Clement Onyemelukwe: From Uli To Nanka Airlift

Clement Onyemelukwe (1933-2020). Image: Catherine Onyemelukwe via Facebook

BY EMEKA OBASI

All roads lead to Nanka in the Aguata area of Anambra State to honour Dr Clement Chukwukadibia Onyemelukwe, a man who earned respect for Africa, lit up Nigeria and kept Biafra alive during the civil war.

Onyemelukwe, an Engineer who also bagged a degree in economics was known in America more than Britain where he attended university. That was just the beginning. By 1968, he had become the pride of Africa and a hero globally.

With a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Leeds University [1956] and higher qualification in economics from London University, Onyemelukwe joined the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria [ECN] in 1960. By 1962 he rose to the position of chief engineer. 

The engineer initiated and worked on the 330KV electricity grid which is still used in the country today. He is thus dubbed the ‘Father of Electricity in Nigeria.’ 

When war broke out in 1967, Onyemelukwe relocated to Biafra. And that was where he performed more wonders, from the Biafra Coal Corporation to the Biafra Airport Board. 

One could describe Uli Airport as the eighth wonder of the world. When Biafra was cut off from the rest of humanity, Onyemelukwe and his team made sure relief flights landed and took off under the cover of darkness. 

That turned out to be the largest civilian airlift operation in the globe and at a time the airport, code-named ‘Anabelle’ was the busiest in Africa. This was a structure that did not exist until 1968. 

It was a risky venture because Nigerian Air Force jets hovered above the airport. The brave pilot that made the first flight to Uli in 1968 was Swedish philanthropist, Carl Gustaf von Rosen.

As Chairman of the Biafra Airport Board, Onyemulekwe gave the people two major airports, Uli and Uga, and built five other smaller airports. The Biafrans were not only vigilant, but ingenuity was also at work. 

Onyemulukwe showed he was special and different when he married Catherine Zastrow, an American Peace Corps Volunteer in 1964. She was serving in Nigeria and they met in 1963. 

Zastrow came from a loaded background. Her father, Peter, was an Engineer. Maternal grandfather, Herman Danforth, was the first President of America’s Federal Land Bank. He got that job in 1917, from President Woodrow Wilson. 

Miss Zastrow could have been named after her aunt, Catherine Danforth, who died at 13 months on November 11, 1916. Her death at St. Luke’s Hospital Chicago, was attributed to ‘heat-induced heart trouble’. 

When Catherine fell in love with Onyemelukwe, she was a Kentucky girl. It was illegal for a black to marry a white woman in that part of the United States. 

The Zastrows backed their daughter and attended the wedding at Our Saviour’s Church, Lagos in 1964. The intercontinental wedding was talk of the globe and reported in Ebony and Life magazines. 

Onyemelukwe used to love to conquer. On October 13, 1961, American Peace Volunteer, Margery Mitchelmore, had caused a stir through a postcard she sent from Nigeria to a friend at home in which she highlighted the host country’s ‘squalor and absolutely primitive living conditions’. 

Students of the University of Ibadan hit the street in protest. Onyemelukwe was at the ECN. He was also at Ibadan before a British Scholarship took him away from the University College to Leeds. 

Two years later, the former University of Ibadan student met another American Peace Volunteer. In far away, Colombia, a Volunteer married the Mayor of Cali. 

Nigeria was alluring to the Peace Corps Volunteers. When Onyemelukwe and Zastrow got married, there were more Volunteers in the country, 606, than anywhere else, from Afghanistan to Malaysia, Turkey, Tunisia and Uruguay. 

Zastrow followed her husband to Biafra. Some former Peace Corps Volunteers flew to Biafra to help the relief efforts. One of them, David Koren, spent all his time at the Uli Airport and put down his experience in a book, ‘Far Away in The Sky; A Memoir of the Biafran Airlift.’ 

Mrs Onyemelukwe left Biafra with their children in 1968 to join her parents in Madeira, Portugal but has remained a Biafran in spirit. She speaks Igbo and even wrote a book, ‘Breaking Kola’, in 2018. She also kept memoirs. 

