Bianca Odinakachukwu Odumegwu-Ojukwu

~The SUN Nigeria. Wednesday, August 10, 2016.

"I am no longer young and I have learned much along the way. The fortress of my manhood is not yet completed but, what I have built so far is strong. Yet the purpose of a fortress is to protect and hold safely those things that are precious. If during the building a man loses and expends those things which he wishes to protect, then the finished fortress is a mockery. "

- Wilbur Smith, South African novelist.

Helena's famed beauty was not the type that awaited the beholder's interpretation. So overwhelming was her poise that the greatest powers of her era, Greece and Troy, had to sacrifice thousands of their young men for her claim. Beauty is a great advantage in the world. Strangers are more likely to do favours for physically attractive people. Ugly people get high sentences in criminal cases and lower damage awards on civil law suits.

Bianca Odinakachukwu Odumegwu-Ojukwu, a mother of some teenage children, is like Helena of Troy, the type of beauty that causes civil war among nations and at her peak was recorded as Nigerian most beautiful girl, went to the world beauty pageant. With that Cleopatra gait, Venus overflowing hair, eyes like Elizabeth Taylor, Bianca stepping before the camera could cause international conflagration amongst nation powers. Yet Bianca was not the star daughter of his Excellency, C.C. Onoh. It was her elder sister, who was returning from the United States on a December Christmas when her plane crashed at the Enugu airport and turned into a fireball. Amongst the passengers roasted in the air, include the whole family of four of Senator Offia Nwali. The late Senator lost his vivacious wife, Uche, and all the Nwali children in that burning plane. The then Governor of Anambra State was destabilised for he had lost his most accomplished daughter, a PhD intellectual superstar of the family. His misery was not abated for very soon the Buhari military putsch dismissed the Shagari NPN democracy.

We did not hear much about this buffeted family until the gods in their fortune guess extended it and favoured the up and coming Bianca Odinakachukwu. This Helena of our time emerged and was ordained Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria in 1988. Bianca Odinakachukwu before then read Law at UNN and proceeded to London, Yorkshire University. In between those times, this extra ordinary beauty would involuntarily act the goddess. On one occasion, Bianca decided to take a walk from the Coal city on her high heels to her Ngwo residence up there in the hills. Approaching dusk and causing commotion on the road, as drivers and passengers were thunderstruck by a sudden appearance of a "spirit goddess," flaunting along the high way her long hair, glittering alamanda colours, Bianca held spell bound, drivers, passengers, who couldn't imagine their eyes. Behold, there was a simmering goddess like silhouette, cutting into the approaching dusk.

Just as some of the travelers and the conductors were arming themselves with sticks and machetes to cut down the walking goddess spirit, amidst shouting and declaration of obu mammywater, Bianca Odinakachukwu was surrounded by his bewildered assailants. As the blows were about to descend on this goddess, her own cousin, who was among the charging, excited killing squad, recognised Bianca and was the first to grab her. 'She is not Mammywater....owu Bianca, please, don't!!' And so, the story would continue to the day when armed robbers hijacked her car and locked her up in the boot. Pursued by the Police, the Police opened the boot, only to declare the victim a spirit and as usual people were clustering in excitement to see and experience the extraordinarily transformed mammywater goddess. When as usual the people were lost over the excitement, the admiration, the armed robbers evaporated into thin air.....adi mu ndu?" Am I alive? ...was Bianca's exclamation, bringing the Police to believe that the uncommon beauty was human. As the Police was unraveling the mystery of this walking beautiful goddess, they found out that the robbers had disappeared.

These and many more are the fairytale stories of Bianca Odinakachukwu, who was Nigeria's beauty Queen married to the General of the Peoples' Army and into the billionaire Odumegwu-Ojukwu Empire. Bianca was the Nigerian Ambassador to Spain and in one of her most memorable assignments she preferred the King of Spain to present her Ambassadorial staff when she was announced as the Nigerian representative in Madrid. Having lost her mother who was her supporting pillar since her trials and conquests in life, it is assumed that Bianca Odinakachukwu is now at the thresholds. This is the time to take stock.

