With the demise of Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu, Jude Ossai, South-East Bureau Chief, writes on the prospect of the Igbo clan in producing another dynamic leader that would lead the Ndigbo to the Promised Land.THAT Dim Chukwuemeka OdumegwuOjukwu is dead is no longer news. Perhaps, what is news is how Ndigbo, the people who occupy the South-East geopolitical zone, will cope with the exit of their illustrious son, who spent almost his entire life championing their cause.The late Chief Ojukwu will best be remembered for both by his people and those outside Igbo enclave for leading Ndigbo to the 1967 civil war. To others, the late Ikemba of Nnewi might not have muted the idea for an independent state of Biafra in 1967, but as the governor of the defunct Eastern Region, the mantle of leadership fell on him to lead the secessionist, especially after the brutal massacre of the Igbo in the North.How the civil war was prosecuted before it came to an end in 1970 is now history. Even with the 'No Victor No Vanquish' slogan of General Yakubu Gowon, apparently to calm the frayed nerves of both sides of Biafra and Nigeria, the Igbo knew that they suffered more setbacks. Chief Ojukwu wore the toga of a 'rebel' even when many, particularly his people, still see him as a hero.Now that Chief Ojukwu is dead, who becomes the face of Ndigbo politically, socially and economically' Who succeeds Ojukwu' These are burning questions in minds of many people.To the leader of the Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, the death of Chief Ojukwu would be used as a uniting force for Ndigbo, adding that the late elder-statesman did not die in vain.'The best Ndigbo should do for Ojukwu is for them to be united and work together. Now that Dim Ojukwu is dead, after his burial, we shall look at all those who are using the name of Ndigbo for buying and selling at Abuja. We will not allow that to continue,' he said, adding that 'the death of warlord has brought an end to Igbo marginalisation. Ojukwu is not dead. Only his flesh is dead. Great men do not die,' he said.It was against the backdrop that the leadership of MASSOB and the South-East governors declared seven days of prayer and mourning for the repose of the soul of the ex-Biafra leader.Governor Peter Obi of Anambra, who is also the chairman of the South-East Governors' Forum told reporters in Enugu during his visit to the Enugu residence of Chief Ojukwu that the prayers were part of the arrangements to give the late Ikemba of Nnewi a befitting burial. The mourning and prayers ended last Tuesday.'Everybody is aware that Ezeigbo is dead and we are all in the mourning mood. Igboland is in mourning mood, Nigeria is in mourning mood. We need prayers for our leader,' he said.Nigerian Tribune investigation revealed that Ojukwu's successor will be difficult to find, even as militant wing of MASSOB would prefer their leader, Chief Uwazuruike, to take over the mantle of leadership. The late Ikemba himself would perhaps have picked the founding father of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, but the late war lord, according to some people, did not find the militancy he found in Chief Uwazuruike, the perceived conspiracy against Chief Okorie in APGA, notwithstanding.The role of Chief Uwazuruike since the death of Chief Ojukwu shows that the Igbo activist is prepared to wear Ojukwu's big shoes. The MASSOB leader held forte for the wife and family of Chief Ojukwu, playing host to sympathisers who thronged the residence of Chief Ojukwu, while Lady Bianca was in London. Already, Chief Uwazuruike is being approached by prominent Igbo politicians for an inclusion in the committees to be set up for the burial of the fallen hero.Already, the thinking of many Igbo stakeholders outside the political class is that the man who should fill the vacuum created by Ojukwu's exit should be a courageous and credible Igbo individual who have carved a niche for himself outside the government cycles. It is only then that the leader would command the respect of the larger segment of Ndigbo.But the truth is that the republican nature of the Igbo people could pose a serious challenge in picking Ojukwu's successor, coupled with the recent trend of get-rich-quickly syndrome. The old value system of hard work, which Ndigbo was known for, is gradually being eroded by the other side of capitalism. Indeed, the man to step into the shoe of the late Ikemba, who, inspite of the initial challenges he faced in the muddy waters of partisan politics in Nigeria, succeeded literally in becoming the symbol that helped to sustain All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) all through its trying moments before it gained ground in Anambra and Imo states, must also exhibit great potential and command respect from the Igbo people.The current highest political leader in Igbo, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has thrown his weight behind the realisation of the late Ikemba's dream of an egalitarian society where justice, fairness and equity will reign supreme in the land.Although Senator Ekweremadu did not hit the nail on the head when he paid a condolence visit to the wife of the late warlord, Lady Bianca, at the weekend, as he did not mention that a large number of Ndigbo were massacred in the North in 1966/67 but rather preferred to say that Nigerians were massacred in Nigeria, the lawmaker agreed that the problems that led to the civil war still exist and could still be solved, if Nigerians come together.'The things that gave rise to the civil war are still with us and that is why many years after the civil war. We had the Ife/Modakeke crisis. We still have problem in Plateau State, and even in Anambra State, we had Aguleri/Umuleri crisis.'Ikemba, as a person, came before his time. Ikemba lived ahead of his time. He died ahead of his time because his vision and views are yet to be realised. And I believe surely his views will be realised. It is at that time Nigerians will begin to realise that Ikemba was a man who saw tomorrow,' he said, adding that, 'the best we can do for Ikemba is for all us to sit down and talk to ourselves and see how to address these issues so that we can live as a nation. As at now we are all managing to survive as one country. It is important to address these problems because they are with us and I do not believe that they are insurmountable'.According to him, 'It is possible we find an arrangement to accommodate everybody in Nigeria so that people can live peacefully wherever they find themselves and able to earn their living without confrontation'. Describing the late Ikemba as a phenomenon, he appealed that everybody should do his best to give him a befitting burial.Another theory is whether the pioneer Treasurer of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, who understands all the intricacies of the party's politics and existence, is fully equipped to lead the party and Ndibgo as well.Critics of Umeh rate him low, as they argued that besides his age-old disagreement with the pioneer National Chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie, some elements within Anambra, who had been calling for change of leadership in APGA, would be a stumbling block to his dream of leading the peope of the South-East. So, for Umeh to fully step into Ojukwu's shoes, he would need to resolve such critical issues and brace up for the needed reforms.A section of Ndigbo contended that Chief Okorie, the founding father of APGA, is another influential member of the party that may play a leadership role, now that Ojukwu has gone.Ndigbo, as an ethnic nationality, do have men and women who are highly intelligent and courageous as Ikemba. But it will be pretty difficult for the people to produce the same selfless Ojukwu, a son of a million, from Nnewi, who was born 78 years ago. It remains to be seen the path Ndigbo would take towards producing another leader, who would be as selfless as the late Ikemba.
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