Jesse Ukaefi Iboko was born 3rd child out of 4 children of Mr. and Mrs. Mmecha and Agu Arisa at Ihungwu, Amankalu Igbere in Bende Local Government Area in the Eastern Nigeria, now Abia State.
She loved her sisters Chief Mrs. Mgbo Iheke, Diana Ojukwu Igu and Ms Ihudiya Agu (Iya Ochonga) The sisters did not have the privilege of formal education but were very intelligent. Any statement of date of birth is a guess work for paperwork purpose but suffice it to say that old age is a blessing and the sisters all aged gracefully.
Jesse was wife of the late Chief Obadiah Imo Iboko in a polygamous setting which resulted in the numbers Mama 1 (Lidia) Mama 2 (Jesse) and Mama 3 (Evelyn) an exemplary Igbo family worthy of emulation.  Their husband the late great Obidia Iboko believed in education and encouraged all he could to go to school. Mama 2 lived in township and she endeavored to bring her cousins and other less privileged from Igbere to Aba and mentored her relatives.

Jesse Ukaefi Iboko passed on to the lord on October 4, 2014 at Georgia Regents Medical Center, Georgia, USA and was returned to Nigeria in accordance with Igbo tradition.  Igbo anaghi eli ozu onye tozuru etozu na mba.  Mama 2 was blessed severally with the fruits of the womb with the following children: Mrs. Comfort Iheaka aka Mama Nnena, Mrs. Erinma Ogbureke aka Mama Oj, Grace Mgbeojikwe, Ms. Ada Chukwuma, Dr. Madukwe Imo Iboko, Barrister ifeanyi Iboko, Nnenna Iboko (late) Chidimma Iboko (late) Ms. Okwuchi  (late) and last born Ijeoma.

Mama 2 was Survived: by 7 living children, 33 grand children and 24 great grand children and her elder sister Iya Diana Ojukwu Igu of Ndi mbe Ibina Igbere.
Tributes to Mama 2

Ms. Ada Chukwuma has this to say
Mama was a hard working woman and that was why she was able to raise 10 children successfully by God’s grace. Even when she got sick, she did not want the sitters to bath her or do anything for her until towards the end when she got really sick and weak.
Mama (Ms. Jeese Iboko loved Jesus and loved life. Very friendly and welcoming.  In our church she was almost every bodies mom though she never spoke English. She spoke Igbere language to you whether you understood what she was saying or not. In African Christian Fellowship she was very much loved. She loved to dance to the glory of God despite pains. She became the life of the gathering wherever she before she became sick but still in bed she danced with whoever was dancing and I know that she is dancing in the presence of Jesus without pain or sorrow. Praise the Lord.

The staff at GRU –doctors, nurses extra loved her, because despite her pains and situation she would reach and shake hands with the doctors and give some hugs.
Mama was with till I had my last child and she went back to Nigeria when my last child was 18months old. I brought her back to the USA after she had a tragic loss of 2 daughters, 2 grandchildren and one son in law on the same day due to MVA. After that she became sick and was given 3-6 months to be alive. She told the doctor that her life was in the hands of God, that God will take her when He gets ready and that was 3-4 years ago.
I loved my mom and I will miss her, but I have gotten comforted by my Lord Jesus.

Dr. Madukwe Iboko
            Mama was variously known as Mama 2, Nneoma Presby Azikiwe Rd for 2003, Mama America, and Mama St Michael’s Road depending on the circumstances. Each of us here gathered today can relate to mama through any of these names according to the circumstance of meeting her. One of the most important things in Mama’s life was the love of family and she took great pride in the children. Parents generally are special people and with patience, perseverance and love they help us grow into healthy and beautiful people. For Mama she was a professional parent. Parenting was a way to fulfilling her destiny. She was blessed with 10 children, now 7 surviving immediate children, 30 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren as well as step children and other relatives and friends. her strong belief in positive thinking and the importance of quality of life. Mama was proactive in ensuring that growing up we were in good health. Mama knew certain health habits that never made sense to us then but now we know. Mama 2 together with Mama 3 worked so hard to provide for us children growing up. They were usually up at as early as 2 a.m. and started working on their petty fast food business; their aim being to help provide for the family. I must confess that in my younger days, I didn’t know Mama as too outwardly affectionate but

Mama as Mama 36
At 36c St Michael’s road where Mama lived most of her 1st 50 years of life, she became known as mama 36 to all tenants, neighbors and businessmen. To them, she was the mother they never had around or the one they never had. She rejoiced with them and sorrowed with them no matter the circumstance.