Onyemelukwe’s wife kept records for her husband and posterity. Through them, we have come to know that in June 1969, there were 250 relief flights to Anabelle. The flights came in majorly from Sao Tome, then Libreville, Cotonou, Santa Isabel, Lisbon and Abidjan. 

Those relief planes belonged to the World Council of Churches [WCC], Caritas, French Red Cross, International Committee of the Red Cross and Joint Church Aid [JCA]. The JCA flight was known as Jesus Christ Airlines. 

The churches were wonderful. Father Tony Byrne made things happen in Canada. Two Members of Parliament, Tory David MacDonald and Andrew Brewin, arrived Uli aboard Canairelief. Nord Church Aid, a group from Northern Europe joined. 

Onyemelukwe was not all about Uli. He was involved everywhere. That coal could be used to produce fuel was innovative. When Port Harcourt fell, refineries emerged in Uzuakoli and later Amandugba. 

However, through Uli, Biafra lived longer than expected. When a Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, the Saint Andre Refugee Centre, was set up in Gabon to treat kwashiorkor ravaged kids, Dr Theodore Okeahialam and his group relied so much on the Airport. 

Children were flown out and given a mixture which restored their health. They all shouted: ‘De Dieu Biafrae’ [God of Biafra]. Captain Manuel Reis managed the Airlift from Angola. Squadron Leader Artur Alves went after Nigerian fighter jets to protect Uli. 

Onyemelukwe returned to ECN after the war but quit for private business. He died, January 18, 2020, in West Port, Connecticut USA. Burial has been fixed for April 2020. 

Nanka is preparing for the funeral. I confirmed that from an old school mate, Okechukwu Ndeche, a former INEC top shot, from Umudunu-Agbiligba. 

The world will be involved. The Federal Government must bury this man, the ‘Father of Light’. As I work on a Memorial for Biafra, it is the duty of all lovers of history to join. 

The story of Biafra must continue to be told. Nigeria should learn from history. Onyemulukwe is History in motion.

KC, E-Money Relive Uli Airlift

Kcee (Kingsley Chinweike) and E Money (Chukwuemeka Okonkwo)

BY EMEKA OBASI

Uli came back to live just before 2019 petered out, thanks to two young men, Kingsley Chinweike [KC] and Chukwuemeka ‘E-Money’ Okonkwo, who took celebrities to the historic town.

In what they tagged ‘Uli Music Festival 2019’, the brothers also used the opportunity to open their country home in Amamputu village. The Okonkwos are into music and run the Five Star General label.

With Enugu Airport shut by the Aviation ministry, I am sure most of the celebrities flew in through Owerri, Asaba or Port Harcourt. It is also true that many of them did not know that Uli had the second busiest airport in Africa until 50 years ago.

In 1969, it would have been pretty impossible for stars like Phyno, Runtown, Oritsefemi, Zoro, Faze and Duncan Mighty to perform in Uli. Yaw could have been there as an officer of the Biafra Air Force. 

Comedian, Ayo Makun [AY] might have been part of the Red Cross while I Go Dye, a Warri boy, would need the help of Lt. Omene to escape Biafran custody. Uli only welcomed combatants, refugees and aid workers from across the globe. 

I commend KC and E- Money for taking their money home. Thanks for reminding us of Uli. We shall encourage them to take it beyond music. Uli has a lot to do with history. 

Today, the Enugu Airport has been closed and we understand repair work is on-going. It was because Biafra lost Enugu in 1967, and later Port Harcourt in 1968 that an airport was built in Uli by Biafran engineers. 

It did not take all the time like we see happening now. There was no need for Chinese or Russian contractors to make money off indigenous brains. With the likes of Frank Mbanefo, Chuba Agbim and Joel Onyemulekwe, impossible was a rare word in Biafra.

With all land and sea routes blockaded by Nigeria, Biafra had to survive. Before London could shout Emeka, three Airports were built. Obilagu came, Uga followed then Uli. 

As the famous quote of hunger being an instrument of war ruled the media space, Christian organizations in the United States, Canada and continental Europe worked hand in hand with the Red Cross to save Biafra from starvation. 

And Uli Airport became a mystery. The Nigerian government tried all it could to nip it in the bud. Biafra, almost choked to death, refused to give up. Brave hearts, determined dare devil pilots risked their lives to fly in food and relief materials. 

