User:Cee-sAinTi/sandbox

Birth
Azu was born in Port Harcourt Nigeria on 27 December 1940, the first child of Bertram Chukwuemeka Obi, and Winifred Omuluzuo Obi (nee Ojukwu), after their wedding in 1938. His parents were respectively, great grandchildren of Ogbufo and Dim Ogeli – both royal ruling houses of Uruagu and Umudim villages in Nnewi in Anambra State of Nigeria. Although greatly beloved of his father, Azu had a most privileged upbringing as a nephew of Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu who loved him and fondly called him Kazuka. Following the death of Azu’s father “BC” a Senior Manager with Eastern Nigeria Development Corporation in 1959, Sir Odumegwu publicly declared that as far as God gave him life, his dear sister Winifred, and all her children will never lack his care to ameliorate the impact of the loss of her husband. God enabled Sir Odumegwu in life to make good on this public vow especially with his beloved Azuka who would regularly and fondly pull the greys off his hair, so he would keep looking young. Azu mentioned his childhood privilege with comic gusto that, when Lagos had fewer people and much more orderly, Tokunboh Street was his playground, and his playmates were the children of the Bamgboses, Da Rochas, Alakijas, Kofo Abayomis, Daniels, Randles. In school, his classmates were the likes of Lawyer Segun Munis, Nurudeen Alao, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Bishop Giwa Amu, Dr Jimmy Shogbola etc. He lived in superlative luxury at 15 Oshodi Street and 196 Igbosere Road and later 8 Alexander Avenue in Lagos. He was a favorite Monopoly banker at big games for big men like his uncle Sir Odumegwu and his friends like Mbonu Ojike, FC Nwokedi, Dr. Azikiwe who frequented the house in the evenings. He flew “alone” with his uncle in a whole flight to Port Harcourt from Lagos in a chartered aircraft. He even ate sausages “at the age of 7” at the yet un-politicized Lagos Island Club, etc. etc., and If you set fried plantain in one plate and topped it with fried egg, you have got him. He could pick plantain straight from the hot oil in the fry pan. At 8 Alexander Avenue, Ikoyi Lagos where he grew up, he was his uncle’s interpreter of dreams. At the end of one session, after his uncle narrated how, when he dies, he would roll into heaven’s welcome with his Cadillac, and Azu laughed so much and counseled him that would perhaps be the lot of those who knew and served God, but for his uncle, he doubted it unless he changed and served God seriously. Azu said, in all that, he learnt a lot about the vanity of life and the place of forgiveness from his uncle who gave him much and forgave him much too. Azu also delighted in less serious things like Bole & Ekpa and spoke deep, flawless and axiomatic Yoruba! Azu’s Lord and Saviour Jesus, he recounted to me, however used the vanity of his childhood privilege to teach him while he lived that the world is vain and not lasting. He said “as the Yoruba’s will say ‘agbo eda’. What is the end of it all!”

Education
Pastor Azuka Obi was educated at the best schools of his time, namely Government Primary School at present day Sura Market, St Gregory’s College, Obalende, all in Lagos. While at St. Gregory’s College, Azu was an Arts major student (as opposed to Science major). Within one month of achieving an all “distinction” Cambridge School Certificate Grade 1 result, Azu was all-expenses sponsored to one of United Kingdom’s best preparatory schools - Lexham Garden Tutorial School in London in 1961, to undertake the Cambridge Advanced Level studies. Seriously encouraged by Sir Odumegwu’s spurring counsel that Winston Churchill attended the same school, and that he would spare no penny to ensure his comfort, so he would deliver the best result possible from the school. His uncle secured a first-class accommodation for him at the British Council Hostel at 21 Hans Crescent in Knightsbridge London. It only took a record 11-months of arrival to the United Kingdom, Azu’s academic brilliance shone again when he completed his Cambridge “A Level” examinations with all distinctions in a course that required 2 years of study. Azu was immediately (1962) admitted and proceeded to Kings College of the University of London where he read and achieved the LLB (1964) and LLM (1966) degrees in Law. Reminiscing on Sir Odumegwu’s benevolence, love for knowledge and encouragement of people’s progress, Azu recounted “after achieving the LLB, I planned to return to Nigeria to attend the Nigerian Law School and start my Law practice, but Sir Odumegwu objected and prevailed on me to go to Lincoln’s Inn for the LLM degree in law. Azu reiterated that “had Sir Odumegwu been alive when I completed my LLM degree at King’s College in 1967, he would have insisted on my going on to get a doctorate degree in Law. I benefited greatly from Sir Odumegwu’s understanding of the importance of education”. Pastor Azuka Obi graduated LL.B. and LL.M. from King’s College London. On his return to Biafra, he was called to the Biafra Bar in 1968. After the Nigeria/Biafra war, Azu, enrolled at the Nigerian Law School in Lagos, and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1971. Subsequently he entered legal practice as a Junior Partner with Basil Adu & Co. before he set up his Azuka Obi & Co. chambers in Apapa Lagos.

