It is with great shock that I received the news of the passing away of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu this morning. Though he had been sick for some time, we were all hoping and praying that we would welcome him back home in good health; but, unfortunately, this was not to be.
Former head of state General Muhammadu Buhari stated that, “I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu and the Ojukwu extended family, the governments of the South-Eastern states, Ndigbo in Nigeria and in the Diaspora, and to the entirety of the people of Nigeria on this great loss.
In his life, Dim Ojukwu had been many things to many people—a soldier, a leader, a rebel and a politician. It was in his role as rebel to the nation and a symbol to his people and fighter for their rights that he came to play a pivotal role in the tragic civil war in which we found ourselves in trenches facing each other as brother-enemies fighting to preserve the unity and territorial integrity of our fatherland. Later, we would still be fighting, this time together in the trenches of Nigeria’s politics, to finish the battle for unity and progress.”
In the course of these years, we came to understand ourselves well and respect each other deeply, as compatriots searching for solutions to the problems confronting our country, as concerned leaders of our respective political groupings; and, in the process, as friends and guests in each other’s homes. And in all our transactions and engagements on and off the political scene, I found Dim Ojukwu a most forthright and honourable player. He was a tireless, intelligent, focused and frank negotiator who would never give a word he wouldn’t keep.
No doubt, the understanding and trust that developed between us and between him and other political actors contributed in no small measure to the overall success of the process of national integration on the political front. And with his passing away, the nation has lost a leader of great humanity and a political actor of great colour and character and a voice for moderation; and Ndigbo has lost a brave captain who has now passed to the status of a legend.
Dim Ojukwu will be greatly missed. I pray to God to give his family, Ndigbo and the nation the fortitude to bear a loss that can in many ways be said to be truly irreparable.