It was a risky venture that was carried out majorly at night. The aircraft had to carry enough fuel from their departure points in Sao Tome, Fernando Po and Gabon. 

Landing was another medal winning effort. There were no lights except on approach and when ready to land. The lights came on and were switched off in less than a minute. That was done to deceive Nigeria Air Force bombers hovering in the sky. 

The first flight to Uli was by seasoned fighter pilot, Count Carl Gustav Ericsson von Rosen, a Swede philanthropist who volunteered his services and aircraft. 

He landed in August 1968, from Sao Tome. His Douglas DC-7 carried food for starving Biafran children. That opened the way for other missions. Von Rosen could not stand the sight of malnourished babies. 

Born in 1909 to wealthy parents, the Swede knew so much about war. His uncle, Hermann Goering, was a German Field Marshal but he fought against the Nazis and was even captured and detained. 

Carl von Rosen was in the Congo when officers like Conrad Nwawo, Yakubu Gowon, Emeka Ojukwu, Benjamin Adekunle, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ogbugo Kalu and others served as United Nations Peace keepers. 

He was the pilot who took United Nations Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjold, round. Fortunately for him, the day the Norwegian died in an air crash, another pilot was on duty while the Swede suffered a bout of fever. 

Carl von Rosen joined the Biafra Air Force and brought five Malmo MFI-91 light aircraft which became known as ‘Biafran Babies.’ They were very effective as he used daring pilots like Austin Okpe, John Chukwu, Willy Murray Bruce, Elendu Ukeje, Jimmy Yates, Ibi Brown and Goddy Nnadi to destroy bigger MIG-17 and Ilyushin 11-28 bombers belonging to Nigeria. 

Following Von Rosen’s heroics, more foreign humanitarian pilots joined the Airlift. Lofto Johanssen came from Iceland. Vernon Polley joined from Australia. There was Frenchman, Commandant Morencey. 

The Joint Church Aid [JCA] played a huge role. The World Council of Churches [WCC] was not left out just like Caritas, Irish Catholic Fathers, Oxfam and Save the Children Fund. 

Biafrans began to feed from supplies brought in by Jesus Christ Airlines and Holy Ghost Airlines. There were about 15 to 20 flights every night from Sao Tome, Fernando Po, Gabon and Dahomey. 

The Uli Airlift turned out to be the largest Civilian Airlift after Berlin, 1948-1949. It involved 5,314 missions carrying 500 tonnes of supplies daily which amounted to 80, 000 tonnes of aid. 

Uli, better known as Airport Annabelle, also witnessed the absurd. In November 1968, Capt. Kjell Backstrom’s DC-6 was attacked, leaving five crew members dead. He took off in severe pains, with two damaged engines and got back safely to Sao Tome where he underwent surgery. 

On June 5, 1969, Captain Gbadamosi King, ordered a Red Cross plane piloted by an American, David Brown, to land in Port Harcourt. The flight was headed for Uli and Capt. Brown did not understand why a relief plane should be so intercepted. 

The aircraft was shot down around Opobo killing the pilot and his Swedish and Norwegian crew. Some thought Capt. Brown’s plane was downed by an Australian fighting for Nigeria. 

The United States also lost August Harvey Martin, first African American commercial pilot. He died with his wife as his plane, filled with food and other essentials hit thunderstorm while landing at Uli. 

Rethinking our world in the shadow of the powerful Uli died in 1970. Now Uli is back to life. KC and E-Money must always remember Annabelle as they Pull Over and dance Limpopo. The Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University does not offer history. I serve them this dish for free.

Gowon Meets Ikemba In Asaba

Yakubu Gowon

BY EMEKA OBASI

For Gen. Yakubu Gowon, there is no running away from his friend, Chief Emeka Ojukwu. They wined and dined together as young military officers at the Samaritan Club, Kaduna. They fought but are never apart.

Gowon was In Asaba recently where he met a new Ikemba, Emma Okocha, who is going to receive his title today from the Asagba, Prof. Chike Edozien. The former Nigerian leader has had sleepless nights over the Biafran genocide especially the atrocity committed by troops under him as Commander-in-Chief.

