About IDE DC ODENIGBO
Ide Dominic Chinyelu Odenigbo (fondly addressed as D.C.) February 4, 1929 – November 20, 2006
Ide Dominic Chinyelu Odenigbo was born on February 4, 1929 to the family of Mr John Okafor Odenigbo and Mrs Christiana Nwodu Odenigbo, of Uruagu Village, Umudioka, Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. He was the only child of his parents. Ide was a man of brilliance, compassion, and humility.
These qualities of his were identified at a very tender age by the Catholic Missionaries. Due to his brilliance, he was sponsored by the Catholic Church to attend the St. Charles Teachers’ College in Onitsha where he trained as a Teacher. Following his graduation, his teaching career started, where he rose fast to the rank of a School Principal.
Upon graduation just at the time Nigeria got her Independence, he joined the Nigerian Civil Service as a Divisional Officer in the then Eastern Nigeria. He later went to University of Leeds in UK for his Post Graduate Studies with specialization in Public Administration. During his career in the Civil Service he rose to the post of Permanent Secretary. He retired from the Civil Service in 1984, after 35 years of meritorious service.Ide D.C. was a very religious man and served God with humility. His religious life helped to shape his character and approach to life in general. He was a very compassionate man with a lot of charitable support to the less privileged. He was a key member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, a Catholic Charitable Organization that supports the poorest of the poor. During his life, he was a pillar in the promotion of education in Umudioka Town and was a consistent advocate of educating the girl child.
Ide D.C. was a board member to many educational institutions including the St. Anthony’s Comprehensive Secondary School, Umudioka. Ide D.C. was a Fourth Degree Knight of St. Mulumba, and has been honored severally by different Church Organizations. Ide D.C.’s moral clarity, his eloquence, and his honesty in leadership inspired many civil servants of his era, and there are still many testimonies to that effect. His urge for the development of his community is unparalleled. It was in view of his tireless effort to create a very open, safe and peaceful society that the Umudioka Town and Idemili Local Government bestowed on him the title of “IDE OF UMUDIOKA” and “IDE OF IDEMILI” respectively. Ide D.C. was a good family man. He was married to Iyom Veronica Odenigbo, and was blessed with ten children. As a testimony to his good family life, he was an author of a book that counsels couples on how to live a happy and fruitful married life. D.C. lived a fulfilling life which came to an end at about 6.00pm, on November 20, 2006 after a very short illness. Going by the life he lived, it is our conviction that he has joined our Lord in heaven. He was survived by his wife, May his Soul continue to Rest In Peace.
Ide D.C. Odenigbo Foundation. The Ide D.C. Odenigbo Foundation was created:
1. To honor the memory of Ide Dominic Chinyelu Odenigbo and promotion of his legacy as an Education Icon.
2. To honor the spirit of giving and support to the less privileged in accessing education which he and countless other people of his generation exemplified.
3. To provide a forum where other people that share Ide D.C. Odenigbo’s vision can join forces to support a learning culture for the less fortunate people of our community
4. To recognize and encourage disadvantaged but brilliant young people to have quality education hence engage in the struggle to build a more humane and just society.
