Late Lady Caroline Ogbukagu (Odukonamba) was born On October 8, 1937, to the family of Richard and Rebecca Ezealor of Umudu Amorji village in Amata Clan of Adazi-Nnukwu. Seemingly born into wealth, her father who socialized with the late Nnamdi Azikiwe and others was a notable mason who was on the team that built the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity in Onitsha in the 1930s.
.Caro as she was fondly called, attended the Practicing School Adazi-Nnukwu then known as Convent. Her desire for education led her to Onitsha where she was enrolled into the Preliminary Teachers College, Onitsha for her TC Three education and St. Cyprians College, Nsukka for her TC Two. She later crowned her academics with a degree from the University of Nigeria.
In the 1950s when she was ready to begin her first job, she was advised to go into the medical field. While that career path was against her wish, in obedience to her superiors, she agreed and was posted to a hospital in Obudu Cross River state for on-the-job training as a nurse assistant. Actually, her concern for sick people/people in need of help was the reason that she accepted the job. However, on her first day of work, she emotionally left the operating room during surgery because of her inability to stomach the surgical process and consequent pain on patients. She, therefore, resigned her job as a health care worker. She later accepted the option to be a teacher and consequently moved to Akwaeze in 1957 for her first teaching appointment. Caro also taught in Enugu, Ibadan and Nsukka.
In 1958, she married Ik Ogbukagu of Umuezizuonye, Etiti Nnukwu, Nnukwu Clan of Adazi-Nnukwu, who was a lecturer at Ibadan, Oyo state. They left Ibadan for University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus in 1962 and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka soon after that. At the University of Nigeria, she taught and retired from the University Primary School, after thirty five years of service, having started work as a very young woman. It is worthy to mention that she received awards at the University Primary School as an exceptional teacher and the most preferred teacher for parents at the school. Her students included the award winning writer Chimamanda Adichie
Brought up by very disciplined parents, her piety started from cradle and this was evident in her overt honesty, selflessness, resilience and generosity. Her parents’ residence was the Block Rosary Centre for many years. Back then, she was a member of the Mary League Association. Later, she became a member of the Animal Minders, St Jude’s Society, Queen of All Hearts, Associates of the Spiritans, Catholic Women Organization and Lady Auxiliary of the Knights of St John International for which she seemed to have been their oldest member in Awka Diocese. She was the Financial secretary at Enugu and Chairman Board Of Trustees of Laux 661 Adazi.
She was a member of the Odenjiji dance group, Umuife Age Grade, founding member of the ATDU Enugu Branch and President of ATDU Women’s group, Nsukka Branch. She was also a member of the first group of women that were initiated into the Otu Odu Adazi-Nnukwu in 1978. Her sense of charity was boundless as she touched the lives of men, women, youth, children and indigent people .
She was known to have built seven houses for widows and fenced compounds in Nsukka, Agulu, Amawbia and Adazi-Nnukwu for people. She quietly ran a charity Organisation named Queen of All Hearts. She sponsored the training of some Catholic Priests of the Holy Ghost Mission and assisted with the school fees of others. She paid school fees, hospital bills, fed poor children and freely gave out funds no matter how small to the people in need. She sponsored the training of a young girl in Ethiopia, through a priest, by paying her school fees.
As a parishioner of Christ the King, Adazi-Nnukwu, she was a notable donor to Youth programmes, Block Rosary, CWO and church projects in general. Even at her old age, she continued to visit people in prison and always took gifts to them. She was a regular visitor to the leprosy colonies in Enugu and Oji River. She loved God and community till the very end. She was sick for only two days and went back to her maker on Holy Thursday, 28th March, 2024.
She was survived by children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters and many other relatives. Goodbye Sweet Caroline !!! Goodbye Ezigbo Mmadu!!! Goodbye Mother to the Poor!!! Goodbye Mama Nkem !!! Goodbye Mummy Dearest !!!
Written by OBUKWELU OGBUKAGU
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