Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
An Awka-born philanthropist, Dr (Mrs) Felicia Okeke-Ibezim, has commissioned a multimillion-naira community project in honour of her late father, Mr Clement Nwankwo Okeke, popularly known as Okwuchineke.
The project, a storey building with state-of-the-art facilities, was officially handed over to the people of Obunagu-Amikwo village in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, on Saturday, January 25th, 2025.
Dr. Mrs. Okeke-Ibezim who was represented at the handover ceremony by her younger sister, Mrs Grace Nwabueze, explained that the project was a heartfelt fulfillment of her personal promise to honour her father’s sacrifices.
According to her, despite facing numerous challenges and oppositions, her father was not discouraged but instead steadfastly supported her educational pursuits, up until she completed her Master’s degree.
“Today is a great day for all of us! We are all gathered here today for a Grand Opening of Obunagu-Amikwo Town Hall built by Dr (Mrs) Felicia Okeke-Ibezim, (2024) in honor of my late father, Mr Clement Nwankwo Okeke, popularly known as Okwuchineke, who, with his meagre government salary, sent me to university and up to my first Masters degree level. This was the time when many fathers were not sending their female children to universities.
“Today is a triumph and a proof that when parents send their daughters to school, they educate not only a village but a nation. I thank my father for giving me the opportunity to explore my love of education, of reading and writing. I recall some villagers asking my father why he was paying my school fees up to university level.
“They told my father that after sending me to university, that it would be my husband’s people that would benefit, not him but my father shrugged and responded that he did not care who benefits from my education or not because, when he was growing up, he wanted to go to school but his father had no money to send him to school even when he was a brilliant boy. So he ended up sending himself to evening classes after he got a job. So he vowed to himself that he would endeavor to send his children to school, irrespective of gender.”
She acknowledged that the villagers had been right when they claimed her education would ultimately benefit her late husband’s people in Amaigbo, Imo State, as they had indeed derived greater benefits from her education and continued to do so.
She revealed that she had initially focused her charitable efforts in Amaigbo, where she believed her assistance was more urgently needed, and had continued to do so for several years.
Ibezim said she eventually decided to honor her late father’s memory and give back to her own community by constructing a modern multipurpose town hall and event center. She expressed gratitude to her older brother, Emmanuel Amaechi Okeke, for suggesting the town hall project, which she said was recognised as a pressing need for the village.
She went further to reveal that constructing the a storey building had been a daunting task, given the high prices of cement, sand, and other building materials, exacerbated by the erratic depreciation of the Naira.
She described the Obunagu-Village Town Hall as a modern, multi-purpose event center, boasting a storey structure with two separate halls. She disclosed that the hall has other features such as a stunning entrance, a car driveway underneath the building, and a raised pulpit for speakers or concerts.
She outlined others to include additional office-rooms for various uses, chairs and tables, bathrooms and sinks for both males and females, ceramic flooring, and a separate side entrance to the upstairs hall.
She appealed to the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Soludo, to support her community development efforts, particularly through donations to her humanitarian projects. She also extended a call to Anambra state’s millionaires and billionaires to contribute to her funds to support the needy.
Ibezim revealed that, until now, all her charity projects had been self-funded, but with her recent retirement from college teaching and real estate business, she urgently needed external support to continue her humanitarian work.
She emphasised that, unlike other charities with established foundations, she had relied solely on personal funds, but was now open to contributions to support her passion for helping the less privileged, community development, and providing scholarships to students from struggling families.
In their separate reactions, members of the Obinagu village including Chief Nwanno Osonwa, Evang Francis Uzoukwu, and Mrs Catherine Uzoukwu, praised Dr.Mrs.Felicia Okeke-Ibezim for her philanthropic gestures, and urged other sons and daughters of the town to emulate her in solving the town’s needs.
Earlier in his sermon Rev Canon Ernest Ebenu, from Orlu, Imo State, commended Ibezim for using her God-given gift to impact lives.