It was tough for Gowon. He had visited in 2002 to publicly apologise to the people. Then the general packaged himself as a prayer warrior. He still prays and led some of his band of pray masters to the Asagba’s palace.

Unfortunately, the Asagba was mourning his younger brother, Prof. Emmanuel Chukwuma, who passed on last October and was in no mood to receive any August visitor.

Gowon knew more than that. The Asagba was forced into exile during the Civil War by the Gowon regime. He first fled to France before relocating to The United States.

It was sad that a man who had attained the rank of Professor at the University of Ibadan in 1961, and was Dean, Faculty of Medicine became a refugee in Europe and when he found his way to the US had to climb the ladder again before becoming a professor at the University of North Carolina in 1971.

Gowon put shame aside and decided not to leave the palace until he was attended to. On a second thought, Her Royal Majesty, Ugwunwanyi , Modupe Edozien, went back to the Asagba.

The doors were flung open as the royals put heads together. When Gowon was told that the Asagba’s wife was the granddaughter of Herbert Macaulay, he marveled.

The general chipped in an amusing anecdote. “My elder brother looked very much like Herbert Macaulay,” he said.

Gowon thanked the Asagba for choosing to honour Okocha with the title of Ikemba Asaba. Still throwing banters with palace officials, he said the late Ikemba , Emeka Ojukwu, was his good friend and it was delightful to have another friend, Okocha as Ikemba.

The former Nigerian leader confessed not knowing the magnitude of the Asaba genocide until he read Okocha’s bestseller, ‘Blood On The Niger.’ And he apologized once again to the people and regretted not doing anything to compensate them during his tenure as Head of State.

It is glaring that even as Commander-in-Chief, Gowon did not know much about what transpired in the frontlines. And the GOC of the Second Division, Col. Murtala Mohammed, had little regard for his boss.

The October 1967 genocide was carried out by troops of that division. To be fair to Murtala, he was at his Operational Headquarters in Umunede when Maj. Ibrahim Taiwo led his battalion to destroy all able bodied men in Asaba.

Okocha lost siblings and other family members. Entire families were wiped out. Some accounts say the River Niger turned red as women were compelled to bury their husbands and children while Nigerian troops watched.

Right inside Gowon’s Kitchen Cabinet, there was a mourner. Philip Asiedu was Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industries and had followed Gowon to Aburi, Ghana in defence of One Nigeria.

His younger brother, Sidney, was holed up in Asaba. Trained at the University of Nigeria Nsukka as a Zoologist, he was a great athlete and represented Nigeria at the Tokyo ’64 Olympic Games.

As a student of Igbobi College, Lagos, Sidney Asiodu was named Sportsman of the Year, 1963. He was Senior Prefect, Soccer Skipper as well as Cricket captain. All that did not matter to his killers even when they knew there was an Asiodu in Lagos married to Olajumoke, a daughter of Oduduwa.

Sidney Asiodu’s death did not spread the sad tale. For an Olympian and the fastest man at the First West African Universities Game in 1966, the academic community and the globe did not make any move.

It took the courage of Okocha to pen down what happened in Asaba just like things happened in other parts of Biafra. More touching was the revelation that Mrs Maryam Babangida’s father, Ogbueshi Leo Okogwu, was killed by a Nigerian Army Major when Babangida was also a major on the Nigerian side.

Okocha’s book got America involved. And today, the Asaba genocide is no more a footnote. It has become part of the dark moment of History. And we must not forget that the Asagba lived in America until he returned to Nigeria in 1991.

Emma Okocha does not see himself as the Ikemba of Asagba. He belongs to all Igbo and proudly displays his achievements as a prolific writer. He was Sports Editor of Jim Nwobodo’s Satellite newspaper and writes for Daily Sun.

While Gowon keeps frequenting Asaba in search of forgiveness, Col. Sani Bello keeps identifying with the Igbo. The latter was at the funeral of his business associate, Prof. Emmanuel Edozien, Ojiba of Asaba.

Bello as an Army Lieutenant, was Aide de Camp to Gen. Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi when he was abducted by a bunch of blood thirsty other ranks in Ibadan. The first military Head of State was assassinated but Bello spared his Air Force colleague, Captain Andrew Nwankwo.

