Late Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma was laid to rest at his family home in Ogbunabali Community, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area on Saturday after an unprecedented funeral service at the St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Garrison, Port Harcourt.
Present at the church service was Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike; Akwa Ibom governor, Udom Emmanuel; Ebonyi governor, Dave Umahi; Gombe State governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo and Sokoto governor, Aminu Tambuwal. Also present were former Rivers State governors Sir (Dr) Peter Odili, Sir Celestine Omehia and Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, as well as Sir (Engr.) Achike Udenwa, former governor of Imo State.
The event was also graced by members of the National and State Assemblies, members of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers led by Chairman, King Dandison Jaja, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains and those of other political parties across the country; captains of industry, youths and women groups from across Rivers State and beyond.
The cathedral’s auditorium was filled to capacity forcing a spill over outside where people monitored proceedings from electronic screens with a loud, crystal audio system.
As a mark of honour to a departed legal hero, members of the bar and the bench were clad in full regalia, donning wig and gown and sparkled in their elegance. So were the late Aguma’s contemporaries of the Knights of St. Christopher (KSC) who sat in their red and white attire, turning the arena to a bed of roses.
The funeral service narrowed the borders between friends and foes, as the main gladiators of the two rival political parties, PDP and APC were physically present to bid farewell to a legal icon, whose human and professional relationships cut across boundaries.
In its wisdom, the church ensured that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike sat deservedly at the middle wing of the church while former Governor Rotimi Amaechi sat on his far left, same as his APC entourage who accompanied him to the event. On Wike’s extreme right, sat Governorship aspirant of the APC, Senator Magnus Abe and other top dignitaries.
The breaking point soon came for the thousands which thronged the arena when the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral choir sang to usher in the casket bearing the body of the late Attorney-General. It was the moment when emotions had to be suppressed, and kudos to Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and many others whose trendy dark spectacles covered their eyes.
But the real hero was the daughter of the late Justice Commissioner, Onyinyechi Aguma who bravely mounted the rostrum, un-spectacled and read the biography of her late father. Her mother, Onime’s name was penned on the church programme to read the biographer, and it must have been a last-minute decision to pass the buck to the kid. And a great job she did!
Governor Nyesom Wike’s speech rendered an emotional speech at the occasion as he likened Aguma’s death to a straw that hit the camel’s back. He said the position which he occupied in his cabinet came natural as he showed from the onset a high degree of commitment, diligence and absolute knowledge of the legal profession especially duties of an Attorney-General.
“From the bottom of my heart I want to say a big thanks to the Aguma family for giving their best to Rivers State”, Wike said, adding that Aguma was never partisan in his counsel, adding “He would give me every useful advice but not to ask that I should shut down the courts”.
Governor Wike revealed that Aguma was instrumental to the mileages recorded by his administration in the judiciary. “He advised me to build NBA Secretariat, refurbish the Magistrate and High Courts, build Industrial Court and adopt owner-occupier houses for judges”, he said.
The governor promised that the line of communication with the Aguma family would not be closed hence he announced the immediate appointment of the late Attorney-General’s wife, Inime into the State Executive Council. Governor Wike also announced the renaming of the state’s Judges residential Quarters to Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma Judges Quarters while further announcing the erection of a befitting residential building for the late Justice Commissioner.
Earlier in his sermon, the Arch Bishop of the Niger Delta North Province of the Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Tunde Adeleye charged humanity to commit their lives to God as that is the only way to live eternal life.
“Don’t deceive yourselves with profane teachings and postulations. Everyone shall die some day. If anyone would have been exempted may be it would be doctors who knows all the medicines to take. But medicines can only delay death but cannot stop death”, the cleric stated, stressing that Heaven and Hell are real urging all present to love each other and live by the truth, to make Heaven.###
