The sun dimmed early last Saturday for the titan of the Igbo nation, Ezeigbo Gburugburu, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, writes Akinjide Akintola.After a protracted but courageous battle with stroke which lasted almost a year, the People's General, Ikemba Nnewi,Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu finaly gave up the ghost in the early hours of last Saturday in a London hospital. Fondly referred to as Dikedioranma Ndigbo, Odenigbo Ngw, orEzeigbo Gburugburu, Ojukwu was the issue in the South East part of the country for many years until he breathed his last.Death came calling barely three weeks after Ndigbo celebrated Ojukwu's 78th birthday bash at his home in Nigeria while the Biafran warlord was struggling to stay alive in a London hospital.Like great men and women whose names stir up controversy in life and in death, Ojukwu was an enigma, indeed, an avatar of the people of the Igboland just like Obafemi Awolowo was to the people of Yorubaland.Men like them rarely come more than once in a generation. And in a surprising similarity, Awolowo also died at 78, 24 years ago and has remained the issue in Yorubaland ever since. Both were charismatic leaders of their people.Indeed, like Awolowo who scored many firsts as first Premier of Western Region, Ojukwu, in his struggles in Nigeria also scored a number of firsts which of course made his death truly the end of an era. Ojukwu was the first Nigerian officer to attend Joint Services Staff College in the United Kingdom as well as the first Nigerian Quartermaster-General of the Nigerian Army in 1963.As many notable commentators have been saying since his death, Ojukwu's immeasurable contributions in the history of Nigeria can never be forgotten for he left his indelible footsteps on the sands of time.Where do you want to start in the life of this man of many parts' Is it his foray into the army which infuriated his father' Of course, it was this that also culminated into his leading the Igbo on a 30-month civil war. Is it his running into exile in Ivory Coast , his return in 1982 or his unsuccessful venture into politics'As a senior military officer in Nigeria , he held top positions which eventually saw him becoming the Military governor of Eastern Region. It was the fallout from the coup leading to persecution of his people that made it unbearable for him and being a brave, courageous and determined person, he decided to do something about it. A more pliable person would perhaps have accepted the pogrom of his people as God sent and chose to move on. But not Ojukwu who rose gallantly to the occasion and held the larger Nigerian nation to ransom and ridicule especially during the negotiations before the war finally took off. And if not for the might of foreign powers that backed Nigeria to the hilt while ignoring the shortlived Biafra, the dream of Ojukwu to free his people from the overlords of the Niger would have been fulfilled and it is a different history we would be witnessing today. And who knows whether the cries of marginalization from several quarters which is now deafening would have been a thing of the past. Just Maybe. For if the Republic of Biafra had gone, perhaps, the Oduduwa Republic would have followed and Nigeria might have been fragmented by now.Though the Biafran venture eventually failed with millions of Igbo dying in the process, the bravery, the courage and determination of the people and the leader spoke volumes of the leadership quality of the Biafran leader from which the Nigerian leadership could learn one or two things.His return to exile and foray into politics following a pardon granted him by President Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), in1982 in an attempt by the NPN to get a foothold in the East which was then under the stranglehold of the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) led by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe ended in a near fiasco.He lost his senatorial election while the NPN also failed to make any appreciable impact in the 1983 polls.This was essentially due to the decision of Ojukwu to ignore the advice of many of his supporters who counselled him against venturing into the murky waters of politics in order not to be rubbished.But Ojukwu, desperate to return home after over a decade of living outside his homeland and perhaps thinking that it was time he contributed his quota to the political development of his country fell for the political bait and this proved to be his undoing as he was soon to go into political eclipse shortly afterwards.It was not until over two decades after precisely in 2003 that he eventually emerged from as the political father figure for the Igbo. That year, following the formation of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) which had a large following from the Eastern part of the country, he became the leader and presidential candidate for the 2003 elections.During the launching of his presidential campaign in Abuja held at the Area 10 sports arena, Garki, Abuja, there was no doubt that the Igbo leader has regained his old glory as his people, near and far came to show their support for his aspirations. And he himself did not disappoint them