‘Why Ojukwu Should Be Celebrated’

Former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili said the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s dreams and aspirations were to have a better economic and political equity in Nigeria.

Dr. Odili, who was speaking at the public lecture organised by the Rivers State Government as part of burial ceremony for the late Ojukwu, noted that the former Biafran War Lord wanted a true federalism as he urged all tribes and regions to continue to live in peace.

While noting that his first contact with Ojukwu, the former Eastern Region Governor, was during the Constitutional Conference of 1994, he said.

“Ojukwu’s contribution revealed that he had the unity of the country at heart”.

He noted that the dreams and ambition of Ojukwu for Nigeria was for everybody, irrespective of where you come from, to be treated equally.

The former Rivers State Governor thus commended the State Government for putting together the lecture and urged Nigerians, despite their religious background, to respect one another.

Odili also described Ojukwu as “a brilliant, focused, vibrant and noble citizen of Nigeria whose actions are usually executive ones”.

Also speaking at the occasion, Onueze C.J. Okocha noted that “Ojukwu fought for the unity of Nigeria and not for the Igbos.

“Ojukwu should not be a man to be forgotten easily because of his contributions”, he said, and commended the planning committee for putting together the open lecture in his honour.

On his part, Governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji, who also graced the occasion, expressed satisfaction over the honour done to the late Ikemba, and hailed Governor Chibuike Amaechi for the gesture,

Orji said , “Ojukwu was a man of unity and peace…

He never fought back when majority of the Igbos were killed.”

According to him, “Ojukwu took the part of peace and went into exile with the intention to maintain peace”.