Former aviation minister celebrates father at 100, says he is in great shape despite outliving his two wives

• Former Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka has celebrated his father, Ogbueshi Ben Ejikeme Chidoka, who turned 100 on November 9, 2026.

• He said his father has outlived two wives and all his siblings but remains mentally alert and in remarkable health for his age.

• November 9 is also the birthday of Chidoka's youngest brother and the date the former minister married his wife.

Former Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka has marked his father’s 100th birthday with a tribute that opens on a contrast: a man born before television entered ordinary homes now keeps in touch on WhatsApp.

Ogbueshi Ben Ejikeme Chidoka turned 100 on Monday, November 9, 2026. His son, who is also a former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, shared the milestone on social media, describing the world his father was born into as almost unrecognisable.

In 1926, Nigeria was a British colony and the Daily Times had only just begun publication. Queen Elizabeth II was a six-month-old baby, and television had only just been publicly demonstrated.

Chidoka said his father was 33 when Nigeria gained independence and 39 when the first military coup came in 1966. He lived through the Biafran war, the return to civilian rule in 1979 and the long years of military government that followed. By his son’s count, he has now seen 27 unbroken years of democracy.

His father has moved from handwritten letters to the telephone and on to the smartphone, Chidoka wrote. Today he chats on WhatsApp, sends money through his banking app and still reads the news online.

It has not been only a change. Chidoka said his father has buried all his siblings and outlived two wives. Yet his mind is clear and, within the limits of age, his health is remarkable, with no terminal illness or debilitating disease.

READ ALSO: “Which Lagos?” Nigerians react as FG announces power restoration after days of blackout

“As a teenager, I never imagined he would see 70,” Chidoka wrote. “A hundred was beyond my imagination.”

The bond between them runs through Chidoka’s own story. In July 2025, when his father was 98, Chidoka was called to the Bar after studying law at Baze University. It fulfilled a dream the elder Chidoka had held for more than 30 years. Chidoka has also written that his father made him read a newspaper every day from the age of 10.

November 9 was already special to the family. Chidoka’s youngest brother was born that day, and he married his wife on the same date.

READ ALSO: Trump admits deportations were "too tough" a year after saying ICE raids "haven't gone far enough"

On Monday morning, the family planned to gather around the centenarian and sing his favourite hymn, “How Great Thou Art.” On December 27, they will hold a thanksgiving service at St Andrew’s Church, Obosi, Anambra State, where he was baptised.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was among those who congratulated him, calling the milestone “a rare passage through history.”

Chidoka closed his tribute with the words: “Happy 100th birthday, Papa.”