displaying his charismatic and excellent leadership qualities.However, the election was a different kettle of fish altogether as Ojukwu came a distant third, no thanks to the disunity within Igboland. While Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP scored 24.5 million votes, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, (ANPP) garnered 12.7 million, Ojukwu could only manage 1.3 million votes. There were four or five other Presidential candidates of the Igbo clan in the polls, a development that ensured the Igbo votes were polarized and the dream of an Igbo presidency once again aborted.However, with time, the prestige and glory of Ojukwu as Igbo leader continued to rise even until his eventual death despite the fact that many of the states in Igboland are currently being controlled by the PDP.Indeed, like many Igbo leaders have been saying since his demise that it was time the Igbo came together if the dream of an Igbo presidency was ever to be realized. The Igbos, they reasoned should use the time of mourning for him to join hands together.Already, even before his death, there had been ongoing moves to bring Igbos together which culminated in the celebration of his 78th birthday anniversary attended by the cream of Igbo leaders. This was immediately followed by another meeting held in Enugu , the political history of the Igbo people. The meeting also attended by prominent Igbo leaders also fashioned out plans for the emergence of an Igbo president in the next dispensation.And if accolades and tributes paid to the departed Igbo leader are anything to go by; and if the beautiful words are followed by action; then the Igbos might indeed be a strong force to be reckoned with. It is then of course that the death of millions of Igbo people in the pogrom and that of Dim Ojukwu would not be in vain. As to be expected, tributes have continued to pour in over the death. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said he received the new with much sadness and a deep feeling of great national loss.'A statement by Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, said 'President Jonathan joins Chief Ojukwu's family, the government and people of his home state, Anambra, the entire Igbo people of Nigeria and his friends, associates and followers across the country in mourning him.The President urges them to be comforted by the knowledge that Chief Ojukwu lived a most fulfilled life, and has in passing on, left behind a record of very notable contributions to the evolution of modern Nigeria which will assure his place in the historyy of the country.President Jonathan believes that late Chief Ojukwu's immense love for his people, justice, equity and fairness which forced him into the leading role he played in the Nigerian civil war, as well as his commitment to reconciliation and the full reintegration of his people into a united and progressive Nigeria in the aftermath of the war, will ensure that he is remembered forever as one of the great personalities of his time who stood out easily as a brave, courageous, fearless, erudite and charismatic leader. 'The President calls on Chief Ojukwu's family, his associates and followers to make his rites of passage a celebration of his most worthy and memorable life spent in the service of his people and the nation'.Deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha said the death of Dim Ojukwu at this point in time was a 'very grievous occurrence in the country's history and leaves a huge vacuum in our collective quest towards nation-building, socio-political development and evolution of our statehood. 'Describing the late APGA leader as a fearless mobilizer, highly intelligent and resourceful personality who loomed larger than life wherever he found himself, he regretted that Nigeria will surely miss this 'bright Eastern star who shown like a million comets in the galaxy of stars 'Ihedioha recalled the roles the late Ojukwu played in the evolution of Nigeria's socio-political history since his youthful days, his contributions in the Armed Forces, and his mobilizing roles in crusading for a better deal for his people, noting that 'love him or hate him, his landmark contributions in making Nigeria what she is today cannot be dimmed by his passage to the great beyond.''He prayed God Almighty to grant his family the fortitude to bear the loss while extending 'sincere condolences to the Government and people of Anambra State and indeed, the entire Igbo nation to whom the late Ojukwu remains a towering legend even in death. We will all surely miss this bold and courageous man,' he said.'Former governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori said 'Ojukwu was a trail-blazer as he was one of the very first university graduates to join the Nigerian Army, he was a scholar-statesman in the mould of the great Zik of Africa, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, a colourful politician and one of the greatest orators, if not the greatest, that Nigeria has ever produced. Yet, according to Ibori, the most important lesson from Ojukwu's life is that the former secessionist leader embraced peace and the concept of one Nigeria the moment the Nigerian Civil War ended. 