GENERAL EMEKA OJUKWU, MA (Oxon.). (1933

GENERAL EMEKA OJUKWU, M.A. (Oxon.). (1933-2011) –
CHARISMATIC GOVERNOR OF EASTERN NIGERIA AND
PRESIDENT OF BIAFRA.
‘Ojukwu was a brilliant historian, a quintessential military man, a great politician and a proven
leader who understands the heartbeat of the people and was ever ready to defend his people against
any oppression and acts of injustice. He was a believer in true federalism and equitable distribution
of power and resources. He was a firm believer in the rights of every Nigerian to enjoy the fruits of a
working nationhood.’ Action Congress of Nigeria (2011).
In November, 2011, Richard Dowden, Director of the Royal African
Society, recalled ‘an astounding moment’ when three of the most
influential men in the Biafran War came together at Brown
University in the USA. One of them: ‘Ojukwu, a giant of a man in a
huge black coat but now blind was led around by an assistant...I
managed to stop him for a moment and asked if he had any
regrets about the Biafran War. He paused but did not turn his
head. “History does not repeat itself,” he growled. “But if it did, I
would do exactly the same again. Excuse me.” He moved on.’
Chukwuemeka (known as Emeka) Odumegwu Ojukwu was born
into an important Ibo (Igbo) family on November 4th, 1933, at
Zungeru in Northern Nigeria. His father, Sir Louis Philippe
Odumegwu Ojukwu, was one of the wealthiest men in Nigeria
with business interests in transport. He was determined that his
son should be educated in England and after consulting an English
friend in Lagos who recommended Epsom College, his earlier idea
of education at Eton was forgotten. Emeka was initially educated
at King’s College, in Lagos, but at the age of thirteen entered Epsom College where he excelled at
Rugby football and track and field athletics. He proved to be a formidable centre three quarter and
in his final year was Captain of the First XV. On Sports Day he broke the school record for throwing
the discus, and later won this event at the National Schools Athletic Championships where he set a
new English junior record. Years after he had left Epsom, his former house-master was interviewed
and asked if he remembered Emeka. ‘Very clearly,’ he said. ‘And what was he like?’ asked the
interviewer. ‘Something of a rebel,’ said the master, with evident disapproval.
Emeka Ojukwu with Head Boy and Captains of Sports (1952)
From Epsom he entered Lincoln College, Oxford University, to read modern history. He did well,
gaining an upper second in the B.A., and returning later to receive his M.A. Frederick Forsyth, who
knew Emeka well, wrote that he had a handsome allowance from his father, which enabled him to
dress in the most elegantly-cut suits and drive a series of newest and fastest British sports cars. He
was observed by contemporaries to be seldom out of the company of a string of very attractive
young women. ‘Then there were the parties, the weekend trips to London and the high life of the
capital. It was probably the social life that cost him a place in the Oxford Rugby team in his final year.
He made his place as wing three-quarter in the Lincoln College team, and as a sprinter was selected
to pace the great Jamaican runner Macdonald Bailey.’ His father visited Britain at this time and
purchased a Rolls-Royce, his first such vehicle. Emeka suggested that the car really ought to be ‘run
in’ and that he was the best person to do this. ‘In this manner he became the only student at Oxford
to be observed driving to and from lectures at the wheel of a gleaming Rolls-Royce. One of his tutors
so admired the vehicle that he was for ever wanting a ride in it. Soon they were to be seen cruising
around in the Rolls together, Emeka having his tutorials on the move, and visiting quite a few
outlying public houses whenever the strain became too much.’
It was during his time at Oxford that Emeka began to undergo
a transformation that had never been envisaged by his
masters at Epsom or his tutors at Oxford. As an
undergraduate, he joined the West African Students Union
and became increasingly aware of African nationalism and his
own African-ness. This totally eclipsed the sense of
bewilderment and loneliness that he experienced when he
first arrived as a fourteen year old boy at Epsom, and found
himself, as he put it, ‘lost in a sea of white faces.’ Together
with three other Oxford Nigerians he swore an oath to
dedicate himself on his return to the service of the Nigerian
people rather than to the search for personal advancement.