Gowon has his own story to tell. Those who toppled Ironsi to pave way for him also sent the former packing. Murtala took over in 1975 and was murdered by some people close to Gowon.

That almost cost Gowon his life. At a time he was stripped of his ranks and declared wanted. The military coordinator of Gowon’s wedding, Col. Iliya Bisalla, was executed.

Bisalla’s wife, Mildred, suffered. Her elder sister, Helen Gomwalk, was jailed for life. Her brother-in-law, Joseph Gomwalk, faced firing squad. Gowon’s elder sister, was married to a Dimka while Lt. Col Bukar Dimka was also executed. Okocha says Gowon is humble. I would not be surprised if Gowon turned up to celebrate with the man who made him see the Civil War from a different perspective.

Prof. Emma Okocha was crowned Ogbueshi Mkpagbu in 2014. He drank from the fountain of Dr. Dennis Osadebay.

SOURCE: VANGUARD

Yankees ‘ll Not Kill Air Peace

Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema.

BY EMEKA OBASI

The United States represents an act of will. It is not a homogenous ethnic nation. It is not the heir to some historic Empire or monarch. It is not a unified religious community. It is not a simple linguistic group. It does not have a particular cultural tradition reaching back through several millennia ———W. Tapley Bernet [Jnr.]

Bernet was US Permanent Representative to NATO. Americans say they are one out of many and God’s own country. They adore the Star and Stripes and believe in the star spangled banner.

I love America and owe no apologies for this. I wish President Donald Trump could just add Nigeria as the 51st state of his country. What some British land grabbers from the Colonial Office destroyed could be salvaged from Washington D.C.

I also love Japan, land of the rising sun. When I see a Jap, I scream ‘Nipponski’ [I love Japan]. Many Nigerian governors have not considered that part of the world as the route to technological leap. They are all jumping to China.

Allen Ifechukwu Onyema is a lawyer, I am not here to defend him. He is a well known businessman. As a man of peace, he set up Air Peace in 2013. There is no doubt that he made money from his peace efforts in oil rich Niger Delta.

And his life is not paved with gold. This man was once a squatter in Oshodi, before being employed by Chief Vincent Nwizugbo, a lawyer from Achina, Anambra State. His office was on Lagos Island and monthly pay, 500 naira.

Onyema has some questions to answer in America concerning his investment. America, their America. It is also our America. The Air Peace boss is ready to defend himself.

I will not read any meaning to this yet. Onyema has not been tried and so remains innocent. Some of his admirers think that his Igbo background is working against him.

I strongly disagree with this reasoning. Onyema is one Nigeria. He hails from Mbosi, in the Ihiala area of Anambra State but was born In Benin City, Edo State 55 years ago.

His wife, Ojochide Alice Ejembi, is Igala from Kogi State. The man who gave Air Peace an Air Operator’s Certificate, Engr. Benjamin Adeyileka, is not from the South-East.

All those who played huge roles in his rise to the top came from different backgrounds. President Umaru Yaradua, Obong Victor Atta, Chief Timi Alaibe and even President Shehu Shagari recognized the worth of a mediator.

America is also Onyema’s America. He was received by President Barrack Obama and has bought enough airplanes from Boeing to add value to their economy. As an Igbo entrepreneur, I do not see the United States crashing his dream.

Mark my words here. America has been good to the Igbo spirit. There is Igbo Village in Virginia. The first Nigerian to graduate from an American University, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, was Igbo.

The first African employee of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration [NASA], Austin Esogbue, was Igbo. The first Igbo man and first African to win two world boxing titles, Richard ‘Dick Tiger’ Ihetu, achieved that feat in America. To become NBA World Middleweight champion in 1962, he defeated Gene Fullmer at Candlestick Park, San Francisco.

When Dick Tiger climbed up to Light heavyweight, he knocked out Jose Torres at Madison Square Garden, New York in 1966 to take the belt. He was the only one to be voted Boxer of the Year twice, in that decade by the Ring magazine.

Nigeria’s first Olympic gold medal was won by Chioma Ajunwa in the United States. The Dream Team, led by Nwankwo Kanu, won Africa’s first Olympic gold medal in soccer about 24 hours later.

