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Bianca’s Tribute To Ojukwu: ‘You Were The Lion Of My History Book’
You were the lion of my history book, the leader of my nation when we faced extinction, the larger than life history to come to my life – living, breathing legend. But unlike the history books, you defied all preconceptions. You made me cry from laughter with your jokes, many irreverent, melted my heart with your kindness. Your impeccable manners made prince charming a living reality. Your fearlessness made by the man i dreamt of all my life and your total lack of seeking public approval before speaking your mind separated you from mere mortals.
Every year that i spent with you was an adventure – no two days were the same. With you, i was finally able to soar on wings wider than the ocean, with you i was blessed with the best children God in heaven had to give. With you, i learnt to face the world without fear and learnt daily the things that matter most. Your disdain for money was novel – sometimes funny, other things quite alarming. It mattered not a whit to you. Your total dedication to your people Ndi – Igbo was so absolute that reality, very little else mattered. You never craved anybody’s praise as long as you believed that you were doing the right thing and even in the face of utmost danger, you never relented from speaking truth to power to you, what after all was power? It was not that conferred by the gun, nor that stolen from the ballot box. No, you understood that power transcended all that. Power is the freedom to be true to yourself and to God, no matter the cost.
It is the freedom from bondage. It is freedom to seek the wellbeing of your people just because you love them. It is the ability to move a whole nation without a penny as inducement nor a gun to force them. When an entire nation can rise up for one person for no other reason than that they love him and know he is their leader – sans gun, money, official title or any strange paraphernalia – this is power.
You lived Nigeria. You spent so much of your waking moments devising ways through which Nigeria could progress to Tai-Two!!! You were the eternal optimist, always hoping that one day; God will touch His people and give us one vision and the diligence to work towards the dream. It never came to pass in your life time. Instead, the disaster you predicted if we continued on the same path has come home to roost. You always saw so clearly. You words are indelibly preserved for this generation to read and learn and perhaps heed and turn. You always said the dry bones will rise again but you always hoped we would not become the dry bones by our actions. Above all, you feared for your own people, crying out against the relentless oppression that has ceased since the end of the war and saddened by the acceptance of this position by your own people. In death, you have awakened the spirit that we thought had died. Your people are finally waking up.