OJUKWU At 11, he assaulted a white British colonial teacher for humiliating a black woman at King’s College

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Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu was a Nigerian military officer and politician. He served as the military governor of the Eastern Region of Nigeria in 1966, the leader of the breakaway Republic of Biafra from 1967 to 1970 and a leading Nigerian politician from 1983 to 2011, when he died, aged 78.

Ojukwu came into national prominence upon his appointment as military governor in 1966 and his actions thereafter. A military coup against the civilian Nigerian Federal Government in January 1966 and a counter coup in July 1966 by different military factions, perceived to be ethnic coups, resulted in pogroms in Northern Nigeria in which Igbo were predominantly killed.

Ojukwu, who was not an active participant in either coup, was appointed the military governor of Nigeria’s Eastern Region in January 1966 by General Thomas Aguiyi Ironsi. He led talks to seek an end to the hostilities by seeking peace with the then Nigerian military leadership, headed by General Yakubu Gowon (Nigeria’s head of state following the July 1966 counter coup). The military leadership met in Aburi Ghana (the Aburi Accord), but the agreement reached there was not implemented to all parties’ satisfaction upon their return to Nigeria.

The failure to reach a suitable agreement, the decision of the Nigerian military leadership to establish new states in the Eastern Region and the continued pogrom in Northern Nigeria led Ojukwu to announce a breakaway of the Eastern Region under the new name Biafra Republic in 1967. These events sparked the Nigerian Civil War. Ojukwu led the Biafran forces and on the defeat of Biafra in January 1970, and after he had delegated instructions to Philip Effiong, he went into exile for 13 years, returning to Nigeria following a pardon.

Early life and education
Ojukwu was born on November 4, 1933 at Zungeru in northern Nigeria to Sir Louis Odumegwu-Ojukwu, a businessman from Nnewi in south-eastern Nigeria. Sir Louis was in the transport business; he took advantage of the business boom during the Second World War to become one of the richest men in Nigeria. He began his educational career in Lagos, southwestern Nigeria.

In 1944, he was briefly imprisoned for assaulting a white British colonial teacher who was humiliating a black woman at King’s College in Lagos, an event, which generated widespread coverage in local newspapers. At 13, his father sent him overseas to study in the UK, first at Epsom College and later at Lincoln College, Oxford University, where he earned a master’s degree in history. He returned to colonial Nigeria in 1956.

Early career
He joined the civil service in Eastern Nigeria as an Administrative Officer at Udi, in present-day Enugu State. In 1957, within months of working with the colonial civil service, he left and joined the military as one of the first and few university graduates to join the army: O. Olutoye (1956); C. Odumegwu-Ojukwu (1957), E. A. Ifeajuna and C. O. Rotimi (1960), and A. Ademoyega (1962).

Ojukwu’s background and education guaranteed his promotion to higher ranks. At that time, the Nigerian Military Forces had 250 officers and only 15 were Nigerians. There were 6,400 other ranks, of which 336 were British. After serving in the United Nations’ peacekeeping force in the Congo, under Major General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, Ojukwu was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1964 and posted to Kano, where he was in charge of the 5th Battalion of the Nigerian Army.

1966 coups and events leading to
Nigeria-Biafra civil war
Lieutenant-Colonel Ojukwu was in Kano, northern Nigeria, when Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu on January 15, 1966 executed and announced the bloody military coup in Kaduna, also in northern Nigeria. It is to Ojukwu’s credit that the coup lost much steam in the North, where it had succeeded. Lt. Col. Odumegwu-Ojukwu supported the forces loyal to the Supreme Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi. Major Nzeogwu was in control of Kaduna, but the coup had failed in other parts of the country.
Aguiyi-Ironsi took over the leadership of the country and thus became the first military head of state. On Monday, 17 January 1966, he appointed military governors for the four regions. Lt. Col. Odumegwu-Ojukwu was appointed Military Governor of Eastern Region. Others were: Lt.-Cols Hassan Usman Katsina (North), Francis Adekunle Fajuyi (West), and David Akpode Ejoor (Mid West). These men formed the Supreme Military Council with Brigadier B.A.O Ogundipe, Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon, Chief of Staff Army HQ, Commodore J. E. A. Wey, Head of Nigerian Navy, Lt. Col. George T. Kurubo, Head of Air Force.

By May 29, 1966, there was a pogrom in northern Nigeria during which Nigerians of South eastern Nigeria origin were targeted and killed. This presented problems for Odumegwu Ojukwu. He did everything in his power to prevent reprisals and even encouraged people to return, as assurances for their safety had been given by his supposed colleagues up North and out West. On July 29,1966, a group of officers, including Majors Murtala Ramat Rufai Muhammed, Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, and Martin Adamu, led the majority Northern soldiers in a mutiny that was later tagged “counter-coup.” The Supreme Commander General Aguiyi-Ironsi and his host Colonel Fajuyi were abducted and killed in Ibadan. Ojukwu insisted that the military hierarchy must be preserved; in which case, Brigadier Ogundipe should take over leadership, not Colonel Gowon. However, the leaders of the counter-coup insisted that Colonel Gowon be made head of state.

