As Dokubo, Fasehun, Mustapha storm city
Bianca commends MASSOB, others
From Chidi Nnadi, Enugu
Former Biafra warlord, late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu will today resurrect in the Imo State capital, Owerri, where thousands of his followers and leaders from other parts of the country will converge to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his death.
Dignitaries expected to rev up the memories of the late Igbo leader include the founder of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr Frederick Fasehun; Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF) leader, Alhaji Mujaheed Asari Dokubo; former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Hamza Al- Mustapha; Ojukwu’s widow, Amb. Bianca, among others.
Apparently enthused about the development, Ojukwu’s widow, Bianca, commended members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Biafra Independent Movement (BIM) led by Chief Ralph Uwazuruike for keeping alive the memories of her late husband.
The former Ambassador to Spain spoke against the backdrop of the inter-denominational memorial service and celebration of the 5th anniversary of the demise of the Biafra leader being organised by MASSOB/BIM at the Ojukwu International Memorial Library, Owerri, Imo State.
She commended Uwazuruike for striving to keep alive the memory of the great Igbo leader by organising the annual remembrance ceremony, saying that “it’s a befitting tribute to a man who sacrificed his comfort and in his entire life, fought for the advancement and development of his people.”
Bianca told Saturday Sun that Ojukwu firmly believed that his destiny was inextricably tied to that of his people, pointing out that that informed his relentless quest for fairness and justice on their behalf.
“One thing he would never contemplate was the slavery of the Ndigbo. He always maintained that Biafra came as a reaction to the pogrom in the North and later in the South of Nigeria,” she said.
Quoting the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Bianca said: “Biafra itself, as declaration was then and has always been on my mind, a trace on an imaginary map of Nigeria that says or was meant to say – to all the people that are being hunted by fellow citizens outside…one, you can get across to this land.
“We would better be able to take good care of you, as you are today. We cannot go to all the various areas to help you, but this should be clear and visible; once you step within this boundary, everything we have is equally yours, once you cross this line, if you are alive, we are alive. If you are dead, we die together.”
Sun
