By Our Reporter
Dr Dakuku Peterside, former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has sent a message of condolence to Dr Max Amuchie, CEO, Sundiata Post Media Ltd, on the death of High Chief Emmanuel Ikonne Amuchie, father of Dr Amuchie.
In the message he personally signed on Tuesday, Peterside, a former Member of the House of Representatives, described the late High Chief Amuchie as a man who believed in education and raising others, adding that the deceased was selfless in community service and loved God deeply.
The message reads in full:
Dr Max Amuchie
Aboh Mbaise LGA Imo State.
“My dear brother,
CONDOLENCE ON THE PASSAGE OF YOUR FATHER, HIGH CHIEF EMMANUEL IKONNE AMUCHIE
“I was sad to hear about the passing of your beloved father, High Chief Emmanuel Ikonne Amuchie, an accomplished community leader and father to many. Please accept my deepest condolences during this incredibly difficult time. We will always be affected by the deep void left by Papa’s exit, even though he passed away after a long and fulfilled life.
“I got to know your father from the account of many of our common friends. The impression I got is that of a man who devoted his whole life to the service of humanity. He was a man who believed in education and raising others. He was selfless in community service and loved God deeply.
“By his words and action, he earned his place as a role model, mentor and a statesman to many. His impact in Amaisii Uvuru and the entire Aboh Mbaise is well known. He gave me the gift of brothers and sisters in his biological children, especially you, Dr Max Amuchie.
“As you navigate through this period of grief, be consoled by the quality-of-life papa lived and his abiding faith in Jesus Christ. As you celebrate his life, know it that he will remain an inspiration to all of us and to countless Christians all over the globe.
“May God accept his soul in heaven and may his memory be a source of comfort and strength in the days ahead.”
Aged 86, High Chief Amuchie fought in the Nigerian Civil War as a Biafran soldier and after the end of the war he joined the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), where he served in the medical corps in Makurdi, Benue State.
In 1978 he resigned from NAF and got admitted into the defunct Murtala College of Arts, Science Technology, Makurdi, which later became Benue Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, where he read business administration. He did the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at Olokin Grammar School, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, passing out in 1983.
He joined the Imo State Teaching Service and earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE). He taught in many schools before retiring as a vice principal.
He was a member of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (IPMN), Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA), London.
High Chief Amuchie was earlier in his career a dispensary and community health professional. He passed the Dispensary/Health Attendants’ Certificate with Distinction and as the best graduating student in defunct East Central State (comprising the current South-East states of Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi, Enugu and Abia) in 1971.
A reverred community leader, he was conferred with the chieftaincy title of ‘Ugo Eji Ejemba Mba I of Uvuru on 30 December 2002 by the late Eze Reuben Mbalewe.
He is survived by his wife, Lolo Angela Amuchie, eight children and grandchildren.
High Chief Amuchie will be buried on 25 April 2025