Bianca at this stage, would have to make some decisions. Would she ever get remarried like Jacqueline Kennedy? Will she like her late husband impact on the youths, her community and her people? What were her legacies as the Ambassador to Spain, a great Catholic Christian congregation? What about her fledging political party, the APGA? Many a time she would abandon most undiplomatically her brief in Madrid to join issues and participate in partisan politics at home. Now that the party has no intellectual compass, and she is available, why would she not act Peron to salvage the boat that is fast shrinking the party into a one state organisation? Who will advise the beautiful Amazon that having been brought up in a family of politics and turmoil and having married into an empire, what she is going through now is expected.

There is usually no harmonious accord in sharing the inheritance after the demise of an emperor! Check the families of Okotie Eboh, the Abiolas, etc. the courts take long in giving their verdicts. On the way, at the same time, whatever is the verdict, that family as a unit never recovers from the bitterness and the deadly rancour that precede the final court orders. Would Bianca save the Ojukwu family from prevalent family feud, disgraceful mudslinging? Donning her diplomatic garb can sue for peace?

The Ojukwu wealth and empire is so suffocating and would be enough for every member to partake in. Having ensured peace at home, Bianca Odinakachukwu would match into on new corridors of power, badgered in the Ojukwu iconic colours and attempt leading from the doldrums the APGA from Aba the spirit heartland of the Igbo. She is the only one who would be able to re-invite the great Governor Peter Obi back to the party that made him and to the same party he con tributed more than enough.

Peter Obi has no business in the byzantine politics that is the PDP. Peronistic Bianca Odinakachukwu, as the leader will now exploit her diplomatic legacies while she was in Madrid. Bianca Odinakachukwu, "you are no longer young, you have been gifted by the gods and the fortress of your life like Wilbur Smith said, can no longer be subjected to any further mockery. Like Mrs. Peron prayed Argentina, do not cry for me!"

Before the buggling NFF went to Spain, we had prepared a paper to our former Ambassador, urging her to bring the Spanish Liga to the Biafran giddy youths. We were concerned that these utopian youths were bent to go all the way and we thought the mistake of Bianca's husband of confronting headlong a more equipped adversary would lead to unnecessary spilling of blood. What is wrong, I asked Ijele Uwazuluike in moving the boys to Abakilki Afikpo rice plantations and introducing football thereby making the rice farming more youth friendly?

Bianca Odinakachukwu, "you are no longer young, you have been gifted by the gods and the fortress of your life like Wilbur Smith said, can no longer be subjected to any further mockery. Like Mrs. Peron prayed Argentina, do not cry for me!"
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Re: Bianca Odinakachukwu Odumegwu-Ojukwu
~The SUN Nigeria. Wednesday, August 17, 2016.

I was employed by the Daily Star, Enugu, after topping my class at the Jackson College, UNN. 1984 December, we saw the burning plane and I ran to the airport. I was the first reporter to talk with the Ghanaian Pilot and the only other surviving passenger, a Yoruba man, who jumped from the window of the doomed aircraft. "I was so sure I was jumping to my death.... but it took so long before I landed on the ground and beside me was my daughter whom I was escorting from Lagos to start schooling at the Federal Unity College, Enugu," he told me. "Apparently, my daughter joined me in that faithful jump into the unknown." The name of Bianca's sister, who died with all the other passengers, was Dr. Josephine Onoh. Emma Okocha, I can testify told a true story.

-Joshua Iwebuka, Publisher, Knight Magazine.

In the company of the late Senator Offia Nwali, we watched at the lounge the burning to ashes of his wife and his four little children. That spectacle stayed on with the late Senator until his death few months ago. The mystery of the whole calamity remained unraveled, as the other surviving passenger, Mr. Anazonwu, and the Ghanaian pilot all were to die in separate auto crashes. What I saw at the airport is my own eye witness account to collaborate the enchanting piece that was Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu. Of the other spiritual excursion of the beautiful Odinakachukwu, I cannot risk throwing my hat. All the same, if it is true that our Helena transformed to a mammywater, then Emma Okocha would indeed be congratulated for his acuity. But if it is not true that this lady could conjure the powers of the supernatural and hold all in trance, drivers, passengers and readers, then give it to this genius, an artist who is creating characters that are believable. –Okosisi, Lawson Lagos.

