Birthday Bells for the STK Ukagas

Amby Uneze

There is something in a name and that is why some families try hard to uplift or maintain their name for good reasons. Any family name that rings a bell in some areas must have some influential personalities. After all, it is the character of people that makes a family to be great and subsequently earn respect therein.

For Chief Stanley (STK) Ukaga family of Umualum, Uratta in Owerri North Local Government of Imo State, they are full of gratitude to God for the good health of their mother, Dame Rose Ukaga and wife, Professor Chinyere Ukaga, who are both cerebrating their birthday anniversaries, simultaneously. The family is also using the occasion to rededicate the family chapel, “The Saint Gabriel Chapel”, a private place of worship, “to God and to honour the mother of our Lord.”

As Chief Stanley Ukaga, son of Dame Rose Ukaga and spouse of Professor Chinyere Ukaga, put it: “We would like to give thanks to God and to these two amazing women, who have forged a deep mother/daughter, senior sister/junior sister relationship not just mother in-law/daughter in-law, which is rare and worthy of emulation in today’s world.

“The event is also not only helping my mother’s Catholic ministry but also providing a much larger private place of worship for her sodality, ‘2000/3000 Hail Mary Crusade Group’, as well as the ‘Pro Life Group’ which she champions.”
According to Chief Stanley Ukaga, an engineer, and the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria’s foremost herbal supplements manufacturer, STK Biotech and his siblings, “We are also using this occasion to pray for our late sister, Chief (Mrs.) Olive Ibe as we plant an Olive tree brought in from Israel in her memory.

As the Ukaga matriarch, Dame Rose Ukaga clocks 79 years, to the glory of God, she is remembered for her selfless services to her fatherland, having occupied several positions of authority in the land. She was married to late Dr. Gabriel C. Ukaga, a highly respected and intelligent man and a 4th degree Catholic Knight of Saint Mulumba. Dr. Ukaga was among the pioneer set of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and graduated with a degree in English.

A strict disciplinarian and finely turned out gentleman, he was renowned for his meticulous nature, dress sense and polish. He obtained his master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Calgary Canada with his young wife and raised his children there. Upon returning to Nigeria, he worked in the Ministry of Education and rose to be Director Higher Education in Imo State, from which position he was appointed to midwife the newly established Imo State University, Owerri (IMSU) as its pioneer Registrar.

Upon the creation of Abia State and ceding of the IMSU Uturu Okigwe campus to Abia, he was appointed once more to midwife the new IMSU at its current site in Owerri as Registrar. Upon retirement, he was appointed the Sole Administrator of the newly created Ideato South LGA and later was appointed the Chairman of the governing council of the College of Agriculture, Umuagwo.

Rose is a Papal Knight of Saint Gregory The Great (one of the few women in Nigeria be so honoured by the Pope). Ukaga is a former President of the Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) of the old Owerri Archdiocese. Her deep faith and catholic life led to the establishment of the 2000/3000 Hail Mary Crusade Group which meets every 13th day of each month to pray 2000/3000 Hail Mary, in prayer for the intercession of Our Holy Mother Mary. This originated from her active and leading role in the Archdiocese on her Pro Life Campaigns, teaching and preaching to young ladies and men on responsible Christian lifestyles and the right to life of the unborn child.
Prior to this, Rose was an educationist of note and retired from Alvan Ikoku College of Education Owerri as the Director of the Continuing Education Centre.

Chinyere is an Executive Council member of the World Federation of Parasitologists (the 1st living African so honoured). She is also a Council member of the International Society of Infectious Diseases and the current National President of the Parasitology and Public Health Society of Nigeria (PPHSN).

A distinguished Professor and academician; she is also the current and first female Director Academic Programmes at Imo State University Owerri, having previously served as the first female Director of the University Consultancy Unit and the first Director of Quality Assurance of the University.

These two outstanding and accomplished women (mother in-law and daughter in-law) are being celebrated today, Saturday 9th October 2021. Prof Ukaga’s birthday is on the 8th October and Dame Rose’s on the 9th October. But these two amazing women come together each year and choose on who’s day they would both celebrate their birthday.

Chinyere was the 1999 best graduating Ph.D student of the University of Nigeria Nsukka clinching both the Vice Chancellor’s and Faculty awards. She is a self-motivated and personable mature female, a strong academic, as well as a researcher. She has more than 16 years of teaching and research experience working with both undergraduate and postgraduate students in public health parasitology at Postgraduate diploma, Master’s and Doctoral levels. She has to her credit more than 60 publications.

A good team member and believes strongly in God, fair play and justice, she excels under pressure producing good quality results even under very short notice. Chinyere is warm, very friendly and gets on well with others, including her students who see her as a mentor. She is receptive to new ideas and encourages a stable conducive environment where exchange of ideas, designing of new projects is promoted. She believes in excellence in whatever service, networking, as well as the strength of group work.
Happy birthday, mama and daughter-in-law.