BY CALEB AYANSINA
ABUJA — Senator Uche Chukwumerije yesterday revealed that burial rite of Eze Igbo Gburu Gburu, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, will take a national outlook, featuring prominent people from all walks of life from within and outside the country.

Senator Chukwumerije, who is Vice-Chairman of the burial committee, in a briefing explained that due to Ojukwu’s stature, series of activities had been scheduled to take place in all parts of the country and abroad.

According to him, social and political groups such as Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, as well as intellectual bodies would  be integrated into the programme.

The programme, which commenced formally yesterday with mounting of billboards in strategic places in the country, has all the states in the old Eastern region firmly represented in the burial.

Chukwumerije announced that youth bodies in the South East states would commence the Icho Mmadu (looking for the deceased) in every part of the zone to bring up the tempo of the burial to the hinterland and the nooks and crannies of the country.

He added that special prayer for Nigeria and Justice for Ndigbo and other groups in the country would be held on Sunday, while same Icho Mmadu would be held at Zungeru where Ojukwu was born and in Abidijan, where he took refuge after the civil war.

There would be similar programmes in Kaduna and Accra, while people in same Abidijan and citizens in diaspora would also carry out their activities on Wednesday.

Chukwumerije said same programme would take place in Makurdi, Benue state, Kano, Calabar, Kano, Uyo, Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Lagos, Aba, Owerri, Umuahia, Aba, Enugu, Awka and Nnewi between February 14 and 25.

The remains of the foremost Igbo personality would arrive at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on February 27t, where a programme, tagged Onye Ije Nnoo (welcome home), would be held, while the body would depart immediately to major towns in the South East for further funeral ceremonies.

The final journey for the Eze Igbo Gburu Gburu would take place with a national funeral ceremony February 29, with series of activities going on simultaneously in Awka and Nnewi, while the interment would take place March 2 in Nnewi, according to Nnewi customs and traditions.

The senator, who said he was sitting in for Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, chairman of the committee, explained that though the Federal Government was yet to make known to the committee its level of involvement in the burial, it had received assurances from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, of full participation in the burial.

The lawmaker noted that though the earlier burial programmes were disrupted by the nationwide fuel subsidy strikes, the “activities lined up for his burial will progressively increase in scale and intensity as the interment date draws closer.”

He also added that the programme he reeled out were the outcome of agreement reached with the family and Nnewi traditional institution.

“There will be all sorts of people coming to the south east and particularly to Enugu and Nnewi at that period.  They are all welcome.  We expect MASSOB, social and youth groups, masquerade groups as well as other groups and all of them are welcome.  The only thing I can say is that we have contacted all arms of security in the country and security of everyone is guaranteed.

“You know Ojukwu is one of the greatest leaders produced by this country so, everyone is welcome.  The funeral will be conducted with the highest level of peace and tranquillity; it will be a solemn occasion and though he will be buried in the highest tradition of Nnewi town, we don’t want to parochialize the programmes, but he will get national burial,” he explained.