Leader of Biafra
In January 1967, the Nigerian military leadership went to Aburi, Ghana for a peace conference hosted by General Joseph Ankrah. The implementation of the agreements reached at Aburi fell apart upon the leadership’s return to Nigeria and on May 30, 1967, as a result of this, Colonel Odumegwu-Ojukwu declared Eastern Nigeria a sovereign state to be known as BIAFRA: “Having mandated me to proclaim on your behalf, and in your name, that Eastern Nigeria be a sovereign independent Republic, now, therefore I, Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Military Governor of Eastern Nigeria, by virtue of the authority, and pursuant to the principles recited above, do hereby solemnly proclaim that the territory and region known as and called Eastern Nigeria together with her continental shelf and territorial waters, shall, henceforth, be an independent sovereign state of the name and title of The Republic of Biafra.” (No Place To Hide Crises And Conflicts Inside Biafra, Benard Odogwu, 1985).
On July 6 1967, Gowon declared war and attacked Biafra. For 30 months, the war raged on. Now General Odumegwu-Ojukwu knew that the odds against the new republic were overwhelming. Most European states recognised the illegitimacy of the Nigerian military rule and banned all future supplies of arms, but the UK government substantially increased its supplies, even sending British Army and Royal Air Force advisors.

After three years of non-stop fighting and starvation, a hole did appear in the Biafran front lines and this was exploited by the Nigerian military. As it became obvious that all was lost, Ojukwu was convinced to leave the country to avoid his certain assassination. On January 9, 1970, General Odumegwu-Ojukwu handed over power to his second in command, Chief of General Staff, Major-General Philip Effiong, and left for Cote d’Ivoire, where President Felix Houphöet-Biogny – who had recognised Biafra on May 14, 1968 — granted him political asylum.

After Biafra
After 13 years in exile, the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Shehu Aliyu Usman Shagari granted an official pardon to Odumegwu-Ojukwu and opened the road for a triumphant return in 1982. The people of Nnewi gave him the now very famous chieftaincy title of Ikemba (Strength of the people), while the entire Igbo nation took to calling him Dikedioramma (“beloved hero of the masses”). His foray into politics was disappointing to many, who wanted him to stay above the fray.

The ruling party, NPN, rigged him out of the Senate seat, which was purportedly lost to a relatively little known state commissioner in then Governor Jim Nwobodo’s cabinet called, Dr. Edwin Onwudiwe. The Second Republic was truncated on December 31, 1983 by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, supported by General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and Brigadier Sani Abacha. The junta proceeded to arrest and to keep Ojukwu in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison, Lagos, alongside most prominent politicians of that era. Without ever charged with any crimes, he was unconditionally released from detention on October 1, 1984, alongside 249 other politicians of that era.

After the ordeal in Buhari’s prisons, Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu continued to play major roles in the advancement of the Igbo nation in a democracy because, according to him: “As a committed democrat, every single day under an un-elected government hurts me. The citizens of this country are mature enough to make their own choices, just as they have the right to make their own mistakes.”

Death
On November 26, 2011, Ikemba Odumegwu Ojukwu died in the United Kingdom, aged 78.

– Courtesy: Wikipedia

Personal details

Born
November 4, 1933 (1933-11-04) in Zungeru, Nigeria
Died
November 26, 2011 (2011-11-26) (aged 78)
Nationality
Nigerian
Political party
National Party of Nigeria, APGA
Spouse(s)
Njideka Onyekwelu, Bianca Ojukwu
Children
Emeka (Jnr), Okigbo, Ebele
Alma mater
Lincoln College, Oxford University
Profession
Soldier, politician
Religion
Christian

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Odumegwu-Ojukwu had no reason to apologise for civil war’

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FOLLOWING claims by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that he discussed the possibility of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu apologising to Nigerians over the Civil War, a family member of the Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Anthony Udemefuna Ojukwu, has described the claim as “a huge falsehood.”

According to the 72-year-old legal practitioner, at no time did President Obasanjo hold such discussion with the late Ikemba.

Insisting that the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu had no reason to apologise “for committing no offence,” he said most Nigerians were oblivious of the actual cause of the war, as it was fought even against the wishes of the deceased and the Igbo people.

Also, in her reaction to the claim, former Governor of Anambra State, Virgy Etiaba, said it was the first time she would be hearing about such discussion, despite being close to Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

She also questioned the veracity of the widely held “no victor-no-vanquished” slogan in the face of the current controversy stoked by Obasanjo’s alleged advice to the late Ikemba.

Meanwhile, tribute continued to pour in for the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu as the Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Prof.) Chike Edozie, former Governor of Edo State, John Odigie-Oyegun; and Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, a former Special Assistant to the late Chief MKO Abiola, Lisa Olu Akerele, Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) and the Igbo Political Forum (IPF) mourned the death of the Ikemba of Nnewi.

Udemefuna Ojukwu noted that President Obasanjo was far too junior to Odumegwu-Ojukwu in the Army for him to advise the late Ikemba on such matter, especially as Odumegwu-Ojukwu belonged to a class of military intellectuals at the time.

 

“Otherwise, why didn’t Chief Obasanjo come up with this claim earlier when he (Odumegwu-Ojukwu) was alive?” he queried.

