Nollywood actress Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha has announced the death of her father, Leonard Ndukaife Chukwuka.
The actress disclosed this in an emotional post on Instagram on Friday, saying her father had “gone to be with the Lord.”
Chukwuka said she lost her mother 13 years ago and described the death of her father as painful, noting that she was now without either parent.
“My beloved father, Leonard Ndukaife Chukwuka, has gone to be with the Lord,” she wrote.
“I lost my mother 13 years ago and now that my father is gone, the thought that I have neither parent here anymore breaks my heart in a way I cannot fully explain. So na only me bayi?”
Describing her late father as “my daddy, papa’m, obara’m, my comfort,” the actress expressed gratitude for his long life and for the opportunity he had to see his children and grandchildren.
“I am so thankful you lived a long life, and I am grateful to God you saw your children and grandchildren. We had hoped you would meet your great-grandchildren too, mana nya diba!” she said.
Chukwuka also reflected on the difficulty of losing a parent, regardless of their age.
“No matter how many years we are given with a parent, we still want one more conversation, one more embrace, one more day,” she wrote.
She said she was grateful for the moments she shared with her father, particularly towards the end of his life.
The actress said she had kept the news private while coming to terms with her grief before deciding to announce his death.
“I have held this news close while trying to understand my own grief,” she said.
She asked the public to keep her, her siblings and the entire Chukwuka family in their prayers, adding that details of her father’s funeral would be announced when the family was ready.
“Rest well, Olowo of Ikate, my father. I will always love you,” she wrote.
Chukwuka accompanied the announcement with biblical passages, including Proverbs 17:6 and Psalm 34:18, which speaks of the Lord being close to the brokenhearted.
