By Tony Okafor, Awka
Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, has described Igbo men as cowards, stating that Ndigbo are missing the former Biafra warlord who died in 2011.
She called for the release of the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, stating that Ndigbo lacked credible leaders.
Bianca who spoke at the 11th edition of Dim Ojukwu Memorial Day at the weekend in Owerri, the Imo State capital, said Ndigbo were in deficit of credible leaders.
She noted that since the death of Ojukwu, Ndigbo had had no credible leaders who could speak for them.
She said ,“Until 2023 we will remember that power has fallen when Dim Ojukwu died. We miss him particularly in Igboland. Why do we miss him? It is because in Igboland today, we have deficit of credible leaders. What we have today in Igboland are men who are not men.
“What we have today is one man down, one less competitor. That is why with what is happening today in the country we don’t have men who can stand up to speak for Ndigbo.”
Condemning the criminalities in Igboland, Bianca said, “At no time of the history of our people do we have the type of criminalities and criminals as we see on a daily basis in Igboland. Even during the war, we never heard or saw that people came out with knives to slit the throat and neck of another human being with pride.
“This is what we are seeing and why are we seeing it? We are seeing it because the general perception of not only the Igbo youths but the entirety of Nigerian youths, is that Nigeria has become a crematorium of dreams. That Nigeria has become a premature restive place of hopes and aspirations and the youths look around and see nothing but wasteland.
“Come to the South-East, there is today lack of federal presence, no industries. So how can you earn a legitimate living when the system has completely collapsed? We are suffering a total system failure in economy, and security, when a government can no longer guarantee lives and safety on the property and investments of the citizens.”
Ojukwu’s widow enjoined the Federal Government to immediately release Kanu, adding that no nation would stifle the dreams of its citizens and would expect peace.
She said ,“I call for the immediate and unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and I do so firmly convinced that no nation can hold its people hostage and have peace; it is impossible because peace is freedom and also no nation can hold the dreams of its citizens to ransom and prosper.”
She commended the efforts of the leader of MASSOB/BIM, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, for keeping the Ojukwu Memorial Day alive.
