• ADF, NBA extol legal icon, Ohanaeze to immortalise him
From Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba
“The dreams, struggles and legacies of the founding fathers and touch bearers of the Igbo nation, shall never be allowed to be extinguished.” This was the position of the Anglican Archbishop of Aba, Abia State, Isaac Nwaobia; President, Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), Professor Uzodinma Nwala; National Legal Adviser, ADF, Chief Ukpai Ukairo and other speakers at a memorial symposium, in honour of the late legal icon, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, in Aba.
•Emuchay signing Nwabueze’s condolence register
This is as the apex Igbo organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, vowed to immortalise Nwabueze, its longest Secretary General. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Oduah Afo-na-Isagba of Atani, Anambra State, died on Sunday, October 29, 2023, at 94.
For Nwala, Igbo at home and in the Diaspora should always strive to rekindle and sustain the flame of patriotism, selflessness, commitment and dedication, exemplified by such individuals like Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Akanu Ibiam, Dr M.I. Okpara and Nwabueze.
These admonitions and promises were the fulcrums of the presentations at the event at the Chief Akwiwu Bar Centre, High Court premises, Aba, on December 16, 2023. Sponsored by the ADF in collaboration with the Aba branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the occasion attracted eminent Igbo patriots and leaders, legal practitioners, clergymen, captains of industry, town unions, among others.
Nwaobia, a member of the ADF Board of Trustees (BoT), extolled the virtues and patriotic contributions of Nwabueze, to the overall development of Nigeria, particularly towards the enrichment of the country’s legal frameworks. He urged the Igbo across the world to prioritise Igboland in their investment decisions.
This, he noted, is in tandem with the “Aku Ruo Ulo Think-home” call, on successful Igbo, to return home and invest. He explained that it will be welcomed wholeheartedly, as a veritable way of providing job opportunities for the teaming youths, growing and developing the region: “Igboland provides a better security for their investments.”
The cleric said although Nwabueze and other progenitors of the Igbo nation, may have gone, their legacies will be sustained: “These people fought and died for the nation, but their contributions to nation building, are not being acknowledged in that the Igbo, are today being suffocated and relegated.
“We have suffered enough in the hands of other people we regard as our brothers and sisters in the Nigeria project.”
Nwaobia said contributions of Igbo leaders like Azikiwe, Mazi Mbonu Ojike, Nwabueze, Pius Okigbo, Mbazuluike Amaechi, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Prof Uzodinma Nwala and Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who gave their all for cross ethnic unity and progress, will not be extinguished: “We want to assure that the fight and the contributions of our elders, who worked tirelessly for the good of Nigeria and the African continent, will not be in vain.
“Our elders worked and died for the good of the entire nation, but we are now being vilified for doing good. We have suffered in the hands of other people we regard as our brothers; this is why we pray that God bless our land – Igboland.”
Against the backdrop of the neglect and suppression of the Igbo, despite their huge contributions to the unity, progress and development of Nigeria, Ukairo, said it was high time the Igbo began to interrogate their disposition towards placing more premium on the so-called national issues, as against the interests of their people.
According to him: “It is time for the Igbo to begin to think first and foremost about the interests of their people, as past nationalistic principles and efforts of their departed fathers, are not being appreciated.”
Introducing the topic; “The Legacies of late Prof Nwabueze and the Lessons for Our Generation,” Ukairo, reminded Igbo, that one who did not know when rain started beating him, would never remember when it stopped. He challenged Ndigbo to rethink their relationships with other nationalities, in view of the fact that the programmes and policies Igbo founding fathers helped to introduce for the good of the nation, were being used to frustrate and malign them.
He prayed: “The Alaigbo Development Foundation, pays her great tribute to Prof Ben Nwabueze, and his compatriots and pray that their leadership spirit return to us at this critical period the enemy is set to give us a heart punch. The Igbo Nation shall surely overcome the assault of both her external and internal enemies.”
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo asked the Federal Government to give posthumous recognitions to a former Minister of Education, Nwabueze and foremost dentist, Dr. Sylvanus Ebigwei. Emuchay made the appeal in Enugu, when he opened condolence registers for the two eminent Igbo sons who passed on recently.
Ebigwei was Vice President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo for Delta State during the administration of Chief Nnia Nwodo. He died at 80 on November 3, 2023. Emuchay noted that both men served Ndigbo and Nigeria meritoriously and deserved commensurate honours:
“At the Igbo Day, September 29, next year, these two great sons of Igbo Nation will also be honoured by Ohanaeze. And our prayer is that the Federal Government in their wisdom, at some point, would find it important to give them proper recognitions, posthumously, because of the roles they played in nation building.”