Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu

For more information on Odumegwu Ojukwu, visit Britannica.com.

(b. Zungeru, Nigeria, 4 Nov. 1933) Nigerian; leader of Biafra 1967 – 70

Born into a wealthy Ibo family Ojukwu was educated at Lincoln College, Oxford, and worked as a civil servant before joining the army in 1957. He served in the UN peace keeping force in the Congo. Following his non-participation in the January 1966 coup d'état he was appointed military governor of the Eastern Region. After the July 1966 coup he refused to recognize the government of Yakubu Gowon and was further alienated by the massacres of Ibo civilians in the north of the country. In May 1967 he led the secession of the Eastern Region to form the independent state of Biafra. This move precipitated the civil war which ended with the defeat of the Biafran forces in January 1970. Ojukwu went into exile in Côte d'Ivoire and remained there until 1982 when he returned home following a presidential pardon.

He joined the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and was elected national vicechairman. In the 1983 elections he contested the Onitsha senate seat but lost in controversial circumstances. Following the coup later that year he was detained until October 1984. On his release he became a private businessman.

Nigerian-born military leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (born 1933) headed the unsuccessful move by Biafra to secede from Nigeria.

Oxford-educated Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu joined the Nigerian army, against his wealthy father's wishes, hoping to play an integral role in the nation's affairs once Nigeria had gained independence from Britain. Instead, due to his ethnic loyalties and to political events, he became the leader of the Biafrans during a bloody civil war in Nigeria. Although claiming some early victories, his forces were fighting against troops backed by Britain, Russia, and most of Europe. For three years, Odumegwu Ojukwu fought to keep Biafra from being annihilated. With supply lines cut, an estimated eight million Biafrans slowly starved to death. After the civil war ended in 1970, Odumegwu Ojukwu lived in voluntary exile. He was invited back to Nigeria in 1982, and Nigerian leaders have sought his counsel as the African nation charts its future.

Privileged Child

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was born in 1933 in Zungeru, a community in the northern part of Nigeria, which was then a colony of Britain. He was the son of Sir Louis Philippe Odumegwu Ojukwu, one of the most successful businessmen among the Ibos, the largest ethnic group in Nigeria. Consequently, the younger Odumegwu Ojukwu received the best education money could buy. His primary education was at a private Catholic school in the Nigerian city of Lagos. Before he was ten years old, he was enrolled at nearby King's College as the youngest pupil in the institution's history. Two years later, Odumegwu Ojukwu's father transferred him to a school in Surrey, England, called Epson College, to finish secondary studies. Odumegwu Ojukwu had a natural athletic ability and, during his years in England, he honed his skills on the playing field when not attending classes. In school-sponsored sports he served as captain of the rugby and soccer teams. He also set the All England Junior record in the discus throw.

In 1952, Odumegwu Ojukwu was admitted to Oxford University. He majored in history, graduating in 1955 with honors. As an undergraduate, Odumegwu Ojukwu continued to pursue his love of athletics while developing outside interests in drama and journalism. He served as a leader in the Oxford branch of the West African Students Union during this time. In addition, he was known for his flashy sports cars, which he frequently drove at high speeds between Oxford and London. It was at Oxford that he met a female law student named Njideka; she eventually became his wife.

Away from the Sheltered Life

With a degree from Oxford University and a wealthy father, Odumegwu Ojukwu was guaranteed access to the highest levels of British colonial Nigeria. Rather than relying on his father, however, he chose to enter the workforce. Odumegwu Ojukwu was hired by the Nigerian civil service and became the assistant district officer in the town of Udi, overseeing community development in rural areas. He later served in the same position in the towns of Aba and Umuahia. As a community development leader, he gained a reputation for his quick understanding of complex issues and was respected for his fair recommendations.

