Ojukwu to be buried on March 2

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu

Ojukwu to be buried on March 2
Cyril Okonkwo, Enugu.

The central planning committee for the burial of the late ex-Biafran leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu has released a four-week programme, which culminates with his burial on March 2.

The committee, which met on Saturday with its fifteen sub-committees at the Nike Lake Hotel Enugu, South Eastern Nigeria, said the programme would start on pre-burial activities, which would take place between February 14 and 20.

Burial schedule

The funeral activities proper would take place in the old Eastern Region and some states in the north, including Zungeru where he was born.

The programme has scheduled the Day of Reminiscences with lecture/symposium and tributes starting in Uyo on February 21; Calabar, February 22, Port Harcourt February 23 and Lagos, February 24.

This would be followed by the traditional mourning rites (Icho Madu) led by Igbo Youths across the country.

On Sunday February 26, there would be prayers in all churches.

The body of the late Ojukwu would be brought back to Abuja on Monday, February 27 and would be taken to Owerri and Abakiliki from Abuja on the same day.  On February 28, it would be taken to Enugu, the capital of the former Eastern Region.

The National Funeral Ceremony would take place at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium with dignitaries from all parts of the world in attendance.

On March 2, the corpse would be taken to Awka from where it would be taken to Nnewi in a motorcade.  A two minutes silence would be observed in the old Eastern Region at 5pm local time and would be followed by the burial at Nnewi.

Scares of Civil War

Speaking before the commencement of the meeting on Saturday, the vice-chairman of the central committee, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, who stood in for Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, the chairman, said the burial was being planned to remove the scares of the civil war and lay a foundation for a new Nigeria.

Chukwumerije said it would be a burial that is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria.

He said the meeting was called to review the timetable for the burial, which was earlier fixed for February 3, pointing out that the recent strike over the removal of subsidy in Nigeria affected the earlier date.

The late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu died on November 26 2011 in a London Hospital where he had be taken for treatment.

Williams