The Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu I Knew

By Nnanna Ijomah
On this day the 26th of November three years ago Chief Emeka Ojukwu passed away, and on this third anniversary of his death, I want to join millions of Nigerians to honor and celebrate his life. In 1988, I was an unemployed young Political Science graduate, resident in Lagos, when I first met Chief Emeka Ojukwu, by way of recommendation and introduction by some mutual friends, one of whom was my cousin, who had informed me that he, the Ikemba was looking to employ a Personal Assistant.

The odds of my getting the job was further enhanced and I would say virtually assured when during the interview at his Villaska lodge residence, the late Dr Chuba Okadigbo walked in and practically vouched for my intellectual ability and competence to do the job for which I was about to be hired. For those who might be wondering how Dr Okadigbo came into the picture. It so happened that a few years earlier during the commencement ceremony of the University of Benin, the late Dr Okadigbo had taken note of me when I was presented with an award, as the best Political Science student in the degree exams.

On that fateful sunny afternoon, 22 years ago, I found myself standing before the Ikemba, a larger than life figure, whom I'd heard so much about all through my teenage years during the civil war. But now in my early twenties, standing before him, I was not only scared and nervous, but also full of admiration and respect, while at the same time experiencing an overwhelming feeling of excitement, just for being in his presence. As I gazed at those bulging eyes, each time he made a point of emphasis, I could not but feel a sense of accomplishment, just for achieving this great feat of being there. At that moment in time as I remember it today, whether I ended up getting the job or not, I was going to savor this once in a life-time opportunity for all it was worth. After a few pointed questions and a detailed explanation of what the job entailed, he proceeded to ask me if I was ready to start work right away. Thus began my association with the Ikemba. A job which I can truthfully say afforded me the most learning experience of my life.

During the period I worked for him, Ikemba was more than just my boss. He was a father figure in the sense that he treated me like a son. He was my mentor and was very protective of me. When I decided to leave for the United States, he did not try to dissuade me from doing so. Rather he encouraged me to leave, since at that point in time some government officials were snooping around, making inquiries regarding the contents of the book we were working on. The general impression at the time was that he the Ikemba was writing a book about the Civil war. 

The book generated so much concern in certain quarters that he, Ikemba got worried about my safety, and in his own words, said to me " they can never do anything to me, but they can come after you in their attempt to know what the book is all about and I would not want you to get into any kind of trouble on my account'. Months later in 1989, he sent me an autographed copy in New York. 

This is the Ikemba most people did not know about; a man who despite his tough exterior was a very caring, loving individual who cared for the people around him. Despite my relatively young age at the time, he treated me as an adult, with respect and dignity. At some point in time when I was having some difficulty with people believing I was his personal assistant, he give me a signed letter or document which stated in clear terms that I was his Personal Assistant, requesting that I be accorded all necessary courtesies in the performance of my duties on his behalf. I remember guiding that letter like a prized possession and was ready to flash it around for anyone who cared to see it.

He was a tough boss, but one who hardly and rarely interfered with your job as long as you knew what you were doing and did it well. He despised mediocrity and incompetence, but will demand and delegate a lot to you if he had confidence in you. I have heard some say he was arrogant and overbearing. He was neither, especially to those who were close to him. A prominent American architect, Frank Lloyd Weber once said and I quote, "early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility, I chose honest arrogance and have seen no occasion to change'. I personally believe that if the word arrogance should in any form be associated with Chief Ojukwu , it would be that he was a man who was true to himself and who did not know how to pretend or be politically correct just to please people. 

The truth is that he expected the people who had dealings with him to be able to operate on a somewhat acceptable intellectual level. This is because he was a man who did not suffer fools gladly. Some in the media may be quick to accuse him of being mercurial and of intellectual grandiosity. Even then he was the type who despite his supposed intellectual grandeur still left you filled with admiration and honest appreciation of the depth of his knowledge and intellect. All through the time I was with him, I always made sure I had a pen and paper with me whenever I was in his presence, because there was always the chance he might say something i may not want to forget. Something i want to remember for posterity. Hence today I can look back at those notes and be able to quote him accurately.

