AHEAD of the burial of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, leader of Eastern Vanguard, a non-governmental organisation, Sir Sam Ubachukwu in this interview, lists how the late Igbo leader could be immortalised. Ubachukwu, however, laments that the Ikemba Nnewi was not accorded much of his due while alive and blame that on the marginalisation of the southeastern part of the country.Ojukwu is dead. How does it feel to lose a man you look up to'A lot of things have been said about Ojukwu and there's nothing new to be said. In fact, we in Eastern Vanguard felt so bad and sad when we heard the news of the demise of our hero because we all know what Ojukwu stood for. It was sad news for us.What kind of respect do you expect the Igbos, in particular, and then Nigerians, in general, to accord him'Ojukwu to different people means different parcels. To some, he was a hero. To others, he was a rebel, a socialist, warlord and so on and so forth. They have given him several names, but it depends on your perception. To us in Igbo nation, we lost a genuine leader, a leader that had the interest and wellbeing of the average Igbo man at heart. It is difficult to comprehend the demise of this great hero.There is no respect that we will accord him in the Igbo nation that will be too much. This also holds true at the national level. People are canvassing that we should give him a state burial and stuff like that. I think they are not far from the truth. Ojukwu, being a hero, should be termed a Nigerian hero because the ills and injustices that prevailed at the time he took decision to go against them are still part of the present society. Therefore, he was an icon that brought to our awareness these injustices, which everybody is fighting today. The south-south is fighting. The North and Boko Haram are fighting. They are all about injustice and Ojukwu saw this and fought it more than 40 years ago and continued to speak about it till death.If Nigeria had listened to his outpouring in the meeting they had in Aburi, you and I would have been in a far developed country than what we have today because he suggested a loose confederation, where each region would be free. And it is exactly what people are clamouring for at this very moment. He was a man that saw tomorrow.On that note, Ojukwu should be given a national burial. He had the best formula to govern Nigeria, for everybody to be happy and for peace and justice to reign. So, we in the Eastern Vanguard are advocating the immortalisation of this man.Ndigbo should be committed to this. An average Igbo man should be involved, not only in Ndigbo level but also personally. I believe Ojukwu touched the life of almost every Igbo man, even those who were not born during the war.My little daughter, for instance, is in love with Ojukwu. She has not seen Ojukwu, but she read about him in some newspapers and heard him on TV. She's crazy about him. One day, she even asked me: 'Daddy why don't Biafra come back'' I told her that if it were God's wish, Biafra would come back again. So, we love him.Therefore, the burial is not about, maybe, Anambra burial or southeastern governor's burial. It's about every Igbo man wherever you are, both in the south-east and in the Diaspora. They should be personally involved in the burial.How can that be achieved'That day, let us have a public holiday, for those in private sector. Those in government sector should also observe, silence, from time to time, and pray for him where they are working. Those in private sector should close shops. Their offices, industries and whatever it is they are doing should not open for business that day. Igbo people should give him that very day of the burial and do no work. We will also advise every Igbo man from the age of 18 upward to wear black that very day.Some associations like MASSOB and other people are ready, just as the governors have declared a seven-day mourning. However, I think all these should be harmonised.The problem is that there are so many associations in Igbo land. So, let's harmonise under the Ohanaeze Ndigbo umbrella and get this done. Again, we suggest that all the town unions in the south-east should at least place a full-page obituary advertisement in any national newspaper. There is nothing we are going to do for our leader that will be too much.How best do you think Ojukwu should be remembered'Ojukwu has lived and gone, but his legacies and memories will live with us forever. This is why we want to honour him. When he was alive, much honour was not given to him. Now people are writing about him, saying that Ojukwu was a nice man, a great hero, a great soldier and all that. Even those who fought against him during the war are speaking good things about him. Why now' Why didn't they say this while the man was alive' Why didn't they accord him that respect while he was alive' His rank in the military was not restored. These people denied him the rank of General, but Ojukwu cannot be a colonel. He's supposed to be restored to the rank of a General. They never did that while he was alive. Now they are pouring encomiums on his personality. And these are what Eastern Vanguard is against ' sycophancy and hypocrisy. You give honour to whom it's due when alive.I read what Uwazuruike, the leader of MASSOB, wrote about him. He said that if Ojukwu meant so much to these people and was appreciated in the military, why didn't they name one military barrack after him. Such a thing wasn't done! Even then, look at our south-eastern governors; not one of them, present and past, has named a park or a street after this great hero. Nobody did it. That is a very sad thing. Universities should be named after Ojukwu. Also, streets, airports and others should be named after him.Ojukwu had wished for a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction. Now that he is dead, how do you think the Igbo will realise this objective'It is a very big task. When you look at it, we in Eastern Vanguard feel sadder and a bit discouraged. But I don't want to use the word total discouragement because when you look at the legacy and the kind of shoes he left behind, I don't know who will fit into them. At the moment, there is nobody in Igbo land who has that genuine interest of Igbo nation at heart. I have not seen. What we have currently are sycophants; those who want to use Igbo union to advance their own interests. And these are what Eastern Vanguard is against. But I know that with God everything is possible. I know that at God's appointed time, there will be a replacement for Ojukwu. God will bring another Igbo leader that will be even better than Ojukwu. We know that we have some young men and women who are committed to the Igbo cause.Producing a president from South East is a big task but it's not impossible. I know that God that replaced Moses will give us another Moses, in terms of an Igbo leader. I am sure it is going to happen. Besides Igbo presidency, the injustices and insecurity that brought the war are still very much in place. These are the areas the Igbos should work for.What advise will you give Igbo leaders regarding the Ojukwu spirit'They should shun selfishness. Most of the leaders we have are far away from the ideology of Ojukwu. Ojukwu stood honestly for the Igbo cause not because he wanted government to give him anything. He sacrificed all his pleasures in life for the sake of Igbo people. I am advising the current leadership in Igbo land ' the governors, Ohanaeze ' to harness Ojukwu's legacies. Based on that, somebody should know that life has an end. It is only the legacies that keep one's memories alive.Ojukwu's life has ended, but his legacies will endure forever because they have not ended. And this is what this current leadership of Igbo nation should be aspiring to achieve, because we have a lot of great men and women in Nigeria without legacy. They live and die and leave no legacy. They have all the money in the world; they have houses and all the best things, but they live and die without a legacy. It is a pity. The worst that can happen to a man is that he's forgotten as soon as he's dead. Ojukwu will never be forgotten; even generations to come will remember him. The history of Nigeria will not be complete without mentioning that name.
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