Monday, March 05, 2012
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• Bianca |
By his self admittance to a priest, his family life was disordered and resisted belated moves to file it back on smooth track. It was this state of family flux that engendered the falsetto steps to his funeral at the first sound of cry. Family politics. Sons sired by different mothers positioned themselves to lead the burial orchestra in line with Igbo tradition.
The first product of his loin, Debe, born in 1956 from an unwedded relationship, when the late Dim was just sprouting into a full teenager, aligned with the kinsmen, the traditional upholders, while Chukwuemeka, the first son of the late Ojukwu’s first marriage teamed up with political leaders, the doyens, Sayers and doers of today’s Nigeria. For added pep, Bianca, Ojukwu’s’ pearly wife, threw her lot behind him. The scale weighed heavily on their side.
Tradition versus modernity. A macabre dance of sorts. When the announcements of his death were made by the later, the former insisted they were not aware of his death, despite the elaborate multi-media mentions. It was only when Debe went to London, saw the remains of his father and returned to formally brief the Nnewi elders and chiefs that Ojukwu’s death was acknowledged by them. There was a delicate strain by both sides to contain the stilted flames, manage and fan out the billows from the hearth.
Unknown to many, the stench from the entrails was heavy and powerful. But Ojukwu, ever the creature of destiny rode the waves, survived the odds. Not even the stealthy consignment of Debe and his group in the entire funeral processions and scheme of things was enough to rock the boat. While Chukwuemeka leveraged on the strength of his association and embraced the limelight as emphatic scion and numero uno in his glistering white lace robe, Debe cut a pitiable figure in the shadows ambling and groping anonymously all through the pulsating events. Ditto for his henchmen.
When on February 29, they leaped out with a massive ‘’search’’ for Ojukwu in Nnewi, in line with Igbo tradition, the government’s prompt response was to increase military presence in Nnewi and the Ojukwu family vicinity. Debe and his men took flight and were not sighted within 500 metres radius to the compound.
Altogether, he pieced himself together, in obvious pains at the loss of a dear father and tagged along at all the elaborate funeral functions. While the dicey family over hang stretched out, the MASSOB (Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra) fever raged. MASSOB had at the outset stagedwhat looked as a coup de grace, taking full charge of affairs at Ojukwu’s Casabianca Enugu home, and calling shots at Nnewi and other centers prime to the funeral.
Their Leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike told Daily sun that their goal was to “bury Ojukwu and cover his Coffin with the Biafra Flag’’. That objective inexorably led to the total federal government intervention and the state burial accorded him. Several Political leaders from Igbo land had met president Goodluck Jonathan and impressed on him the compelling need to Cage MASSOB, seize the initiative and give Ojukwu, “a most deserved state burial, and save Ojukwu from the emerging ridicule’’.
The Chairman of the National Burial Committee Justice Chukwudifu Oputa (rtd) pointedly told Jonathan, not to balk to the fears of the signals it will send across the highly divided nation, adding for better effect, that not doing so will even create a more heinous harm.
Chief Ralph Uwazuruike was on the upswing. He had deftly used the occasion to upstage the political players, seizing the moment, the tempo, and everything. To add salt to the injury, he took the title of Ezeigbo gburugburu from Nri, the ancestral home of the Igbos, the same kingdom that gave Ojukwu the title, thus effectively positioning himself as Ojukwu Successor. By the time, the siren for the state burial was heard, Uwazuruike and his men were no where to be found.
Initial resistance by some of his men at Onitsha was met with commensurate force. Emissaries sent to him led by a former governor of Imo state, to back down and co-operate with the government did not sink down very well with him. He was therefore kept in the cooler through out with no presence of his rancorous group at all the Venues, in speeches and by protocol.
To no one’s hearing
At a different, but undulating level came the jostling and posturing of leading political players. In the main, Ojukwu’s death and burial, profiled more in politics. It resonated in sound and essence. For many political actors it was the biggest political event so far this year; and adopted to serve as the epi-centre of their resurgence. Those at the helm, either in the committee or the host state governments ensured it was deployed to effectively halt the march of their opponents and leap frog theirs.
In Owerri where the funeral ball started rolling, all the big names in Imo politics, which incidentally belong to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP shunned the event. A source close to one of them claimed they were not invited. “We are in PDP, and Ojukwu was in APGA. It is not our event.” Attempts to remind him that Ojukwu’s funeral was bi-Partisan and that he indeed towered over and above such sentiments and considerations cut no ice as he feigned ignorance of the rather noisy arrival of Ojukwu’s remains to the state .
