(Soft, aching guitar melody)
Oh, the sun has set too early today in Amagu Nara Unateze.
Our hearts are heavy, Lord, we need your strength.
From the North to the East, your name was known,
High Chief Joseph Chukwu, a seed of grace you had sown.
In the heat of the North, you built your empire tall,
Yet you never forgot your people at home, answering every call.
Joe Lafia, you were among the pillar for the weak and the poor,
Opening your heart, and unlocking every closed door.
High Chief Joseph Chukwu, Afunwa Elota Nna, why did you go?
Joe Lafia, Joe Lafia, the depth of our pain, you will never know.
In Amagu, in Nara Unateze, who will step into your shoes?
Joe Lafia, you left a void that no one else can lose.
We cry out to you, why did you leave us this way?
Joe Lafia, Odogwu Nwoke, how we miss you today.
You stood for the voiceless when the world was cold and unkind,
Leaving a legacy of kindness that remains in every mind.
You lifted the fallen, you helped the young to rise,
We see the reflection of your goodness in all of our eyes.
Oh, the market is quiet, the streets of our community feel so hollow and gray,
Without your steady hand to join guide on our lonely way.
High Chief Joseph Chukwu, Afunwa Elota Nna, why did you go?
Joe Lafia, Joe Lafia, the depth of our pain, you will never know.
In Amagu, in Nara Unateze, who will step into your shoes?
Joe Lafia, you left a void that no one else can lose.
We cry out to you, why did you leave us this way?
Joe Lafia, our leader, how we deeply miss you.
Afunwa Elota Nna, Agu Nwoke, olee ebe i gara? (Where have you gone?)
The silence is deafening, the shadows are long.
We search for your smile, we search for your steady hand,
But you have traveled far, to a distant and peaceful land.
Your business associates, your family of Umuanyiobodo, the ones you held dear,
We are standing together, wiping away every tear.
Though you are absent, your spirit remains like the rain,
Cooling the earth and washing away all this pain.
Rest now, great leader, in the arms of the Lord above,
We carry your memory, we carry your infinite love.
High Chief Joseph Chukwu, Afunwa Elota Nna, why did you go?
Joe Lafia, Joe Lafia, the depth of our pain, you will never know.
In Ihuagu, Umuoko and Obuno of Amagu, in Nara Unateze, who will step into your shoes?
Joe Lafia, you left a void that no one else can lose.
We cry out to you, why did you leave us this way?
Joe Lafia, our leader, how we miss you today.
Joe Lafia, we will never forget your name.
High Chief Joseph Chukwu, you will never be the same.
Rest in peace, Afunwa Elota Nna.
Rest in peace, our brother, Afunwa Elota Njokueze.