Americans sacrificed a lot for the Igbo in Biafra during the Civil War. There was Bruce Mayrock, the student who set himself ablaze at the United Nations to draw attention to the genocide.

The first African American commercial pilot, August Harvey Martin, died with his wife, Gladys, at the Uli Airport on a mission to send food to hungry Biafran kids. Captain David Brown was killed in the air as he flew relief materials to Biafra.

I have pointed out all this to encourage Onyema. No matter what it is, America cannot dismantle his business empire. The spirit of all those Igbo who helped shape American will guide him.

While Americans do their investigation, I will not rule out the fact that international trade politics is at play. Some foreign airlines know how huge the Nigerian market is. Air Peace is trying to compete with them.

At home, I know President Muhammadu Buhari has done Onyema a favour once. However, this idea of Air Nigeria is still being brewed. Experts say government should stay away from the business.

Capt. August Okpe, who was a Squadron Leader in the Biafra Air Force and served as chief pilot before joining Nigeria Airways where he ended up as Deputy Chief Pilot, hit the nail on the head.

Okpe said: “I think it was government involvement that killed Nigeria Airways. Government is only to regulate and take taxes.”

Capt. Rufus Orimoloye had earlier voiced his mind and blamed the Nigeria Air Force for driving the airline from the sky.

“The Air Force killed Nigeria Airways. They should never have introduced the Air Force into Nigeria Airways,” he lamented.

Orimoloye qualified as a pilot in 1962 after Capt. Bob Hayes blazed the trail by becoming the first Nigeria pilot in May 1955. Captains Joe Ajakaiye and Sam Ohioma, came after the pioneer.

The Federal Government remains grateful to Onyema for bringing back Nigerians from South Africa during the madness that engulfed the former apartheid enclave. I do not see Buhari’s hand in this.

Air Peace has sent some airlines gasping for breath. From the United States to South Africa, to the United Arab Emirates, Onyema is moving fast.

I believe in America. President Trump thought more about business interest when Saudi journalist Jamal Kashogi was murdered in 2018. It is possible he remembers the business behind Air Peace: Jobs for thousands and huge cash for American manufacturers.

SOURCE: VANGUARD

Murtala Snatched Ogbemudia From Ojukwu

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Head of the Secessionist Biafra, flanked by his aides, attends a special parade at Ahiara, Biafra November 4, 1969, to celebrate his 36th birthday. Biafra would cease to exist in two months after the commemoration of his birthday. Image: Goldsmith/Associated Press

BY EMEKA OBASI

One young officer who understood his teacher well enough was Murtala Mohammed. As a cadet at the Regular Officers Special Training School [ROSTS] Teshie, Ghana, he emerged tops in Captain Emeka Ojukwu’s Tactics class.

Murtala left Teshie in 1959 for Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1961. Ojukwu had joined the Army in 1957 from the ranks even with a post graduate degree from Oxford University.

Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia was at Teshie in 1957 before proceeding to Mons Officers Cadet School, Aldershot, where he was also commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1961.

The trio later served in the Congo as members of United Nations Peace Keeping Force. Ogbemudia was also in Tanzania with a Nigerian detachment under Col. Sam Ademulegun. 

When Chukwuma Nzeogwu and his friends struck on January 15, 1966, Ogbemudia was not carried along. He was an Instructor at the Nigeria Military Training College [NMTC] Kaduna which was under the temporary command of the latter.

 I listened to Ogbemudia stress this at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra in 2002. He had to ask Nzeogwu what really was going on. Col. Ojukwu was commander, Fifth Battalion in Kano and kept Nzeogwu in check. 

Murtala led the Counter coup of July 29, 1966. Ogbemudia was Brigade Major, One Brigade, Kaduna. Ojukwu stayed in Enugu as Military governor of the Eastern Region. 

Ogbemudia narrowly escaped death after a hot pursuit by Lt. Bukar Dimka from Kaduna to the jungles of the Middle Belt. Ojukwu did not recognize Lt.Col Yakubu Gowon as Head of State following the assassination of Gen. Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi. 

War was inevitable after a peace deal brokered in Aburi by Gen. Arthur Ankrah at Peduase Lodge, Aburi failed. Gowon created states, Ojukwu declared Biafra. Ogbemudia was floating in the Mid-West in what was called the Fourth Area Command. 

