Mr. Allen Onyema, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace Limited, willl today buried his late father, Chief Michael Onyema, at Mbosi Town in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Pa. Onyema, who was Nze Onyebuchi of Mbosi, died in March this year, aged 86.
The Mbosi town has started receiving guests and visitors since Wednesday as the respected community leader is finally laid to rest today.
Allen Onyema describes his late dad as a man of “impeccable integrity; a highly dedicated Nigerian and above all, God-fearing.”
The burial ceremonies kicked-off with a wake-keep on Thursday, while church mass takes place at St. Patrick Catholic Church, in Mbosi on Friday (today), just as the Interment follows immediately.
The service song was attended by many dignitaries including a former Governor of Anambra state, Mr. Peter Obi.
The deceased was a devout Catholic and community leader, and was also the head of the Onyema family of Mbosi.
The second son and last surviving child of the late Mr. Alfred Onyema, Chief Onyema was a valuable member of the Mbosi Traditional Council and an Ichie in the king’s cabinet.
Chief Onyema was famous for his tireless sacrificial community service, according to the town’s residents, as they said he was the motivator behind several corporate social responsibility projects undertaken by Air Peace in different areas of Nigeria.
An amiable and hospitable leader, Chief Onyema was also credited with the mass employment of Nigerians without discrimination on ethnic or religious basis.
After losing his wife, Mrs. Helen Ekwusi Onyema at a young age, Chief Onyema shouldered the huge responsibility of catering for the upbringing of his young children alone.
The Air Peace Chairman described Pa Onyema as his best friend and “a man who loathed dishonesty”.
He added: “A very open-minded and passionately detribalised Nigerian, he encouraged and supported his children to see every Nigerian as one.
“He was a natural activist, speaking up against injustice and man’s inhumanity to man, an attribute he bestowed on his son, Allen Onyema”.
