PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, acknowledged the contributions of the late former Biafran warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu towards the unity of the country describing him as “a rare patriot and humanist.”

Among the several stories that have been written about Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the piece I found particularly compelling was an archive interview republished after his very unfortunate death on November 26, 2011. Asked how he would like to be remembered, Ojukwu’s reply was poignant: “I would like to be remembered as a statesman; not just as a rebel leader.”

The Chief Judge of Imo State, Hon. Justice Benjamin Njemanze, who spoke in impeccable Owerri dialect, went philosophical in his tribute. He did not say much but went down memory lane. He wondered why some of the people, who betrayed him during the war are today pretending to be aggrieved by his demise. He wished Ojukwu well as he journeys back to his Creator.

Monday, February 27, 2012, started with a strong but not violent wind. This gradually snowballed into an early morning rain that started at about 3.05am in Owerri. The rain became heavier and poured till about 4am.

Names and titles are very symbolic. Names and titles that are ascribed to things and individuals often times go long ways in determining the character and structure that such entities turn out to be. And so it was for late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, defector Igbo leader, General of the People’s Army and leader of Biafra.