Not only that, scant mention was made on anyone who is not on good terms with government, no matter his political standing. Speeches at the event were laced with immense positive remarks on the activities and other achievements of the government. Musical interludes and other sundry match –ups were also devoted to that.
In Enugu and Awka, sundry efforts were also made to subdue opponents of the regimes in power. It led to a confrontation between Senator Chris Ngige and Governor Peter Obi. Ngige unable to continue to accept the situation sprang up from his seat, walked over to Obi and challenged him.
“What you’re doing is not good. You will not allow any member of the national assembly to talk. I know you will not want me to talk. What about Ekwunife who is your party member? What of others seated here? “Let one person from the National Assembly talk”. Assessing his ferry mood properly and fearing it might degenerate to a brawl, Senator Andy Uba rose to placate Ngige. Obi still had his way regardless.
Fame and Infamy
The funeral may have gone down in history as a measurement barometer of the popularity of politicians. While it dealt a death knell on the future political aspirations of some, it was a thumbs-up for others.
Ratings could be easily gleaned from the applause and boos that greeted their speeches or their movements when spotted. In Owerri, Aba, and Enugu, Governor Rochas Okorocha clearly stole the show. Every of his speeches was jammed with thunderous hailing and pomp. A mention of his name attracted spontaneous clapping. His entry and exist ricocheted with songs and dance. In Aba, the crowd surged towards him, urging him to annex Abia State and rule them. He basked in the glory and waved endlessly to the appreciative crowd.
Another politician that ranged high him in the estimation of the mourners is Ngige. In Enugu and Awka chants of Ngigeee rented the air each time he was sighted or recognized. At a point in Awka, when he was stepping out, the large crowd of mourners abandoned the proceedings momentarily to follow him, singing and dancing along “Ngige k’anyi ga eso, Ma ona eje-eje, ma ona ala-ala, Ngige kanyi ga eso”(Ngige, we will always follow, whether in going or returning )
On the side of infamy, Abia State governor Chief Theodore Oji led the pack.
He was sensationally booed in Aba and Nnewi. The Aba episode was so embarrassing that it at various times punctuated the ceremony and emerged as the high point.
Immediately after the church service in Nnewi as he made to go out with others boos rang out. But once beaten twice shy. He had come with a retinue of women praise singers who quickly took the gauntlet singing his praises , their voices drowning that of his adversaries.
Dirty Slings –Post Mortem
On a wild card, Ojukwu’s death and burial threw up, more than ever before issues of Igbo political leadership. While alive, he did not belong to the apex social cultural group Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Perhaps, correspondingly the group played no significant role at his funeral, a situation that has sent tongues wagging on the future and relevance of the group in Igbo affairs and leadership. Again, from the ashes of the funeral came the resurrection of Igbo National Union (INU) led by a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Uche Onyeagocha.
The INU was the foremost association of Ndigbo before the civil war. Onyeagocha posited that “it has not come to take the place of Ohanaeze- Ndigbo”. But only time will prove that. The INU represents the progressive arm of Ndigbo based on the membership. Ojukwu’s burial has come and gone, it did indeed expose the underbelly of Igbo politics.
Re-unification
In more ways than one, his burial provided the platform for the much sought after unity of the Igbos, and the clamour for a handshake across the Niger. Ojukwu,had staked so much for these,while alive. At the Enugu flank of the funeral obsequies, a planned attempt to bring together again former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar and president Goodluck Jonathan failed. The organizers had arranged for Atiku to receive Jonathan at the airport. Jonathan, it was learnt, allegedly snubbed the idea and instead sent the vice-president to represent him.
Also, at various funeral centres, dignitaries from several divides of the nation attended. The emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero was in Enugu with his chiefs adding a pan-Nigerian outlook to the event. Bauchi State governor, Isa Yuguda, Kogi State governor, Idris Wada, Kaduna state governor Patrick Yakowa, Ondo state governor, Dr segun Mimiko, among others gave the funeral the much desired unifying direction.
Former Ghanain head of State, Jerry Rawlings situated it succinctly in his speech when he said he pleaded with Jonathan to persuade Ojukwu’s wartme adversary Gen Yakubu Gowon to reinforce his glowing tribute to Ojukwu by being physically present at the burial. Gowon had said that “Ojukwu loved Nigeria so much. His opting out of Nigeria was because of perceived injustices”. So, the funeral evoked the spirit of unity, the symbolic handshake across the Niger.
