"Biafran bidding" in America

How a small bottle of Remy Martin auctioned for $1055.25 to benefit the Nigeria-Biafra War Veterans at Oji River

Irvington, NJ: May 29^th, 2004: This year’s Nigeria-Biafra War Memorial Service and lecture coincided with the commissioning of the World War II Memorial Monument in Washington, DC. The Monument has been in the making for over 11 years to honor the fallen heroes of the war fought more than 60 years ago. Commentaries in the days leading to the day of commissioning have gone along such lines as, “Each generation has to know that at some point their nation will require their sacrifices in other to protect the liberty of the nation.”

In a similar vein and on the same day around the globe, Biafrans also converged in small hamlets, churches, and homes to hold memorial service to their fallen heroes of the Nigeria-Biafra War. It was a war of survival, a war against the tyranny of a Nigerian regime that reneged on an accord for peace in Aburi, Ghana and, instead of renegotiating, preferred to wage war against an already traumatized people.

The Igbo gathered again this year to reminisce on the plight of Biafrans and to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that others would live. Some of those who gave their all for Biafra still pay dearly for the freedom fight; they pay with the loss of their dignity, of having to beg to keep body and soul together. The Biafran Veterans at Oji River remain a lasting physical scar. Out there in the elements, these men sit in wheelchairs with their children and perhaps grandchildren waiting and thinking how to survive another day.

The postwar policies of Nigeria’s wartime leader General Yakubu Gowon and the obvious nonchalance of successive governments in southeastern Nigeria have combined to confine these citizens to an ignoble poverty and depravity in Oji River. This situation brings back the horrors of the Nigeria-Biafra War, the horrors of senseless killings, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war. To a true Biafran, nothing elicits more emotion as watching the videos and documentary of Biafra children painfully dying of Kwashiorkor as their parents watched hopelessly and unable to do anything to help.

That imagery was not missed in the small New Jersey All Saints Anglican Church situated on Irvington Township’s Stuyvesant Avenue and ran by a congregation of Igbo Anglicans that include Messrs Oyibo Achebe and Ken Igwe. Earlier in the past months, it was announced that the Church in conjunction with Igbo-USA New Jersey would be hosting this year’s Nigeria-Biafra War memorial service and lecture.

The All Saints Anglican Church opened its door early this afternoon and, by 3.00 PM, a few people had arrived. The event had been scheduled to start at 4:00 PM and by 3.50 PM a video documentary of the Nigeria-Biafra War was shown on the multimedia equipment made available by the Church. The discussions were passionate and emotional. Some would-be observers like Engineer Ajulu Uzodike, a gubernatorial candidate in the last Nigeria general elections and a renowned industrialist -- who was visiting New Jersey, were drawn to the discussions. The Oziuzo Nnewi offered valuable pointers on the way forward: a change in what he referred to as our “value system.”

Chief Uzodike described a series of values that the Igbo ought to recognize, and he gave reasons for holding onto these values. Later in his speech, he charged that if about 20 people were to write an examination on “What does Biafran mean,” he was certain that they would give 20 different answers. This, he said, was a fundamental problem that must be resolved. He suggested the starting of discussions to articulate what Biafran meant and the values that are needed to promote and preserve what it stood for. He said that this understanding of the essence of Biafra would solve the many misconceptions about the struggle and the name.

Chief Austin Egwuonwu, himself a Biafran veteran, was the keynote speaker for this year’s memorial lecture. The founding President of Igbo USA and former Chairman of World Igbo Congress, Chief Egwuonwu spoke on New strategies for a new war, a different kind of war that is presently plaguing Nigeria and harming Ndiigbo further. Chief Egwuonwu in his speech deplored the condition of Ndiigbo today, many years after a war that was declared over with the “no winner, no vanquished” mantra. He condemned the spate of killings of the Igbo in northern Nigeria and hinted that if northern leaders were actually interested in stopping such killings, they should have no problems in doing so, given that their culture -- unlike that of Southeasterners -- makes their citizens almost always ready to listen to their leaders and to do their bidding. A very good example was the recent Kano debacle, where Muslim radicals went on a rampage killing non-natives, especially the Igbo.

