KWENU! Our culture, our future

Book Review

The man of Biafra

O. Victor Oparah

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

I have read with great delight, The Man of Biafra, by Peter Opara, an excellent depiction of intellectualism that zeroed in on chronological representation of Nigerian’s past and present from the perspective of Nigerian Civil War, the course of the war, Biafra and Biafrans, and the unflinching role of Dim Chukwemeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu, the eminent leader of Biafra.

Peter journeyed on the path of Nigeria’s social structure, with blended topping on the character and dispositions of some of the bigwigs who were architects of yesterday and today’s Nigeria. Odumegwu-Ojukwu, without a doubt was one of the individuals, and was prominently profiled in the book and accorded the crown jewel of the Igbo community and the leader of the defunct Biafra.

Peter provided a cinematic account of Biafra and the deliberate attempt by Nigeria, Britain, Russia and similar “axis of evil” to exterminate Biafrans by gruesome suppression, starvation, and suffocation. Yet Biafrans or better still, Ndi-Igbo resisted the extermination efforts and continued to remain till this day the axiom of choice and citizenship even without the existence of a physical republic.

Exclusive of censorship and the like, Peter brought to fore some of the obnoxious characters of portions of Ndiigbo that has continuously inhibited the recognition of worthy efforts by spectacular indigenes of Ndiigbo. Peter crawled uninhibitedly around the posterior of some of Ndiigbo and exposed their tendencies for excessive concerns over petty matters which, of course, fog the perception of bigger matters that buddies most of time with national and international recognition.

Reading The Man of Biafra, one sees the summation of no-nonsense-man that is Peter Opara. The book is a must read for those who did not witness the Nigerian civil war and/or those who have been hungry of discourse pertaining to Nigeria’s ethno-political structure all around the confines of annihilation and administrations of rugged default. The book is an excellent masterpiece that stands atop bestsellers. I am impressed!

Let us congratulate Peter Opara on this account; and on occasions, lets ensure that his cup of ngwo is regularly filled, and to the brim. Peter is Ikemba’s own and, on behalf of Ikemba, I say, BRAVO!! to Brother Peter Opara, author of, The Man of Biafra.

Victor Oparah is the Secretary-Genera of Ikemba USA.

Ikemba, USA: Call for writers!