*Accuse South-East govs of not working with community

By Vincent Ujumadu

AWKA – Traditional ruler of Nnewi, Igwe Kenneth Orizu, yesterday, played host to a meeting of the four royal fathers in Nnewi, leaders of thought in the community and some members of Ojukwu family to deliberate on the community’s arrangement for a befitting burial for the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

Governors of the former Eastern Region, where the former Biafran leader was governor before the outbreak of Nigerian Civil War, had fixed February 2, 2012 for the burial.

However, the people of Nnewi were said to be dissatisfied with the governments’ arrangement which appeared to have kept them in the background, hence the meeting at the palace of Igwe Orizu.

Roll call

Among those who attended yesterday’s meeting were Igwe Orizu, who doubles as the Obi of Otolo, Obi of Uruagu, Obi of Nnewichi and Obi of Umudim, Ojukwu’s community.

Others who were in attendance were Ojukwu’s first son, Sylvester; chairman of Cutix Plc, Chief Ajulu Uzodike; First Republic Minister, Chief Mbazulike Amechi; Chief Gabriel Chukwuma and Chief Innocent Okafor, Ojukwu’s uncle.

No conclusion could be reached at the meeting, which lasted about two hours, as, according to a source who was at the meeting, there was need for Ojukwu’s widow, Bianca, and his other son, Chukwuemeka Jnr. and his other uncle, Prof. Ojukwu, to be part of Nnewi’s arrangement.

It was gathered that someone was delegated to invite Bianca and other members of Ojukwu’s family to attend another meeting scheduled for Thursday at the palace.

Nnewi people were said not to be happy with an arrangement that excluded the community in the burial of their illustrious son who held two important titles of Ikemba and Dim conferred on him by Igwe Orizu and Obi Umudim, respectively.