From the red earth of Ohafia, they rise. Men whose feet speak louder than drums,
Whose chests bear the pride of ancestors. Each step, a story; each beat, a memory.
They dance not for show, but for honor, Calling forth the spirits of warriors past. Their rattles shake the ground,
"Fast Cars, Fine Suits, Oxford Women: Forsyth’s Portrait of Young Emeka Ojukwu":
Photo: 17-year-old Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, seated second from the left, with fellow students and sports captains at Epsom College, Surrey, 1952.
The background:
At 13, Ojukwu was sent to Epsom College in England.
He stood out in sports from day one. On the rugby pitch he played centre three-quarter and by his last year he was leading the 1st XV as captain.
On the athletics track he shattered the school’s discus record, then went on to win the same event at the National Schools Championships and set a British junior record. After Epsom, he headed to Lincoln College, Oxford.
What Forsyth wrote about Ojukwu at Oxford
In Emeka, Forsyth, who was a war correspondent in Biafra and Ojukwu’s close friend for 15 years, gave a vivid picture of his university life:
1. “Lived like royalty” money-wise:
Forsyth notes Ojukwu arrived at Oxford already comfortable, with “a handsome allowance from his father”. That cash let him dress in “the most elegantly-cut suits”.
2. Fast cars:
He didn’t just walk around campus. Forsyth says Ojukwu “drive a series of newest and fastest British sports cars”. For an 18-year-old African student in the 1950s, that was rare and it got people talking.
3. Women and social life:
Forsyth writes he was “seldom out of the company of a string of very attractive young women”. There were also “parties, weekend trips to London and the high life of the capital”. Forsyth even suggests that lifestyle cost him a spot on the Oxford University Rugby team in his final year.
4. Still an athlete:
Even with the social life, he played wing three-quarter for Lincoln College’s rugby side and as a sprinter was picked to pace Jamaican star Macdonald Bailey.
Forsyth’s overall point: Ojukwu had the wealth, looks, cars and social circle that made his Oxford years look very “king-like”, but he was also politically aware and later swore an oath with other Nigerian students to return home and serve Nigeria.
NO APOLOGIES, PLEASE.
On Peter Obi’s supposed ‘Stinginess’....
Sometime in 2009, ‘Mr’(as he preferred to be addressed) Peter Obi, Governor Of Anambra State at the time, visited Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and myself at Dallas, Texas. He came to deliver a get well message from the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan and was billed to attend a black tie event at the Dallas Marriot.
Curiously, he flew into Dallas airport with one small carry on luggage which he insisted on wheeling around himself, and on getting to our residence requested to freshen up. He opened his carry on, filled with files and paperwork and a few toiletries and an extra shirt, when the Ikemba and I asked if he was expecting another item of luggage, and he said no.
‘Then, what will you be wearing to the event tonight?’, we inquired. It was at that point that it struck him that he couldn’t show up in his casuals at such a ceremony.
I insisted on taking him to the luxury men’s emporium at Nieman Marcus to buy a smart black suit. When we got there, he was busy doing the Dollar to Naira currency conversions. The suit that was a perfect match for him was a dapper Tom Ford suit with a price tag of 3,985 dollars plus tax. He did the calculations and told me ‘Do you know how many students this amount of money can train in Nigeria?’ I reminded him that he was the governor as well as the special guest, and for the caliber of guests expected at that evening’s occasion, including the mayor, senators and other congressmen, oil barons and captains of conglomerates amongst others, he needed to be dressed in top form.
To cut the story short, he refused to pay what he termed ’that outrageous price’ for the Tom Ford suit and that was how we ended up at Steinmart where he agreed to pay a more acceptable price of 220 dollars, tax inclusive, for a basic men’s suit which he was happy to wear to that evening’s event.
What struck me, was that as we were on the way to the airport to see him off for his return flight back to Nigeria, he reached for his pocket where he brought out an envelope of crisp hundred dollar bills. The amount in the envelope was 3,800 dollars.
He said, ‘Anyanwu, this is the balance of the money I would have paid for the ‘Ford’ suit. If the label on the suit was ‘Peter Obi’, I am wondering if anybody in America will pay that amount for it. I have deducted the amount we paid for that suit we eventually bought. Please use this balance for your Charity foundation to help those in actual need. I trust you will do so’. We all laughed heartily. Vintage Peter Obi !
The eventual beneficiaries of that Largesse were Madam Theresa Agbo, a yam seller who became penniless and displaced when her Yam shed was gutted by fire, Callistus Egbe who was bedridden due to illness, and needed help with the school fees of his young children, and the Mgbemena family of six who were thrown out of their one room accommodation (which we subsequently doubled to two rooms) because their breadwinner fell upon hard times and could no longer afford the rent.
In Life, You either live by your creed or you desecrate the mould by which the Almighty created you. Any progressive nation measures an individual by his values, not his vaults.
If this way of life is what is derided as ‘stinginess’ on the part of Peter Obi, then we all need to adopt this mould for a more sustainable and more humane environment.
Iyom Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu
16 June 2022.
Peter Obi Collected N10m Bribe From NDC Aspirants. He is a Scammer and Political Conman"- Kenneth Okonkwo
Okonkwo said this during an interview on Channels TV today.
@sidramatics When it comes to the Presidential Election from 1999 till date, South East and South votes have mostly gone in one direction. Obi will most likely win the two zones just like he did in 2023
@uche179043 Ohafia is more developed compared to Aro, Hence it was designated as the headquarters of Abia North Zone because of its historical administrative importance, size, accessibility, & political influence within the zone. However Aro has stronger historical & cultural significance.
@Emvyre Did God have a mother before the prophecy?
Who was the mother of God before the prophecy?
Who was the mother of God before and during creation?