In his recommendations, Chief Egwuonwu suggested a mobilization of Igbo youths to be able to do what they did in the past: protect the lives and properties of their kinfolk. He called on eastern Nigerians to support MASSOB: “While some of you may disagree with its (MASSOB’s) mission, the group has done a whole lot more to push the agenda of Ndiigbo than most of our politicians at home.” Continuing, he said: “Whatever missteps the Ralph Uwazuruike-led movement has made in the past, if any, should be corrected and redirected towards the path of progress.”

Among other suggestions, Chief Egwuonwu called on the Igbo to work together regardless of political differences and leanings. He condemned the public intimidation, humiliation of fellow Igbo at the slightest perception that the person was “not singing our tune…. even when he or she is singing the same song.” He cautioned: “The public harassment and embarrassment must stop. :::: Until it is clearly obvious that someone is knowingly and deliberately working against our interests, we should not be too quick to hurl stones in public.”

It should be recalled that under the watch of Chief Egwuonwu as the Chairman of WIC, the New Jersey Igbo community pushed the Nigeria-Biafra War memorial service and lectures to the Igbo world stage, causing the apex organization of the Igbo abroad to embrace its merits. It was under his leadership that Igbo New Jerseyans raised thousands of dollars to enable WIC begin a pilot production project at Oji River to benefit Biafran Veterans and their families.

There were muted discussions regarding how much effort or lack of it had been exacted on that noble venture lately. In the end, it seemed that an undercurrent was roaring to energize the laudable effort and to bring it back to the front burner. With the WIC convention scheduled for New Jersey in September, it would be surprising if the matter failed to surface and to feature prominently in the agenda.

In his special guest speech, Dr. Paul Nwachukwu recalled how as the President of Biafran students in Germany during the Nigeria-Biafran War, Biafrans abroad rallied around to support the cause of people in the homeland and to relieve the sufferings as much as they could. He regretted that some mistakes were made in the cause of prosecuting the war, which caused certain sections of the Biafran territory to be suspicious of the struggle. He cautioned that the terrible cost pitting one section of a population against the other is a lasting lesson we must learn from Biafra.

Frank Oyibo Achebe reminded attendants at the ceremony that while Biafrans in uniform and in battlefields must be praised for their courage, there were those whose efforts during the war were instrumental to the military successes that Biafra enjoyed. He specifically mentioned those who maintained the Biafran lifeline airport at Uli, which he said was bombarded nearly 24x7, but Biafran civil engineers and communication experts ensured that the airstrip was repaired to accept the nightly flights that brought in needed materials for the war efforts and food. Achebe recounted stories of those who readied Uli after each bombardment only to be killed by time-delayed bombs. He called these folks the unsung heroes of the war effort.

It must be recalled that Oyibo Achebe as the President of Igbo USA, NJ organized in July 1997 a memorial service and the first-ever public fundraising for the Biafran veterans, anchoring on the first memorial service and lecture series started earlier in May 1997 by Dr. M. O. Ené. Achebe has at every opportunity advocated that “the Biafran story must be told by Biafrans or other people will tell it from their own perspective and it may not be the truth.” For him, this day was no different.

Mrs. Chike Momah, an NJ-based registered nurse, popularly called “Arunne” for her humility, dedication, and devotion to the service of the Igbo, recalled the pains for Biafra. As residents in Geneva, where her husband Chief Chike Momah worked for the United Nations, she recounted their collective efforts in support of the Biafra defense. The war changed their lives, she stated, and they had never shied away from any event that stresses the unity and efforts of the Eastern Nigerians who make up the bulk of the Biafran territory.

Mrs. Momah also recalled how the Igbo worked hard and together before the war. As the daughter of the last President of now defunct Igbo State Union Chief Z. C. Obi, she recalled how she saw Igbo people work together for common objective when her father led the legendary Union. She regretted that many Igbo people of today now worship money without questioning its sources. She also regretted that the younger Igbo generations are not being groomed to understand Igbo history, especially the Biafran experience and lessons to be learned from it. Continuing, she pointed out that people were advised to bring along their families for the ceremonies and wondered how the experience could be passed on if the younger ones were not included. [Only Chief Mike and Loolo Amuzie were on hand with all their children.]

