‎LATE PA BARNABAS NDUBUISI EKPERECHI (1949–2024): BIOGRAPHY, LEGACY, FAITH AND FAMILY LIFE

‎Remembering Late Pa Barnabas Ndubuisi Ekperechi (Filibo), a man of unwavering faith, courage, hard work, and integrity whose life inspired generations in Agwa, Oguta LGA, Imo State. His story is one of perseverance, family devotion, and total trust in God.
‎AUTHOR
‎By John Mbonu Uchenwoke-Ekperechi
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‎LATE PA BARNABAS NDUBUISI EKPERECHI (1949–2024): BIOGRAPHY, LEGACY, FAITH AND FAMILY LIFE
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‎FROM: UMUIKEGWUONU, UMUAHII, OBUDI, AGWA, OGUTA LGA, IMO STATE
‎FUNERAL SERVICE: THE LORD'S CHOSEN CHARISMATIC REVIVAL MOVEMENT, OGUTA/AGWA BRANCHES
‎FRIDAY, 13TH DECEMBER, 2024
‎AGED: 75 YEARS (1949–2024)
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‎BY JOHN MBONU UCHENWOKE-EKPERECHI
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‎E-ISSN: 2354-4481
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‎PREAMBLE
‎I bear witness today that there is no deity but God Almighty—the one and only true God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and all that is therein; the Giver and Taker of life, the Merciful God, who showed mercy to Barnabas Ndubuisi Ekperechi from birth through childhood, adulthood, and parenthood, and has now decided to call him home.
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‎My brothers and sisters, brethren in the Lord, friends, and relatives who have come to mourn with us, encourage yourselves in the Lord and maintain self-composure as the Bible requires. Heaven has gained a soul. To God be the glory. Amen.
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‎BIRTH
‎Late Barnabas Ndubuisi Ekperechi (Filibo) was born on the 8th of September, 1949, into the family of Mr. Ekperechi Uchenwoke of Umuikegwuonu, Umuahii, Obudi, Agwa, in the Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.
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‎EARLY LIFE
‎The early life of the late Barnabas Ndubuisi Ekperechi could best be described as rough and challenging. He had very little to start life with and was greatly disadvantaged. His father, the late Mr. Ekperechi Uchenwoke of blessed memory, died three months after his birth, thereby denying little Ndubuisi the love, care, and guidance of a father.
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‎This sad development necessitated the decision of his mother, the late Mrs. Christiana Nyaa Uchenwoke, to return with him to her maiden home in the Eberendu family of Umuoboro, Mgbala Agwa, where he was nurtured and raised.
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‎EDUCATION
‎The death of his father dealt a severe blow to his education and early childhood development. Nevertheless, the late Barnabas was enrolled in Standard One to acquire a Western education but could not continue due to financial constraints and the responsibility of caring for his younger foster siblings after his mother remarried the late Mr. Chimezie of Okwuodor, Mgbala Agwa.
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‎The marriage produced three children, of whom only one survives—Mrs. Blessing Adaukwu, Mrs. Abigai, and Mr. Polycarp all of blessed memories.
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‎MARRIAGE
‎Late Barnabas Ndubuisi Ekperechi married Mrs. Anastasia Nkemhuru, daughter of the late Nze Ahaonu and the late Mrs. Ijeoma Alugburu of Umuogbueghi, Okwuodor, Mgbala Agwa Autonomous Community, Oguta LGA, Imo State, on Thursday, 9th September, 1977, on an Afor Market Day, with a bride price of Two Hundred and Forty Naira (₦240.00).
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‎The marriage was blessed by God with nine children—six boys and three girls—of whom five sons and one daughter survived.
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‎WORK
‎Late Barnabas Ndubuisi Ekperechi left Agwa for Lagos State on 26th April, 1977, in search of greener pastures. He was accommodated by a friend and fellow member of the Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim (ESOCS), Agwa Branch, Mr. Ambrose Otumegwu of Umuojere, Mgbala Agwa.
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‎He secured employment at Tin Can Island, Lagos, as an unskilled labourer, where he worked for about a year. The income from this job enabled him to rent an apartment at No. 28 Akinbiaye Street, Isolo, Mushin Local Government Area, Lagos State, on 17th September, 1977.
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‎On 25th October, 1977, through the assistance of his late elder brother, Mr. Gerald Akpaelu, he returned to the village to bring his expectant wife to Lagos. Mrs. Anastasia Nkemhuru Ekperechi was registered at Mushin West Maternity Home, where the family welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Glory.
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‎Life in Lagos was not without challenges. He later lived in several locations, including No. 133 Ikpoba-Okha Slope, Benin City; Abumere Primary School, Ebute-Ekpoma via Iruekpen, Esan West LGA; Ogreda Street, Warrake, Auchi; No. 11 Ozo Street, Cherubim and Seraphim Road, all in Edo State; St. Thomas Anglican Church, Azu Ogbunike, Onitsha, Anambra State; No. 11A Gambia Lane, Mile 2, Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; and LA School, Nsukwa, Ezi-Obodo Street, Ogwashi-Ukwu, Delta State, before finally returning to settle permanently in the village with his growing family in 1982.
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‎Back home, Late Barnabas became a successful farmer, specializing in commercial palm fruit production, supplying buyers from Ihiala, Mbaise, and local markets, while also cultivating other staple crops.
‎He sustained this vocation until Sunday morning, 1st June, 2005, when Mrs. Glory Akabuiro enviously and jealously struck one of his eyes with a piece of flaming firewood, damaging the only functional eye he had after an earlier accident had affected the other. This unfortunate incident forced him to withdraw from active farming and consumed substantial family resources on medical treatment.
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‎SOCIAL LIFE
‎Late Barnabas Ndubuisi Ekperechi was not an extrovert. He preferred minding his own business but was never isolated when duty called. He was fearless, courageous, and bold—qualities his contemporaries from Mgbala, where he grew up, married, and later returned to Umuahii Obudi in 1984, can readily attest to.
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‎He was peaceful, actively participated in community development activities, and was civically responsible. Despite his limited formal education, he ensured that all his civic documents were properly maintained.
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‎Though not formally educated, he was far from uninformed. He devoted himself to self-education by listening to radio programmes, which kept him abreast of current affairs. Until his death, he was a regular caller on Darling FM, Ozisa FM, Heartland FM, and more recently, Busy Body FM.
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‎CHRISTIAN LIFE
‎Late Barnabas Ndubuisi Ekperechi was a man of unwavering faith who worshipped Almighty God wholeheartedly. Having grown up in his maternal home, the Eberendu family of Umuoboro, Mgbala via Edede, which was a stronghold of the Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim, he became one of the early converts when the "Band of Seraph" arrived in Agwa in the early 1960s through the late Emmanuel Nwadilugwu.
‎Fondly called Filibo, he was among the early drummers of the Seraphic movement. All his children were born and baptized in the Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim, Agwa Branch (Olu Ukwu). He rose to the rank of Rabbi before leaving the church during the crisis of 2007.
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‎After careful spiritual reflection, he joined the Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement, Agwa Branch, in November 2007.
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‎As a member of the Lord's Chosen, he served God wholeheartedly with his time and resources. He played a significant role in establishing the Obudi Branch, where he worshipped until his death and served as one of the regional workers. He faithfully attended church programmes and crusades, including those held in Lagos State.
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‎DEATH
‎Late Barnabas Ndubuisi Ekperechi faced numerous health challenges during his lifetime. The most serious occurred between April 2022 and February 2023, when he battled several health complications but, by the grace of God, recovered.
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‎The illness that eventually claimed his life came unexpectedly. On 30th September, 2024, he complained of stomach discomfort and was taken from the village on Monday evening for treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri. That night, he spoke cheerfully with family members and updated them on happenings in the village.
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‎On Tuesday morning, before preparations were completed for the hospital visit, he requested time to say his morning prayers. A few minutes after praying, he peacefully surrendered his soul to God, bringing his earthly journey to an end.
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‎A man of great courage and unwavering faith is gone. He constantly encouraged his children to live upright lives according to the teachings of the Bible. He taught us resilience, faith in God, honesty, and responsibility.
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‎To many, he may have been an ordinary man, but to his children, he was a symbol of integrity, courage, faith, and discipline.
‎His passing reminds us of two sayings he often repeated: "I will not die anyhow," and "My children will not spend money in the hospital on any sickness that I will not survive."
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‎Indeed, he did not die anyhow, nor did his children incur hospital expenses before his passing. He also departed before his beloved wife, whom he always acknowledged as God's special gift, often saying that without her he would have died long ago.
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‎You came, you saw, and you conquered.
‎Adieu, Father!
‎Adieu, Man of Faith!
‎Adieu, Barnabas Ndubuisi Ekperechi!
‎Until we meet to part no more. Amen.
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‎Left to Mourn Him
‎His beloved wife
‎Six children
‎Nine grandchildren
‎Three great-grandchildren
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‎Signed:
‎Mr. Emmanuel Ekperechi
‎First Son
‎For the Family
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