In 1957, again in an attempt to distance himself from his privileged upbringing, he joined the army. His father was so against this decision that he did not speak to his son for the next two and a half years. Meanwhile, the younger Odumegwu Ojukwu completed officer training in England at the Officer Cadet School at Eaton Hall and was commissioned a second lieutenant. After attending the Infantry School in Warminister, England, the Small Arms School in Hythe, England, and the Royal West African Frontier Force Training School in Teshie, Ghana, he returned to Nigeria in 1958 and was assigned to the Fifth Battalion in Kaduna.

Once Nigeria had gained independence from Britain in 1960, Odumegwu Ojukwu was quickly promoted; he held the rank of major by 1961. As one of his assignments, he served with the Nigerian First Brigade in the Congo as part of a United Nations peace-keeping program. Later, he attended the Joint Services Staff College in the United Kingdom as the first Nigerian officer ever to do so. In 1963, Odumegwu Ojukwu, as a lieutenant colonel, became the first Nigerian quartermaster-general in the Nigerian Army. His first independent command came in 1965; he was assigned as commanding officer to the Fifth Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Kano.

Fragile Independence

The early years of Nigerian independence were difficult for the country. Political turmoil, riots, and ethnic rivalries resulted in a civil war in the latter half of the 1960s. Members of the largest ethnic group, the Ibos, were murdered in great numbers during the chaos, and more than a million (some sources say over four million) survivors fled back to their homeland in eastern Nigeria. Odumegwu Ojukwu, the military governor of the region, assumed control in the mid-1960s in an attempt to strengthen the bargaining power of the Ibos. He first argued against secession from Nigeria by the Ibos and, instead, urged easterners to accept a loosening of ties with the rest of Nigeria. A 1968 article in Time magazine stated, "[Odumegwu Ojukwu] was a calm and reasoned voice pleading for a united Nigeria long after other powerful Ibos had angrily given up hope of preserving the union." Critics felt that because most of Odumegwu Ojukwu's inheritance from his father was in Lagos, he had a personal stake in keeping Nigeria together.

Odumegwu Ojukwu changed his stance, however, and sided with the separatists on the issue of safety for the Ibos. At one point, he and Nigerian army chief of staff Yakubu Gowon, also in control of the central Nigerian government, appeared to be nearing a compromise that would have allowed the Ibos a measure of autonomy while staying within the Nigerian federation. But Gowon was unwilling to let the eastern region maintain a separate army, and Odumegwu Ojukwu was unsure of the ability of the Nigerian central government to protect the Ibos. Odumegwu Ojukwu reluctantly demanded independence for the easterners. He formally proclaimed the independent Republic of Biafra on May 30, 1967, during a reception in the regional capital of Enugu. At the time, he also hinted that the Nigerian central government had played a role in the genocide of the Ibo people. He then built up his army and expelled northerners from Biafra, telling them that, because of the flood of Ibo refugees, non-easterners should leave for their own safety.

Civil War

At the onset of conflict in 1967, Odumegwu Ojukwu received little sympathy or support from the international community. Nigeria, however, was backed by Britain, the Soviet Union, and most of Western Europe. The Nigerian central government first established a naval blockade along the Biafran coast then sent troops, composed mostly of Muslims from the northern part of the country, to the east where they were met by Odumegwu Ojukwu's rebel forces. Initially, the Biafrans took control of strategic points in the midwestern region of Nigeria and the oil-rich Niger River delta. The central government retaliated by sending in more armed forces, which escalated the conflict into a full-blown civil war. Odumegwu Ojukwu directed the overall strategy for Biafra in the war, but he left most of the tactical decisions to his brigade commanders and often sought advice from Ibo elders. He downplayed his role in the civil war, although the Nigerians frequently called the conflict "Ojukwu's war" and depicted the military leader as a power-mad Hitler who was shattering the unity of the new Nigeria. Odumegwu Ojukwu told New York Times Magazine reporter Lloyd Garrison, "Independence is not one man getting up and declaring it. Freedom without substance is meaningless."