Ojukwu said that having served in the 18 Division of the Biafran Army and close as he was to his late cousin, he would have been informed if such serious discussion took place between Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Obasanjo.

The Aba monarch said Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s giant strides towards national development would be remembered in several ways.

Oyegun said his major regret about the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu was the inability of the warlord to unite his people for better bargaining power in the county.

 

Oyegun told The Guardian yesterday that if the late Ikemba had succeeded in unifying his people, it would have given the Igbos  strong voice in the country.

 

In a statement, Akerele stated that by Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s death, the nation has lost a great reformist who was committed to the progress of Nigeria.

However, he regretted the role Odumegwu-Ojukwu played in later years “when he led late Gen. Sani Abacha’s campaign to western nations’ capitals to defend the injustice perpetrated on Abiola in the annulment of June 12 by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida”.

 

He held that Odumegwu-Ojukwu “never rose beyond the toga of an Igbo leader in words and deeds all through his political career,” and urged late Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s “contemporaries still alive and the younger generation to strive beyond their ethnic enclave, and view Nigeria from a nationalistic perspective.”

 

The NDLF likened the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu to the late Niger Deltan activist, Maj. Isaac Adaka Boro.

 

In a statement by its National Chairman, S.N. Okeke and National Secretary,  Chyna Iwuanyanwu, the IPF described the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu as “an avatar, a moral guide, a spiritual epigone, consummate patriot, an astute and passionate political leader and pan nationalist per excellence, who sacrificed his health, wealth and intellect for his people.”

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Senate set to honour Ojukwu

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The Senate, yesterday resolved to urge the Federal Government to immortalise the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukuemeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu.

Also, elders and leaders from the South-East are demanding a posthumous national honour for the late Ojukwu.

While former governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, said the country has lost another great patriot, Pastor of the Household of God Church, Oregun, Reverend Chris Okotie, described the late warlord as a leading voice of democracy in Nigeria.

Senate to honour him

Senate will, Thursday, honour the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu just as it plans to pass a resolution that will urge the Federal Government to immortalise him.

Senate President, David Mark, who gave the indication during yesterday’s session, said the Senate would dedicate Thursday’s sitting to debate a motion on the late Biafran leader.

The Senate decision was upon a motion sponsored by Senator Andy Uba.

Senator Uba, while moving the motion, said the late Chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was worthy of celebrating as a national hero.

However, revealing the disposition of the Senate leadership, Mark had earlier in reaction to Ojukwu’s death, described him as the “hero’s hero and a dogged fighter who fought till the end to liberate the oppressed.”

The Senate President had also described him as “a great fighter who stood for justice, equality before the law, fairness and freedom to all citizens,” adding that “no matter how much you loved or hated him, Ojukwu was a man who loved his people and was ever prepared to lay down his life for them to have a better life.”

Mark announced that the Senate would have considered the motion today but had to shift it to Thursday because it had already scheduled the consideration of the report on the investigation into the privatisation of government-owned companies today.

Also speaking on behalf of the Senate, its spokesman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, had in reacting to the death, described the late Biafran warlord as the “issue in Nigeria’s evolutionary process.”

Abaribe, in a statement, described Ojukwu as a visionary leader whose passion for a Nigeria where every federating unit would be proud of belonging to, was unparalleled. He saw tomorrow and his action and passion for a truly united Nigeria shaped our socio-political environment of today.”

However, chatting with Senate correspondents on Monday, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said the Federal Government was deeply moved by Ojukwu’s death but declined comments on how he might be immortalised by the government.

South-East elders demand national honour for Ojukwu

South-East elders yesterday demanded a posthumous national honour for late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu before his burial.

Former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Dozie Ikedife, who spoke on behalf of other South- East elders, insisted that the national honour must come before Ojukwu’s burial, adding that such an honour coming after his burial was unacceptable to Ndigbo.

Ikedife said late Ojukwu deserved such recognition being a former governor of Eastern Region, which today comprises about eleven states of the Nigerian federation.

He said: “We want the Federal Government to give Ojukwu national honour posthumously and it must come before his burial.

“He deserves to be honoured as a former governor of Eastern region, which today comprises of about eleven states of the Nigerian federation.

“The Federal Government should give him national honours for the sake of no, victor, no vanquished, declared at the end of the war. If they fail to do this, it means there is a victor and a vanquished. And we are insisting that he must be honoured before his burial.

“Such an honour is unacceptable to Ndigbo if it comes after his burial,” Ikedife said.

A leading voice of democracy in Nigeria- Okotie

Prince of Nigeria, Rev Chris Okotie has joined millions of Nigerians in mourning the deaths of the Guardian Publisher, Alex Ibru and Dim Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

Rev Okotie who hailed Dim Ojukwu as a great Nigerian who contributed immensely to the growth of democracy through enlightened dialogue, active involvement and a commitment to the defence of injustice, which culminated in the unfortunate civil war he led.

“Ojukwu’s transmutation from a rebel leader who led a secession, into a patriotic leader and leading voice of democracy in Nigeria, is unprecedented, impressive and worthy of emulation”, the Reverend said.

