Ndigbo to pray for Ojukwu on Friday

Posted by admin Headlines, South-East Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

The leader of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike has urged the Igbos both at home and in the diaspora to stop whatever they are doing on Friday November 4 to pray for the quick recovery of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu as a special gift for his 78th birthday.

He also warned Igbo politicians, who were dropping Ojukwu’s name to achieve political goals to desist from the act, saying “this is a time he is not physically well, people should pray for him and not use his name for politics.

We know that his name is very potent in politics and if you drop it, you get through on what you want, but people should stop using his name negatively to achieve political goals.”
Ojukwu, who took ill late last year was flown to a London clinic in an air ambulance, where he was treated of stroke and later taken to a rehabilitation centre where he is said to be fast recuperating.

Uwazuruike, who was accompanied by a former APGA governorship aspirant in Imo State, Chief Peter Orji, to a world press conference held yesterday at Ojukwu’s Enugu residence, where he made this passionate plea, said already, the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and some governors of the South-east had indicated interest to attend the birthday celebration in Enugu slated for Friday.

His words: “We have asked our members, not only MASSOB now, all Igbos to stop whatever they’ll be doing on that day to pray for the recovery of our leader between the hours of 12 noon and 12:15p.m, both market women, artisans, professionals, whatever you do, wherever you are, if you have the interest of the Igbos at heart and you love Ndigbo and you love Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu, stand up and pray for him for 15 minutes for his quick recovery.”
According to him, Ojukwu was well enough to be at home at his birthday celebration, but they preferred he remained abroad until he recovered fully.

“He is well, hale and hearty. Actually, he is well enough to be at home, but we considered the fact that it is better for him to stay where he is properly taken care of medically than coming back home and maybe something happens and we rush him back again.

“So, we all remember him, we have him at heart and his health is more important to us than his staying with us here. By the grace of God, he was flown abroad immediately he took ill and everything was taken care of medically. So, we appreciate the fact that he is so much alive because of the environment he is in and we want him to continue to be alive for all of us.

“But I will assure you that in his next birthday, he will be physically present, he will be here. There is no need to say he will come back tomorrow or next, God will decide when he will come back, but the most important thing is that he is very much alive, hale and hearty, which makes us happy,” he said.
Uwazuruike said the birthday celebration was to show the former Biafran warlord that they still love him and that he was still dear to their hearts, as well as to demonstrate to the whole world that the ailing Igbo leader was still important amongst his people.

He disclosed that the prayer session would culminate into an inter-denominational service to be officiated by eminent bishops and pastors from the various churches in the region.

Besides, he said as the Enugu celebration would be on, churches across the South-east and South-south would also be holding special services for Ojukwu on the same day.
He pointed out that the Igbo have lost a lot since Ojukwu took ill, but said; “we are not counting on that, what counts is that he is very much alive and we hope that tomorrow he will still be with us.
“So, it cannot be quantified how much we missed him, what we have lost due to his absence is indescribable, but we give thanks to God that he is still very much alive and tomorrow we shall be with him again.”
Uwazuruike also disclosed that to ensure that the birthday celebration was not marred by the arrest of MASSOB members who will come to Enugu on Friday; members of the group have been directed not to fly the flags of MASSOB or wear its camouflage uniform.

“Most of the times our members were arrested were because of the fact that we were carrying flags or dressed up in our usual uniform, but for the purposes of this birthday, we have asked our members not to carry flags and not to dress up in our normal camouflages so as not to frighten the security apparatus. So, this is a prayer session, it is purely for prayers, there will be no need to fly the Biafran flag or wear the camouflages. So, we have kept that day for Ojukwu as a day of respect for him. So, there will be no cause for any security man to harass any member of MASSOB,” he said.

-Sunwp_posts