By the end of 1967, Nigerian forces had regained control of the midwest and had cut off Biafran access to the sea. Although they had encircled the Biafrans, they were unable to penetrate the Ibo heartland. The Biafrans, however, were crowded into mangrove swamps and hardwood forests, unable to provide themselves with the materials of daily existence. Meanwhile, Soviet-built warplanes, many flown by hired Egyptians and British pilots, cut supply lines and inflicted heavy casualties during raids on Biafran urban centers.

Consequently, Biafrans were starving to death at a rate conservatively estimated to be approximately 1, 000 people a day, according to Time. Other sources estimate that as many as 8, 000 people a day died of starvation in the region during this time. Despite the hardship, the Ibo people continued to support the war effort. Odumegwu Ojukwu thus began waging a public-relations campaign to receive badly needed supplies from the rest of the world. He sent out press releases and photos showing starving Biafrans. He persuaded several countries, including Czechoslovakia, The Netherlands, and Belgium, to cut off weapons supplies to Nigeria. Odumegwu Ojukwu hoped for airlifts, which he considered a symbol of the world helping a besieged people. But by October of 1969, realizing that he would receive little foreign support, he appealed for United Nations mediation to obtain terms for a cease fire and to begin peace negotiations. The Nigerian central government, however, was not inclined to accept anything less than surrender and seemed to consider starvation a weapon of war that would preclude its having to send soldiers into battle. At about this time, Odumegwu Ojukwu told Time correspondent James Wilde, "What you are seeing now is the end of a long, long journey. It began in the far north of Nigeria and moved steadily southward as we were driven out of place after place. Now this path has become the road to the slaughterhouse here in the Ibo heartland." By the end of the year, 120, 000 Nigerian troops had divided Biafra in half. The rebel nation collapsed in January of 1970.

After the civil war, under Gowon's supervision, the Nigerian central government took steps to ensure that the Ibos would be treated as fellow citizens rather than defeated enemies. Programs were developed to reintegrate the Ibos into a united Nigeria. Many Biafran military officers rejoined the central government as part of a general amnesty. Odumegwu Ojukwu, however, opted for voluntary exile and went to the Ivory Coast on the invitation of that nearby African nation's president. He justified his actions at the time by declaring, as quoted in Newsweek, "[W]hilst I live, Biafra lives." Odumegwu Ojukwu was invited back to Nigeria by Shehu Shagari of the Nigerian government in 1982. Since then, the former Biafran leader has become active in the National Party of Nigeria. Although he was unsuccessful in a bid to be elected to the national senate, his advice is often sought by factions of the Nigerian and greater African community. He has encouraged the military to support Nigeria's slow transition toward democracy. In 1993, he publicly supported Nigeria's Republican Party because he thought it would be the best guarantor of eastern interests in national politics.

Further Reading

Dostert, Pierre Etienne, Africa, Stryker-Post Publications, 1990.

Hatch, John, Nigeria: Seeds of Disaster, Henry Regnery Company, 1970.

Schultz, John, Nigeria … in Pictures, Lerner Publications, 1988.

America, February 8, 1969, p. 162.

Newsweek, March 24, 1969, p. 55; January 26, 1970, p. B49.

New York Times Magazine, June 22, 1969, p. 7.

Time, August 23, 1968, p. 20.

"Biafra versus the Federal Military Government of Nigeria: Oil and War, " ICE Case Studies,http://gurukul.ucc.american.edu/TED/ICE/BIAFRA.HTM (March 13, 1998).

"Lt. Col. C. O. Ojukwu, " NewJan Communications,http://www.nigeriangalleria.com/portrait/bios/ojukwu.htm (March 13, 1998).

"Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, " http://freeweb.pdq.net/qualitech/ (March 9, 1998).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu
President of Biafra
In office May 30, 1967 – January 8, 1970
Preceded by	Position created
Succeeded by	Philip Effiong
Constituency	Biafra
Born	November 4, 1933 (1933-11-04) (age 76) Zungeru, Nigeria
Nationality	Nigerian
Political party	Military, later APGA
Spouse(s)	Bianca Ojukwu
Alma mater	Lincoln College, Oxford University
Profession	soldier, politician

General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ikemba Nnewi, known as Emeka Ojukwu, (born November 4, 1933) was the leader of the secessionist state of Biafra in Nigeria (1967–1970), during the Nigerian Civil War, and previously Military Governor of the Eastern Region of Nigeria.^[1] He is usually referred to in news and other sources as, merely, Ojukwu.

Contents 1 Education 2 Biafra 3 After Biafra 4 In literature 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

Education

He was born in Zungeru,^[2] the son of Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu KBE, President of The African Continental Bank, first President of The Nigerian Stock Exchange and a business tycoon who was believed to be Nigeria's first multi-millionaire.^{[citation needed]} Chukwuemeka's name meant "God has done well." He attracted media publicity at a young age.^{[citation needed]} In 1944, the young Ojukwu was briefly imprisoned for assaulting a white British colonial teacher who was humiliating a black woman at King's College in Lagos, an event which generated widespread coverage in local newspapers.^{[citation needed]} He then went on to study in Britain, first at Epsom College, in Surrey and later earned a Masters degree in history at Lincoln College, Oxford University.^{[citation needed]}

Biafra

Ojukwu decided to enter the military over the objections of his father, who wanted him to study law. He joined the Nigerian military and graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England. He then became a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army of Nigeria and Military Governor of the oil rich Eastern Region. Following an anti-Igbo/Christian genocidal pogrom in the Muslim Northern Region, Igbo chiefs met at Umuahia in the Eastern Region. They decided to declare the region consisting of the Igbo heartland, the Niger Delta (mostly Ijaw) and the Cross River basin (Efik and Ibibio areas) independent. Ojukwu was chosen by the Igbos to lead the new country named "Biafra" after the Bight of Biafra, and appointed Head of State & General of the Peoples Army.

Despite some early Biafran successes, such as the world famous Abagana ambush in which two divisions of the Nigerian Army were annihilated, the Nigerians slowly gained the upper hand, supported by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union and, tacitly, by the United States. Among the world's major nations, only France and Portugal offered some support to Biafra.

On June 1, 1969, he delivered the Ahiara Declaration, a patriotic speech, in the village of Ahiara.^[3] The speech condemned racism and imperialism, and asserted "our inalienable right to self determination". Ojukwu condemned as genocide the actions of Nigeria and the United Kingdom, for completely blockading Biafra without exception for children or other noncombatants. In a TV interview given in c.1969 he was asked to comment on the food aid sent by the UK to the malnourished children of Biafra. His response was words to the effect "We do not want food from Britain. They are simply trying to fatten us up then shoot us down". In saying this he was referring to the fact that the UK was supplying arms to Nigeria during the civil war.

After Biafra

Ojukwu left Biafra as it collapsed, intending to set up a government in exile. He subsequently lived in Côte d'Ivoire for 13 years. Seeking to bolster his support among Igbos, President Alhaji Shehu Shagari pardoned Ojukwu and allowed him to return to Nigeria in 1980. He joined Shagari's National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and contested the 1983 election for the Senate.

In February 1994 Ojukwu accepted an invitation to give a speech at the Lagos Law School.^[4]

As the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), he ran for President in the 2003 presidential election. He claimed to have won the election and filed a court challenge against what he said was the "massive fraud" that allegedly denied him the presidency.

Today Ojukwu lives a quiet life in Eastern Nigeria. In early December 2006 he was again chosen to be the APGA presidential candidate for the April 2007 election.^[5] On January 14, 2008 he received his military pension from the Nigerian government, but on this occasion he complained that he was referred to as a lieutenant colonel and not as a general, his rank in the Biafran military.^[6]

In 1995, Ojukwu signed government documents identifying himself as a witness to the death of writer Mr. Ken Saro Wiwa, whom Ojukwu had counted as an enemy since the collapse of Biafra's secessionist movement.