Okotie said Ojukwu was a great historical figure, and one of the last of our political gladiators, in our evolving democracy.

Rev Okotie, who is also the Chairman of the Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, and pastor, Household of God Church, Oregun, Lagos, described Ibru as a business icon, who changed the face of journalism in his generation.

He noted that Mr. Ibru launched the Guardian in 1983 at a time when the fortunes of the then flagship of the press, the government-owned Daily Times, were nose-diving terribly.

“Mr. Ibru recruited some of the best minds from the ivory tower and mainstream media and then, began a polishing process for the media, which restored the dying tradition of quality journalism. He succeeded in sustaining the high standard of the Guardian till date. That’s his greatest legacy, apart from his quiet philanthropy and his famous ecumenical institution, the Ibru centre”, he added.

We have lost yet another great patriot – Ohakim, Iwuanyanwu

Prominent Imo citizens, including Chief Ikedi Ohakim and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu have shock over the demise of Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu.

The immediate past Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim said: “We have lost yet another great patriot who, though was largely misunderstood by many, lived his entire life in the struggle for equity and social justice”.

Ohakim also reasoned that his death offers Nigerians an opportunity for sober reflection, especially on the events of those difficult days when we took up arms against one another over issues we would have resolved through dialogue.

It was Chief Ohakim’s considered opinion that “the bitter experience of the civil war is behind our current determination to pursue our collective destiny as one people, together with our appreciation of the fact that we can only achieve this by imbibing a democratic culture built on equity, honesty and the rule of law”.

Chief Iwuanyanwu said he thought of Ikemba Nnewi from a position of sound knowledge of his potentialities, having served under him at a critical period of the country’s history.

“I found him a very reliable and steadfast leader, a man of extra-ordinary courage and also endowed with sharp intellect and an outstanding oratory skill. Ojukwu’s love and commitment to his people, Ndigbo, was unparalleled”, Iwuanyanwu said.

While saying that Ojukwu was a strong believer and advocate of one Nigeria, Iwuanyanwu similarly reasoned that the late Igbo leader insisted on a Nigerian nation where men and women of all tribes, or creed will have equal access to opportunities.

“He was brutally frank in propagating his views. The Igbos, Nigeria and Africa have lost a great genius. His life and times will definitely form very indelible chapter in the history of Nigeria and Africa”, Iwuanyanwu said.

He was an extraordinary leader – INC

The Ijaw National Congress (INC) is deeply saddened by the passing away of an extraordinary leader, a committed nation builder, father and husband- Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Eze Ndigbo gburu gburu.

Chief Ojukwu, the Ikemba of Nnewi was an exemplary leader whose style is worthy of emulation. He meant well for the Igbos and for Nigeria as a whole. As an activist, he went the extra mile fighting the cause of the Igbos. He led a very productive life and has left indelible prints on Igbo land and Nigeria as a whole.

Our deepest sympathy goes to his family, Igbo land and Nigeria as a whole. The Biafrian warlord touched many lives and will be missed dearly. We pray and hope that the cause(s) he fought for will not be abandoned.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Okonjo-Iweala, Iwuanyawu, Ohaneze Ndigbo mourn Ojukwu

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THE Minister of Finance, Dr NgoziOkonjo-Iweala, has described the late Chief Chukwuemeka Odume-gwu Ojukwu as an hero, father figure of the Igbo and a symbol of the Igbo struggle for a better Nigeria.

Reacting to the death of the Igbo strongman, Okonjo-Iweala said Ojukwu was a man who had the courage of his convictions, adding that his example should serve as an inspiration for Nigerians.

Okonjo-Iweala said what made Ojukwu exceptional was that after fighting a war in pursuit of his conviction, he returned to contribute to the Nigeria project.

Also, the Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural organisation of Ndigbo, on Tuesday, said with the death of Ikemba Nnewi, an intergral part of Ndigbo has gone.

In a statement, chairman of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nwabueze Obi, told Ndigbo to use the demise of Ikemba to rejig the process of re-igniting the political, social and economical renaissance of the Igbo nation.

He expressed deep concern for the death of the political pillar and icon of Ndigbo, saying that with the death of Ikemba, an integral part of Ndigbo was in coma.

A member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, in a statement he issued in Owerri, said “Ojukwu was a very reliable and steadfast leader, a man of extraordinary courage, endowed with sharp intellect and on outstanding oratory skills.”

He said Ojukwu was a strong believer and advocate of one Nigeria, though he insisted on a Nigerian nation where men and women of all tribes, ethnic or creed would have equal access to opportunities.

Meanwhile, the Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has left Owerri with other top members of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to London, to console with the bereaved family.

In another development, the first Nigerian to bag Ph.D in Islamic Law in Medina University, Saudi-Arabia, Dr Sirajudeen Bilal Al-Asrau, on Monday, described the death of the former military governor of the Eastern Region, Chief Ojukwu, as a great loss to the country.

The Islamic scholar, in a statement made available to the Nigerian Tribune, said the death of the statesman would remain relevance in the history of humanity, adding that his achievements and contributions to the country would linger on.

