By Nwabueze Okonkwo
ONITSHA — Founder of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has described the late Biafra leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, as a rallying force for Igbo unity.
Uwazuruike also pledged to continue celebrating Ojukwu’s Memorial Day annually for as long as he remains alive.
He spoke in a statement issued on his behalf on Tuesday by MASSOB’s National Director of Information, Mazi Chris Mocha, ahead of the 2026 edition of the Ojukwu Memorial Lecture scheduled for November 26.
Uwazuruike said he began organising memorial lectures in honour of Ojukwu in 2012 as part of efforts to remind Ndigbo of the importance of unity.
According to him, Ojukwu remains a unifying figure for the Igbo people, even in death.
“Ojukwu Day is the greatest event East of the Niger, but Ndigbo would never move forward in Nigeria without unity, and the only name that would foster such unity is Ojukwu, even after death,” he said.
Uwazuruike said he had celebrated Ojukwu’s birthday since 1994 and had organised annual lectures in his memory since November 26, 2012.
He compared Ojukwu’s influence among the Igbo to that of Mahatma Gandhi in India, saying honouring the late Biafra leader could strengthen Igbo unity.
“I see Ojukwu as the Mahatma Gandhi of India, and I believe that if Ndigbo respect and honour Ojukwu as Indians honour Gandhi, the unity of Ndigbo would be guaranteed,” he said.
Recalling his relationship with Ojukwu, Uwazuruike said he first encountered the late leader in the early 1990s during a meeting of non-indigenes in Lagos, where he represented the Igbo community.
He said Ojukwu later invited him to his residence at Vilasca Lodge, Ikoyi, Lagos, following his contributions at the meeting.
“From that private meeting with him, the late Emeka Ojukwu developed some likeness for me. I found in him a man of unquestionable character and someone who had genuine interest in the well-being of Ndigbo,” Uwazuruike said.
He added that he subsequently worked with Ojukwu in matters concerning the interests of the Igbo and continued celebrating his birthday until his death in November 2011.
Uwazuruike said MASSOB, the Biafra Independence Movement (BIM) and himself had continued to organise Ojukwu Memorial Day since 2012.
He said details of activities for the 2026 edition, which he described as the 15th, would be unveiled after Ojukwu’s posthumous birthday celebration scheduled for November 4, 2026.
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