By VINCENT UJUMADU,Awka
TWO weeks to the burial of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, which will take place in his Umudim –Nnewi country home in Anambra State on March 3, many people residing in and outside the industrial town have started strategizing on how to maximize, financially, during the burial ceremony in view of the large number of visitors expected in the town.

At the last check, food sellers and souvenir makers were booking for spaces between the Nkwo triangle which has been designated as the main motor park for the day and the Ozubulu by Oba road to pitch their tents. A popular fast food company based in Onitsha said it would temporarily relocate to Nnewi during the period. Its managing director told Saturday Vanguard that apart from the expected financial gains, it would be his own way of paying tribute to Ojukwu.

Many food sellers in Nnewi are also booking for spaces along the streets close to Ojukwu’s compound to service the people that would definitely need their services. Many printing presses in Anambra State are already brimming with business as they have orders for T_shirts, caps, calendars, almanacs, key holders, car stickers, etc.

What appears to excite the people more is that the burial ceremony is staggered over a period of one week and that means that there is likely to be one week of sustained business. Already, the Ikemba burial committee  has mapped out a large area around Ojukwu’s compound in Umudim which would be free of traffic during the period. What this means is that those planning to set up small businesses for the period would have enough space to operate.

The St Michael’s Catholic Church which shares a fence with Ojukwu’s compound is the venue of the funeral Mass, and considering the large number of visitors from within and outside the country who will attend the service, there is likely to be more business for the people.

What almost demoralized the people of Nnewi about the burial was the initial rumour that all the ceremonies would take place in Enugu, while Ojukwu’s body would be brought to Nnewi in the evening of March 3 and lowered into a prepared tomb. But when one of Ojukwu’s sons, Emeka Oukwu jnr, announced that Okukwu’s body would stay at Nnewi on March 2nd and the funeral mass would take place at Nnewi on March 3, the joy of the people knew no bounds.

To many people in Nnewi, it would have been un Igbo to do such a thing for Ikemba. Obi of Nnewi, Igwe Kenneth Orizu 111 who hosted several meetings in his palace when the initial arrangement of conducting the burial ceremonies was announced, said though Ojukwu was an international figure, it must be realized that he came from somewhere and his people must be carried along in whatever arrangement government was making concerning his burial.

He said, “I conferred the chieftaincy title of Ikemba Nnewi on him when he returned from Ivory Coast and that made him a member of the Obi’s cabinet. It would not have been proper if his funeral took place outside Nnewi.”

While not opposing the arrangement made by the governor of the Eastern states, he argued that the right thing must be done. When it was eventually announced that the burial ceremony would take place in Nnewi, Igwe Orizu led a delegation comprising the other three Obis in the town and leaders of thought to Governor Peter Obi to thank him for the decision and also commend him for the way he cared for their illustrious son when he fell sick.

Also, the Anambra State government has begun massive rehabilitation of roads in Nnewi, especially the Nnobi Nnewi and the Oba –Nnewi roads to make for smooth drive during the period. The contractors are working round the clock to ensure that the work was completed before the burial date.

The expansive Ojukwu compound is undergoing massive rehabilitation, with all the inner roads being asphalted and the buildings painted. Emeka Ojukwu jnr said though some of the buildings in the compound were being retouched, the main bungalow built by Ikemba’s late millionaire father, Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu, would remain as a monument in the compound, though it would receive some touches.

National chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, who is the chairman of the works committee for the burial of Ojukwu, said the problem the burial committee was likely to face was crowd control. After inspecting the Ojukwu compound last week, Umeh however expressed optimism that everything would be in order before the date of the burial.

APGA, which Ojukwu led before his death, is also making elaborate arrangement to honour its leader in a special way. According to Umeh, as the chief mourner, APGA was given one full day, 6th of March, as its day for the ceremony. He also acknowledged the fact that Ojukwu’s demise was likely to affect APGA, but insisted that the party would maximize his death to attract sympathy from Nigerians who, he added, are most likely to join APGA to identify with Ojukwu’s beliefs.

Meanwhile, the symbolic search for the late Ikemba commencing the funeral ceremonies has begun in Awka. The ceremony is expected to take place in many towns in the South East, culminating in the wake keep that will take place on March 2nd.

The procession, which took off in front of the Governor’s Lodge at Amawbia was joined by Governor Obi and members of his cabinet who carried the portrait of Ojukwu and green leaves and marched through the major streets of Awka. They eventually held a rally at the Alex Ekwueme square in the state capital.

They carried the potrait of Ojukwu and green leaves as they marched and were joined by motorists and motorcycle operators who sang and eulogized the defunct Biafran leader. Traders in the town also joined in the procession, with security operatives directing affairs.