 

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Odumegwu Ojukwu, 78: Rebel leader who broke Republic of Biafra away from Nigeria

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Odumegwu Ojukwu, who attracted international attention when he led the Republic of Biafra’s secession from Nigeria in 1967 and subsequently waged a civil war that left more than 1 million dead — many of them children who succumbed to starvation — has died in London. He was 78.

News accounts reported that he died Nov. 25 or 26. A cause of death could not be confirmed.

(Anthony Astrachan/The Washington Post) – Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Biafran head of state, addressing a joint session of the consultative assembly and house at Owerri, on Jan. 31, 1968.

Mr. Ojukwu was an unlikely rebel leader. The son of a Ni­ger­ian millionaire knighted by the Queen of England, he grew up in a mansion and attended a private high school in Surrey, England, where he set a school record for the discus throw.

At Lincoln College at the University of Oxford, he played on the rugby team and was known for his flashy clothes and red sports car. He graduated in 1955, then returned to Nigeria. He rebuffed his father’s offer to join the family transport business and enrolled in civil service, working on community projects building roads and digging culverts.

He later joined the military — partly to spite his father, he said, but also because he sensed that “Nigeria was headed for an upheaval and that the army was the place to be when the time came.”

The most populous nation in Africa, Nigeria is on the western coast, just north of the equator. For decades, Nigeria was a British colony until declaring independence in 1960. Three years later, Nigeria became a republic within the British commonwealth.

Mr. Ojukwu rose through the army ranks before the chaos he predicted arrived in January 1966. A gang of officers overthrew the government in a coup and assassinated the prime minister.

Although Mr. Ojukwu didn’t participate in the coup, he was made the military governor of Nigeria’s oil-rich eastern region, home to many ethnic Ibo Christians like himself.

A counter-coup followed a few months later that left Nigeria in disarray. Throughout the power struggle, Mr. Ojukwu kept the eastern region running smoothly and mostly independent of federal rule.

In September 1966, 20,000 Ibo were massacred in pogroms in the Muslim-dominated northern region. Mr. Ojukwu called the unprovoked aggression “organized, wanton fratricide.”

Mr. Ojukwu grew a thick, bushy beard “as a sign of mourning,” he said, for the injustice caused to the Ibo. He acceded to mounting demands of an Ibo-led secession of the eastern region, a total area of 30,000 square miles.

He announced the birth of the Republic of Biafra during a radio address at 3 a.m. on May 30, 1967. The ceremony featured a 42-gun salute and champagne served from waiters in white coats. He named his country after a Ni­ger­ian coastal inlet and chose Jean Sibelius’s “Finlandia” as the melody for his nation’s anthem.

For much of his 30-month rule, he was a revered figure among his people. A raconteur who charmed journalists, he quoted from Shakespeare and spoke authoritatively about the reign of King Louis XIV of France. He landed on the cover of Time magazine in 1968 and gained sympathetic followers such as the celebrated Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, who moved to Biafra’s capital and later wrote many books inspired by the secession.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Time for Igbo renaissance, Ohanaeze tells Ndigbo • Ojukwu, symbol of struggle -Okonjo-Iweala

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Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural organization of Ndigbo, yesterday told all its kinsmen to use the celestial departure of Ikemba, Dim Odimegwu-Ojukwu to rejig the process of reigniting Igbo political, social and economical renaissance.

In a statement, Chairman, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Federal Capital Territory , Nwabueze Obi, expressed deep concern for the demise of the political pillar and icon of Ndigbo, saying that with the death of Ikemba, an integral part of Ndigbo is in coma.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo, FCT, is deeply saddened by the passing on of the quintessential and iconic Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Eze-Igbo Gburugburu. No doubt, it is the end of an eventful era. With the Ikemba’s passage, an integral part of Ndigbo is in coma” he said.

Obi however, enjoined Ndigbo wherever they are, to seize the opportunity of his celestial departure to rejig the process of reigniting Igbo political, social and economical renaissance as that is the only way the hero will sleep well in eternal bliss.

Also, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has described the late icon as a hero , father figure of the Igbo and a symbol of the Igbo struggle for a better Nigeria .

Reacting to the demise of Ojukwu, Okonjo-Iweala stated that the late Ojukwu was a man who had the courage of his convictions and that his example should serve as an inspiration for Nigerians to stand for what they believe in.

She recalled vividly her war-time experiences in Biafra and said that what made Ojukwu exceptional was that after fighting a war in pursuit of his convictions, he returned to contribute to the Nigerian project.

She prayed the Almighty to comfort the Ojukwu family, the Igbos and the entire nation.

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

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Ojukwu: The philosophy that defined his politics

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Read Time:6 Minute, 55 Second

 

Fresh from exile in 1982, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu joined the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) signifying the beginning of his politics. NDUBUISI ORJI writes on the philosophy that informed his political trajectory.
Thursday, December 01 , 2011

•Late Ojukwu
Photo: Sun News Publishing

When Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu joined partisan politics in 1982, not a few were bewildered. Even more confounding was his choice of political party. Late Ojukwu after 12 years in the Ivory Coast had joined the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). His decision to pitch his tent with the NPN raised several questions.

