At her passing at the age of 104 years, the funeral of the Late Chief Mrs. Doris Asugbo Iseru (Nee Gbenekama), who holds the dual title of Pereteibenemo-arau and the Amaokusu-ere of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, was marked with a mixture of joy and tears on Friday, May 3, 2024.

Earlier on Friday, the remains of the Late Chief Mrs. Asugbo Iseru was conveyed by family members and other sympathisers from the Veenell Hospital morgue in Okumagba Avenue, Warri, to her residence in Oturubiri Quarter, Ogbe-Ijoh, where a funeral service was conducted by The Church Of The Pentecost (Anglican Communion). 

The ceremony which was well attended by chieftains and other sympathisers from other Ijaw kingdoms, notable Gbaramatu (Warri South-West LGA) and Ogulagha (Burutu LGA) witnessed an entertainment session with music supplied by Chief Kingsley Takemebo and his Izon band at the Ewein Primary School.

"It is a heart filled with mixed feelings with the sad news of the passing on of Chief Mrs. Doris Asugbo Iseru at the ripe age of 104. Even though I was young, I was able to know the difference between a pretty girl and not too pretty girl," wrote a former Federal Commissioner for Information and the Tonkepa of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom, Chief Dr. Edwin Kiagbodo Clark OFR CON, in his tributes to the Late Chief Mrs. Iseru.

Going down memory lane, the Ijaw national leader recalled: "I knew her about 82 years ago when I was in elementary school in Okrika (Ganagana) along the Forcados River. The husband, Chief Barrister E.K. Iseru was my headmaster at the Native Authority School, and his assistant teacher was Mr. E.G. Orubebe. I was his monitor and very young compared to the age of pupils in the school. He informed me that he would like me to join the team that will go from Okrika to Ogbe-Ijoh to bring his young wife; fortunately, I was privileged to travel to Ogbe-Ijoh in a canoe.

"Mrs. Asugbo was very fair in complexion to the extent that she was pretty enough to be the Beauty Queen of any society. I was very close to her and her husband, and they had many children. Her husband, Chief E.K. Iseru was a very brilliant and intelligent man, who passed his grade one teachers certificate exam and later relocated to the North to teach in a college.

"For a long time, we were no longer in touch because Chief E.K. Iseru, in his quest for knowledge, went to the United Kingdom to study Law and later returned to Warri as the most Senior Ijaw Lawyer in the then Warri Province. He lived with his wife and family along Bowen Avenue, Warri. I visited them when I qualified as a young lawyer in Warri. I also had the privilege of traveling to Odimodi in Iduwini Kingdom when he passed on. I spent some time with the wife and children. Because of her responsibility and service to her people, she was honoured with the chieftaincy title ‘The Pereteibenemo-Arau of Ogbe-Ijoh’ and she later became Amaokusu-Ere of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom.

"I pray the Almighty God to give the children and family the fortitude to bear the loss. She lived her life and was still active as the oldest woman in Ogbe-Ijoh until her death. May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace," the elder statesman prayed.

Prof. James Okoro, Rector of the Delta State Polytechnic, Burutu, wrote: "On behalf of the Rivers State University set of 1988, I, express my deep condolence to the Iseru family on the demise of their lovely mother. May the gentle soul of mama rest in peace."

While among other family tributes, one of her daughter Etonbra Iseru described her mother as "A mother with the heart of gold, always appreciative, a mother more than a million mothers", a grand daughter, Doris Iseru said her grandmother was "a very good and caring grandmother to me" whose loss was very painful. Yet, for Andrew Iseru, "She was a hard working mother that took care of all her children and her family members."

Another daughter, Mrs. Helen Nimimieyebo Timiyan, recalled "Mama will long be remembered as the hardworking, intelligent and loving woman she was. In the 1960’s when we lost our biological mother (your elder sister), you were there for us. You took me to the urban center in the 60s and gave me your best by replicating your profession on me to become a classic fashion designer which set great examples for me and helped me develop my core values. Mama, you indeed blessed my marriage 51 years ago. You taught me to put family and religion as top on my priorities. Mama was an excellent role model. She could teach you how to be responsible and caring towards others... You touched my heart in so many ways. I will always be forever grateful for the love and the life lessons that Mama taught me."

According to her biography, the Late Chief Mrs. Asugbo Iseru, the youngest of three children, was born in Ogbe-Ijoh, on February 12, 1920, to Mr. Gbenekama of Oturubiri and Mrs. Osei Gbenekama of Tambiri, both of Ogbe-Ijoh, and was married to the first lawyer in the then Western Ijaw Division, Chief Barrister E. K. Iseru of Odimodi in Burutu LGA. in a union that first gave birth to three of her children: Festus, Donald and Victor in Nigeria, before leaving for the United Kingdom (1955 to 1958) where they gave birth to the fourth child, Anne. On their return to Nigeria towards the end of 1958, she subsequently gave birth to five other children: David, Philip, Eric, Etonbra and Andrew.

While in the U.K. she trained as a fashion designer. She was a talented entrepreneur, who apart from her fashion design business, was a distributor to many consumer-products manufacturing companies. Her businesses were based in Warri where she trained many well-known fashion designers. She was also a community leader in Ogbe-Ijoh wherein she did not only mentor several women and children, but also guided and supported many in establishing livelihoods for themselves. In recognition of her community leadership, she was honoured with the highly-regarded chieftaincy title of Pereteibenemo-arau of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom.

Mama had passion for education. Apart from the education of her children, she also supported several of her relatives through different levels if education. She was a very devoted Christian and a devoted member of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Okere, Warri, and also a highly-regarded member of the Anglican Church of the Pentecost in Ogbe-Ijoh.

SPONSOR: This report is brought to you courtesy of Elder (Capt.) Mark Timiyan, in-law.

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