CHUKWUEMEKA ODUMEGWU-OJUKWU (1933 — 2011)
For a 78 year old man who had been bed-ridden for 11 months by stroke, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s last 24 hours on earth could not have been more eventful.
As he lay in his bed at Bupa Nursing Home in Kessington, London on Friday hoping for the best, his political son and governor of Anambra state,Ojukwu’s home state, Mr.Peter Obi walked in to see how he was fearing. It was the governor’s ninth visit to the Ikemba since he was evacuated to London in December, last year for treatment.
The governor, according to his media aide, Valentine Obienyem, met Ojukwu in a ‘stable condition.’
He was on his way from Paris, France, as a member of President Goodluck Jonathan’s delegation to the Honorary Investiture Council of Nigeria’s meeting. The governor had taken the opportunity to propose to the president the naming of the approach to the Niger Bridge in Onitsha after the Ikemba Nnewi to which the president was said to be favourably disposed although he said that could only be possible after the Federal Government would have rehabilitated the road.
The President was also said to have excused his Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu from the Paris meeting to enable her attend to her husband and feed him (Jonathan) back on his condition.
Meanwhile, Obi departed for Nigeria on Friday night and arrived home at about 5.30am yesterday only to receive a text message from Ojukwu’s son, Okigbo, that the Ikemba had passed on.
At his bed side as took his last breath were wife Bianca, daughter Ebere and Okigbo.
Obi, accompanied by Ojukwu’s son, Emeka, immediately left for London
He later formally broke the news in what he called the Igbo tradition.
The statement entitled ‘Our Father has gone’ reads:
Amuma na Egbeigwe edelu juuuu; Udo eji akpu Agu agbabie; Odenigbo Ngwo anabago; Ikemba Nnewi a gaba goo; Dikedioranmma nweru ka osi noru kitaa, Ezeigbo Gburugburu, enwooooo! Obu inaba ka anyi mezie gini? Onye ga na-ekwuru anyi? Onye ga abamba ka Agu ma oburu na ana emegbu anyi? Enwoooooooo! Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, enwoooooo!
“In the traditional Igbo society, the death of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu would be announced by the famous Ikoro Drum, reserved for outstanding people in the society once in a century.
“This is what I have just done in the foregoing. We hereby, in consultation with the immediate family of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, announce his death which occurred in the early hours of today (yesterday), November 26, 2011.
“With Ojukwu’s death, the entire Igbo race, at home and in the Diaspora as well as Nigerians have lost a treasure.
“He was one of the most forthright personalities Nigeria has ever had. He believed in a Nigeria where justice and equity should reign and devoted his life to their pursuit of that ideal as if he was under a spell.
“While alive Ezeigbo Gburugburu was such a subject of history that it makes little sense to start contemplating how history will remember him.
“He is worthy of Ceaser’s own summary of his victory in Pontus (former Asia Minor), Veni, vedi, vici, (I came, I saw, I conquered). Ojukwu came, saw and conquered, leaving for us vital lessons in patriotism and nationalism.
“With his death, part of every Igbo man has also died. We shall continue to remember him in our prayers as we work out further details in consultation with his family and other stakeholders.”
Continue reading here:
Ojukwu: His last 24 hours