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Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, right, in a handshake with his predecessor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan at Tony Obuh’s funeral service.

Governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa has said that people will be remembered by how they impacted on the lives of others, not by the number of years they lived.

Speaking on Friday at a funeral Mass held for Mr Anthony Obuh at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Agbor, the governor noted that it was important for Nigerians to touch lives with the way they live.

Mr Obuh, a retired Permanent Secretary was a governorship aspirant, a former Commissioner and was the Chairman, Bureau for State Pensions in Delta.

“We want to give God the glory for a life well spent by our brother and friend, Tony Obuh; it is not how long you lived but how you lived and we are here to bid farewell to someone each and everyone of us will remember for a very long time.

“The pains as a result of his passage will soften when you look at this church and see a huge number of persons gathered to bid him farewell; Tony lived a very good life “.

“He made a lot of impact on family and friends and did a lot for our state, Delta; we should have confidence that the family will continue to maintain the name Tony Obuh made while he was alive “.

“I want to encourage the family that we need to realise that the best we can do for our departed father is to maintain the kind of life that will give deep meaning to his life; it is time to stay strong and believe in God, your God that He trusted.

“He worked for the people; he believed in the people; Tony was humble, he was a generous man even on his dying bed”.

“It is my prayer that God will fill the gap and give the family he left behind the fortitude to bear the loss,” Governor Okowa said.

Catholic Bishop of Issele-Uku Diocese, Most Rev. Michael Elue had in a homily, said the passage of Obuh should “rekindle our faith in the risen Christ.
“We implore God’s mercy and commend the soul of our brother to the hand of God; it is important that we live a good life while on earth; death doesn’t terminate life, it ushers us into the life of immortality”.

“Our presence here today in this number is an indication of the type of life our brother, Tony Obuh lived; whenever we are burying someone, we use the opportunity to re-examine our own lives” .

“Our prayer today is for God to give us the strength to live according to our belief.”

The Bishop prayed for the repose of the soul of Tony Obuh at the Mass which was also attended by wife of the Governor, Dame Edith, Deputy Governor, Burutu Otuaro; former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, former Deputy Governor Benjamin Elue; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele; Senator James Manager; Rt. Hon. Christopher Ochor; Mr Reginald Bayoko; Chief Kingsley Esiso; Dr Cairo Ojougbo among others.
An array of Priests attended the Holy Mass.