Blaming the pre- and post-Biafran plight squarely on the people who make up the bulk of the Biafran territory, Honorable Elliot Isibor said that the Igbo must be honest to themselves. He opined that even some of those present are responsible for what is happening in the community and in Nigeria. Hon. Isibor questioned the community continued acceptance of Igbo politicians who have done nothing to improve the lot of the Igbo since the end of hostilities. He asked: “What have you got to lose by staying away from these politicians who do nothing for our people?” He wondered why the community continued to welcome them in America, even after they had rigged themselves into power. He wanted everyone to shun the politicians that don’t serve the interest of those they claimed to represent.

Other speakers included Chief Chike Momah, a prominent author, who collaborated the story of the efforts in Geneva, and repeated his call for the inclusion of such nations as the Efik, Ibibio, Ijaw, Ogoni, Ogoja, etc. in future events; Mr. Boniface Udenta, who recounted personal experiences during the war; Chidi Hans Ibe, who spoke on the need to keep the Biafra records straight for posterity and to avoid “embarrassing apologies”; and Dr. M. O. Ené, the inaugural lecturer, who lauded the proposed new strategies, but warned that the prevalence of and wholesale reliance on security operatives popularly known as “maigaidi” was fraught with inherent dangers.

The highlight of the occasion was when a bottle of Remy Martin was presented for a special auction. Structured along the lines of what was tagged “Chinese Auction,” the bidding was principally to raise money to benefit Biafran Veterans at Oji River. Donated by Oyibo Achebe, a former President of Igbo USA and current President of Anambra-Enugu Association, a group of impromptu auctioneers (Ken Igwe, Anselm Esomonu, Humphrey Igwe, and Mike Amuzie) took turns playing auctioneers, announcing the latest bid, passing the plate around to collect pledged money, pledging and redeeming their own bids, and making sure the arithmetic of the rule was right.

Now renamed “Biafran bidding” by M. O. Ené, the bidding started with a $20:00 bid by Chief Momah. Someone made it $30 (paying the extra ten). Another made it $50:00 (paying an extra $20:00). It went over hundreds of dollars in a very short time and from the not-a-full-hall attendees. With bids and counter-bids of $5:00 to $50:00 increments from those present, men and women, a thousand dollars was soon in the plate. Just when everyone was ready to back-off, Ms. Edith Nwaeze restarted the bid and upped the stakes to $1005:00!

But some men would not have a woman “open” the drink and someone said so! This bottle of drink suddenly became a contest between the men led by Hon Isibor and Chief Egwuonwu and the women led by Mrs. Momah, Mrs. Joy Onugha, and Ms. Nwaeze. The men would not allow the women to win the bid, so up went the bidding by yet another $5.00. The women countered, in the spirit of Aba Women of 1929, and raised the stakes yet again. As at some point in traditional wake keeping in Igboland, it became an in-a-lighter-mood event; mourning the fallen heroes became a celebration of life. Someone offered the keys to his SUV in order to continue male control of the normally 30-dollar bottle of drink, but he was declined!

At some point, the bidding was stopped to enable people to eat the finger-licking food provided free-of-charge by Ms. Edith Nwaeze. Eventually, the night closed in and, even as some people clamored to go the nearest ATM for more cash, the bottle of drink was “sold symbolically” for a total of $1055.25 to Mr. Boniface Udenta, the last bidder before recess, who handed it over to Chief Momah for the libation rites.

In his closing remarks, the President of Igbo-USA and Secretary General of WIC Austin Ugo Uzodike pledged to make sure that the cash realized was sent to the Biafran Veterans. It was generally agreed that NJ-based Songhai Charities, which had sent wheelchairs and cash to the veterans through its Nigerian rep, Barrister Zik Obi, would be a sure-fire route for remittance. Mr. Uzodike asked for support of the proposal by Mr. Victor Akpu that the association remit at least $1000.00 annually to the veterans.

Although there was very small number of people in attendance (many people of Igbo extraction were engaged in other socio-cultural and parochial activities throughout the Memorial Day weekend) the quality of the event made it appear like there were over 2000 people present. It was an interesting and memorable memorial service.

Enugu Deputy Governor Okechukwu Itanyi cutting the tape to commission the WIC-sponsored project at Oji River. To his his left is Chief Austin Egwuonwu; behind him are a Biafra veteran (in wheelchair), Dr. Kalu Diogu, incumbent WIC chair, and Loolo Vicky Egwuonwu.