Deep Calls to the Deep
Azu, on his return from the United Kingdom to Biafra, served as a Special Assistant to the Head of State, General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. In the dying moments of the Biafra/Nigeria War, God graphically protected Azu’s last minute operations as a first-hand reporter of the most dangerous realities at the war fronts. In August 1969, Azu married his “gem” and “pearl”, his “best gift from God”, Lilian Ifeyinwa Obi (nee Ndukwe), a woman Azu recounted was from 1 Peter 3:4 and helped fulfil his life and ministry as a Pastor. God blessed them with Five extraordinary children, and 19 grandchildren.

Life-Purpose
From Azu’s Primary School days to St Gregory’s College, in Lagos, he proved himself a keen sportsman and a truthful and religious person. In soccer, he was a First Team goal keeper at Government Primary school, and at St. Gregory’s College, he was not only the college’s Second Team Goal keeper but also a first-class athlete who regularly represented the college in many athletics metes. He was a champion at Javelin and held the college record in Boxing. The deepest part of Azu was his persevering penchant for the truth in life. Once, Azu recounted to me how his uncle and guardian, Sir Odumegwu, a stickler for industry, honesty, truth and who detested hypocrisy and falsehood, accosted him, “without any body’s permission, I advanced towards the kitchen oven and nearly took fish to eat out of it. As a child then it was not customary that you would take things especially in the kitchen without permission from an adult. When Sir Odumegwu walked in and asked me what I was trying to do. I did not hesitate at all, but told him that I was going to the oven to take some fish to eat. He was so impressed by my honest answer that he, even, narrated it impressively to my mother.” As a student at St. Gregory’s, a Roman Catholic College in Lagos, and having never had any serious protestant upbringing in his parent’s faith, the truth in Roman Catholicism enchanted Azu, and moved him to convert to the Roman Catholic faith, with an eye to becoming a Priest in the future, and all this without informing anyone, not even his Roman Catholic Guardian. Little did Azu know the truth of his parent’s marriage and the matrimonial pact that sought to ensure he will never be a Roman Catholic, talk less, a priest of Rome.

Incidentally when Christianity and missionaries arrived Azu’s home Town Nnewi in the 19th century, it was Protestantism, that converted the four ruling houses in the town with all benefits and privileges guaranteed by both parties. So, when it came to the marriage of his mother to the Prince Royal, it was specifically requested and agreed that his mother, Winifred must convert to Protestantism, and must not introduce Roman Catholicism to the ruling house of Uruagu by the marriage. Discussions were held with the Ojukwu Eze-Okigbo family of Umudim, and Winifred considered and converted to the Anglican Church to honour the love between the two big families for each other, and the requirement placed before the marriage. Winifred became Anglican by marriage and remained so until death in 1998. On one of Azu’s College holidays to Uruagu Nnewi, Azu having converted to Roman Catholicism in his 4th year at St. Gregory’s College, visited the local St John’s Catholic Church at Akwu Egbo Uruagu for Mass. The incident did not go unnoticed and was immediately reported to his mother Winifred. Winifred raised an alarm at the report and counseled Azuka to explain the covenant she entered in honour of the two families and her marriage, and the consequences if broken. With the zeal of a new convert to truth, Azuka would seem to have neither understood nor cared for all the plea from his mother to step back. Azu was totally ignorant that his conversion to Catholicism would rupture the family pact and cause some big ruffle in the Obi family. Nevertheless, Sir Odumegwu following his sister Winifred’s report knew the deadly implication of the conversion and paid a very powerful official visit to the Principal of St. Gregory’s College Mr TJ Moran, objected to the conversion, strongly demanded a supervised reversion to Azuka’s Anglican Faith and requested that he must not have any more to do with Catholicism at the college until he attains 21 years of age. This effective intervention protected the interest of Sir Odumegwu’s sister Winifred, but drove Azuka’s religious quest underground until he left for further studies in the United Kingdom at age 21.

