This is coming on a day the Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rev. Emmanuel Chukwumah, declared that the demise of Ojukwu would not bring to an end the struggle for Biafra, urging Igbo leaders to rise up without further delay in demanding for their fair share in the country.
Also, the leader of the World Ndigbo Youth Council, (WNIC), Chief Ndubuisi Igwekala, said his group would mobilise all Igbo youths both at home and in Diaspora to be part of Ojukwu’s burial on February 2, insisting that the late elder statesman fought to give Igbos true identity.
Chairman of the South-east Governors’ Forum and Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, announced the burial date, while addressing journalists, shortly after a meeting of the forum at the Enugu Government House, Sunday.
The governor said all burial activities of the late Igbo leader would be held in Enugu on the same day, while his remains would be taken to his country home, Nnewi in Anambra State, solely for interment.
According to him, a committee would soon be set to discuss further on the burial arrangements of the former Biafran leader.
Obi said all the states of the defunct East Central State, where the late Ojukwu held sway as the military governor as well the presidency would participate in the ceremonies which would take place in Enugu State.
“On February 2, 2012, the burial ceremony of Ojukwu will take place in Enugu, after which his corpse will be taken to his country home Nnewi for internment,” he said.
He explained that the decision to commence the interment ceremonies for the late APGA leader in Enugu was informed by the fact that Enugu was the capital of the former Eastern Region.
Apart from the Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sullivan Chime, who was represented at the meeting, the other governors of Abia, Imo, Ebonyi State were all present.
In another development, the Anglican Bishop of Enugu, Bishop Chukwuma, said while briefing newsmen in Enugu that the death of Ojukwu would not mark an end to be Igbo struggle for justice, equity and fair-play.
Chukwuma also described the statement credited to former president Olusegun Obasanjo to the effect that he advised Ojukwu to apologise for the civil war as unfortunate, stressing that should there be any form of apology, it should come from Obasanjo for enthroning a culture of corruption on Nigeria during his eight years “misrule”.
The Anglican cleric who said Obasanjo was “talking rubbish’, noted that there was no reason for the apology as according to him, Ojukwu stood for a just cause.
He said there was no dispute to the fact that Ojukwu was governor of the former east central state, insisting that should the federal government refuse to give him a national burial, the governors of the south east and their south-south counterparts should come together and give him a state burial.
Speaking further on how Ojukwu can be immortalised, Chukwuma asked for the naming of the Nnewi Teaching Hospital, as well as the Anambra State University after the late Biafran leader.
“As far as we are concerned, Ojukwu made national influence and left no one in doubt as to his contribution to the growth and development of the nation. Although he may have his handicaps, but he was a courageous Nigerian and his type is not easy to come by. Nigeria should immortalize him”, Chukwuma said.
Similarly, the Leader of the World Ndigbo Youth Council, Chief Igwekala said in Enugu yesterday that his group was prepared to mobilise all Igbos to ensure that Ojukwu received a befitting burial on the stipulated date.
Igwekala, who was formerly the Director of Youth and Sports of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) noted that there was no level of contributions to the burial of Ojukwu that would be too much noting that “Ojukwu fought to the extent of putting his life on the line in a bid to give the Igbo man an identity.
“We have lost a great father, a motivator, our symbol of struggle physically but spiritually Ojukwu is not dead. We have several thousands of Ikembas and we are determined to actualise his dreams before long. We will be part and parcel of the burial programme,” he noted.
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