Having worked for him and with him, especially during the editing and production of his book titled, " Because I was involved" I came to know chief Ojukwu as fearless and adventurous, wily and prone to endless trouble , but never paralyzed by self-doubt. He was like every one of us, only much more. Early in his life he saw his star and he followed it. He was a man who did nothing in half measures; a man of many ideas and variable dimensions. As much as he believed in himself, and his ideas, he believed in Nigeria and the Igbo people. There is a saying, "that which you most care about, says the most about you'. He was like a shepherd who was very protective of his flock, the "Igbo nation". As much as he fought for the Igbos to be treated with equality, dignity and respect, the Ikemba was a true Nigerian nationalist. His devotion to Nigeria was only surpassed by his love for the Igbo people.

With regards to his return from 13 years of exile in the Ivory Coast, he was enormously grateful to ex-president Shehu Shagari who in his opinion would go down in history as the president who closed the chapter on a painful national episode. On a few occasions, he intimated how lucky he was that his return was facilitated and actualized at that opportune time, as its probability would have been greatly diminished 2 years later when the Shagari administration was overthrown in a military coup. He always had the nicest things to say about the late Dr Chuba Okadigbo, whom he considered one of his closest confidants. All in all, he had no regrets coming back to Nigeria, despite the fact that things had not changed appreciably from the Nigeria he left behind to go on exile.

He bemoaned the cobwebbed assumptions about societal permanence. About our politics and those agitators who always felt that their continued political dominance was their birthright. It was his belief that a society can live on the accumulated capital of a glorious inheritance only for so long. He longed for an egalitarian society; a society and democracy that afforded every Nigerian of every religion and gender, equal access to power. He was always quick to condemn those politicians who by their behavior both in public and private settings had erased the lines of social stigma and accorded themselves an aura of respectability by virtue of the offices and positions they undeservedly had acquired. To him it was akin to a moral masturbation to think that one corrupt politician was better than the other. Considering the fact that the entire country was a chaotic collection of contradictions, when he returned, he nevertheless felt he would have something to offer by contesting an election for the senate, but was regrettably rigged out of victory by his own party, the NPN. But being an eternal optimist he continued to forge ahead.

In life as in politics, he believed there are no victories but only battles, and all one needed was to find a place and time to make a stand and hope that there is someone to stand with you. He was a man who would say to you, you need more than vision to succeed in life. His view was that you need a stubbornness, tenacity, belief and patience to stay the course. There was not a fake bone in his body. He was as authentic as they come, a true original with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. To use his own words, 'In a world where people are quick to slander than applaud, condemn than praise, criticize than support" he, the Ikemba in my opinion, stood out as an epitome of what we all aspire to be, an embodiment of grace, intelligence and authenticity.

In recent times people have postulated all kinds of theories as to why he never penned a book on the Nigerian civil war. My recollection on this issue is that he planned to write such a book, because we discussed it. The plan was to start on it as soon as we were finished with the book we were working on at the time. While I cannot say for sure if he actually started writing on the civil war his widow Bianca in an interview confirmed he was putting down a few things on paper as he remembered them but was doing so at a very slow pace. On his impression of other books written on the subject, I remember him quoting Churchill, when he said, and I quote: "In war, truth is so precious it has to be guided by a body of lies'. For reasons best known to him or which might surface some day in the future he probably did not follow up on his plans to write that book or that he half -finished one. Knowing him, I would want to believe that he has a draft somewhere. I may be wrong.

Despite his role in the Nigerian civil war, his legend is hardly blemished. He was a man who came in peace, however well -disguised. Revered and reviled by many he remained the master of his own universe. He was never a man who was prone to political expediency. Unyielding in the things he believed in but ready and willing to say so publicly. I guess partly because his patriotic bona-fides were beyond question, he could make controversial comments, other notable Nigerians could not and he did make a lot of them. I once asked him why some people found him very intimidating, and his response was that; people will always think of him as intimidating because they saw him as a man of his convictions, and proceeded to advise me that no matter what I did in life, to be true to myself.