Mama as Nneoma
            Mama was Nneoma of Presby church, #1 Azikiwe Road church in 2003. With most of us grown and gone off to university, mama committed herself to church activities attending all ward and district meeting. She made good her tithe as much as she could. Bible studies became a must for her and her friends Mama 3, Mary J.C Awah and Elder Ikodiya Iroka. On Sundays after church service they could spend upwards of 2 hours in front of the house reviewing the sermon of the day while we watched them through the split of the curtain in the house window. In 2003, mama was conferred with the title of Nneoma of #1 Azikiwe Road Presby church; with such recognition came high expectations and trails. Mama lost 6 children (3 children and 3 grandchildren) in road traffic accident; we all thought Mama will fall apart. But mama found strength and faith in the word of God in Ecclesiastes:
To everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven, a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck what is planted, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to keep and a time to cast away.
Mama’s faith in God was seriously tested and she stood firm. She never uttered a word of blasphemy. She was a positive thinker and instead emerged from grieving a new person.

Mama as Mama America
            Mama spent a total of roughly 16 years of her life residing in USA. Her first journey was in 1983 when she was invited over to join my sister Ada Chukwuma in the US. She spent a total of 10 years during which my sister has all her 3 children. In 1989 she returned to Nigeria during which time my son Obediah Imo Iboko jr was born. Mama’s return started the Era of “Mama America.” Mama had acquired new health habits. She would wear sweat suit and take a walk early for miles from 36c St Michaels Road to Abayi in Aba as a routine; diet has changed to include a lot more fruits and salad. The fear of her being knocked down by motorist became a concern. In 1994, after 5 years, mama returned to USA. On her 3rd “missionary” journey to the US, Mama met Christ, became a born again Christian and devoted her life to the work of God. She joined most Christian Associations, church groups and participated full time in their activities despite her age. Mama was greatly admired and talked about throughout the state of Georgia, USA where she resided. She became an American Citizen in 2013. Mama provided support for those in need of support, counseling for those Christians having marriage problems and baby sat for those who had nanny needs, all these in the name of God. God bless America!

            Mama certainly was not a perfect person though. She made mistakes; she had faults and weaknesses just like anyone else. Mama’s life journey could be described in the words of Professor Chinua Achebe as one of, “those whose palm kennel was cracked by a benevolent spirit.” Through children mama came to America, through children mama became an American Citizen and through children mama became one of the last surviving pilgrims of their age grade in Igbere. It is now on record that mama lived to the ripe age of 90s. Being in USA was part of the blessing because in 2006 mama was diagnosed with a pancreatic mass that was none cancerous. She had faith in God beyond imagination for even when the Doctors’ opinion was that she had less than 6 months to live in 2008 and placed her on Hospice (a service providing care for the terminally ill in order to die in comfort), mama’s faith rejected that pronouncement. Mama out lived the hospice interval. After 3 years she was taken off hospice. All lung lesions seen on x-ray had cleared. Mama even had 2 life threatening surgeries but she came out of them alive and strong. As Mama faced her illness, I learned more about the strength she derived from the support of Christian groups she was involved in, the many friends that had supported mama through her years of illness and the extraordinary strength my sister, Mrs. Ada Chukwuma, had acquired. This was the handiwork of God. In the last few months of her life, I got to know the very human side of my mother. She showed me that she could be vulnerable, scared and discouraged. Atimes, she became the child that needed my sister Ada to parent her and she just tried to do what she had done for us. Mama rejected the idea that she will travel to Nigeria with us in December 2014- she feared she may not come back because the level of care available in USA was missing in Nigeria.

            Finally, Mama was a remarkable woman and I doubt she ever realized how many people she has had an impact on in her lifetime. Please cherish the memories you have of her and honor her memory by doing good things for others. This is how she lived her life and there is no better way of honoring her than by following her examples. Her love for all of us, all of you, is what is going to pull us all though this. All the people whose lives have been touched by her should take comfort knowing that right now, she is standing at the gates of heaven, breathing in huge breaths of air. That is what is getting me through this, knowing that she can finally breathe on her own. It makes me so happy for her, even though I am so sad for our loss.
My family and I thank you for being here today.
Chief Dr. Madukwe I. Iboko.