Ojukwu, Ikemba Ezeigbo Gburugburu

Ojukwu, Ikemba Ezeigbo Gburugburu.
Ogbuefi Ray Ifeme is a culture
enthusiast and a communication
expert. In this brief chat, he talks
about the best way to remember
Ojukwu and the cultural errors
already committed before
Ojukwu’s burial.
When and where did you meet
Ojukwu?
I was not in the Biafran Army
proper. But I met him in Uguta
when I went to visit my uncle,
who was in the Biafan Army.
Ojukwu was visiting them that
day. I went to him and paid
compliments. He said ‘small boy,
what are you doing here?’ I said
I wanted to fight and catch
Gowon. He laughed and said ‘you
won’t do it alone.’ He then
handed me over to Major
Udekwe of the Biafran
Organisation of Freedom
Fighters.
That was how I joined them. We
worked under Colonel Akonobi. I
was the one who brought the
late Oliver De coque to play
music for the boys.
After that initial meeting, did you
encounter Ojuwku any more?
When he came back from exile, I
was one of the first few people
that met with him after Igbo
traditional rulers gave him
Dikedioramma title. I was
opportuned to go and meet him
with Oliver. I was also going to
meet with him at his former
house in Enugu. It is very easy to
visit Ojukwu’s house without a
car. If you come with a car the
security men will question and
delay you but one thing I
noticed was that nobody came
there that he did not see.
You said earlier you have a
problem with the statement
made by Eze Ohazulike in Lagos
that it was Ojukwu that started
the concept of Eze Ndigbo in the
Diaspora. What is your problem
with that statement?
To start with Eze Ndigbo in the
Diaspora was alien to our people
initially. We used to have Igbo
leaders like the late Okonkwo
Kanu, taking charge of the North,
Ojukwu’s father was the overall
Igbo leader. It was Gowon that
created the concept of Eze
Ndigbo in the Diaspora. During
the war, he appointed one chief
Mba, popularly known as Mallam
Issa Mba, to take charge of the
North. He was called Seriki
Ndigbo. After the war, one Chief
Ogbunafor from Nawfia, a
popular hotel proprietor,
declared himself Eze Ndigbo in
Sokoto in 1976 or thereabout.
We also had Chief Nwalusi as
Ezeigbo in Kano. Nwalusi and
Okonkwo, who was Eze Ndigbo
in Katsina both took the title in
1980.
Ohazulike brought the institution
to the South-west. He brought
life to it, in fact, politicised it. He
formed the Association of Eze
Ndigbo in the Diaspora with Eze
Pampas of Minna as Secretary
General. You know that
Ilomuanya and his team fought
them over the matter, they said
they should not bear the name
Eze Ndigbo. Ohazuliike also
fought our traditional rulers
thereby making a mockery of
the institution
But he said it was the late
Ojukwu that endorsed Eze
Ndigbo?
Ojukwu never endorsed any
such concept. Since Ikemba died,
people have been saying all
kinds of things. The truth is that
Gowon is the original creator of
that concept. It was Ohazulike
who brought it to the Southwest.
Recently Eze Nri said he had
installed MASSOB leader as the
new Eze Igbo Gburugburu and
you said it was a wrong move.
Why did you say so?
Let me first say that I have
nothing against the MASSOB
leader. In fact, MASSOB has given
a voice to Igbo people. But I am
also a culture enthusiast and
leader of a cultural organisation.
For now, Uwazurike does not
need a title. What he needs is
support of the Igbos. Now Eze
Nri should not have installed him
because he never installed
ojukwu in the first place. It was
at a birthday party organised for
Ojukwu by Ohazulike that
Ohazulike pronounced Ojukwu
as Ezeigbo Gburugburu. On that
occasion Ohazulike said of all the
people bearing Ezeigbo, Ojukwu
was the greatest. That was how
Ezeigbo Gburugburu came into
being. I was there when it
happened.
I am not against anybody,
making Uwazurike
Ezegburugburu. I respect Eze Nri,
he is a highly respected royal
father. With due respect to him, I
am disappointed that he forgot
about our culture in this matter.
No where, especially in Igbo
land, do you appoint a successor
to a man, who has not been
buried. It is after the burial rites
that you install a successor. He
might have done it to stop any
other person from taking the
title but it is wrong in terms of
culture. I am the founder of
Omenanigbo Promoters
Association and our members
are not happy. They should have
waited for Ojukwu to be buried
first.
How do you want Ojukwu to be
remembered?
All we need to make him rest is
for Igbos to live in unity. But the
most important is for the Nigeria
to allow an Igbo person to
become the president of the
country. That way, Ojukwu will
rest in perfect peace.