● Top socialite, monarchs, business leaders, others, grace the funeral
● How Greg’s Mansion Became A Mecca of Condolence and Camaraderie
Nobody likes funerals. All those flowers decorating a tombstone and eulogies draped across the coffin, like a farewell jewel; amid the hubbub, a full life careens to a close. It is understandable, therefore, that many would gladly shirk appearances at the entombment of a friend or even a close relative.
In light of this, it was humbling to behold the creme de la creme of Nigeria’s high society as they thronged the funeral of Aniema Greg Uanseru, the wife of oil businessman, Greg Uanseru.
Greg, her beloved husband, best friend and confidant, watched with undisguised grief as the pall bearers bore his casket to the The Redeemed Church, Rose of Sharon Parish, Ikeja GRA, Lagos. Her final departure from mortal life was no doubt a spectacular affair. For a woman who lived an impactful life, it was only fitting that she enjoyed the rare privilege of such a grand funeral.
However, few people get to transit from being utterly indispensable to “eternally unforgettable.” A real wife does. And if she is some wife to treasure, she may be succeeded but she can never be replaced. This truth amongst so many others manifested in the manner in which she was buried.
Like a renaissance artist intoxicated by the muse, Greg chose to paint beautiful and everlasting pictures in memory of the mother of his beautiful children . The beauty is in the detail. In a precedent-shattering ceremony that was at once sorrowful and uplifting, Aniema was remembered as a woman of unimpeachable nobility whose life of compassion and style transcended the familiar and often pedestrian vanities of humanity.
Having being a committed and active member in the affairs and communities of her church, her funeral service was put together by The Redeemed Church, an event which was held on Friday, 28th February, while internment followed immediately.
At the funeral, the goodwill enjoyed by Uanserus was brought to full display as thousands of his friends, family, political and business associates trooped out to participate in the celebration of life of his departed wife The ceremony brought out one of the largest crowds in the country’s high society. More than a thousand people trooped out to pay their last respect to Aniema. Stunning A-listers, Governors, Kings, high net- worth individuals, fashionistas who dressed to the nines and high and mighty added aristocratic colour and glamour to the event. The event boasted a cool list of guests mingling the worlds of politics, business, entertainment and high society.
The quality of the funeral ceremony held in honour of his wife revealed a quality of measured finesse and care that went into the planning of the event.
As the ceremony progressed through the day, memories of the deceased and strains of the tender feelings they invoked in her family and friends unleashed a flood of tears. A middle-aged man, obviously a recipient of one of the deceased’s fabled act of human kindness probably spoke for many when he said that Aniema was the first privileged woman he had seen to have got down on her haunches, looked them in the eye and treated them as equals.
The deceased, according to her family, often said that all she wanted to do was bring a little bit of happiness into people’s lives, to be a source of hope to the hopeless especially, and that she achieved with remarkable humility and forthrightness.
Her humanity was real and her compassion was infectious which made it possible for her to touch so many lives in different ways and in different measures. And this reality was fervently attested to by friends and family she left behind; many revealed that they were touched by her presence while alive and that even in death, she touches their lives.
Interestingly, however, where others build fortresses of wealth to keep the world at bay, Greg Uanseru has spent a lifetime building bridges—bridges of friendship, kindness, and selfless generosity. And so, when sorrow came knocking at his door, those bridges bore the weight of a nation’s sympathies. From captains of industry to political stalwarts, from the refined corridors of diplomacy to the resounding echoes of the football pitch, a mosaic of Nigeria’s crème de la crème converged at his doorstep, paying homage not just to the man bereaved, but to the man beloved.
The annals of Nigeria’s high society are replete with moments of grandeur and camaraderie. Still, few occasions have stirred the soul as profoundly as the outpouring of love and solidarity towards the billionaire magnate in the wake of his beloved wife Ema’s passing. In his grief, he found himself encircled by a powerful testament to the wealth of human connections he had cultivated over the years—connections not forged in the sterile halls of mere business transactions but in the warm embrace of genuine relationships, spanning across tribes, industries, and political allegiances.
The outpouring of love and goodwill towards him among other things, establish that in moments of great sorrow, true friendships are illuminated. Such was the case when Alhaji AbdulSamad Rabiu, the formidable industrialist and founder of BUA Group, arrived at the Uanseru residence to offer his condolences. Accompanied by his confidant, Kunle Coker, he spoke with the gravity of one who understood grief intimately, recounting the painful similarity between Ema’s passing and the loss of his own father. With words steeped in empathy, he urged Greg to find solace in the knowledge that she now rests in a better place.
In the same breath of compassion, Asue Ighodalo, a towering figure in Nigeria’s corporate sphere, extended his prayers, his words resonating with the solemnity of a man who knows that strength is sometimes found in surrender. “Pele, pele. You are a man, keep being strong. God be with you,” he said, a simple yet profound exhortation.
Others, too, came bearing the balm of their presence.
Jide Coker reminisced about Ema’s warmth, her kindness like an eternal flame that flickered in the hearts of those who knew her. Football legend Jay Jay Okocha, his voice laced with disbelief, muttered what many felt: “Her demise is still so shocking.” And then came Maj-Gen R.O. Yusuf (Retd), his words wrapped in military solemnity: “What a huge loss! May Almighty Allah grant you eternal rest. We shall miss you.”
The parade of dignitaries was relentless. Godwin Mekwuye, the visionary behind Vivid Imagination, reflected on the virtues that defined Ema’s existence—humility, resilience, and an unwavering loyalty to those she held dear. Abdul Ismail Ejoor, Kayode and Kemi Odukoya, Barr. Tunde Oshinowo, Ola Kukoyi, Saheed Kekere-Ekun, Abiola Akinnola, and Dr. Henry Nzekwu all stood in solemn witness to a life well-lived and a love deeply mourned.
Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party at the 2023 elections, equally arrived with a quiet dignity, welcomed by Pamela Shodipo, the sister of the deceased. He spoke not just as a political leader, but as a friend who had known Ema personally. “Her death is painful,” he admitted, his voice tinged with the sorrow of personal loss. But in his grief, he found a lesson: the endurance of a good name, the indelible imprint of a life lived with grace.
Osa Osunde, reflecting on the nature of grief, urged Uanseru to lean into the memories, to find strength in the love they once shared. And then came another wave of dignitaries—Dr. Bukola Saraki, former Senate President; ‘Timi Alaibe, former Managing Director of the NDDC—each man bringing not just words of comfort but the silent solidarity that only true respect can command.
As the procession of mourners continued, one truth stood irrefutable: Greg Uanseru is not merely a billionaire; he is a citizen of humanity. His wealth is not a cold ledger of assets but a living testament to the bridges he has built. He is, in every sense, the kind of man who pours himself into the lives of others, investing not just in businesses, but in people, in communities, in the quiet miracles of goodwill.
This outpouring of love and admiration serves as a lesson to many within Nigeria’s billionaire class. It is a call to transcend the limitations of material wealth and embrace the boundless possibilities of human connection. For in the end, a legacy is not written in the ledgers of profit margins, but in the hearts that remember, in the voices that rise in unison to say: This was a good man. This was a man who cared.
Where others erect walls, Uanseru tears them down. Where others isolate, he embraces. His life is a blueprint for what wealth should mean—not just a fortress against the world, but a bridge to humanity.
Greg Uanseru, in his quiet dignity, remains the same man he has always been—a builder of bridges, a keeper of hearts, a testament to the boundless humanity that makes life worth living. And as Nigeria’s high society bows in homage, they do not just mourn Ema’s passing; they celebrate the enduring spirit of a man who, in life and in loss, reminds us all what it truly means to be rich.
