Publisher, Siblings Mark 10th Anniversary Of Mother’s Death

Publisher of online publication, judoblitzng.com, and former acting Group Sports Editor of the Daily Times, Mr. Ikpo Igbinoba and his siblings will today mark the tenth anniversary of the transition of their mother, Mrs. Grace Uwuimiro Igbinoba (nee Omorotionmwan).

A successful trader, community leader and philanthropist in Oredo Local Government of Edo State, Mrs. Igbinoba died on August 12, 2011 during a brief illness at the age of 71.

She was survived by her husband, the Odionwere of First East Circular Road, Pa Albert Ogieriaikhi Igbinoba,(now late), children; Mr. Osazuwa Igbinoba, a player in the oil and gas sector, Mr. Ikpo Igbinoba, a journalist, Mrs. Osaro Orumwense, a medical scientist and Dr. Osagie Igbinoba, a medical doctor, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. 

Speaking on the 10th anniversary, Mr. Ikpo Igbinoba said the day would be marked by the Igbinoba and Omorotionmwan families and others as it had been the practice since their mother’s passing in 2011.

According to him “Since our mother’s death on August 12,  2011, the date, August 12 has been elevated to an epoch in our family’s history.

“Every August 12, we celebrate our mother, who without dispute remains the greatest mother that has ever lived.”

Mr. Igbinoba said marking the mother’s memorial was more than just a family affair because she touched the lives of many.

“My mother was a mother not just to us her biological children but a mother to the poor, the vulnerable, the widows, the orphans, and the needy in the community. 

“She was blessed with a heart of gold and she dispensed her good deeds to all and sundry.”

The publisher stressed that he and his siblings, would remain eternally grateful to their late mum for the role she played in their success story.

“Our mother was the rock of our family, the woman behind our very successful father and an inspiration to us the children. 

“We learnt from her the virtues of hardwork, honesty, humility and kindness. Our mother was an embodiment of all the virtues.

“In fact she was an angel in human form”.

On a personal level, Mr. Igbinoba said August 12 was special to him even before his mother’s transition.

He recalled “Saturday, August 12, 1989 was one of sadness and joy for me. On that day, as a Senior Sports Correspondent with the Daily Times group, I was at the National Stadium, Surulere to witness a tragedy. Super Eagles star, Samuel Okwaraji who plied his trade in Germany, slumped and died on the pitch during a World Cup qualifying encounter against Angola”.

“I was sad that Nigeria on that day lost a footballer who was the very epitome of patriotism.

“On the flip side, I was thrilled that I reported the incident for Africa’s largest circulating weekly, the Sunday Times.”

“So from 1989, August 12 has  been a special day to me and also a special day in the nation’s sports history”.

“But when my mother died exactly twenty two years later, August 12 was no longer just a special day, but an epoch, a day when an interesting chapter in my life was closed and a new one opened. 

“August 12, was no longer a day to join the national chorus celebrating Okwaraji who paid the ultimate prize for his patriotism, it was now a day to celebrate the greatest woman that has ever lived, my mother, a day to reflect on her life and times, a day to thank God for blessing me with an angel for a mother, and a day to wish that all mothers were like my mother”.