A reliable source confided in me that Ojukwu and Ogbemudia were in talks. This was as the Biafrans occupied the Mid- West under Governor David Ejoor. Ejoor escaped but his Aide de Camp, Peter Adomokhai, was arrested. He ended the war at the Biafran School of Infantry as Instructor.

 Lt.col Victor Banjo led the 101 Division that seized the Mid-West from Nigeria. He wanted to retain Ejoor as Military Administrator of an Independent Republic of Benin. The latter rejected the offer. 

Banjo did not want to put an Igbo officer in that position. He was to approach Lt.col Rudolf Trimnell, seeing him as an Itsekiri. He did not know that Trimnell was from Ashaka in the Ndokwa area. 

Ojukwu eventually settled for Major Albert Nwazu Okonkwo who had a brother in, Sule Kolo, of the Nigeria Foreign Service. Okonkwo belonged to the Medical corps of the Army. 

Ogbemudia was seen as Bini by many. Ojukwu knew more than that. Major Ogbemudia was originally from Igbanke, an Igbo settlement formerly known as Igbo Akiri. 

His mother was from Benin and had lost many children before Osaigbovo came. The name Samuel was significant. The boy had to leave for Benin to stay with a maternal uncle after spending some time in Igbanke. 

While in the Congo, Ogbemudia was said to have walked into danger. It took the presidential intervention of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe to keep him in the Army.

Murtala also knew Ogbemudia so well. They shared similar background. The former grew up in Kano which was the home of his mother, Ramatu, a member of the Inua Wada family. 

Murtala’s father was said to hail from Igbein, in the Auchi area of the Mid-West. Alhaji Usman Abuda, an Etsako blue blood, confirms that Murtala’s father had strong links with Auchi even if he was selling kola nuts in Agege, Lagos. 

To stem the Biafran attack, Nigeria hurriedly assembled Two Division under Col. Murtala Mohammed. That gamble paid off as the tide turned. Benin was taken from the invaders and Murtala appointed Ogbemudia Administrator of Mid-West. 

It was unusual. Ejoor was totally ignored after serving a sour tale of riding a bike to Lagos from Benin while many combatants knew he was in the house of a an Irish father in Benin City.

 Gowon was not consulted before Ogbemudia’s appointment. However, the Head of State confirmed the change which left Ejoor, Service number N/17, without any command all through the war years. 

Ojukwu’s loss was Murtala’s gain. Biafra eventually lost Benin and the Mid-West. Ogbemudia spent eight years as Military governor and was eventually sacked by Murtala in July 1975. 

Strange enough, both officers were in London when Gowon was toppled. Murtala chose an Etsako man, Col. George Agbazika Innih, from Agenebode, as the new governor of Mid –Western State.

Murtala lived with his wife, Ajoke , a Yoruba, until he was killed in 1976. Ogbemudia had a wife, Yetunde Afolabi, from the South-West, when he passed on in 2017. 

Ogbemudia also had another friend who was Head of State and was also killed, in 1979. Gen. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong was at Teshie same time as the Nigerian. Both were born in September. The former came in 1932 [September 17], the latter in 1931 [September 23].

 In 2002, Ogbemudia told us a funny story at dinner in the Labadi area of Accra, not far from Teshie. Acheampong had thoroughly embarrassed the commandant of the military school.

 He said:” The Osagyefo himself, Kwame Nkrumah, visited and was interested in the welfare of the cadets. The commandant made it look as if all was well until Acheampong went right under his bed to bring out the meal he was served.” 

The commandant did not forget that and paid back. Acheampong once wore traditional ‘kente’ dress to dinner while others put on jackets. 

“Acheampong, why are you wearing pyjamas to dinner?” the boss barked. It was supposed to be an offence but the cadet was not intimidated.

 Ogbemudia felt some Bini touch in the Gold Coast. The Ga people are said to have migrated from Benin during the years of Oba Udagbedo[ 1299-1334]. 

In 1966, the first coup in Ghana was codenamed, ‘Operation Guitar Boy’, after Victor Uwaifo’s famous track. Gen. Ankrah, the new leader, a Ga, was recalled from retirement.

SOURCE: VANGUARD