Tears at funeral mass for Michael Anyiam-Osigwe

The funeral mass for Mr. Michael Anyiam-Osigwe, the executive director of Anyiam-Osigwe Group, held today at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Yaba.

When family, friends and well-wishers gathered at the church to send him off, the vacuum was palpable.

Anyiam-Osigwe was many things: an erudite scholar, thinker and businessman, leader, father and husband; he was remembered as all these things at the funeral mass.

The casket was brought into the cathedral at 10:10am as the Anyiam-Osigwes, including the pallbearers, wore the signature white of the the family.

The mass began at 10:15am. The subject of the homily delivered by the priest was “Where is God when bad things happen to good people?” Handkerchiefs met tears several times during the discourse.

Young Miss Tetsekela Adanaya Michael Anyiam-Osigwe later gave a thank you and farewell tribute to her father.

“Anyiam-Osigwe underscored the relevance of our 700 years of recorded history and counting. Anyiam-Osigwe, and the entire Anyiam-Osigwe entity come from a generation of lords,” she read in her speech.

“In every one of us, there is a powerful spiritual being; the metaphysical. Only the privileged of us are gifted with such power. With all that has happened, it is of utmost importance to look to an elevated state, away from normality, to critically understand our reality.

“These words I speak are just morsels of Michael Anyiam-Osigwe, my father’s doctrine, his teachings, as best as I can understand them for now.”

The mass had a substantial attendance despite holding on a Thursday morning. Paul Nonso Okoye of P-square was also in attendance.

An hour after the commencement of the mass, the priest urged the congregation to come forward and celebrate with the family in thanksgiving for the life of the departed. There wasn’t much dancing and smiling, though, as the loss still weighed heavily on people’s minds.

Anyiam-Osigwe died in Lagos on December 1 from gunshot wounds he survived in armed robbery attack on November 29.

Requiem mass and final rites will hold on Friday, December 18, at St. Thomas Catholic Church, Nkwerre, Imo state.