The major question was why NPN of all parties. The reason for this was not far fetched. Prior to his exile in early 1970, the Igbo leader had led the Igbo nation in a war to secede from Nigeria. The general expectation that he would have joined the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) led by the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. The NPP was seen largely as an Igbo party, more so when NPP controlled the two eastern states of Anambra and Imo at that point. While the NPN on the other hand was perceived as a Northern party.
Many had insinuated at that point that Ojukwu’s membership of the NPN may have been part of the deal he reached with the government of Shehu Shagari, which granted him a state pardon thereby making his return to the country possible.

Even the government of Shagari was shocked that he joined politics. According to the Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi , Director General of the Nigerian Security Organization at that time said the Ikemba involvement in partisan politics was not part of the understanding reached with the government before his return.
Commenting on the events of those days, Shinkafi told a national daily “I do not know about (Alex) Ekwueme, but it was certainly not President Shagari’s wish. He didn’t want Ojukwu to get involved in party politics, even in NPN.” But then Ojukwu disappointed them all and embraced partisan politics.
In joining politics, he was motivated by the same factor that influenced him into joining the civil service as an assistant district officer . That is service to the people. It was that burning desire that also drove him into confronting the Federal Government led by General Yakubu Gowon.

Ojukwu’s involvement with the NPN changed the tempor of the politics of Eastern Nigeria. He declared for the Onitasha Senatorial seat on the platform of the NPN. The NPP government in the old Anambra State under the watch of Chief Jim Nwobodo was already giving Vice President Alex Ekwueme tough time. To effectively checkmate the NPP, which already had a militia group , he formed the Ikemba Front. The Ikemba Front came to be more than a match for the NPP militia group. Shinkafi explained that “Even before Ojukwu returned, Ekwueme and Governor Jim Nwobodo were having a running battle in the area. NPP already had a militia. Ojukwu only reacted by forming his own militia. Several times I went to the East and urged Nwobodo to respect the office of the vice president. However, in responding to NPP and forming his own militia, Ojukwu went beyond expectation.”
At the end of the 1983 senatorial, Ojukwu host to the less popular NPP candidate In 1983, he contested the Onitsha senatorial poll, but lost to a relatively little known Anambra State commissioner in then Governor Jim Nwobodo’s cabinet, Dr. Edwin Onwudiwe. But the NPN won the governorship of the state. Some political historians have said that NPN deliberately sacrificed Ojukwu because they could not fathom how to handle Ojukwu if he ended in the senate of the Second Republic.

Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, who was then the Presidential Liaison Officer to the National Assembly, said “The basic aim of persuading him to join the NPN was to reintegrate the Igbo to the mainstream national politics after the civil war. Then, the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) was the ruling party in the South-east states of Imo and Anambra and we believed that Ojukwu should no longer play regional politics. We met and went to him and convinced him to join the NPN, at least for the sake of the Igbos and it eventually paid off when the NPN won Anambra governorship election with Onoh as the governor.” For the Igbo leader “I joined NPN to bring the Igbos into the main stream of Nigeria’s politics since I was the one that pulled them out in the first place,” Ojukwu was quoted severally to have replied when asked why he joined the NPN upon returning from Ivory Coast.

The failed senatorial adventure was not Ojukwu’s first romance with politics.
During the 1978 election, the late Biafran leader had nursed the idea of contesting for the Nnewi Federal Constituency on the platform of the Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP.) He was nominated in absentia. According to the Ikemba in his book. Because I am Involved , “ I was convinced that such a momentous change (1978 transition programme), such an event must not take place without my being an issue. I made contacts with my compatriots individually and as party member , finally it was the GNPP, under Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim that settled upon my candidature. The campaign began in earnest. I was nominated in absentia”. He said he was motivated by Nkwame Nkrumah and Kenyatta who had moved into power from prison. However, the dream was stillbirth as the military authority reacted negatively to the idea of his participation in the transition programmes, thereby forcing Waziri and others to deny him.

Not loog after the 1983 election, the military struck. The General Muhammadu Buhari’s regime that toppled the civil administration clamped Ojukwu and other politicians of that era into prison. . He was detained for 10 months.
Forging ahead
Having put his hand in the plough, there was no going back for the Igbo leader politically. In the third republic , he joined the National Republican Convention, NRC, and aspired to contest the presidency. He said the surest way to show that the civil war had ended and the Igbo fully integrated into the affairs of the nation was to allow the Igbo become president.
However, General Ibrahim Babangida promptly disqualified him from running for president alongside other “old breed” politicians. During the General Sani Abacha regime, he was one of those elected to the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) of 1994 to 1995.

At the inception of the fourth republic, Ojukwu first joined the All Peoples Party (APP, now All Nigeria Peoples Party) in the Fourth Republic. Together with Dr. Olusola Saraki, Chief Tom Ikimi, the late Lamidi Adedibu, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu,  Dr. Ezekiel Izuogu, the late Chief Sam Mbakwe, all political soul mates who could change Nigeria along defined lines. Their efforts at building a strong national party failed when the APP lost at the 1999 polls, as many of them left for the ruling party. But Ojukwu soldiered on. He later founded the Peoples Democratic Congress which was not registered as a political party.

