y Emeka Osondu and Christopher Isiguzo
In what looks like a grand finale in the week-long activities to mark the rites of passage for the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, President Goodluck Jonathan and former Ghanaian President, Jerry Rawlings, are among top dignitaries who will storm Enugu State to pay their last respect to the late former Biafran warlord and leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Already, the Coal City as Enugu is fondly known is wearing a new look as it prepares to play host to the personalities who are expected at the Michael Opara Square.

Beside the heavy security marked by the ubiquitous presence of armed security men, at almost every turn in the city, the streets have brightened, what with the fresh paintings on most streets. What's more, there are new specially branded luxury cars designated to ferrying dignatories from one point to another. Surely, even elements of nature know a great man bowed out of the planet.

Meanwhile, youths from all over Igboland numbering over 10,000 held a rousing march past as part of the Igbo rites of passage for the departed Biafran warlord. The youths who poured in from the five states of the South-east geo-political zone stormed the industrial city of Nnewi and staged a symbolic funeral march for the late Igbo leader.

Apart from Rawlings who will be leading foreign dignitaries to the inter-denominational/national funeral service for the departed Igbo leader, some prominent leaders from Cote d’Ivoire, (where Ojukwu was exiled after the Nigerian-Biafra civil war), Gabon, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and United Kingdon, among others are equally being expected.

As part of the grand preparations for the final rites, several dignitaries from South-east yesterday gathered at the Holy Ghost Cathedral, Enugu in a funeral mass for the soul of the departed Igbo leader.

At the event were Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi; and his wife, Margaret; Enugu Deputy Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi; APGA National Chairman, Victor Umeh; Ojukwu’s widow, Bianca; former minister ABC Nwosu; Senator Uche Chukwumerije; and the Anglican Bishop of Enugu, Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma.

There were also Bishop Obi Onubugo of the Throne of Grace, Methodist Archbishop of Enugu, Rev. U Ugochukwu, ABC Orjiakor, traditional rulers and several others.

At the sermon during the service which held without the remains of Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Administrator of the Holy Ghost Cathedral, Rev Fr. John Nwafor declared that peace and sustained development would continue to elude the country unless its present and future leaders returned to a federalism that guarantees a weak centre as propounded by the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu some 45 years ago.

He stated that Nigeria had come to a point where the people needed to sit down and negotiate the basis of her togetherness, stressing that the distortions of the past were what Odumegwu -Ojukwu attempted to correct leading to the Biafran war.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu dreamt of equality and a Nigeria where the Igbo can own property in the North and the Hausa own property in Uyo or Igbo land and where such property would not be destroyed by the indigenes.
He stated that in his life, Odumegwu-Ojukwu remained the hero, stressing that in a public lecture on him at the Nike Lake Hotel, Enugu, former Information Minister, Prof Dora Akunyili, had described Odumegwu-Ojukwu as an “extra-ordinary leader who impacted very vigorously on the people of Nigeria and hated injustice”.
The cleric told the gathering that Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s main concern as he lived was service to his people, a situation that notwithstanding the fact that he was born with a silver spoon, he shunned the life of comfort, got enlisted in the Nigerian Army as a graduate of one of the prestigious universities in the world.

“As he served in various capacities in this country, his records were impeccable,” he said and challenged anybody with any record or where Odumegwu-Ojukwu was accused of corruption to come forward and show it.

He said such gesture was a serious challenge to the leaders of the country at present to live and work for a corrupt-free nation.

“Even as he lies in the casket, he never regretted going to that war and this will always be remembered in history for the good of the country,” he said.

He stated that Odumegwu-Ojukwu never fought a war of secession, adding that just like the biblical Moses, he led his people out of safety in the face of unparallel injustice, crushing suppression and abuse of human rights.

“People who are abreast with history will know that he never supported Kaduna Nzogwu-led military coup. Ikemba believed fanatically in the unity of Nigeria and fought for it. His going to war was absolutely in self defence and to stop perpetration of injustice and oppression. That is why those of us who thought that he was going to tear Nigeria apart if he was allowed to come back from his exile in Ivory Coast ate their words after his return,” he added.

Turning to the leadership of the country, Nwafor urged them to imbibe the quality of service and sacrifice to give the future the desired hope and prayed God to use the spirit of Odumegwu-Ojukwu to rebrand Nigeria.
And in continuation of the rites of passage, the youths led by Chief Debe Sylvester Ojukwu, first son of the late Ikemba, said the march past was the traditional ‘Icho madu’ ceremony for titled men in Igbo land which also applies to Nnewi.

The youths were made up of groups from Nnewi Youth Forum in conjunction with Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Association of Igbo Youth Initiative Movement (AIYIM), Anambra State Chapter and Okada Union, Nnewi.

The youths besieged the Nkwo Nnewi triangle from all parts of the South-east taking residents by surprise by their numbers to search for the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu in all major streets and quarters of Nnewi before proceeding to Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s compound and St Michael’s Catholic Church.

Speaking to THISDAY, Chief Ezeonwuka said: “I led over 10,000 youths across the South-east together with Sylvester, the first son of Ojukwu, to search for our fallen hero in all the four corners and sides of Nnewi as tradition demands but we did not see him. We even went to where Ojukwu was born, chanting familiar heroic songs in his honour, We are terminating the search at Saint Michael Catholic Church.

“Tonight (last night) we are going to set bonfires inside Ojukwu’s compound and sing the mourning songs with trumpet and drums.”


http://www.?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisdaylive.com%2Farticles%2Fenugu-wears-new-look-for-odumegwu-ojukwu-as-jonathan-rawlings-grace-funeral-service-today%2F110390%2F%23.T09sjKmj_-0.facebook&h=IAQGvFn54AQGMBJ92SKSW4RLK0Ujw5mVl7j3uYSCcb3QjAQ

this is really bigger than we expected.

Ikemba rest in peace

This can only mean that Ojukwu is the ultimate Nigerian TRUTH.

For Christ sake is there no YouTube channel dedicated to ojukwu where all his videos and photo shots can b accessed ?

The burial need s to b broadcasted live on YouTube