Engr. (Sir) P.O.E Igba in Transition

With a heavy heart, the family of lgba and the larger Odjegba family of Orogun Kingdom, Ughelli North, Delta State, Nigeria regret to announce the recent calling to glory of Engr. (Sir) Patrick Ononwenerhi Emuobonuvie lgba, after a brief illness. He was 72.

A UK trained Chartered Civil/Structural Engineer, Igba worked with Taylor Woodrow Nigeria, TWN, and Taylor Woodrow United Kingdom for many years. At his entry point in TWN, he exhibited uncommon industry and brilliance which prepared the ground for his UK sojourn, where he pursued further engineering studies at Dundee University Scotland, and also worked with Taylor Woodrow.

Upon his return to Nigeria, he continued with TWN and rose from Senior Engineer to Site Engineer, and thereafter Contracts/Chief Engineer. After leaving TWN, he worked with PW Construction briefly before resigning to set up his own outfit, PATOVIE NIG LTD, a consultancy, civil/structural engineering company.

A Knight of the Catholic Church, Engr. Igba was a former Secretary, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN.

A great philanthropist, teacher, philosopher and author, he wrote many books which cuts across science, religion, history and biography. They include: ‘A Standard History of Orogun’, ‘The Angels of God’, Divine Name of God: Is It Yaweh or Jehovah?’ and ‘Evolution, Science & Religion: Is Evolution True?: How Old Is The Earth?’

A unique and complete family bridge builder and unifier, he offered protection, love, attention and care to family and anyone under his roof. I know because I lived with him and was as a matter of fact brought up by him, and was opportune to observe how he sought throughout his lifetime to promote family values and seek to puncture pressure points whenever such cases arose among family members, in order to build progress, peace and harmony.

In Lagos where a good number of the lkporo/Odjegba family lived, he would drive from his house at Dopemu in the 1980s/1990s to far and near locations within Lagos and into the neighbouring Ogun State, to check on relations, junior or senior.

He will spend time to inquire into family members’ well-being, always dispensing moral and financial support at every visit. He touched family lives one way or another, in very positive dimensions. I am of course a living testimony.

Perhaps l should add that if there is anything good or outstanding in me, to a large extent, l got from him. He moulded me like a father would a son; and even as an adult, he was always looking out for me.

He loved education and often went outside his way to pave the way for indigent family members to get educated; thus he sponsored the education of many relatives and town people; not because he was rich or didn’t know what to do with his money but because he cared and understood the gap education could fill in a man’s life.

He didn’t wait to be a rich man to impact people’s lives, he was always there to assist as much he could. For all the years l lived with him, l received equal, loving, disciplinary fatherly treatment like his own children. Whoever was under his roof is part of the family. He didn’t know how to segregate, nor did he know how to pretend, either at the family or social circle.

He will always speak from the heart, and does not know how to whitewash the facts of any matter in other to please a particular person; be you his mother!

Whereas it is not our business and place to aggregate his conduct and character and possibly assign him the robe of the saints, Daddy Patrick Igba was a very humane, spiritually active, straightforward, honest and kind hearted man.

In the final analysis, may I say without any reservation that my late uncle was a friend of God, and that he served humanity within the ambit of his horizon.

He is survived by his quintessential wife, smart and comely children and grandchildren. He will be laid to rest in his Orogun hometown residence on Friday, February 4, 2022.

May the Lord grant him the strength to strive to the Luminous Heights in the abode of the eternal kingdom of God’s children. Amen!

Eguono Sunday Odjegba