Then in 2002 with Chief Chekwas Okorie, the former military governor formed the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). It was in APGA that he came close to realizing his dream of offering service to the people. Though the two attempts he made at governing the country on the platform of the party was not successful, the party won governorship elections in Anambra and Imo State in the last general election.
He was the party’s presidential candidate platform in the 2003 presidential poll. He fought the polls against President Olusegun Obasanjo, General Buhari and other contenders and came third. He repeated the quest in 2007 and came sixth. However he did not participate in the last election though to ill health.

Ojukwu no doubt had an eventful political career. But his main regret would be that he never lived to see an Igbo man elected as Nigerian president. Because that for him would mean the full integration of Ndigbo into Nigerian polity after the 30 moths bitter civil war, he led to give the Igbos a better deal in Nigeria.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Nigeria: Ojukwu’s Call from Exile

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Read Time:9 Minute, 27 Second

Three days ago I left the Republic of Biafra with certain members of my Cabinet as a result of a decision taken by that Cabinet in the interest of our people’s survival. Since my departure events have moved with such breathless speed that friends and foe alike have been left not only bewildered but confused.

It is therefore necessary for me to address these words to the international press in order to keep the records right, and in pursuit of the object of my leaving the Republic of Biafra.

It is necessary in order to understand events that have led to the drama of the past few days to look back at the origin of our conflict and conduct in this war. Biafra, once the eastern region of Nigeria, was one of three sovereignties that banded together to
form the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Three of the reasons which made the sovereignties bind themselves together were:

1. Mutual protection of life and property – hence the fundamental human rights entrenched in our constitution and the arrangements made for the joint control of the police.

2. Security against external and internal threats – hence the responsibility of the central Government for defence.

3. The promotion of international trade and good relations with foreign countries – hence the assignment of exclusive responsibility to the central Government.

During the course of our first experiment in nationhood it was clear that the Federal Organization had neither the will nor the desire to maintain that unity of purpose for which the Federation was founded.

In 1966 it became clear that the central authority was unable and unwilling to fulfil the terms for which it was established. Right under her nose the people of Eastern Nigeria, now Biafrans, were subjected to such acts of barbarism, such atrocities that gave clear indication of a genocide that was to come.

The people of Biafra, in full consultation and believing that the only guarantee for security lay in the resumption of the sovereignty, mandated me to proclaim their territory the sovereign and independent Republic of Biafra, and to take up arms if need be to protect the lives and property of our people and the independence was thus proclaimed.

On July 6, 1967, the Federal forces crossed the boundaries of Biafra and attacked her defenseless populace. Our people, in the face of such aggression, had no alternative but to defend themselves as best they could. The war that ensued has continued from that day with unabated fury until today when we find that, because of certain limitations, we are no longer able to offer formal military resistance to the Nigerian aggressors.

For three years we have fought against overwhelming odds. Our conduct of the war has contrasted sharply with that of the Nigerian hordes. We were always aware of our limitation, and therefore have never discontinued out efforts for peace and a negotiated settlement.

We had relied on the conscience of the world to respect the rights of our people to self-determination and security. We have been frustrated by an international conspiracy against the interest of the African.

Yet, believing in the justice of our cause and the ultimate triumph of truth over falsehood, outnumbered and outgunned, we have grimly held back the unrelenting enemy for three grueling years with our bare hands.

Nigeria began her recent final offensive against Biafra in October 1969 after months of preparations, which included the starvation of our entire populace to such sub-human level that the movement of enemy troops through our territory became a mere formality.

For months we cried to an unsympathetic world, pointing out the danger of a total blockade and siege warfare at this stage of world civilization. In answer to that cry our people were further subjected to more deprivation by the drastic reduction of relief supplies, not only to the menfolk but to our women and children, to the aged and the very young, to the old and the infirm.

By the end of November the Biafra armed forces were no longer able to feed themselves; our civil populace were neither able to feed themselves nor the army. Yet over 30 grim days our gallant and heroic forces maintained their positions in the sheer hope of a miraculous respite.

In the first week of January, the Nigerian forces, by a fast military move, took control of the last areas from where we had any possibility of obtaining food. In quick succession demoralization set in, threatening national disintegration and bringing in its wake confusion and mass exodus.

I gathered together at Owerri during the night of January 8, 1970, those members of my Cabinet who could be contacted to review the situation. At that meeting I presented in firm and clear terms the grim hopelessness of continued formal military resistance.

I informed the Cabinet that my primary duty in the circumstances was to seek the protection of our exhausted people and to save the leadership of our heroic republic. I therefore offered to go out of Biafra myself in search of peace.

I decided personally to lead any delegation in order to give it maximum effect and to speed up matters in order to save the lives of our people and preserve the concept of Biafra. I did this knowing that whilst I live Biafra lives. If I am no more it would be only a matter of time for the noble concept to be swept into oblivion.

I chose for the delegation the following persons: Dr. M.I. Okpara, my political adviser; Mr. N.U. Akpan, my Chief Secretary; Major-General Madiebo, the commander of my army.

In the fluid and uncertain military circumstances the Cabinet considered it advisable and reasonable that families of envoys in or going abroad should be sent out. My last hours in Biafra before my departure were spent in close consultation with Major-General Philip Effiong, whom I had appointed to administer the Government in my absence, and his last request to me was to take out his family and to maintain them under my protection. I agreed.