Reflecting on my life today and especially the period I worked for him, I have come to the realization that we gradually become what we are by a process of identification with others. In truth we are literally made by our contact with others, not merely our minds, but to some extent our personalities, emotions and values. Our intellectual attainment is acquired by our association with people who at some point in our lives exerted the most influence on us. I can truly say today that I am an embodiment of the values and the things I learned from Dim Ojukwu.

Chief Ojukwu was a generous heart and above all a brave heart; a transformational leader who did his best to change the orthodoxy of his time. With him most conversations turned into a debate. Each debate was more like quick sand. The more you got into it, the more you sank. The sheer breath of his knowledge was staggering.

He was a man who not only loved history but made history. He was a man who knew his limitations, not that they were many, and learned to accept them, recognizing how variable and flexible our lives can be. He lived his life as an extension of fate and conviction. He was a leader who did his utmost to change the trajectory of the country, believing that extremism in defense of moderation, justice and fair play was no vice. In his dealings with friends and foes, he believed relationships were critical and trust fundamental. He was someone who drew you close enough to think you knew him but simultaneously stayed out of reach.

Ikemba was a man who learned to live not for the fleeting and perishable ecstasy of the moment, but for the eternal and abiding values which alone are the source of self-respect and peace of mind. He was a man who learned to accept his imperfections and perfections. In the course of his lifetime he drew a portrait and accepted himself for what he was or meant to do which was to be of service to the poor and the needy. He was a man who did not wallow in self- pity or paralyzed by regrets. "We are relative and not absolute creatures' he once said to me, adding that "everything we do is tinged with imperfections". He was a man who detested conformity, even though one of man's proudest needs is the need for conformity. He believed that one does not have to lie to himself about his nature in order to conform to that artificial, unrealistic idea. He was a man who till his death was true to himself, believing that the individual who holds on to the idea of true self hood, is the one who will achieve victory in the end.

In a turn of history only imaginary in fiction, the Ikemba debunked all historical precedents of leaders who had gone on exile. He came back from exile, resolving not to live in anonymity. He contested elections, formed and led a political party, while at every occasion continued to profess his desire for a unified Nigerian nation. His passing now tells us to keep asking the questions he posed, and to keep seeking the answers he sought. One does not like to think that any one person is irreplaceable or unique, but right now there isn't anyone who is capable of walking in his shoes, at least within the Igbo nation. The melody that the Ikemba played upon the piano of our lives will never be played quite that way again, but we must not close the keyboard and allow the instrument to gather dust. 

For the Igbo nation as he always fondly called them, they must, as they move forward in the post Ikemba era to always be guarded by memories of the past, the realities of the present and the possibilities of the future. They must seek out new leaders who will attempt to walk and follow in the footsteps of the Ikemba. To all those who loved and revered him, we must face our loss without any expectation of miraculous healing, but with the knowledge that if we are courageous and resolute we can live as the Ikemba would want us to live, not empty, morose, and self -pitying but as brave and undismayed servants of a greater life.

We continue to mourn and remember him today 3 years after his passing because he expected us to mourn him. On this anniversary of his demise most people will remember him well and some will dismiss his memory with scorn. All I have tried to do is to add my piece to what I know of him. I do not in any way lay claim to have been a close confidant as there are people who were better privileged in that regard. I have tried to restrict my narrative only to the things I know , leaving others who knew him better to fill the voids in the history of his life. Over the years I tried to keep in touch with him as I promised to do after I left and it was always a thrill to hear his voice. 

The last time I spoke with him over the telephone was sometime in 2008, when he visited the United States to seek medical attention for his eyes which he said was bothering him. It may take generations for someone like him to appear on the Nigerian political arena, but at least we have a reference point. It is not unwise to celebrate the life he lived, for he, like every one of us, must go at some point in time, but not some time too soon we had hoped. In the end, we can truly say that there will never be another like Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

*Nnanna Ijomah, B.Sc., MA (International Relations) was a former Personal Assistant to Chief Ojukwu; Nna2ijomah@aol.com