"Having mandated me to proclaim on your behalf, and in your name, that

Eastern Nigeria be a sovereign independent Republic, now, therefore I, Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Military Governor of Eastern Nigeria, by virtue of the authority, and pursuant to the principles recited above, do hereby solemnly proclaim that the territory and region known as and called Eastern Nigeria together with her continental shelf and territorial waters, shall, henceforth, be an independent sovereign state of the name and title of "The Republic of Biafra."

The day was May 30, 1967. The struggle that ensued culminated in an ethnic Armageddon. The dead numbered over a million. The living are haunted by the nightmare. Nigeria has never been the same thence.

It is safe to say that no one Nigerian has impacted Nigeria the way Ojukwu, the Ikemba Nnewi, has. It also appears safe to say that no Nigerian thrives on controversy as much as the Ikemba. He is loved by many and hated by others. Those who love him love him to death. Those who hate him do so with a passion. But in spite the love-hate crisscross of his life, there is no disputing the fact that he is revered by more people than care to admit it.

Ikemba's admirers recall many heroic statements, including the one cited above. They recall the concomitant struggle. They recall also a leader who stood up for his beliefs and his people, and to an enemy on a genocidal rampage. They remember the wise counsels of their hero in their three year companionship with hunger and death. They remember the master strategist who came back from Aburi brandishing an accord that could have saved the entity called Nigeria. They see the genius who peaked the consciousness of his people, an orator who galvanized them into a frenzied desired to survive and in the process made of them techno-savvy geniuses who built sophisticated war weapons to protect the lives of millions of his men, women and children to whose plight the international community had turned a blind eye.

The image of a bearded god of benevolence remained with many ndi Igbo all through the period that the Ikemba was in exile in Ivory Coast, but first took a hit when Ojukwu returned to Nigeria. In a country where partisan politics is ethnically driven, many expected the erstwhile messiah to either stay away from partisan politics or join what was perceived to be the party of his people - the party headed by the great Owelle himself. This did not happen. On the contrary, the Ikemba, with his effervescently unique mindset, joined the party perceived to be the Northern party, leaving many of his admirers confused and befuddled. The strongest message of disapproval was sent when the former head of state lost a senatorial contest to a little known physician. But even in spite of the disapproval, the larger-than-life image of this icon remained essentially intact. As much as they were not willing to be delivered to the NPN by the Ikemba, ndi Igbo were willing to forgive an inconsequential flaw in the life of their hero, especially since not all of ndi Igbo were in one political party anyway. In fact, in a desire to excuse his action, many put a positive spin on it. "He believed he could achieve salvation for ndi Igbo by aligning with the powers that be," they said. "He wanted to return the [Igbo] into the mainstream of Nigerian politics," writes Joe Igbokwe in his book IGBOS: TWENTY FIVE YEARS AFTER BIAFRA.

As if the hoopla surrounding his political and social life was not enough, Ikemba, to whom modesty is not a strong point and whose love for accolades is legendary - he is also Dikedioramma ndi Igbo - declared himself Eze Igbo (Igbo King) in the aftermath of the ripple in Igbo leadership rank. Many were quick to denounce such a title as arrogant and unacceptable. Even Ikemba's most ardent admirers admit the title stands a little too tall among a people who believe in a vastly misinterpreted saying: "Igbo enwe eze" (the Igbo have no king). One can sense at this stage that many an admirer have ostensibly parted company with the Ikemba.

But in spite of what appears like an auto-destructive political and social maneuvers on the part of the Ikemba in the past few years, it remains true that the Oxford-trained leader still has much going for him -- his record as a stand-up leader willing to put his life on the line for his people. Reports of his run-ins with some Northern political stalwarts during the last Constitutional Conference did much to salvage his sagging reputation. With his present pronouncement that the time has come to put an end to the political regimentation of ndi Igbo coming at a time when Igbo situation is the most bleak, many will be willing to believe that their hero was back. He has given the people a reason to forgive his excesses, a reason they have been yearning for.

And it seems to be in the interest of ndi Igbo to disregard the Ikemba perceived political blunders and submit to his leadership, not because, as some have argued, his record guarantees him a life beyond reproach, but because the Ikemba remains the one Igbo leader who is feared in the Nigerian political playground. He is perceived as eccentric and every Nigerian knows that he has what it takes to take severe actions if need be. Other than this, the Ikemba's love for and commitment to the Igbo nation is unalloyed. Given the perennial problem of finding a worthwhile champion for the Igbo cause both in the diaspora and in Alaigbo, ndi Igbo have very few options than to think back to the days of Biafra. At no other time did ndi Igbo have a more unified sense of purpose than then. At no other time did ndi Igbo ever submit to the leadership of any one man than then. We need not wait for another holocaust to take some action and curb the cancerous divisiveness among us. A drastic problem sometimes deserves a drastic solution. Ikemba may just be that drastic solution again.