Ojukwu refused to open armoury for coup plotters in 1966
Mr. Azuka Okwuosa, one of the closest friends of the late Biafran leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, in this interview with Ozioma Ubabukoh, says Ojukwu’s patriotism made him refuse to open armoury for coup plotters in 1966
Azuka Okwuosa
How long have you known the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu
I have been close to him since he came back from exile in 1982. Since then, I have worked closely with him at different levels. After my youth service in 1984, I worked closely with him and I saw him as an icon. I once told him I liked his ideas, principles and those things he represented.
You will recall that when he returned from exile in 1982, in spite of the fact that his property was not released by the Shehu Shagari administration, he was not affected; he forged on with life. His intelligence was much more than gold and silver. Those of us who (were) close to him imbibed that principle. He brought me into the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
Ojukwu intended to put his war memos together and publish them as a book before he died. Now that he is no more, what efforts are you and other of his associates making to keep his dream alive?
He had always kept those war memos to his chest. He knew how far he had gone. I am not in the position to say exactly when the war memos will be published. One thing he had always told me and said over the years was that he owed the nation that book which contained his war memos. After the burial, we shall definitely keep that dream of his alive. When the book eventually comes out, it will show to the world the very identity of Ikemba. However, we are not talking of that now that we are mourning.
What major incidents would you recall that endeared you more to the late Ezeigbo Gburugburu?
I can recall an incident that occurred in 1982, shortly after his return from exile, when he had an ejection from his house at 29 Queens Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos. Most people would have felt humiliated about that incident, but Ikemba said he would fight and ensure that he got back his house. He said he believed in fighting for justice.
We encouraged him, and, indeed, he fought and got back his house. Like a fighter for justice that he was, he went to court, fought, and fought until he regained what rightfully belonged to him. Those of us who are (were) close to him imbibed that principle.
The second major incident was in 1993. The event was the burial of Houphouet Biogny, former President of Ivory Coast. I travelled with him to the country. In the plane with us were the then Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha; Yakubu Gowon; Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo and his late wife, Stella; Maitama Sule and Adamu Ciroma.
He took me on that mission and as a young man; I saw it as an opportunity to learn a lot, which I did. At Cote d’Ivoire, I became more endeared to him when I saw the manner he handled issues and the way the Ivoriens bowed and respected him. The third major incident I can recollect was his entering into politics after his return from exile. So many people at that time had questioned his joining the National Party of Nigeria instead of the Nigeria Peoples Party that had an Igbo man, the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, at the helm of affairs.
He joined the NPN because it had a national outlook. He felt that since he was the one who led his people to war, he should also be the one to bring them together as one, and the NPN was the right platform to actualise it. He was not happy seeing his people disillusioned. He felt he should join the NPN to integrate them into mainstream politics.
Before his death, did he ever share his regrets with you on the non-implementation of the Aburi Accord?
Of course he did. He had always said the spirit of Aburi Accord was haunting Nigeria. You can see what is happening in the Niger Delta. That is a typical example. Let us digress a bit. I want to tell you that Ojukwu lived ahead of his time. At the age of 20, he had already obtained his Bachelor of Arts. You know the frustration he faced, but because of his doggedness, he sailed through. He was rare. You had expected someone with such aristocratic ideas to live above board, but he did not. He rather chose to identify with the masses.
What are the things you will say he did not achieve?
He would always tell me that Nigeria is a country not a nation. Before his death, he was looking forward to the nationhood of this country, where every federating unit will come and live together. Ikemba’s biggest regret was that he did not live to see Nigeria’s transformation from a country to nationhood. He did his best in this regard, that was why he always wished to express himself. He had a personal crest – a sheep and two lions by its side, and an eagle on top. He told me that the crest meant, ‘To thy self be true.’ Everything he did during his lifetime always propelled him for another
Now, what about the stroke he suffered before he died. How did it all happen?
About seven years ago, he suffered stroke. That particular stroke he suffered at that time affected his sight. When the second stroke struck six years later, in December 2010, we were so shocked. He was still talking and wishing to live but suddenly, we moved him to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozala, Enugu, where he stayed for 10 days before he was stabilised and flown abroad.
In the hospital he stayed, they had about 60 patients in similar health condition as Ojukwu. Most of those patients died within weeks, but he fought on and lived for another 11 months. The doctor even said ‘this man must be made of a sterner stuff.’ Well, God gives life and He takes it. I saw him three months ago. At the hospital in London, I called his name and immediately he recognised me, he wanted to sit up but I asked him not to. Three weeks before he died, he had recovered so much and was even going for physiotherapy, but death suddenly called.
Some years before his passage, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had asked him to apologise for the purported damage he did to Nigeria by going to war. What is your take on this?
Obasanjo is free to say what he wants to say. What happened between 1966 and 1970, I do not think there is any need for apology. If you remember the last coup that took place in 1966, Ojukwu was the one who refused to open an armoury for the coup plotters. He loved this country. But the counter coup, six months after, led to the massacre of Ndigbo in northern Nigeria. So who needs to apologise
How could the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra give Ojukwu the biggest burial in Africa as promised?
The Federal Government will work with them and Ojukwu family. There will be a committee and the committee will come out with a blueprint for the burial plans. Until then, I would not want to comment on that.
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