Taju Tijani
As a commentariat, it is apt and most necessary to comment on an online piece titled “Ikemba Goes Home” written by Joe Igbokwe. It was clearly a syrupy piece befitting an iconic warrior like Eze Ndigbo Gburugburu, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu. The piece was masterfully marinated with Igbo traditional and clannish chutzpah. Though a tribute, the article did not signpost the achievements of Ikemba but rather uneasily subjected every reader to a feast on the many titles of Ojukwu. The panegyric flourish was achingly ironic.
Rather than versify on the sterling qualities of a warrior, Igbokwe, a known Ndigbo mouthpiece, painted a classic figure of a titular hegemonist from the domain of Nnewi. We saw a greedy Ojukwu who lived to collect far more titles than he deserved. I was aghast to see that Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe is no longer the quintessential ‘Owelle’ of all Ndigbo, but rather the shadow of an iconic Dim Ojukwu who has, as expected dimmed the star of Zik of Africa. What a relief!
Now that Chief Odumegwu-Ojukwu is on his way to meet his maker, pray what are we to make of all the ephemeral titles he amassed while he was here. His title Ezeigbo Gburugburu is already stewed in controversy and threats and counter threats are flying across the Niger. In its raw meaning, Gburugburu means something round – a kind of all over body wholeness. That is, Ojukwu was seen to have embodied completeness. He achieved everything and anything that was meant to be achieved in his last incarnation. He was a man’s man. Other counterfeit words that embody wholeness in Igbo include “Ezumezu” and “Ozuruoha” but an average Igbo will wager a bet that these words pale in sheer emotional power with Eze Ndigbo Gburugburu.
Realising that such important and highly coveted title must not be left in vacuum, Eze Nri, Ezeobidiegwu Onyeso, traditional ruler of Agu-Ukwu Nri, said recently that he has installed the MASSOB leader, Chief Ralph Uwazurike, as the new Eze Ndigbo Gburugburu. The conferment of that title on Uwazurike is already causing factions among the Ndigbo. Ojukwu earned the titles through the articulation of his Biafran vision. He earned them purely through his sterling reputation as a tenacious and visionary leader who united his people through a common struggle.
Uwazurike is yet to embody and capture Ndigbo heart and mind. There is argument that he is undeserving of such high title. Even some people are crying foul for the conferment of Ijele Ndigbo on him. The whole titular shenanigan is rushing back the dusty memory of the controversy generated in 1995 when Ikemba was given the title of Gburugburu. To calm this divisive controversy, Eze Nri, Ezeobidiegwu Onyeso who gave Uwazurike the title, has continued to defend his action. Do we want to keep continuing to see an Igbo leader through the weighty burden of titular accumulation? Can Uwazurike ever be the authentic conscience of Ndigbo or a glorified impostor? Can he ever match the iconic Ikemba title-for-title considering what I borrowed below from Igbokwe?
Ojukwu was at various times known as: “Ogbataonuo Ndigbo, Ikemba Nnewi, Dikedioramma Ndigbo, Ezeigbo Gburugburu, Ochiagha Ndigbo,Agu , Odum Ndigbo, Okeeobulu-uzo, Agbawodikeizu, Onuo-onaa, Amuma na egbeigwe, Ijere, Otaka-agu Nnewi,Okemmiri Ndigbo, Ikenga Ngwoo, Udo eji akpu Agu, Odenigbo Ndigbo, Aha eji aga mba, Okputolokpu Ndigbo, Ochendo Ndigbo,Ebili mmiri, Dimgba Ndigbo, Aka na agbaji igwe, Ogalanya Ngada, Igwurube Okeotu, Anya Ndigbo ji ahu uzo, Okwulu oha Ndigbo, Ogene NDIGBO, Okwute Ndigbo, Utu nagba igwe, Kpakpando Ndigbo,Omekannaya, Omenyili Ndigbo, Ezeafulukwee Ndigbo, AGBAWODIKEIZU, DIKENAGHA Ndigbo, DIKENAMMUTA Ndigbo, Ogbu Agu Ndigbo, Ogbuefi Ndigbo, Mgbada gba onaa, Mgbadike, Ozuo omee Ndigbo, Mgbada gbachili uzo, Enenia nwite ogbonuo oku, Asikaebili ebili, Ife Ndigbo, Meekaodimma Ndigbo, Ozi uzo NDIGBO, Nwoketeghete, Afunze ebie okwu Ndigbo, Igwe Ndigbo, Mgbologwu Ndigbo, Obi Ndigbo, ONYENDU Ndigbo, Omenife Ndigbo, Ugwumba, Nwannedinamba, Omenuko Ndigbo, Anyanwu Ndigbo, Oko-okpa Ndigbo.
