Nobody makes a lovely corpse. Not even your aged and once handsome father. Ask John Abebe, the top businessman. On Thursday, John, the younger brother of late Stella Obasanjo, felt the cold pang of death as it invaded his world; albeit rudely, to claim his father, Dr. Christopher Abebe at 99.
However, John’s grief knows no end as he still believes that there is a lot he could have done to prolong his father’s stay in the mortal world. Pa Abebe, without doubt, lived a fulfilled life and was even luckier to depart for yonder gracefully without having to suffer the weakness and ailments of feeble old age.
Devastating as the sad occurrence was, John maintains his composure; he shook off his grief and attempted to do the manly thing by maintaining a stiff upper lip even as the rest of his family yielded to the agony in their hearts. He survived by his wife of 75 years, Madam Theresa Abebe, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari has extended heartfelt condolences to the Abebe family as well as the government and people of Edo State on the death of Dr Christopher Abebe. President Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, also commiserated with the in-laws, friends, the organised private sector and the Iruekpen community in Edo State over the passage of the astute and dedicated community leader and business mogul.He believed that as the Odionwere (community leader) of Iruekpen, the first indigenous Chairman and Managing Director of United Africa Company (UAC), Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of three Nigerian Universities (Benin, Nsukka and Calabar), Dr Abebe was a shining light and worthy example of hardwork, positive influence and patriotism to his local community, the private sector and the nation.
The President urged family members, business associates and the Catholic Church in Nigeria where he served committedly as Papal Knight of St Gregory and Supreme Knight of St. Mulumba to honour Dr Abebe’s memory by upholding his lifelong dedication and passion to human development.
He prayed that Almighty God will grant the soul of the departed eternal rest and comfort all who mourn him.
