From Grief to Grace: Emperor Chris Baywood Ibe Feeds 1,050 Families in Mother's Loving Shadow
By Chizoba Njaka
Dawn broke over Isu-Awaa in Awgu Local Government Area, Enugu State, not with festive clamour, but quiet anticipation. Buses rumbled in from 21 towns, unloading elders with weathered hands, mothers cradling children, and families long acquainted with hardship. They gathered at the Ibe Family Event Arena on the eve of a burial not for ceremony, but for solace. Emperor Chris Baywood Ibe, Executive Vice-Chairman of Baywood Group, had turned personal grief into communal grace: 1,050 bags of rice, gallons of vegetable oil, and packets of seasoning cubes, enough to light up Christmas tables across Awgu.
This was no mere handout. It honoured Lady Ezinne Eunice Nwabugwu Ibe Black Indigo the 90-year-old Anglican lay reader, super dancer, Jerusalem pilgrim, and business matriarch whose life pulsed with unwavering generosity. "This is not charity," Emperor Ibe said simply, moving among the crowd without fanfare. "This is who my mother was." Her spirit demanded action: feeding the vulnerable before a single funeral feast.
Organized by the Save Awgu Forum (SAFE), Emperor Ibe's grassroots network, the outreach unfolded with precision. Coordinators from each town selected 50 families per community the silent strugglers known to their neighbours. Buses shuttled them to and fro, ensuring no one was left behind by distance or frailty.
Gratitude rippled through the venue. "We'd have scraped by this Christmas," said one beneficiary, voice thick with emotion. "Now we eat together, laugh, feel seen." Another wiped tears: "In our pain, he remembered us." These weren't abstract numbers; they were dignity restored pots simmering, children smiling, hardship eased in her name.
Lady Ezinne's own life mirrored this: a devoted mother to eight thriving children (including Emperor Ibe as first son), wife, and pillar who touched countless lives through faith and fearless giving. Her passing left 32 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, but her values endure, urging her family onward.
Her burial rites crescendoed into celebration. Governors Peter Mbah (Enugu) and Alex Otti (Abia) joined bishops, senators, and dignitaries at Saint Mark's Anglican Cathedral, where hymns swelled and tributes flowed. A horse-drawn carriage procession wound through familiar roads, drawing roadside crowds in silent homage. Post-interment, lavish receptions catered by top names like Ike Osiriora and Precious Kitchen blended sorrow with joy, stories of Black Indigo's dance and deal-making filling the air.
Emperor Ibe praised his wife, Empress Pat, as the "secret" to the flawless events, and hailed his siblings' unbreakable unity. The family donated a two-storey guest house to the church, sealing a legacy not of opulence, but impact.
In Awgu's kitchens this season, rice boils and oil sizzles a quiet revolution sparked by one son's devotion. Lady Ezinne's love proves eternal: not in fanfare, but in lives forever changed.