Azu continued his quest secretly. Returning to Nigeria, he married under Anglican rites during the Biafra/Nigeria war. But, Azu with the acquiescence of his first cousin Val Nwanne Nwosu, convinced and took his wife secretly to the Church of Assumption Falomo Ikoyi Lagos after the war, for another and secret wedding, to ensure he still qualified to receive Holy Communion and to enter heaven. Nevertheless, his quest for the truth of the gospel could no longer be contained nor constrained by his Roman Catholic faith and friends. It later took a priest at the Church of Assumption Ikoyi to redirect Azu’s heart-rending enquiry to a member who helped Azu with in-depth Bible Studies. He became a member of Dr. Kumuyi’s Bible Study Fellowship at the University of Lagos, and shortly after, got born again August 19, 1976 and found rest for his soul. He later got baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit at the National Headquarters Church of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Yaba Lagos. Azu’s quest was finally redirected to the Assemblies of God Church in Ikate Suru-Lere Lagos, where he became a member.

Ministry
Azu in his life-turn sponsored the education of others and much more his much younger siblings even as far as United Kingdom Universities to 1981. As soon as that was over, he began his pursuit of full time ministry in the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with the Assemblies of God Church. He enrolled to train as a Pastor at the Assemblies of God’s Western Bible College, Iperu Remo in Ogun State of Nigeria (Feb. 1982-December 1984). He was “Best Graduating Student in 1984. Following his graduation and ordination as Pastor, he was appointed Assistant Pastor of Ikate Suru-Lere AG Church in 1985. He held various pastoral ministry roles at Suru-Lere, Orile Iganmu and Akoka AG churches until 1988 when he was appointed to the full-time role of Lagos District Evangelist of the AG Church. In 1991 he was appointed and served AG General Council as Director of Men’s Ministries for 22 years. He was ordained Reverend on the 28th February 1992 and was variously appointed to other roles like Assistant District Superintendent of Onitsha District AG Nigeria and Chairman of the National AG Easter Retreat. Pastor Azuka Obi retired from full time service with the Assemblies of God Nigeria on attaining the age of 70 in 2010, and variously lived in Nigeria and the United States of America until his death on Friday the 8th of September 2017 in New Jersey. Azu had a Radio Evangelistic Ministry “The Word of Truth” and authored many books/pamphlets on many Christian themes like: Jesus Is Coming Soon. Stop Lying, The Right Concept of God, Why Forgive, Watch Ye. The Role of a Christian Father, The Word as Sustaining and Regulatory Power, Discipleship and Simple Lifestyle, The Trial and Victory of Faith, Can You Take Advice? Repentance: Gateway into God's Kingdom, Coping with Marital Demand, Strengthening Your Grip on Tithing and Giving, Facing Adversity, The Word of Truth Pulpit, The Loving Voice of Jesus. The Christian Soldier, etc. He learnt and taught the fundamental rudiments of Repentance and forgiveness and emphasized their place in the Christian life. He was primarily an energized evangelistic herald of the biblical “End Times” and the Lord’s vision of this time consumed him to his last breath. He loved the Hymn “Rock of Ages”.