Former
Biafran leader and leader of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA)
Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu is dead.
Thisday can confirm that he
died late last night. He had been sick for a while and was receiving
treatment at a united Kingdom (UK) hospital.
More to
follow . . .
Ojukwu
was born in Zungeru, Northern Nigeria in 1933. His father, Sir Louis
Phillipe Odumegwu Ojukwu was a wealthy businessman who made money from
the transport industry. Ojukwu was sent to the UK at the age of 13 to
study, first at Epsom College and later at Lincoln College, Oxford
University where he earned a Masters degree in History.
Upon his
return in 1956, he joined the civil service in then Eastern Nigeria. He
would later leave the service to join the military, where he was one of
the few university graduates.
Ojukwu was appointed Military Governor of
Eastern Nigeria by Military Head of State, General Aguiyi Ironsi on
January 17, 1966. By May of the same year, Nigeria was facing a serious
crisis. A planned pogrom in Northern Nigeria targeting and killing
South-easterners presented a problem. He made several assurances to the
South-easterners about their safety but the crisis continued. In May
1967, he declared Eastern Nigeria a Sovereign State named Biafra.
In July,
1967, then Head of State Yakubu Gowon declared war on Biafra. A civil
war ensued. The war raged on for another 30 months. An attempt at peace
during a meeting at Aburi, Ghana did not stop the war. In 1970, Ojukwu
handed over power to his deputy Major-General Phillip Effiong and left
the country to avoid assassination. He was granted political asylum in
Cote D'Ivoire by President Felix Houphöet-Biogny.
The
civilian President of Shehu Shagari granted him an official pardon and
he returned in 1982 after 13 years in exile. Ojukwu would later go into
politics, forming the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA). He was an
active member until his death.
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