Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, greatest remembered because the chief of Biafra in the course of the Nigerian Civil Warfare, carried many titles.
He was the Folks’s Normal, Lion of the Tribe of Biafra, the Normal’s Normal, and some would name him a romantic. Ojukwu had a softer, charismatic facet, one that ladies discovered irresistible. He was born into wealth, the son of Sir Louis Phillipe Odumegwu Ojukwu, one among Nigeria’s richest businessmen and the first billionaire.
Ojukwu was Oxford-educated, blessed with a commanding voice, so he mixed his mind with allure. He studied at King’s School in Lagos, Epsom School in Surrey, and later at Lincoln School, Oxford, graduating with honours in historical past in 1955. Upon his return to Nigeria, he rejected the lure of his father’s enterprise empire and joined the Nigerian Military in 1957.
His rise was swift, and by 1966, he was the army governor of Nigeria’s Japanese Area. The next 12 months, confronted with political tensions and violence, he declared the secession of the Republic of Biafra.
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As Biafra’s Head of State from 1967 to 1970, Ojukwu led his individuals by a bitter civil struggle that claimed thousands and thousands of lives by fight and famine. Following Biafra’s give up, he fled into exile in Côte d’Ivoire and later London.
He was granted a presidential pardon in 1982, and he returned to Nigeria, grew to become a businessman, and made a number of makes an attempt at presidential runs. He eventually died in 2011 after struggling a stroke.
Ojukwu’s Wives
Ojukwu’s life was legendary, and his romantic life, a bit controversial. He married 4 girls in his lifetime, and they’re: Elizabeth, Njideka, Stella, and Bianca. Every of them marked a distinct chapter in his private journey. His first cousin, Chief Anthony Nnadozie Udemefuna Ojukwu, giving perception into his love life in a 2012 interview with Vanguard, mentioned:
Take a look at Bianca; what she needed in a person could be very completely different from what Njideka or Stella needed. However what I wish to guarantee you is that these 4 girls had been alike. They had been all lovely girls. Emeka beloved lovely issues and delightful vehicles. He was a person of braveness and was good-looking, which was an irresistible mixture. Ojukwu married 4 wives in all, however he was married to every of them separately. He married early. You recognize he was a younger, wealthy and good-looking man, with quite a lot of prospects.
1. Elizabeth Okoli
Elizabeth was the daughter of Nigeria’s first Postmaster Normal. Her marriage to Ojukwu lasted for simply two years. She was a senior nursing sister by occupation, they usually had been mentioned to have been wedded in courtroom. The wedding, nonetheless, suffered a setback, resulting in the couple going their separate methods in 1958.
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2. Njideka Onyekwelu
Ojukwu’s second spouse, Njideka, was the daughter of C.T. Onyekwelu of Nawfia, Anambra State. They met by their fathers, who had been enterprise companions, and reconnected years later at a London tube station. On the time, Njideka was finding out legislation at Oxford.
Their romance blossomed, resulting in an ordinance marriage ceremony in 1962 with a reception on the household’s Japanese Home in Lagos. The union produced three youngsters, together with Emeka Jr. and Okigbo. She remained by his facet as he rose by the military, turning into the fifth Battalion Commander and later Governor of the Japanese Area.
Nonetheless, their marriage ended throughout his exile in Côte d’Ivoire, when Ojukwu determined to remarry. Njideka was harm by this growth, and he or she left him. She died in 2010.
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3. Stella Onyeador
The subsequent vital chapter in Ojukwu’s romantic life was with Stella Onyeador, a lawyer from Arochukwu, Abia State. Curiously, Stella had been chief bridesmaid at Njideka’s marriage ceremony, highlighting the intertwined circles of Ojukwu’s relationships.
She joined Ojukwu in Côte d’Ivoire throughout his years in exile, they usually had been collectively for a couple of decade. The couple by no means had youngsters of their very own however adopted a child woman. When their relationship soured, Stella sought custody of the kid. The matter resulted in courtroom, the place Ojukwu was awarded custody underneath Ivorian legislation. Ultimately, the 2 separated, and Stella returned to Nigeria. She died in 2009.
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4. Bianca Odinaka Onoh
Probably the most well-known of Ojukwu’s wives was Bianca Odinaka Onoh, daughter of C.C. Onoh, former governor of Anambra State. She is a lawyer, diplomat, and ex-beauty queen. Bianca was topped Most Lovely Lady in Nigeria in 1989.
She met Ojukwu within the late Nineteen Eighties. Ojukwu was mentioned to have been one of many excessive dignitaries on the Silverbird magnificence pageant the place Bianca was topped. Based on a supply, he wrote a love word to her with a flower inside. Their relationship drew vital public consideration as a result of she was 34 years his junior.
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Regardless of criticism, Bianca’s magnificence and mind gained Ojukwu’s coronary heart. They married in 1994 in a Catholic Church ceremony, the one one among his marriages solemnised in each church and courtroom. Bianca bore him three youngsters, together with a set of twins. Bianca had spoken of their relationship in 2012, and he or she mentioned:
