Prominent Anioma Indigenes Salute Departed Ibusa Legend, Sir Augustine Nweke

 Prominent Anioma Indigenes Salute Departed Ibusa Legend, Sir Augustine Nweke

He was One of a Kind - Uwolo of Ibusa 

He Spent Fruitful Years Living in Ukwuani - Izomo of Umuebu 

We Have Lost a Superstar - Chuba Keshi 

He will be Missed by Ibusa - Austin Obidi 

Another Anioma Bank of Knowledge and Creativity - Awele Oranye

Story By Emeka Esogbue 

As the Ibusa traditional flag hangs at half mast, prominent Anioma sons and daughters have continued to react to the death of Anioma legend, Sir Augustine Ifedi Nweke, KSM, who reportedly passed on Wednesday.   

Tributes continue to pour in torrentially for the legendary artist who first artistically gave his people the artistic impression of Umejei, one of the founders of the community and Oboshi goddess traditionally deified and revered as the spiritual watcher of the community. 

The Ibusa people in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State especially, have occupied social media since yesterday, to send their homage to the late sculptor and painter in celebration of his contributions to the society. 

The Uwolo of Ibusa, Chief Amaechi Nwaenie was not left out when he described the departed versatile artist as one of Ibusa's finest legends that ever lived. 

"You will be missed and mourned the world over," the people's traditional Warlord noted in his tribute made available to Pen Master. 

A respected politician from the community and a former State Commissioner in the state, Dr. Austin Obidi was not also found missing. The giant politician, renowned for the attraction of developments as a former Local Government Chairman, in his threnody, stated that he would be missed while wishing him a smooth journey to the world beyond. 

The world also had the opportunity to hear from his former student, Prince Frank Okolo-Obi of the Ogwashi-Uku royal family who mournfully narrated his scholarly benefits from the former lecturer on the Anioma Watch forum. He wrote, "my mentor. He taught me drawing in primary school, taught me fine art in secondary school, and lectured us on Fine and Applied Art at the College of Education, Abraka, Delta State. One of us is Professor Mrs. Grace Ogun (nee Ojeah) who is now the Dean of Fine and Applied Arts at Delta State University Abraka. Sir Augustine Nweke, in his lifetime, made many men and women. May the gentle soul of "A. I. Nweke" as fondly called by us have a peaceful rest with our heavenly creator." 

Prince Okolo-Obi, in a telephone conversation with Pen Master further said, "the legendary artist made a lot of professors and other successful men and women now, around the world and we want to be fully involved in his funeral arrangement." 

It was Dr. Chuba Keshi, a scholar, publisher, and indigene of Onicha-Olona, another mentee of the departed Ibusa legendary artist that went down memory lane with fuller knowledge of the former University Don. 

Shocked by the deathly announcement, Dr. Keshi wrote, 

 

"Emeka Esogbue, only yesterday, I was thinking of him. I actually hoped to call some of my Igbuzor friends to ask after him. Between 1975 and 1977, I would, almost daily, go to him (we were living in Igbuzor then) to watch him paint or sculpt. He taught me how to use the palette knife on the board straight from the palette to make pictures. I was doing a painting yesterday and mixed yellow, black, and red to produce ochre colour and remembered I heard the word "yellow-ochre" first from Mr. Nweke - as we called him. That was when I remembered him just yesterday. And the last time I saw him was in 1977. In 1975 or so, he painted Jesus on the Cross for, I think a Catholic Church in Igbuzor. I would go daily to help him organise his palette. I was later to paint my own copy of Jesus on the Cross. It is still in my father's house in Olona. Sad, sad, very sad."

"In 1975, I was 13 but I can still picture his house in Isieke (Ibusa), a bungalow then. I remember Mr. Nweke very well. Yes, he was a very versatile artist. Primarily, a sculptor, he was also a great painter. And mind you, the palette knife on board is sculpting on board if you do not use a brush at all. He was adept at it. And he could use mediums you couldn't imagine - oil, acrylic, gums, name it. We've lost a superstar."

Displaying his own painting with pride, Dr. Chuba Keshi said, "Emeka Esogbue, I did this painting, hanging on the wall in my Abuja home, many years ago. I did some palette knife work on the white horse, and was going to complete the vegetation on the tree with palette-knife "sculpting", but got my first job, and somehow never returned to the work. I will complete it now in honour of my mentor in this field. I never sat in an art class except coming around Mr. Nweke."

"I sculpt, too," the scholar and publisher emphasized. 

The Senior Special Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State on Tourism and Culture, Chief Ugoesa Huxley Unumadu joined other mourners in registering his tribute. The Izomo of Umuebu described Sir Augustine Nweke, KSM as one who lived a worthy life in Ukwuani, impacting greatly on the people of the region.  

"He was a legend whose work on Prince Umejei was my first sight of sculptural work in those days. May his soul rest in peace," Afam Ogbogu noted on Anioma Voice. 

 

Kobindi Ofili provided a more touching tribute when she said, "Pen Master, Sir Nweke and his late wife urged my parents to solemnize their marriage and they took it as good advice and complied. The couple then stood as my parent's marriage sponsors. He and late Pa. J. D. Okafor meant so much to me in my village (Isieke) and now, they are both gone. I will surely miss them. 

He was what Awele Oranye of Great Anioma People described as "another Anioma lost bank of knowledge and creativity

Umuigbuzor founder, Mr. Pat Adigwe, was not also left out in making a tribute to the legend who the Ibusa present generation will surely miss for his artistic and scholarly contributions to man's society. 

"Goodbye to the Igbuzo Father of Art, " Adigwe announced tearfully. 

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