Ndibe’s mother goes home

By Paul Efiong

The late Mrs. Elizabeth Ndibe, mother of US-based Nigerian author, academic and columnist, Okey Ndibe, will be buried next Monday in Amawbia, Awka South local government area in Anambra State.
A retired elementary school teacher and headmistress, Mrs. Ndibe taught in various schools in Nigeria, including St. Theresa’s in Yola, Adamawa State, as well as in Nnobi, Amawbia and Enugwu-Ukwu, all in Anambra State.
She is survived by her oldest child, John Ndibe, a medical doctor and acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health in Anambra State,
Okey Ndibe, Ifeoma Mokwuah, a New York-based social worker, Jude Ndibe, an architect employed by an oil services firm in Lagos, and Patrick Ndibe, an attorney who works for the city of Houston, Texas.
In his tribute, Okey Ndibe described his late mother as “a passionate teacher who regarded all her pupils as her children, a fearless Christian who cared for bed-bound elders, prisoners, orphans, widows, and rejects of our society”. He added that his mother was a tireless advocate for the impoverished of society, often counseling government officials to adopt policies that would alleviate the plight of poor and marginalized Nigerians. “Since her retirement from teaching, she would celebrate each birthday by taking food to prisoners and spending several hours with them.”