Since the departure of the delegation from Biafra, we have remained faithful to our mandate. We have made contacts with friends and men of goodwill. We have spared no efforts to mobilize all forces in an effort to take food into Biafra on a gigantic scale. We have taken steps to alert the world to the real fears of genocide at the hands of the Nigerians.

Nigeria’s continuing efforts have always been directed at domesticizing the conflict in order to apply the final solution to the Biafran problem away from the glare of an inquisitive world.

From all indications it is clear that Nigeria will not feed our people. They have said so often enough, and their past records clearly underling this fact. There is no food whatsoever in Biafra and unless food can get into Biafran mouths in the next 72 hours it will be too late.

Nigeria’s insistence to control the distribution of relief is both to ensure that Biafrans get no such relief, and also to shut out outsiders who might witness and expose the enormous crimes she plans to commit against our people.

Nigeria throughout this war has distinguished herself for a lack of control over her armed forces. It is therefore most unlikely that, flushed with an intoxication of unexpected military victory, she will be able to exercise any measure of control on her forces now on the rampage.

In any case Nigeria’s aim is to destroy the elite of Biafra. The only possible way of preventing such a catastrophe is by interposing between the contesting forces some neutral force to prevent a genocide that would make 1939-45 Europe a mere child’s play. We have always believed in the futility of this war. We have always maintained that this war will solve no problems. If this carnage must stop, Nigerian leaders and their friends must borrow a leaf from the lessons of the last world war, where it was found that a permanent settlement could only emerge from an honourable peace.

Immediate efforts should therefore be directed towards early negotiations for peace without exacting full tribute of conquest. Only in this way can peace which the whole world desires have any chance. I therefore appeal to all governments and international organizations, countries and churches of the world, men and women of goodwill, to both out friends and enemies, in the interest of humanity to come forward to assist and protect the lives and talents of Biafra, to relieve the starvation and wasteful death now the only companion of our exhausted people.

I implore the world to rise to this desperate need, to mount all possible pressures on Nigeria to ensure that food gets to my people.

I would like to conclude this statement with a solemn declaration, emphasizing again the point I have repeatedly made in this appeal to the governments of the world to save my people from extermination. The sole motive behind Nigeria’s determination to draw an iron curtain over Biafra and exclude international observers, relief agencies, journalists whom they have not carefully picked themselves, is to make sure that the atrocities they will certainly carry out in Biafra is unseen and unreported in the world press.
Once they have sealed off Biafra from the gaze of mankind, I hesitate to contemplate the fate of the Biafran leadership, the trained manpower, the scientists and professionals whom they would liquidate as planned before the world can interfere. Genocide, I repeat, is not an internal affair of Nigeria, and it is the clear duty of those powers who have armed and helped Nigeria to gain victory over Biafra to step in and persuade Gowon to allow international agencies and observers to enter Biafra to feed the hungry, to heal the sick and to save a whole people from complete annihilation.

If they fail to persuade Nigeria to open her doors to these agencies then their declarations of humanitarian aid to Nigeria becomes mere propaganda. I repeat the aims of Nigeria are genocidal – the test that the contrary is the case is her willingness to admit humanitarian agencies whom Gowon has now openly declared he will exclude.

As a people we have endured as only giants endure. We have fought as heroes fight. We have dared as only gods dare. We are disillusioned by the world’s insensitivity to the plight of our people. Yet because our cause is just we believe we have not lost the war, only that the battlefield has changed. We are convinced that Biafra will survive. Biafra was born out of the blood of innocents slaughtered in Nigeria during the pogroms of 1966. Biafra will ever live, not as a dream but as the crystallization of the cherished hopes of a people who see in the establishment of this territory a last hope for peace and security. Biafra cannot be destroyed be mere force of arms.

May I take this opportunity to thank all those persons and organizations that have sacrificed that we might live – that we assure them that their sacrifice will not be in vain.

Biafra lives. The struggle continues. Long live the Republic of Biafra.

______________________
(1) Statement issued through the Biafran Information agency in Geneva and reproduced verbatim in The Times, 16 January 1970.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Tutorials Introduction

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Read Time:3 Second

We provides tutorials for different courses and African issues.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Learning Igbo Language

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Read Time:3 Minute, 58 Second

The Igbo Alphabet

There are 36 letters in the Igbo alphabet. There are 8 vowels, 19 consonants, and 9 blends.

 

The Vowels (Udaume)

A—sounds like a in `awe’
E—sounds like a in `ate’
I—sounds like e in `eat’
I—sounds like e in `be’ and has the stress
·
O—sounds like o in `sonnet’
O—sounds like o in `oat’ and has the stress
·
U—sounds like o in `do’
U—sounds like u in `attitude’
·

 

The Consonants (Mgbochiume)

B, D, F ,H,J,K,L,M,N

N—sounds like ñ or `ny’
P
R
S
T
V
W
Y
Z

 

The Blends (Udamkpi)

GB, GH ,KP ,SH, CH ,GW ,KW ,NW ,NY

 

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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