Arriving back in Nigeria, and very much against his father’s
wishes, he joined the Nigerian army, hoping to play an integral
part in his country’s affairs once Nigeria had gained
independence from Britain. In October 1960 independence
was gained, but Nigeria at that time was a country fractured by tribal differences, with the Hausas in
the north, the Yorubas in the west and the Biafrans in the east. Emeka thought the role of the army
would be a unifying one, providing a continuing stability behind the world of politics without actually
being involved in the political arena, although subsequent events were to prove him wrong. He
returned to England in 1958 and entered the Officer Cadet School at Eaton Hall and then the Infantry
School at Warminster. In 1962 he attended the Army Staff College at Latimer before returning to
Nigeria where he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, commanding the 5th Battalion
and
eventually
becoming
Quartermaster General of the
Nigerian Army, the first Nigerian
to hold that post.
On 15 January 1966 a cadre of
junior army officers, most of
them Ibo, toppled Nigeria’s postindependence government. Sir
Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of
Sokoto, Premier of Northern
Nigeria, and Sir Abubakar Tafawa
Balewa, Prime Minister of Nigeria
were assassinated. Although
Emeka was not involved in this
coup, he was appointed military
commander of the Eastern
Region. By a curious irony, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa’s two sons, Mukhtari (1969-1973) and Sadio
(1970-1973) were also educated at Epsom College. In July 1966, a counter-coup led to Lieut-Colonel
Yakubu Gowon being appointed head of the federal government. Thousands of Ibos in the north of
Nigeria were slaughtered, which precipitated the flight of more than one million Ibos from the
Northern Region towards their ancestral homeland in the east. The massacre was described by
Emeka Ojukwu as “organised, wanton fratricide.” He demanded compensation for the families of
those killed, but the demand went unheeded; and in March 1967 he declared that all federal taxes
collected in the Eastern Region should be retained for the benefit of Ibos who had fled from the
north and were seeking resettlement. He argued that if Ibo lives could not be preserved by the
Nigerian state than the Ibos reserved the right to establish a state of their own in which their rights
would be respected.
In May 1967 the Eastern Region declared independence as
Biafra, but within two months Lieut-Colonel Gowon resolved to
crush the rebellion and Biafra was invaded by federal
government forces. The Biafran War had started; a war that was
to last 30 months and result in the deaths of over 100,000
soldiers and one million civilians. Attempts to mediate in the
war were made by two Old Epsomians, Sir Charles Taylor, M.P.,
and Brigadier H. L. Glyn Hughes, who approached Sir Harold
Wilson, the then Prime Minister. It was hoped that they,
together with Henry Franklin, the Headmaster, might fly out to
Biafra to meet General Ojukwu. This mission never actually took
place owing to the intervention of Emperor Haile Selassie of
Ethiopia, who felt that he might be the most appropriate
mediator. In the event Haile Selassie failed to meet Ojukwu.
When it became apparent that the Nigerian army was supplied
with weapons by the Soviet Union, a squadron of MiG fighters
by Egypt, and arms shipments by Britain, the future of Biafra as
an independent nation became remote. The Nigerian navy
effectively blockaded Biafran ports so that food supplies
became critical; and when the Nigerians offered to allow
overland food supplies, Emeka refused them on the grounds
that they might be poisoned. He insisted on airlifts, but these did little to help and the Red Cross
estimated that 10,000 Biafrans, mainly children, were dying each day. Emeka accused his opponents
of genocide and finally, when the hopelessness of his cause reached a crisis point, he fled the
country to take up exile in the Ivory Coast. In 1974, after Yakubu Gowon had publically announced
that Nigeria would not be ready for civilian rule by 1976, thus breaking a promise, a group of officers
led by Colonel Joe Garba staged a coup and appointed Brigadier Murtala Mohammad as head of
state. Gowon immediately sought exile in the United Kingdom, becoming a student of political
science at Warwick University.
