The overzealousness of some youths in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State to separately mourn the late Odumegwu Ojukwu ahead of Thursday’s general Ndigbo mourning day has further widened the gulf existing among the Igbos in the area.
While the United Igbo Community led by the embattled APGA candidate for the ward 8 councillorship election, Sunny Williams Igwenze, another young man whose name was not immediately ascertained led another faction of the Igbos under the aegis of Igbo Forum in collaboration with yet another group known as Ohaneze Ndigbo.
Each group had wanted to outsmart the other in the organization for selfish reasons.
However they realized that it was not an easy task especially since it was not planned, so they reluctantly agreed to combine efforts for the project.
Meanwhile, the Igbo Council of Chiefs led by Chief Festus Onukwufor, JP, as well as Chief Richardson Ekegbu, Eze Ndigbo in Oyigbo were just informed the previous day, a development which did not go down well with the elders who threatened to back out of what they rightly termed “childish arrangement.”
“What is the sense in the hasty arrangement when there is the general one for Ndigbo today?” One of them asked.
However, our source also had it that the hasty arrangement was a product of few youths at a bear parlour without regards to their elders who will actually be held responsible for any ugly incidence in course of the event.
The organizers tried hard to get the traders close shops and to close the major Old Aba Road for the occasion to no avail.
When our reporter sought to know the view of the organizers, they disregarded the elders, saying that the elders backed out because there was nothing to share.
However, one of the youths actually donated a cow for the occasion while others donated various items, without publicity.
Meanwhile in a separate interview with the chairman, Igbo Council of Chiefs, Oyigbo chapter, Chief (Sir) Festus Onukwufor (JP) said, “Oyigbo is joining other Nigerians to give Ojukwu a befitting burial because he was an outstanding military officer who defended his people when it matters most.”
The chairman also said Ojukwu was outstanding because he was the first Nigerian soldier to enlist into the Army with a master’s degree and he had better opportunities as the son of a rich man, but chose to sacrifice all that for the love of his people.
He thanked the FG for giving Ojukwu a national honour which he deserved, advising that the present leaders should learn a lesson from the infectious followership for Ojukwu due to his selfless service to his people. ###
By Joe Kalu
