Man Celebrates 45th Father's Birthday In Grand Style

An Anambra State–based businessman, Mr. Stephen Chinonso Nwazuhu, on Saturday, August 16, 2025, celebrated his father, Mr. Augustine Nwazuhu Nwankwo, on his 45th birthday anniversary in Abakaliki.

Speaking with our reporter, Mr. Stephen said the reason for showering his father with gifts at his workshop in Mechanic Village, Abakaliki, was to remind him of his importance in the family. He also encouraged other young people to emulate the gesture by honoring their parents while alive. According to him, although his father was aware of his birthday, he never anticipated a flamboyant celebration until his son, without prior notice, stormed his workshop with several gift items.

Mr. Stephen explained that his action was deliberate, to inspire young men and women to celebrate their parents during their lifetime rather than spending huge amounts during funerals. “Some people find it difficult to support their parents when they are alive. But once they lose them, they spend lavishly on burials—hosting committees of friends, hiring live bands, and entertaining crowds. Ideally, it should not be so. That is why I decided to celebrate my dad in his workshop without notifying him. Parents need to be celebrated while alive, as that elongates their lifespan.

“Parents are our visible gods. They should not be branded as witches or wizards, irrespective of whatever anyone says about them,” he stated. He further commended his father for standing by him since the death of his mother eighteen years ago and urged other youths to replicate such love and support. The celebrant, Mr. Augustine Nwazuhu Nwankwo, an indigene of Ndiokpoto, Nwezenyi in Igbeagu Izzi, said he was taken by surprise when he rushed out of his workshop after hearing musical sounds, only to realize the celebration was for him. He thanked his son for the honor, prayed for his progress, and encouraged other young people to emulate the gesture. Mr. Nwazuhu, a father of seven and a vehicle upholstery maker with 25 years of experience, decried the rising level of laziness among youths and pledged to freely train any interested young person in his craft. He disclosed that after training under a man popularly known as Asuma Pepe, he has in turn trained 15 apprentices, with more still under his tutelage. Also speaking, the Catechist of St. Theresa Cathedral, Abakaliki, Mr. Bartholomew Ebele Nwolisa, commended Mr. Stephen for celebrating his father with a large portrait and other gifts, noting that unlike some people who wish for their parents’ death to inherit property, Stephen’s action is worthy of emulation. “If other children can adopt this attitude, it will prolong the lives of their parents. If Mr. Stephen were a drug addict, ritualist, or internet fraudster, he would not have remembered his father in this manner,” Nwolisa noted. A trader in the area, Mr. Michael Ogbodo, also praised Stephen for successfully completing his seven-year apprenticeship and described the celebration as a mark of gratitude. He urged other youths to embrace apprenticeship rather than indulging in illegal means of making money.