By Tony Edike, Enugu

FOR the past one year, Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi has been paying the medical bills of the former Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu which runs into hundreds of millions of naira.

This was made known yesterday by Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, wife of the ex-Biafran leader while addressing the mammoth crowd that attended the 78th birthday celebration of the Igbo icon, who had been receiving treatment in a London hospital since October last year.

An inter-denominational church service jointly officiated by Monsignor Obiora Ike of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu and the Anglican Bishop of Enugu, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma as well as other clergymen from different churches was earlier held during which prayers were said for the quick recovery of the Ikemba

Bianca said that the survival of Ojukwu since he was bedridden was a miracle, adding that his being alive till date was still a mystery.

Thanking Obi, Bianca said, “The governor of Anambra State was the person who made arrangement for Ojukwu to be flown abroad.  Up till today, every month, he comes to London to see him in the hospital.  He has been the one paying all his medical bills running into hundreds of millions.  This is not a child’s play and I remain grateful to the governor,” she said.

Also, acknowledging the roles played by the National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh and some Igbo leaders who had personally visited Ojukwu in London, Mrs. Ojukwu said that their support and prayers had gone a long way in keeping the man alive till today.

“After almost one year, Eze-Igbo (Ojukwu) has rejected death. He has stared death in the face, and on many occasions he said by the grace of God it is not my portion to die now.  It is something to celebrate.

“In all the hospitals that he was attended to in London, the doctors and other medical personnel call Ojukwu the General. I want to tell you all that the General is still here.  By the grace of God, he wants to come back in good health and he remains appreciative of all your prayers,” Mrs. Ojukwu said.

She praised the leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazulike for initiating the birthday celebration, which she described as a huge success.

Addressing the crowd, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, urged Igbos to emulate Ojukwu whom he described as the symbol of the unique nature of Igbos, saying only the unity of the Igbos would enable them to actualize collective goals in Nigeria.

He said that the Igbo youths should by all means avoid violence since, according to him, violence cannot take Ndigbo anywhere.

In his remarks, Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State extolled what he regarded as the sterling qualities of the Igbos which made them to occupy first positions in most major public offices in the country before and shortly after independence.