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Remembering Biafran Warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu (1933 – 2011)

Published

1 month ago

November 8, 2025

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

He came as a unifying force, defying all known luxury to settle for career he was in love it – military. His name was Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu; a Nigerian soldier turned Biafran Warlord as a result of exigencies that ‘cannot be ignored’.If Ojukwu had lived till date, he would have been celebrating 92 years on November 4, the day he was born. But Ojukwu died on November 26, 2011 after a brief illness in London. He legacy has remained evergreen, especially among the Igbo speaking tribe of Nigeria, residing in the south-east region of the country; a people, he gave his utmost best to liberate from the shackles of mass murder, supervising a bloody war with little or no arms and ammunition for 30 months.

Ojukwu is the toast of the average Igboman, his shortcomings notwithstanding.

Born with the shinniest of silver spoons in the Zungeru area of colonial Nigeria, on November 4, 1933, to one of the wealthiest individuals of his time, Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, the young had the best of everything life could offer, growing up. He was educated at obe of the most prestigious institutions in the country then, King’s College, Lagos, and later at Epsom College in Surrey, England.

He proceeded afterwards to Lincoln College, Oxford University where he obtained a master’s degree in Modern History in 1955. He returned to Nigeria to serve as an administrative officer and suddenly, contrary to expectation, he joined the Nigerian army, and grew by the ranks. He was the first of a kind, joining the military with a retinue of academic successes and certificates.

It would be noted that Ojukwu joined the army in protest. He was protesting the termination of his appointment in civil service when he was posted to Calabar, by the Sir John Macpherson at the instant of his father.

A breakdown of Ojukwu’s sojourn in the field of academics has it that at the outbreak of World War II when he was seven, his father sent him to St. Patrick’s School and CMS Grammar School both in Lagos. In 1944 at the age of 10, Ojukwu started studying at King’s College, Lagos. In 1945 when Ojukwu has stayed for two years in Kings College, his father, who want him to be educated in England, made consultations from his English friend. Epsom College in Surrey was recommended and by 1946, he was sent there for an advanced education.

Ojukwu stayed at Epsom for six years. During that time, he excelled in academics as well as in sports and athletics. He played rugby for the college winning the spring javelin throwing and discus. At 18 he entered Lincoln College, Oxford and studied briefly in 1952. Loius wanted his son to be a lawyer as it was the most common in Nigeria but Ojukwu wants to read modern history. Between 1952 and 1955 he studied law and later switched to history. He also joined the West African Students’ Union in Oxford. During his final years, he joined Oxford Rugby Union as wing three quarter in Lincoln College’s team. Ojukwu graduated with a B.A in arts in 1955 and travelled back to Lagos. He would later return to Oxford to obtain his M.A.

His destiny was beginning to get shaped when six years after Nigeria’s independence in 1960, a group of military officers overthrew the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa-led civilian government. The failure of the coup brought General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi to power, and he appointed Ojukwu as the Military Governor of the Igbo-dominated Eastern Region.

Following a pogrom against the Igbo in several parts of Nigeria, especially in the north after the coup that claimed Aguiyi-Ironsi’s life, Ojukwu, as the governor of Eastern Region, engaged the government in several diplomatic discussions on the road to peace. An accord was reached during some of the parley, one of which is the popular Aburi Accord.The failure of the Accord and continuous pogrom led Ojukwu into seceding from Nigeria, declaring the Republic of Biafra, and becoming its first Head of State. The action led to a civil war, which has been argued in many quarters as a genocide against the Igbos of the then-Eastern region.

Ojukwu did not have what it takes to fight the war as regards weapons. He only had the determination and willpower of his people. But that did not take them far as the Nigerian military, with support from the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, came out victorious, using the weapon of hunger and alleged genocide.

Ojukwu’s effort to use the foreign media to highlight the plight of Biafran civilians and depict the war as genocide against Igbos went unheard, receiving recognition only from France, Haiti and Cote d’ Ivoire among one other two others. He lost the war after superlatively standing off the Nigerian military with its massive oversea’s support, and with it, the young Biafran nation and about three million Biafrans.

