In a very profound mien, the now utterly fragmented Okwuato town is still mourning the death of Lady (Lolo) Maria Celine Chinyere Nneji (LSM) who will be interred this morning, Saturday, October 29, 2023.
Madan Nneji was the mother of Mr Frank Nneji, the ebullient founder and chief executive officer of the Associated Bus Transportation (ABC) PLC. Nneji brought excellent innovations that sensationally caused sterling revolutionary hues in the country’s transportation sector.
Madam or Nwanyi Nneji as she was fondly called, had striking similarities with the wonder woman known as Maria Curie. Curie’s discovery of radium helped revolutionize medicine. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. And she was also the first person to win it twice and the only woman to have it in two different categories!!!
Curie was originally Polish – from Poland but he she became a French by marriage as she married Pierre from France. She was a physicist and here many contributions helped to shape what is known today as modern medicine.
Like Curie, Lolo Nneji was the first person to establish a hospital in Okwuato: the St Jude Maternity Clinic. After hers came the one run by the wife of Engineer Peter Ben Iwuji, Oboji Ibeku and then the other at Okwukwa Umuhu.
Just as Curie’s fantastic, wonderful contributions changed the course of global medicine for better, Lolo Nneji’s first hospital in Okwuato in 1964 tremendously assisted in providing primary healthcare delivery to the enclave and beyond.
Patients from neighbouring Enyiogugu, Nguru, Mbutu and Ngor Okpala trooped to Lagwa Okwuato for primary medical attention, particularly in the area of child delivery and treatment of malaria.
As Curie relocated to France from Poland and developed herself professionally even as she equally championed drastic world medical advancement, so also did Lady Nneji fundamentally left her marital abode in Ezuhu Nguru, Aboh Mbaise and settled with her family at Obo Lagwa in Okwuato, Aboh Mbaise Imo State.
There, she was copiously visible in all her activities where she was a medical practitioner as midwife, social reformer and religious crusader.
Her performance as an inclined characterization as an affectionate wife and lovely mother could easily be identified in her son’s astonishing achievements with ABC. Another pointer is her daughter who is a medical daughter. You recall that Curie’s daughter, Irene, was also a physicist. What a great continence!!!
Certainly, Lady Nneji led other Okwuato inspiring women like (but not limited to) the late Lady Anthonia Echewodo, Late Madam Ukwuoji, late Lady Ann Thomas Iwuh, late Madam Rose Aririele, late Madan Helen Vitalis Nwachukwu, late Madam
