FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday disclosed that he discussed the possibility of an expression of remorse from the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu “on the Nigerian civil war which in itself was a culmination of actions and reactions.”
Obasanjo said this while paying tributes to the late Ikemba Nnewi. He said: “It is with deep sadness that I received the news of the demise of my friend and colleague. He and I were subalterns in the Army at Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
“In a way, his death marks the end of an era in Nigeria.”
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from London, Obasanjo said that he condoled “with his family and pray for the repose of his soul.”
Also paying tributes yesterday were Governors Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji and President of the Civil Rights Congress based in the North, Shehu Sani.
Others included Senator Andy Uba; the Prelate, Methodist Church, His Eminence Ola Makinde; former Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria and Special Adviser to erstwhile President Obasanjo on Political Affairs, Chief Akin Osuntokun; the Chairman of Nzuko Ora Nnewi, Chief Charles Agu-Onyeka; Eastern Vanguard; and Igbo Leadership Forum.
Sani said that an Igbo president should be encouraged as a way of immortalising the late Biafran leader.
Oshiomhole said that with the death of Chukwuemeka-Ojukwu, Nigeria had lost a major personality and “an advocate for distributive equity” in the governance of the nation.
In a condolence letter to the Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, Oshiomhole said: “Given your personal and political proximity to the Ikemba, I can appreciate how much pain his demise has caused you and several others, who found inspiration in his aversion to the opportunistic politics of the ‘Mainstream.’
“By his death, Nigeria has lost a major personality, who played a unique role in its modern history. We have also lost a well-acknowledged advocate for distributive equity in the governance of our federation.”
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapher, said Odumegwu-Ojukwu was a man who loved his country and had immense pride in the tradition, culture and heritage of his people.
Musdapher, who expressed these sentiments in two separate letters to the bereaved family and the people/government of Anambra State, said the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu was a monumental loss.
He noted that Odumegwu-Ojukwu was “courageous in the Army, consistent in politics and in the long and protracted battle for his life, it must be said that he was as forbearing as he was brave.”
The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress described the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu as an irreparable loss, not only to the Igbo but the Nigerian nation that was fast running out of real leaders that would guide the march to national greatness.
In a statement in Lagos by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, the party said that the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu should serve as a reminder to the nation that it still needed to settle yearning questions of true federalism so as to address the many agitations in the minds of Nigerians since independence.
“When it eventually arrives in Nigeria in the next couple of days, the body of the former Biafran leader will be taken to all states and communities in the South-East and South-South zones of the country that supported Biafra.
“This is in line with the wishes of Odumegwu-Ojukwu. A seven-day mourning from December 1 has been declared throughout Igboland in honour of the former Biafran leader.”
Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, who disclosed this to The Guardian in an interview shortly on arrival to Nigeria from London yesterday, said moving the body round the communities that supported the Biafran cause would satisfy the aspiration of the late Ikemba.
However, Chief Sam Ubachukwu, Leader of the Eastern Vanguard, described the former Biafran warlord as a phenomenon whose sustenance and legacy would live for generations to come.
He said Odumegwu-Ojukwu, perhaps the most fluid orator in Nigerian history, would certainly be missed.
“Nigerians would certainly miss his unsmiling visage, carriage, charisma and doggedness.”
He regretted the absence of a monument, especially in the South-East to reflect the contributions he made in socio-political development in Nigeria.
Ubachukwu, a pharmacist, said by his death, a vacuum has been created in Igbo leadership and urged all Igbos to close rank and remain united so that Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s struggles and death would not be in vain.
The leader of Igbo Leadership Forum, Dr. Eustace Ejike, also described Odumegwu-Ojukwu as a courageous leader who provided leadership at a time the Igbo nation was in dire need for it.
“No one, not even his ardent critics, will overlook his monumental contributions to Nigerian nationhood, his love for the downtrodden and the passion for the development of his people,” it said.
To the senator representing Odumegwu-Ojukwu zone in the Senate, Dr. Uba, Ojukwu’s death is a big blow to the Igbos and indeed to the nation. He described Odumegwu-Ojukwu as a great man whose indelible mark and contributions to the zone and the country at large would never be forgotten in a hurry.
He recalled the contributions of the late Biafran warlord in the fight against oppression and injustice and stated that he deserves the entire encomium being showered on him.
“Our heart goes to his family, especially Bianca and children at this period of grief of her departed husband, uncle and brother. Our condolences go to the entire Igbo sons and daughters all over the world.”