MBA-AMAONYEUKWU, ENYIKA-ATU NNEWI,NKENKE NACHU IGWE ENYI OSO, ODEZURIGBO, OGBAMGBADA, NWOKEBIELU IBEYA,NWAKANWA, NWACHINEMELU NDIGBO, EBUBEDIKE NDIGBO, OPUTAOBIE NNEWI, AGBALANZE, OMEIFEUKWU, NWAKAIBEYA,OCHILIOZUO, OMENGBEOJI,ODINANWA NDIGBO, IKEORA NDIGBO, ENYIKWUNA-AZU NDIGBO, EZEDIORANMA UMEOHIMILI, EZEIFENETI NDIGBO, BABANNUKWU,PAPA ANATA OYOYO, OGBATULU ENYI NDIGBO, UMEONONIGBO EKWU, OZUOHA, UMEAGHA-UKWU,, NWADIORANMA,UKPAKA NDIGBO,OMOBA,IKORO NDIGBO, EBUBEAGU,MGBADIKE, ENYIAGBAOSO, MBA-ANABALUAGU ,OZURIGBO, OBODOUKWU, OBIGBO NDIGBO, APUNANWU NDIGBO, NWADIEBUBE, ONWADIEBUBE NNEWI, OKWUOTO EKENE-EZE, IKEDINOBI NDIGBO,ODAA OPUO NDIGBI,AGUIYI NDIGBO, OKWULUOKAA, ONYEUKWU NDIGBO, ICHINYELUGO, AJIE NDIGBO,ONOWU NDIGBO,MKPUME NDIGBO, OSIGHELU MKPUME OGBUEFI AKATAKA NDIGBO, OYOYO NWA NDIGBODE NDIGBO, OZOKWAMKPO, AGABANTUEBI OFULUOGUJUNNI, EZEAMANAOYAECHI, OGBUZULU-UBOCHI, UKPAKA GBAGBULU ENYI, AKAEZUORJI, UGODINAOBI NDIGBO, AKAEZUNWAMMADU, ONYECHIMELUEZE, UGOCHINYERE EZE, OGWUDILE NDIGBO, OSISIKANKWU AKAEKPUCHIONWA NDIGBO, ONWA NDIGBO. Nnukwu ife melu Ndigbo”.
In other to pay a robust tribute to his hero of all time, Igbokwe painstakingly dredged out Ikemba’s passing titles conferred from all traditional shrines across the South East. This, however, is a misplaced identification of a warrior icon we all remember in our heart. The relevance, greatness and iconic legacy of Eze Ndigbo Gburugburu, Dikedioramma Ndigbo and Obigbo Ndigbo was never forged in the gregarious accumulation of titles but in the furnace of raw bravery, rejection of injustice and determined passion for freedom of all.
We want to remember Ojukwu not as a titular hegemonist but a saviour and a prophet we all failed to heed his prophetism. The next Igbo leader may be a plain mister nobody like Jesus Christ but his commanding and unifying charisma must be Olympian, transforming, radicalising and fearless like our dear Okputolokpu Ndigbo.
tajutijani@hotmail.com