Ojukwu subsequently fled to Ivory Coast in exile, where President Félix Houphouët-Boigny granted him political asylum. He returned to Nigeria 1981,when President Shehu Shagari granted him total amnesty.

Though he tried unsuccessfully to grab political power, he made his mark for himself and his people. He began by fighting to reclaim all his property across the country, and married the 21-year-old Bianca Onoh, daughter of a one time governor of Anambra State, C. C. Onoh.

He died in 2011 at the age of 78 in London, England. His body was returned to Nigeria, where Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan gave him a state funeral, a funeral suitable for a general, which he was. He was buried with full military honours, including a 21-gun salute from the Nigerian Army, and thousands of people attended his funeral.

To some, Ojukwu is a contentious figure in the history of Nigeria, but to many, especially the Igbo, he is a hero and wears a messianic cloak. They believe that though the war was lost, a statement was made in the loudest of voices.

Today, however, the voice of Biafra has re-echoed, first from MASSOB, and presently from Nnamdi Kanu’s Indigenous People of Biafra (IBOP).

Featured

Sunny Irakpo Launches SILEC International Magazine in America

Published

17 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Eric

Drug Use Prevention Advocate, Founder and President of SILEC Initiatives, and U.S. Department of State Exchange Alumnus, Ambassador Sunny Irakpo, has unveiled SILEC International Magazine (SIM), a groundbreaking media platform exclusively dedicated to reporting drug-related issues across Africa, the United States, and the global community.

The announcement was made during a strategic meeting with partners in New Jersey, where Ambassador Irakpo is currently participating in a series of community-based and public-safety initiatives to deepen his expertise in combating substance use disorders and illicit drug trafficking both in the United States and worldwide.

A First-of-Its-Kind Platform for Drug-Focused Journalism

Ambassador Irakpo emphasized that SIM is designed to shape public consciousness by promoting value-driven storytelling and providing credible information on the rising tide of drug abuse and illicit trafficking—a crisis he describes as “a looming danger destroying the vibrant youth populations of many nations.”

He noted that the magazine will spotlight the work of NGOs, CEOs, advocates, and policymakers, churches, and companies with strong social responsibility particularly from African perspectives, while amplifying influential voices and advancing global understanding of effective anti-drug efforts.

Drawing inspiration from media leaders such as Dele Momodu, Chairman of Ovation Media Group, and Dr. John Momoh, Chairman of Channels Television, Irakpo described SIM as “a beacon of hope and a tool for societal transformation.”

Recognizing U.S. Efforts Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking

Ambassador Irakpo commended the United States for its continued commitment to combating drug trafficking and addiction—efforts strengthened under previous and current administrations. He particularly noted that the U.S. government under President Donald Trump demonstrated “exceptional courage, political will, and capacity in confronting the opioid crisis and the destructive forces fueling illicit drug trade,” encouraging world leaders to emulate such resolve.

He reiterated that addressing substance abuse requires a combination of drug-demand reduction, citizen sensitization, international collaboration, and sustained public education.

A Platform With Social Impact and Youth Empowerment at Its Core

Irakpo highlighted SIM as a top-tier media platform that will not only drive awareness but also create employment opportunities for young people and support underprivileged students—particularly in Nigeria, where more than 20 million children remain out of school due to financial hardship.

He added that SIM will serve as a sustainability engine for the ongoing anti-drug overdose campaigns of SILEC Initiatives, a leading nonprofit that has educated and sensitized communities for nearly two decades.

Experienced Editorial Leadership

As SIM prepares for its U.S. take-off, Irakpo announced the appointment of veteran journalist Julius Eto as Chairman of the Editorial Board. Eto brings more than four decades of experience across Nigeria’s premier news organizations, including The Guardian, ThisDay, The Punch, Daily Times, and The Trumpet.

He will be joined by distinguished academics including Prof. Oscar Odion Odiboh and other seasoned professionals committed to advancing the magazine’s mission.

A Call for Media Reawakening and Global Collaboration

Ambassador Irakpo called for a media renaissance in Nigeria to strengthen societal values and elevate African leadership in global discourse. SIM, he said, intends to claim its rightful place as “an African voice on the world stage.”