"Bianca had started to chart her course to stardom (possessing a rare combination of virtues) before meeting Ikemba. After Ikemba, she would not be the same again. There are names that simply don't fade into oblivion; for their associated great deeds. Put differently, behind all great names are great deeds! All great deeds have their historical antecedents and significantly impact/change the course of history and world views. Names are revered because of the great personalities and deeds associated with them; and with lasting memorials.

All widows automatically belong to God. He cares for them; sustains and takes care of their needs (Ex. 22:22; 1 Cor. 7:8; 1 Tim. 5:3; Jas. 1:27). I hate to think that a widow, unmindful of all, avails herself for the highest "bidder." The late Matriarch, H.I.D. Awolowo, did not remarry, following the death of Chief Obafemi Awolowo (mindful of the status of her late husband and the associated acclaim). Your description of her party, APGA, as "lacking intellectual compass" is so true and regrettable. I would urge you and other Igbo elite, who believe in Ikemba's vision for APGA and the Igbo, to use your column and writings to educate on the present leadership of the party, on the need to grow on the vision and mission of the founder of the party, and stop projecting their personal selfish egos. -Barrie Atuona, Abuja

Emma, the imagery you brought to bear on the write-up on her Excellency - Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu was amazing. By that, you belong to the Pantheon of Chaucer of our time. You are indeed a worthy member of the Jackson College of Journalism of UNN. -Chief Iheanocha

I just want to commend you for this wonderful write-up on Daily Sun newspaper on the 10th of August, 2016, captioned; "Bianca Odinakachukwu Odumegwu-Ojukwu." Honestly, akpata oyi wuru m after reading it. You are indeed gifted. I pray to also improve in my own romantic writings. -Anene A. Maduechesi

PDP: The burden of Nigeria's greatest political party

Political appointment in Nigeria is seen by the appointer, as an invitation to come and eat: To the appointee, it is a ticket to escape poverty forever. PDP surrounded itself with political gluttons and, therefore, lost focus, legacy and direction.

-Rev. M. J. Gold

Bonjour, Amuma Ndi Ibo/Niger, just read your thunderbolt "PDP burden....." Well encapsulated; aligns with your young Bismarck listened to the young Tafawa Balewa, who had come with lofty ideas but got chased out by old man Clark and the Ogogoroman of the creeks.

-Obinwa

In other words, despite all of Zik's heroic international diplomatic initiatives and overtures, the Gowon Government never ever made any inch of concession in form willingness to revisit the Aburi Accord! When Enahoro in his old age came to repentance, and joined the cause of self-determination, he acknowledged this fact.

-Chris Ike

Col. Adekunle Fajuyi in July 29 coup

Emma, no matter what Danjuma, Jerry boy Useni, Junaid Mohammed and the rest of them will say, it will not change the truth, motive and facts of the action of Jan 15, 1966 and the revanchist bloodbath of July 29.

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It is pertinent to note that no Nigerian soldier from the North ever received any recognition for professional excellence internationally. They have only excelled in mindless killings and coup plotting. It is only the northern Generals that became billionaires after retirement. I await your coming book. Don't forget to send copies to me.

08023125533

Can you try and convince Prof. Akinyemi to go with you to General Danjuma and (the driver) Jerry Boy, for the true story of 1969; in fact, Tony Momo can join you. We are tired living in error, e.g. books like My Command, etc.

In your interesting piece, Fajuyi in July 29 coup.... Northern rage has refused any consolation. Please, state appeasement offers to North as consolation.

Sqn Ldr S. Lawal (rtd)

The Federal Ministry of Information issued a statement on Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu in the 60s. Find it in "Africa Who is Who" by Raph Uwaechue's firm. Please, re-issue it. -Mike Ogwu

Please, read The News Magazine of June and July 2016. Parts 1 and 2. You may have to react to some of the issues raised.

-Dr. Sam

Thank you for the wonderful piece on the column, ON THE NIGER, on the issue of the July 29, 1966 coup. People like you should not allow the truth to die. Keep up. May the good Lord continue to increase your wisdom in history and writing!

-Apostle S.J. Nwachukwu, Christ Army International Movement

I told you that Nigeria is the spiritual reality of God. As a Catholic, what can you say of the Jesus-like image, that appeared at Saint Augustine's Church, Nenger, Makurdi.

-Solomon U. C.