In literature

Frederick Forsyth, a friend, wrote a biography about him titled Emeka. It was published in 1982. Ojukwu was also a prototype of anonymous General character in Forsyth's novel The Dogs of War published in 1974.

In his collection Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons, Kurt Vonnegut tells of his meeting Ojukwu and refers to him as "The Nigerian George Washington"

See also

• Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra
• Ojukwu at a News Conference

Igbo portal

References

1. ^ Hanbury, Prof H G (January 1967). "OE News - News from All Quarters". The Epsomian XCVII (1): 35. "Colonel C O Ojukwu, Military Governor of Eastern Region, Nigeria was vigorously commended in The Daily Telegraph, by Prof J G Hanbury, QC, for his refusal to go to Lagos for a constitutional conference, at the risk of probable assassination. Prof Hanbury considers that as 'an intensely patriotic Nigerian,' Col Ojukwu 'will spare no effort to hold the federation together,' but if there is no way open except secession 'he will take steps to placate the minority in Rivers and Calabar provinces and may hope to carry the East to new prosperity'". 
2. ^ Ojukwu Interview, World Igbo Congress, August 08, 2005.
3. ^ Ezenwa-Ohaeto (1997). "To Understand What Happened". Chinua Achebe: A Biography. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 146–148. ISBN 0253333423. 
4. ^ U O. "The Promise that was and still is Biafra". http://www.kwenu.com/igbo/igbowebpages/Igbo.dir/Biafra/biafra_promise.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-27. "The war has come and gone but we remember with pride and hope the three heady years of freedom. These were the three years when we had the opportunity to demonstrate what Nigeria would have been even before 1970. In the three years of war, necessity gave birth to invention. During those three years, we built bombs, we built rockets, we designed and built our own delivery systems. We guided our rockets, we guided them far, and we guided them accurately. For three years, blockaded without hope of imports, we maintained engines, machines, and technical equipment. The state extracted and refined petrol, individuals refined petrol in their back gardens, we built and maintained airports, we maintained them under heavy bombardment. We spoke to the world through a telecommunications system engineered by local ingenuity. The world heard us and spoke back to us. We built armoured cars and tanks. We modified aircraft from trainer to fighters, from passenger aircraft to bombers. In three years of freedom, we had broken the technological barrier. In three years, we became the most civilized, the most technologically advanced black people on earth. (from the speech delivered by Ojukwu)" 
5. ^ "Former warlord emerges as candidate", AFP (IOL), December 4, 2006.
6. ^ Molly Kilete, "38 years after civil war: Ojukwu angry, receives pension", Daily Sun, January 15, 2008.

External links

• MASSOB, The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra

v • d • e Candidates in the 2007 Nigerian presidential election Umaru Yar'Adua · Muhammadu Buhari · Atiku Abubakar · Orji Uzor Kalu · Attahiru Bafarawa · Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu · Pere Ajuwa · Chris Okotie · Patrick Utomi · Ambrose Owuru · Emmanuel Okereke · Lawrence Adedoyin · Habu Fari · Maxi Okwu · Bartholomew Nnaji · Emmanuel Obayuwana · Olapade Agoro · Mojisola Obasanjo

v • d • e Biafra topics History Igbo Ukwu Aro Confederacy Nigeria-Biafra War · Ahiara Declaration · Republic of Benin · Unholy Alliance (geopolitical) Geography Capital: Enugu · Eastern Nigeria Politicians Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu · Philip Effiong Ethnic groups Igbo · Ijaw · Ibibio · Efik · Ekoi · itsekiri · Urhobo · Isoko · Annang Society Land of the Rising Sun (national anthem) · Biafran pound · Flag of Biafra · MASSOB

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)