When Ojukwu returned from Ivory Coast after his unconditional pardon by President Shehu Shagari, he started a program called Handshake Across the Niger

When Ojukwu returned from Ivory Coast after his unconditional pardon by President Shehu Shagari, he started a program called Handshake Across the Niger

When Ojukwu returned from Ivory Coast after his unconditional pardon by President Shehu Shagari, he started a program called Handshake Across the Niger.

Ojukwu who led the civil war against the Nigerian state knew the fratricidal war created a lot of bad bloods and negative energies for Ndi Igbo.

Although, in his absence, a lot of Igbo politicians have taken it upon themselves to build necessary bridges with patriots from other ethnic groups. It was these patriots who had built bridges that were key players in facilitating his eventual return.

One of these key players then who was clearly behind the scene was Dr. Nwafor Orizu. He was a close friend of Alhaji Shehu Shagari.

So, in other words, Ojukwu’s Handshake Across the Niger was also about himself.

Ikemba embodied the struggle. Thus, him going around the country to give lecture on patriotism being a way of telling the Igbos to move on, was also a way of telling posterity that he Ojukwu had indeed moved on and fully embraced Nigeria, a country he once took up arms against.

Nigeria in return honored Ojukwu upon his death. Ojukwu was buried as a Nigerian army general. He was not buried as a Biafran army general.

Ojukwu lived out the rest of his life as a patriotic Nigeria building bridges with other Nigerian patriots of different ethnic nationalities.

Now, you understand why I find it a little disturbing when current Biafran agitators try to drag Ojukwu back into a struggle he clearly abandoned and urged Igbos to abandon.

I believe what Ndi Igbo need is to follow Ojukwu’s blueprint of handshake across the Niger.

It is time we build bridges not walls. It is time we heal from this anger and bitterness that are blinding us from embracing the beautiful opportunities Nigeria as a country presents to us as Ndi Igbo. We do not need another war to heed Ojukwu’s advice.

If Biafran agitators really admire Ojukwu, then, they should listen to his older and wiser self than the younger and exuberant Ojukwu.

Our people give the name Nke Iru Ka to remind us that the future is always better than the past. Working towards a restructured Nigeria is the future while Biafra is the past. Nke iru ka!