Jonathan Mourns Ex-Classmate Keturah Ominabo

Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has paid glowing tribute to his former secondary school classmate, the late Mrs Keturah Ominabo, describing her as a calm, decent and virtuous woman whose good character was evident from their school days.

Jonathan, who joined family members, former classmates and associates on Friday at the funeral of the 71-year-old deceased, said he attended Matadeng High School with her for five years, from 1971 to 1975, and that their relationship remained significant decades after they left school.

Speaking at the funeral, the former President said the death of a loved one was always painful but should also serve as an opportunity for the living to reflect on the inevitability of death and the kind of lives they live.

“Death is a very painful thing. That is why people have to cry, and there is nothing wrong with crying when somebody dies. Even our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ wept at Lazarus’ grave,” Jonathan said.

He noted that funeral ceremonies were not only occasions to mourn the dead but also moments for the living to reflect on their own mortality.

“The funeral ceremony is for us that are still alive. We look at the life of the deceased, compare it to our own lives, and also reflect on the fact that if Keturah is gone today, any of us could be the next,” he said.

Recalling their days as students of Matadeng High School, Jonathan said the late Ominabo stood out for her calm disposition and good character.

According to him, members of their Class of 1975 could identify classmates who exhibited leadership qualities and good character from an early age, stressing that Keturah was never associated with negative behaviour.

“All of us can attest to the fact that Keturah, all through our school period, was a very calm young girl,” he said.

“You could identify young men and women that had leadership qualities and character, and those who did not, even at that age. But you would never associate Keturah with anything negative.”

Jonathan explained that his relationship with the deceased went beyond their years as schoolmates.

He disclosed that one of her sons, Wealth Ominabo, had worked with him, while he later discovered that the late Keturah was also a member of his extended family through the Obua family.

“I’m not here just because of Wealth. I’m also here because the deceased is a family member. We’re from the same family, from the Obua side.

“When we were younger, we didn’t know, but much later we got to know the relationship,” Jonathan said.

The former President commiserated with the Ominabo family and assured them that the deceased’s former classmates, friends and associates would continue to identify with them in their period of grief.

He also paid tribute to members of the Class of 1975, who gathered to bid farewell to one of their own, and appreciated the Catholic clergy, led by Rev. Fr. Peter Ikuli, for presiding over the funeral Mass.

Jonathan urged the family to take solace in the life lived by the deceased, saying her calm disposition, decency and good character had left lasting memories among those who knew her.

In his homily, Rev. Fr. Peter Ikuli urged families and communities to leave behind legacies of peace, unity, development and harmony rather than hatred, division and unresolved conflicts for future generations.

The Catholic priest said the death of a loved one should not only be a moment of grief but also an opportunity for the living to reflect on the way they conduct their lives and the legacy they intend to leave behind.

He reminded the congregation of the temporary nature of earthly life and the need for everyone to live responsibly.

“As you are now, so once I was. As I am now, so you will be. Prepare, my friend, prepare, my son, prepare, my daughter, to follow me when your time comes,” he said.

Ikuli explained that, according to the Christian faith, death does not mark the end of existence but the beginning of another phase of life.

He described the deceased’s 71 years as an occasion for thanksgiving, despite the pain of her departure.

“We nonetheless gather not in sorrow, but in joy and thanksgiving to God for her 71 years of eventful life, lived in grace and filled with vigour,” the priest said.

He, however, warned against family conflicts and divisions, lamenting that some people leave behind hatred and disagreements that continue to affect their children and subsequent generations.

According to him, a person’s legacy should not be measured solely by material possessions but also by the peace, unity, love, development and good values left behind for others.

“We cannot continue to do the same thing in the same way and expect to have a different result,” he said, urging families to break away from cycles of hatred and conflict.

The cleric encouraged the family and members of the wider community to honour the memory of the late Mrs Ominabo by promoting peace, reconciliation and unity.

The funeral Mass was attended by members of the Ominabo and Ogua families, former classmates, members of the Catholic Women Organisation of Nigeria, Catholic faithful from different parishes, as well as friends and associates who gathered to pay their final respects to the deceased.