FORMER Governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, was absent during the burial of his son Ifeanyi on Tuesday.
According to reports, Nwobodo had said last week that he was through with the burial after it was scuttled on December 5 by his other children.
Nwobodo’s wife, Patricia was also not at the burial, which held at their hometown, Amechi Awkunanaw in Enugu South council , amidst tight security.
The corpse of the late Ifeanyichukwu was buried inside the compound of his late Uncle, John Nwobodo, which shares the same fence, with that of Jim Nwobodo.
Jim Nwobodo’s former wife, Mukosolu Nonyelu, mother of the late Ifeanyi and three others-Chukwudi, Uso and Ifeoma- were also at the ceremony.
The funeral mass was held at St. Mathew’s Anglican Church Amechi Awkunanaw, Archbishop Enugu Ecclesiastical Province of the Anglican Communion.
The presiding Bishop, Rt. Rev Dr Emmanuel Chukwuma, who preached for peace, disclosed that Nwobodo reported him to the primate of his church for accepting to officiate in the burial of the ex-governor’s late son.
The priest said he did not fix the burial but the family did and invited him to officiate.
Chukwuma said,“ Nwobodo reported me to the Primate. This text in my phone was forwarded to me by the primate. The person that sent the text to the Primate is the Igwe. The primate now forwarded it to me. I told him the true situation of things and he said we should go ahead with the burial.
“I told the Primate that when he (Nwobodo) has disowned his son, that the church has adopted him. Ifeanyi bought this pulpit on which I am preaching. This boy has suffered because of his father. It is because of his father that he resigned as commissioner.
A member of the family and an Area Administrator, Chris Nnamani soffered the following explanation, “what happened today was the decision of the entire community.
“What brought the controversy was that his father tried to shift the burial of his son outside his compound. We have never seen a thing like this before. All the members of the family met and took a decision.
“We conveyed the decision of the family to Jim Nwobodo. He said we should give him time to take a decision. He called back and told the family that his decision is final.
“So, the family contacted other kindred and they supported the family. And that was the major issue in the matter. We are not interested at looking at issues he (Nwobodo) raised in the media but our concern is to make sure that Ifeanyi is buried.