'Ojukwu became such a proud and committed Nigerian that he contested elections to the Senate and the Presidency. In words and actions, he remained committed to Nigeria while championing the cause of Ndigbo in the true sense of the Nigerian Federalism. With his death, Ndigbo have not only lost a great leader but Nigeria has lost a true son', he said. 'Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the death as another colossal loss to Nigeria at a time of strenuous efforts for unity and reconciliation.'In a condolence message, Abubakar recalled that Ojukwu's role as a key actor in Nigeria 's political development cannot be easily forgotten as he was a tremendously respected and influential politician whose endorsement was frequently needed by others to build their political careers.'According to Atiku, history had cast the late Ojukwu into a role and he played that part to the best of his abilities. 'The former Vice President recalled that the late Ikemba of Nnewi was always consulted by successive governments in Nigeria in their efforts to consolidate unity, harmony and cohesion in the country. Because of his tremendous influence on the hearts and minds of the people, the late Ojukwu was an icon in every sense of the word. Even if you disagreed with the Ikemba, you cannot ignore his father-figure stature and colossal influence,' the Turakin Adamawa added.'The former Vice President prayed to God to grant Ojukwu's soul eternal rest in peace. He also condoled his family, the Anambra State government and the entire people of the state for the loss of what he described as one of Nigeria 's brightest political stars.'Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State who expressed shock at the death described it as a sad loss to the country whose initial news of recovery from his hospital bed had gladdened his heart, only for the shock announcement of his demise. 'He described him as a colossus who made significant contribution to the growth and development of the country. ''Chief Ojukwu was in his life time a bright and courageous military officer, politician of immense talent, capable administrator, who even though led a secessionist struggle, came back from exile to participate in deepening the process of healing and reconciliation of the country. Ojukwu until his death was a strong proponent of handshake across the Niger , a vision he promoted to reconcile the peoples of south-south and South east as part of efforts to heal the wounds of the civil war. I am sure history will be kind to him.' 'Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State said his departure has robbed Igboland of one of its children who mirror what he called the trinity of Igbo character.'Ajimobi went on an explication of the trinity of Igbo character which he explained to be Akpu uche (colt of reason), Ukwu n'ije (strives and enterprise) and Aka Ikenga (pride of attainment), stating that a good score by an Igbo man in all these three pronounces him to have attained Ntozu (accomplishment/high grade titles) which in turn brings forth "Odenigbo" (global acclaim).'According to the governor, Dim Ojukwu not only attained Odenigbo but was a mirror of this trinity.'He mourned with Igboland for having lost a man he described as its anchor and encore, stating that many non-Igbo accessed and assessed the Igbo nation from the prism of Ojukwu's acclaim as a man who fought for his people against perceived injustice.'He recalled that some of the stories of the war prowess of then Colonel Ojukwu were almost mythical, stating that oncoming youths should pattern their lives after the bravery and patriotism that Ojukwu symbolised.'While praying for the repose of the soul of the late Biafran leader, he urged the family and the Igbo nation to take solace in the fact that Ojukwu projected the values and character of the people.'The governor said that though no man is indispensable, breeds like Ojukwu were rare to come by and like avatars, come once in many generations.Legal luminary and former Minister of Justice in the second republic, Chief Richard Akinjide has described the death as a very great loss to Nigeria .Chief Akinjide in his reaction said: 'he came, he saw, and he would for ever be remembered' in the historical evolution of the Nigeria .'The history of Nigeria will never be complete without his name', Chief Akinjide, who was also a former minister of education in the first republic said.He expressed his 'heartfelt condolences to his wives, his children and all members of his family' over the death saying; 'we will always remember him. In his own reaction, a leader of the Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo said Chief Ojukwu would be missed for all he stood for throughout his lifetime.According to him, Chief Ojukwu 'will be missed greatly for all he stood for in his lifetime, whether rightly or wrongly.He described Chief Ojukwu as a very principled person in his lifetime saying 'though you may not agree with him, on the same issue but he was a man who stood by what he believed in whether rightly or wrongly,' saying Chief Ojukwu was someone who could never be intimidated by anybody in his lifetime, he prayed that his soul rest in peace.
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