Emeka Ojukwu remained in exile for twelve years until 1982, when he and Yakubu Gowon were both
pardoned by President Shehu Shagari. Emeka’s homecoming was dramatic. Frederick Forsyth who
witnessed this wrote: “The reception at Murtala Mohammed Airport was thunderous, exceeding by
far what had been planned for. A crowd of
four or five thousand, including just about
the entire airport staff, surged through the
building carrying Emeka shoulder high and
cheering until the place echoed... Outside the
building about 150,000 swirled around the
area, swamping the roads, car parks and
fields...an official of the welcoming
committee looked on with open mouth. “We
thought he was popular,” he said, “but
nothing like this. It’s unbelievable.” Later, as Emeka was driven to Enugu, the one time capital of
Biafra, the scene was extraordinary. “Something like a million people lined that road. Many times
the cars slowed as Emeka leaned down to shake hands...On every car, wall, truck and tree the
posters were up: Onyeije Nno – Welcome Home-comer...After several hours the cheering was like
the refrain of the ocean in the ears of those in the cars.”
John Owen-Davies (Epsom College 1955-1960), who was Head of the Reuters Bureau in Nigeria,
knew Emeka very well. He said that on November 29, 1992: “Forgiveness was on public display when
President Babangida told the two main protagonists in the Biafran War – both of them former army
friends – it was time to shake hands. The ensuing handshake between General Yakubu “Jack”
Gowon, federal president and military commander during the conflict, and Emeka Ojukwu, who led
the renegade state of Biafra in the oil-rich south-east, was cheered by 500 people in Lagos’s National
Theatre after a book launching ceremony.....but halfway through the book launch, the traditional
“recognising” of leading Nigerians present was held. The last person to be recognised was Ojukwu.
The initial applause was muted and there was no clapping on the top table, which included Nigeria’s
then defence minister, Sani Abacha. Ojukwu then turned and faced the audience. The clapping
increased in volume and reached a crescendo when he clasped his hands above his head like a
boxer. When the National Anthem was played at the end of proceedings, I walked to stand near to
Emeka. Then Babangida, followed by Gowon, came down from the high table and walked towards
him. “It is time,” Babangida said, “that you two gentlemen shook hands.” They did, to cheers from
the audience. “
In 2011, Emeka Ojukwu suffered a serious stroke that deprived him of his eyesight. He was flown to
London for specialist treatment at the Hammersmith Hospital, but died on November 26, 2011. He
was 78. He had showed courage and fortitude in the year of 1966, demonstrated brilliant leadership
and a selfless devotion to his people. After his return from exile a senator remarked: ‘There is only
ever one leader of the Ibo people and we have just discovered beyond a shadow of doubt who it is.
Now we can all sit down and re-draw the political map of southern Nigeria.’ In her prize winning
book, Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Adichie accurately described the horrors of the Biafran
conflict. Out of the despair and desolation one man stood out. “Everything about him sparkled, his
groomed beard, his watch, his wide shoulders. ‘I came to ask you a question,’ he said. His Oxfordaccented voice was surprisingly soft.... ’What shall we do? Shall we keep silent and let them force us
back into Nigeria? Shall we ignore the thousands of our brothers and sisters killed in the north?’
Ojukwu lit a cigarette and threw it down on the lawn. It flared for a while before he reached out and
squashed it beneath a gleaming black boot. ‘Even the grass will fight for Biafra,’ he said.”
One of the hallmarks of Emeka Ojukwu was that he spoke things some people would not speak and
to which others would not listen. It is the hallmark of true leaders, but not of politicians. Emeka
Ojukwu was not a politician, he was a leader. He understood Nigeria, but Nigeria did not understand
Ojukwu