Close
associates of late Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu are angry
over the latest twist to the family feud which resulted from the deceased Eze
Igbo Gburugburu’s controversial Will.The cause of anger was the claim last week
by some members of the Ojukwu family that Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu was not
legally married to their brother, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
Coming out in strident defence of the
late Ikemba’s wife was, Sir Azuka Okwuosa, who has described the claim as
wicked and the biggest lie that could only come from the pit of hell.
Okwuosa, a close confidant of Ojukwu
while he was alive told Sunday Sun in Enugu that he was a page-boy at Ojukwu’s
wedding held in Abuja in 1994, where his relations, including those who had now
turned back to say that Bianca was not legally married, were in attendance.
He also disclosed that eight years
after the Abuja church wedding the same people accompanied Ikemba to the late
Chief C.C. Onoh’s residence in Nkwo, Enugu State where Ojukwu consummated in
accordance with the native laws and traditions of Igbo land the traditional
marriage of Bianca.
Okwuosa who was a former chairman of
the Nnewi Local Government during the military era, therefore, cautioned the
members of the Ojukwu family to have some restraints as they try to sort out
their differences in court as they had refused his earlier advice to them to
follow the path of dialogue. Excerpts:
You read the papers today and saw what
they said about Bianca Ojukwu, that she was not legally married to the late
husband, how true is this claim?
Yes, I was bewildered this morning,
early in the morning even before the newspapers came out I had read it online
in The Sun newspaper and later on Daily Independent;
I was shocked when I read the newspapers reporting that the brothers of the
late Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu were claiming that the widow, Bianca was not legally
married to him and that the children are not legitimate. I felt highly
disturbed by this issue coming at this time; you remember vividly at the
inception of this crisis when they were throwing diatribes at each other, I was
the one who advised them that they should not wash their dirty linen in public,
that they can dialogue at the family level and if they cannot resolve their
differences they should quietly go to court to resolve the issue. But
unfortunately, they couldn’t resolve this at the family level and hence they
resorted to go to court as their last alternative. And in pursuing this last
alternative I would have preferred that the family do not throw decorum to the
winds considering not just the image of the late Dim Chukwuemeka
Odumegwu-Ojukwu, but also the entire family of the Ojukwu dynasty. The issue of
mere materialism cannot be enough point to destroy a name which has been
bequeathed to them by their grandfather and great grandfathers. Therefore, I
feel they should look at the larger picture and act with great restraint as
they try to resolve their differences in court.
But was the marriage actually illegal?
I
was really amazed by the reports this morning because I still remember in 1994
when I was the chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area which comprises
Nnewi and Ekwusigo today; 1994 was when Ikemba consummated his wedding in a
marriage at Abuja. I remember then as a local government chairman under a
military dispensation, if you want to travel out of the state you have to
apply. So myself and my friend, Commander Chudi Egbo (rtd) who was then
the chairman of Njikaoka local government, we did apply and I remember
that part of the reasons we gave was that we were privileged to attend the wedding
of this icon who we were privileged to be given a role as page boys. It was a
very big laughter before His Excellency, the then governor and he approved it.
At Abuja, it was a well celebrated wedding, the whole movers and shakers,
dignitaries in this country were in attendance. Starting from the church
service, the reception took place at Nicon Noga Hilton, I still recollect that
Umaru Dikko was there, the late governor Rimi was there, the late Sam Mbakwe
was there, Dr Alex Ekwueme was there, Jim Nwobodo was there and a host of
others. It was like a large gathering of who’s who in Nigeria irrespective of
tribe or tongue. I remember vividly that it was Umaru Dikko that did the
closing prayers and the best man to the late Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu at that
wedding was Engr Mike Ezemba who is still alive and lives in Enugu today; I
have pictures of that wedding. I know that after that wedding the marriage
certificate was issued at Kaduna because most churches then in Abuja always
went to Kaduna to get such documents. I am also aware that most of the members
of the Ojukwu family, including those making this claim now were at that
wedding, his brothers, nephews and nieces. And subsequently, about eight years
later we went to do the traditional marriage at the late Chief C.C. Onoh’s
residence at Ngwo. And on that day, virtually all the family members were there
and even on uniform. So, to me, this issue of whether being legally married or
not is out of place and shouldn’t be an issue because they know unless there is
something that missed the eye.
Are the eight people that are in court
part of the family members that attended the wedding?
Yes,
almost all of them were there; Lotanna was there, almost all of them, the
pictures are still very much there and pictures they say do no tell lie and I
believe it has not come to the point of denial because there are evidence to
prove that. But the most important thing I believe is that there should be some
level of maturity, the quest for materialism should not be a basis for the family
members to start dissecting themselves in the public because I do know that
what the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu represented went beyond that and for
people to now start saying that his dear wife was not legally married, to me,
is the biggest lie from the pit of hell.
Did anything contrary to tradition
happen on the day of the wedding that may have caused these people to think the
wedding was illegal or what?
Absolutely
nothing contrary happened, everything happened in accordance with the native
laws and tradition of Igbo land. People who are still alive that attended that
traditional marriage are still there, Chief Ozoko Akuzu, the Onowu Igbo is
there, Prof ABC Nwosu was there, O. G. Nwosu was there, the late Fred Enweonwu
from Onitsha was there and a host of other prominent people. The event happened
till late in the evening and the musician who performed on that day was the
late Oliver de Coque, it was a very grand occasion that lasted into the night
and people had fun and enjoyed themselves. Actually, the traditional marriage
came many years after the church wedding, but the most important thing was that
everything that was supposed to be done in a properly consummated marriage was
done, starting from the church, court to traditional marriage.
How do you feel as an associate of
Ojukwu about what is happening now in his family?
I
feel very pained in my heart because this is a family I love so much
considering the fact that my mentor, Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu was a man of legendary
proportion who was not noted for materialism. He was a man who lived a
humble life. He never occupied more than one, two buildings in Lagos,
that was 29 Queen’s Drive Lagos, I can recall vividly. In fact, there was a
time he had to fight with the Lagos State Government because of the
place. He followed the rule of law. It was the late Rotimi Williams
that handled the case and he won the case and took possession of that house.
And he lived in that place till he died. To me, I feel the family members
should exercise a little bit of restraint and try as much as possible to look
at the larger picture knowing full well that wherever Dim Chukwuemeka
Odumegwu-Ojukwu is lying in his grave and looking at what is happening on
whether the wife he actually consummated in marriage is actually his legal
wife, he will actually be at pains because this is a woman he loved so
much. This is woman he adored so much and a woman he cherished so much.
For me, I don’t think this ought to have been an issue of debate; it should not
have been contemplated in the first place. The children are there, I remember
whenever he looked at the kids, he would always tell me, you know the son,
Afam, he would say this is the true carbon copy of the father, if you see him
you have seen Ikemba. These are lovely kids he so much loved and during his
lifetime there was no dispute of his being the father of those children. So,
these things are happening at this period because of selfish quest for
materialism which is not proper. Inasmuch as people disagree there should be rules
of engagement because the family name should be sacrosanct and the image of the
family should not be compromised over petty issues like property. So, anything
happening in the contrary, the Igbo nation will not be happy because Ojukwu was
the icon of our people and a man who symbolized the main apex of respect for
our people and whenever we remember him, we remember our great past from where
we look into the future. So, we wouldn’t like that name to be disrespected or
messed up with this kind of issue.
Source: Sun
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