Childhood
She was Born and raised in Lagos, Sister Nkechi, Auntie Joy, Auntie Lagos, Big Mummy as she was fondly called was the first Child of Davidson Okonkwo and Comfort Uzoamaka Chime. The couple birthed Eight (8) children in the following order
- 1. Joy Nkechi Chime
- 2. Chike Chime
- 3. Nnaemeka Chime
- 4. Chikodinaka Ozoemena Chime
- 5. Onyemaechi Chime
- 6. Ngozika Chime
- 7. Foster Ejikeme Chime
- 8. Nkiruka Nonyelum Ekpeluchi Chime-Nwankwo
Loss of Siblings
The 2nd child of the family Chike passed away as a child, even before Daddy Chika Sr. was born, which was why he was called Chikodinaka (it’s in the hands of GOD) Ozoemena (another one (death) should not happen). Ngozika, the other girl of the family also died as a child before the last daughter was born, hence named – Nonyelum (stay with me). Onyemaechi died at an older age in 1977 when he was in secondary school, and now Joy Nkechi, who was our ADA – First Daughter.
commander in chief
Sister Nkechi was our Ochiora (commander in chief) she instructed and directed and we all happily obeyed and followed her. Her zest for life and energy was contagious. Once she entered, you instantly knew that a trail blazer had entered. She was so smart, intelligent and a linguist. Having been born in Lagos, Yoruba was her first Language and she spoke it fluently, even better than the natives
Her Education
She spoke Agòyì, which is the local Togolese Language of her parents neighbours in Lagos. She studied in Paris and spoke French very well and was part of the Ministry of Communications interpreters at the FESTAC 77. Of course she also spoke the Nigerian lingual Franca English and her native Igbo Language.
Nkechi
Sister Nkechi made sure we had the best and never lacked anything while we were growing up.She ensured that we had a TV set when very few people knew what a television was. This is a GRUNDIG TV set encased in brown sliding wooden doors, still on display as a memento in the ancestral Chime family country home in Udi, Enugu State. That was the family’s pride and joy of the family, thanks to Sister Nkechi. She also bought us the best sound system of our time – one stereo set with speakers like balls. Her brothers – Uncles Emeka, Chika Sr and Foster always blasted music and had fun times with it. They may have to tell us what happened to that stereo set.
Nkiruka Nonyelum Ekpeluchi Chime-Nwankwo was also one of the best-dressed youngsters of her time, with clothes sent from Paris and various parts of the world. People used to glance admiringly at Nkiruka whenever she passed by, all because of her clothes and perfumes from Sister Nkechi. She continued that high fashion with her children Nneka, Chinwe and Nwando were easily the best-dressed girls in any gathering. Nneka Silvia Olubunmi Ude’s christening dress was a designer set made for princesses. The exact same set was used for her niece, Chinelo Chime-Nwankwo even after almost 30 years, and it still remained a knock-out. That was our Sister Nkechi!.
She spoke Agoyi, the local Togolese language of her parents’ neighbours while growing up, had a profound appreciation for Yoruba culture, including its food, dress styles, festivities, language, and subtleties. She learnt and spoke the Yoruba language so well, even better than the natives, to the extent that all her children were given Yoruba names. To this day, many people believe she was of Yoruba descent. She was also very fluent in her mother tongue – Igbo language, as well as Nigeria’s lingua franca; English and an additional foreign language, French; being gifted in literature, she loved to write. She wrote about milestones, and things she experienced or was affected by. She did not have one particular journal; rather, she turned any writing material into a journal. This is what made her handbags so full and huge! In addition to all the prayer materials she carried around, she had millions of handwritten notes, numbers, and contacts that she was always afraid to lose.