Ojukwu: Exile, Diplomacy And Survival

Book Reviewer: Cosmas Omegoh  

Even in death, fingers keep pursuing General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the leader of the defunct Biafra Republic. And that is largely because of the pivotal role he played during the 30-month Nigeria/Biafra war (1967- 1970). 

Even more than five decades after the war ended and a decade after Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Ezeigbo Gburugburu's death, anything and everything said about him is adjudged emotive and emotional by many, including those who have no cause to be so. That is why this factory-fresh book, Ojukwu: Exile, Diplomacy And Survival, written by Kanayo Esinulo, the General’s aide in exile is sure to be of immense interest. 

But would anyone blame Ikemba Nnewi for the emotions his name always elicits? Probably no! 

Indeed, Ojukwu was both an enigma and an enigmatic. He was a consummate army general, humanist, great  leader, administrator, family man, a lover of humanity and lover of his people. He was a cultural aficionado with a razor-sharp faculty willing to grasp anything and everything. For what he stood for, he was both loved and loathed. But none of that deterred him from weighing well on the scale. Such a man of great intellect and etiquette whose acts excited and agitated minds at the same time must either be well understood or thoroughly misunderstood.  

 'Ojukwu's boy,' Esinulo, waited until it was almost late before  penning his memoir: Ojukwu: Exile, Diplomacy And Survival. It is a humble offering from a veteran journalist, a high-flying publicist and public affairs commentator whose incisive essays often adore many national and global news media outfits; and for long, they have remained a lamp to many feet. Certainly, this Esinulo's book represents a part of his undying determination to further influence humanity and humanities.  

Indeed, the author's towering credentials steep in his long years of working with the former Biafran leader. That is the impetus he has to untie the late General's big sandals' straps.   

Esinulo knew Ojukwu like the back of his palm. For instance, he was with him all the while the war raged. Ojukwu left Biafra at a time the state had begun gasping for breath. In Cote d’ Ivoire, Esinulo rejoined Ojukwu, following the trail of his thoughts and capturing the rhythm of his mind. 

 Today, many will be happy that Esinulo is here, telling much of what he knows about the quintessential General, and his life and times in exile. 

In Ojukwu: Exile, Diplomacy And Survival, Esinulo rolls many things into one. He leaves all and sundry with truth they are not privy to. He provides his readers with a vivid account of the power play that culminated in his return. 

Ojukwu’s homecoming did not come as children break biscuit. To the astute public relations practitioner, the creativity that went into delivering the project is still a study. Every inch of it is both professional and professorial, mirroring the immense intellectual department of the Oxford University-trained Emeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu.   

The book’s front matter includes a repeat of the cover design, particulars,  dedication, content, acknowledgment, introduction, and prelude pages – everything taking up nine leaves.     

Esinulo goes on to present to his audience, a 12-chapter, 156-page sizzler, bursting at its seams with unputdowable narration, spiced with pictures.   

In the book, Esinulo proves himself a wordsmith and a narrator with such a jauntily engaging energy, relying heavily on the trick of his trade as a journalist to undeniably bless his readers. He also draws from his immense intellectual and literary power, to hammer home his narratives with elegant, breezy prose, strong plot, and compelling conviction, doing so with power and pace, verve and vitality.

The author explodes with the agonizing account of how Biafra whose meaning he gives as “Born In Agony, Fighting to Remain Alive,” finally capitulated. 

Like it happened yesterday, Esinulo brings home the vivid imagery of gloom and sadness that enveloped the Biafran project as it crashed to earth to the grim disappointment of Ojukwu and the remnants of his commanders, prompting him to ask his deputy, General Philip Effiong, to surrender the reins of the republic with honour and dignity to the rampaging federal forces. It is an account that makes you either cry or cheer, depending on the side of the divide you stand on Biafra.     

 Esinulo goes on to beam light on how Ojukwu swiftly overcame the pangs of defeat to restart his life, taking what had happened in his soldierly gait, even though his mind was still mired in thoughts of the affairs in the Eastern Region he left behind, fearing an impending massacre would follow. However, that did not happen at the scale he envisaged.  

The author recalls how he kept shuttling between Cote d’ Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria to service a secret network emplaced to ensure that Ojukwu followed up on developments back in Nigeria. Then at some point, he had to leave to study Journalism in Ghana so as to bolster Ojukwu's post-war PR engagements. 

He also recalls getting into trouble and was arrested in 1973 at Lagos International Airport, after he had come to town, and was on his way to then West Germany to commence his postgraduate study. He was accused of plotting Yakubu Gowon’s overthrow while in exile and cast into Kirikiri Maximum Prisons, Lagos, for three years without trial. He regained his freedom in 1975, through the effort of late Gani Fawehmin, after Gowon's overthrown by late General Murtala Muhammed.  

Esinulo recalls how, after his release, he was secretly spirited out of Lagos to Dahomey, now Benin Republic, to reconnect with Ojukwu, his studentship in The Netherlands, and his fruitful collaborations with Ivorian, Nigerian and Ghanaian journalists who worked with Ojukwu. 

Esinulo chronicles the engaging intrigues, power play, and intense political maneuvers that culminated in Ojukwu’s return to Nigeria, his meetings with Wole Soyinka, and some other Nigerians while in exile. 

He also outlines the front role Chuba Okadigbo, former Vice President Alex Ekwueme,  Ibrahim Tahir,  Tai Solarin – all late - and some other notable Nigerians played in making Ojukwu’s homecoming a reality.  

The author caps his accounts with how the Ojukwu’s return, whose idea started in 1978, materialised on May 18, 1982. The effort, he recalls, was massive. Now, you remember the inscription “Onye Ije Nnoo,” message emblazoned on the T-shirt people wore to  welcome the General? That was Ojukwu's creative ingenuity, says Esinulo. 

He concludes with an  appendix chapter where he presents various documents to buttress some of his claims just to show that they are no fluke.    

The book's cover is a paperback, measuring about 10x6 inches with the menacing black and white photograph of Ojukwu's head on it. That tries to strike a certain ingenious link between Ojukwu and the iconic Okonkwo in venerable Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart. 

Then at the top is the title beginner: “Ojukwu” embossed in shouting blood-red colour. Then follows: “Exile, Diplomacy And Survival,” and the author’s name, “Kanayo Esinulo” in reversed white print, the former going two decks in an inverted pyramidal formation with a thin white line separating them. 

The book’s cover is made of pelican material of about 140 grams; the pages are Indian bond paper of about 60 grams. 

A product of Eminent Biographies, Awka, Anambra State, with ISBN No 978-978-765-407-1, the book’s cover design was done by Obi Azuru, while Ebeteye Venture handled its layout design. 

Its near-tiny prints whose point size stands at about 14, and one-inch line spacing, present some difficulty to the aging and the aged to tackle. 

You can forgive the poor quality of the throwback photographs used to illustrate the book; the pictures are an excursion into Nigeria’s fading past.   

Aside from some typos, the book suffers the same fate many of its counterparts done in Nigeria suffer: their crowded layout sometimes can be discouraging to an anxious reader's sight set at having a great reading experience.  

All together, Ojukwu: Exile, Diplomacy And Survival, represents another bold attempt at providing a missing link in the Ojukwu golden chain. This might provoke further discourse in the days ahead – because Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu is involved. And so by his effort, Esinulo keeps the Ojukwu fire burning, by offering new perspectives on the General. He also reawakens the reading culture of those still keeping theirs intact in these dying days of scholarship. 

Overall, the book's printers and publishers got an A. Then turn to the author, Mazi Kanayo Esinulo, and say Nnoo!