A rare photo shows Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and his wife, Stella, in Ivory Coast in 1971, during their time in exile.

A rare photo shows Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and his wife, Stella, in Ivory Coast in 1971, during their time in exile.

A rare photo shows Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and his wife, Stella, in Ivory Coast in 1971, during their time in exile. Eight years later, in a 1979 interview, Ojukwu shared his desire to return to Nigeria.

“I am seeking my return to Nigeria,” he said. “I want to do it through a constitution established by the military regime and through a national party that goes beyond ethnic lines.”

Ojukwu emphasized his commitment to a united Nigeria, noting that his party’s leader was from the North and included members from various regions. “I am seeking a return, legally and constitutionally, into a new Nigeria that I can serve,” he said.