The burial arrangements of Professor Frank Nwachukwu Ndili, first African Professor of Nuclear Physics, and easily one of the greatest Vice-Chancellors of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has been released.
The burial programme released and signed by his daughter Dr. Isioma Ndili-Nwokolo, Professor Ndili is to buried in Asaba, Delta State on Friday, April 19, 2024.
She wrote:
“Dear Sisters, Brothers, Friends, and Family,
Words cannot express the depth of gratitude I feel for each and every one of you during this incredibly difficult time. Your unwavering support and heartfelt condolences have been a source of immense comfort as we mourn the loss of our dear father, who was not only a beloved patriarch but also a renowned scholar of great international repute.
Our Dad’s legacy as a kind, gentle, and caring professor has touched countless lives around the world, and your outpouring of love and sympathy serves as a beautiful testament to the impact he had on all who knew him. In the midst of our grief, it is truly heartwarming to see the profound effect he had on so many, both professionally and personally.
Your presence, whether near or far, has been a beacon of light in our darkest hours. The shared memories, stories, and moments of laughter amidst the tears have helped to ease the pain of our loss and reminded us of the incredible bond we share as family and friends.
As we navigate this journey of grief together, let us continue to lean on one another for strength and solace. Though our hearts may ache with sorrow, let us also find solace in the knowledge that Dad’s legacy of kindness and compassion lives on in each of us, inspiring us to cherish the moments we have with one another and to strive to make the world a better place, just as he did.
Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness, your support, and your love. We are truly blessed to have such amazing sisters, brothers, friends, and family by our side.
With deepest appreciation,
Dr. Isioma Ndili-Nwokolo
Below are various programs leading to and at the funeral:
It will be recalled that in a moving tribute immediately following Professor Ndili’s transition unto eternity, one of his protégés, former Chairman, Committees on Aviation, States & LG Affairs, Tourism & Culture at Nigeria’s House of Representatives, and a former Senate President of the University of Nigeria Student’s Union, Ozo Rt Hon Barrister KGB Oguakwa, presented a moving dirge in tribute and condolence, thus:
“AN IROKO HAS FALLEN!
A larger than life previously living legend departs.
Scrupulous honesty never had a better icon.
Prodigious intellect likewise awed by his towering academic endowments. Laurels would force an almost permanent stoop had he deigned to wear them all…feathers on his cap rival those of the fluffiest cock on the best or worst days.
Compassion, Empathy, Selflessness, hard work, diligence, acute sense of duty, indignant insistence on form, rules, practice, procedure, commitment to uplifting the underprivileged, placing the displaced – compelling scenes, Acts in a fascinating value-adding non-fiction tale which was his life amongst us.
Whether in front of the class, chalk and duster in hand, or at the file-cabinet infested room as Head of Department or at the head of the longer table as Dean of Faculty, or when he bestrode his administrative environment like a singular, yet cooperative colossus, turning the campuses into one huge post-civil war reconstruction site, as VC, picking up trash in the foyer of Kwame Nkrumah Hall and thus engendering Students’ commitment to environmental sanitation, which elixir’s stronger than the humility of a leader’s example?…Professor Ndili is legend.
Always will be.
To live in the hearts of those we leave behind is not to die.
Incoherence overtakes me. I’ll find words another scribble. Perhaps.
However, only death can stand between me and the inevitable “Asaba” obsequies. Yet, not even the honour of a graveside hail shall suffice.
Adieu great soul.
Adieu my personal Vice-Chancellor.
My unconquerable Hero departs.
My Family’s as distraught as thine, Okaa omee 1 na UNN.
Fortitude. God’s especial consolation. Our profound commiserative solidarity. All, abide.
Requiescence in peace, sir.
God Above All!
KGB Oguakwa,
(On behalf of the Professor J.U. & Late Professor Chief (Mrs.) T. Oguakwa Family), Nigeria, 14th February, 2024)
