joy Obuah and Mrs Charity Ajie.
In the later part of his life, papa married a second wife, Sister Stella Agwa Juima Obuah in the year 2000.
Secular Life And Philanthropy
As a young man, Bethel was very athletic and gifted in the cerebral intense strategic game of draught, for which he was popularly known as “Oti Mgbe Ogwaru-agwu: detain and sack” – meaning he who attacks to win when the game is presumed as over and won by the opponent; Detain and sack.
The same skill of intense and calculated concentration on issues with dogged conviction and tenacious strategy – to – win was what papa implanted in action and deed as a well orchestrated parting gift to his son, Bro Felix Obuah, not only in the game itself but largely in real life endeavours, as businessman and in leadership.
Most interesting is the title of “Onono-Kono” which his peers and fans alike referred to him as is the game he loved too well. From time to time, papa found time even as his years dimmed, to play with his son, Bro Felix Obuah (father and son, on opposing sides of the board, strategizing to win the other).
Philanthropy
As a selfless philanthropist, so peculiar and outstanding was papa’s heart of gold in free and unconditional giving that he was equally nicknamed “Segun Moi-Moi” “Segun loi-loi” , “Segun Money” by all and sundry. Even little children in those days knew papa by these appellations and many, I believe, will still recall these names with nostalgia.
Finally, it will be very difficult to close this brief chronicle without a deep appreciation of how the good Lord had delicately led the footsteps of a young man driven by a burning desire to be the best he could be. He had a fired – up zest for patriotism, and desire to serve his country in whatever form or manner, with all his might. And without hesitation, he seized every available opportunity with a strong conviction to excel.
In all of these, he primed himself to succeed with whatever life threw at him. He worked hard, married well, raised mightily blessed and indivisible next – generation of his own, and by the special and abundant grace of God, served and worked in His vineyard with joy and personal sacrifice, despite life’s vicissitudes which he bore with humility, subservience and love.
As a much favoured disciple of the Most High God, he was blessed here on earth not only with great and wonderful children and grand children, but with a strong, healthy and ripe old age. Like the Apostle Paul, he fought a good fight; bore his cross graciously with an unending thanksgiving to God till the very end.
However, on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2016, from his hospital bed, papa bowed out, and on to eternity.
Rest in Peace, Great One !
Bro Obuah, Mbanabaragu 1 of Orashi, (Alias Go Round) is the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State.

Bro. Felix Obuah