With the official launch of SILEC International Magazine (SIM) scheduled for the first quarter of 2026 in the United States, Ambassador Irakpo extended an invitation to corporate organizations, development partners, and well-meaning individuals worldwide to support this far-reaching vision.

“With hope, determination, and the resilience symbolized by the eagle, SIM is prepared to soar across the globe. Members of the public are respectfully enjoined to visit our friendly, rich anti-drug abuse website, www.silecinitiatives.org.ng,” he added.

Featured

How Tinubu Helped to Crush Military Coup in Benin Republic – Presidency

Published

20 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Eric

The Presidency, on Sunday night, said acting on the two requests by the authorities of Benin Republic, President Bola Tinubu ordered Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to enter the country and take over the airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the National TV and a military camp where they had regrouped.

The Presidency, in a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said President Tinubu commended the swift response of the gallantry of Nigeria’s military.

The statement read: “President Bola Tinubu has commended the gallantry of Nigeria’s military on Sunday for responding swiftly to the request by the Government of Benin Republic to save its 35-year-old democracy from coup plotters who struck at dawn today.

“Acting on two separate requests from the Government of Benin, President Tinubu first ordered Nigerian Air Force fighter jets to enter the country and take over the airspace to help dislodge the coup plotters from the National TV and a military camp where they had regrouped.

“The Republic of Benin, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a Note Verbal, requested immediate Nigerian air support “in view of the urgency and seriousness of the situation and to safeguard the constitutional order, protect national institutions and ensure the security of the population.”

“In the second request, the authorities in Benin requested the deployment of Nigerian Air Force assets within Beninoise airspace for surveillance and rapid intervention operations under Benin-led coordination.

“The Benin government also requested Nigerian ground forces, “strictly for missions approved by the Beninese Command authority in support of the protection of constitutional institutions and the containment of armed Groups.”

“Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, said all the requests have been fulfilled, with Nigerian ground forces now in Benin.

“Ours is to comply with the order of the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces, President Tinubu,” he said.

He further stated: “Constitutional order was upended in the Republic of Benin, Nigeria’s neighbour, when some soldiers led by Colonel Pascal Tigri announced a coup on Sunday morning. The putschists seized the National TV and claimed they had toppled President Patrice Talon and suspended all democratic institutions.

“It took some hours before the government’s loyal forces, assisted by Nigeria, took control and flushed out the coup plotters from the National TV.

“In his remarks after the restoration of the democratic and constitutional order, President Tinubu saluted the Nigerian armed forces for standing firm as a protector and defender of democracy.

“Today, the Nigerian armed forces stood gallantly as a defender and protector of constitutional order in the Republic of Benin on the invitation of the government. Our armed forces acted within the ambit of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

“They have helped stabilise a neighbouring country and have made us proud of their commitment to sustaining our democratic values and ideals since 1999. Nigeria stands firmly with the government and people of the Republic of Benin.”

Featured

Ozekhome, Wife Josephine, Celebrate 34 Years of Marital Bliss

Published

1 day ago

December 7, 2025

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Popular Constitution lawyer and renowned human rights activist, Prof Mike Ozekhome, and wife, Lady Josephine Ozekhome, has celebrated 34 years of living together as husband and wife.

The couple took time out to shower love, encomium and affection on each other, celebrating the goodness of Godd upon their lives and home in the last 34 years.

Speaking exclusively to The Boss, Ozekhome noted that on a day like this “I remember how we started; how we weathered the storm together, and conquered together. She is the best companion anyone can have, and I’m very proud of her, and to be her husband.”

Ozekhome once stated that his wife is “a great woman of uncommon virtues and humanity; my jewel of inestimable value, soulmate, sister, best friend and mother.”

While the wife is identified as Lady (Dr) (Senior High Chief) Josephine Mike Ozekhome LL.M, LSM, LL.D. D.Sc., the renowned constitution lawyer, a dotting and loving husband, and firebrand pro-masses Advocate, os identified as Prof Mike Ozekhome SAN, CON, OFR, Ph.D, LL.D, D.Litt,D.Sc., among a host of other watering achievements.