‘Autobiography of ‘Biafra’s Last Field Commander’
reviewed by London based media
‘A
Guided Life’
REVIEWED BY Ralph
Igbo and Ebere Inyama
Published by Strive
Books Nig. Ltd. no. 1 Strive Street Ext., Owerri, Imo state, Nigeria. Phone
+2348033323514, +234803404306, +2348034276894
Prologue
CHAPTER
ONE
My
antecedents, pedigree and family
CHAPTER
TWO
The
Military Option
In chapter two, the author
discloses how his father guided him into joining the Nigerian Army and narrates
his experiences during the journey to Owerri for screening into the Army. He
also described the manner in which his mother expressed her disapproval as she
battled hard to discourage her son from joining the army:
CHAPTER
THREE
Training
at Nigerian Military School, Zaria
The fortunes of a man lies
on the solid foundation of his life and the proper choice of his career. The
chapter presents the preparations of Colonel Lambert Ihenacho at his tender age
to face and overcome the challenges of his life.
CHAPTER
FOUR
Training
at Ethiopian Military Academy, Harar
Chapter four marks another
level of progress in the military training of our author, Col. Lambert Ihenacho.
He leaves the training school in Zaria, Nigeria, and goes to the Military
Academy at Harar in Ethiopia where he and his colleagues were received by the
deified Emperor Hailie Sellassie (the Lion of Judah) and other high level
nationalities.And that helped to form the framework of his life:
CHAPTER
FIVE
My
posting to 5 Infantry Battalion, Nigerian Army, Kano
An energetic wrestler
becomes restless at the rhythm of the wooden drum till he engages his opponent
in a wrestling match in the village square. The sound of the drum, coupled with
its message stiffens his nerves and makes him almost wild and furious, pacing
to and fro like a hunter dog sniffing for the hideout of grass cutters. The
military training of our young Cadet, straight from the Ethiopian Military
Academy and posted to 5th Infantry Battalion of the Nigerian Army is
to be put to test:
CHAPTER
SIX
Harvest
of Coup D’etat. January and July 1966, December 1985 and April 1985.
This chapter is very
important in the history of Nigeria. Nigeria’s chequered history is as a result
of the first military coup d’etat. The date, time and cause of the coup are
given here. As usual, Col. Lambert Ihenacho’s penchant for details and accuracy
is again demonstrated:
Further here, the author
discloses the real motive of coup plotters:
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Drums
of war and preparations
In chapter seven, the author
gives a detailed account of the steps taken by the Easterners to defend
themselves if the ongoing hostilities by the Nigerian Armed Forces should lead
to war. He disclosed a classified information on how arms and ammunitions arrived Port-Harcourt before the declaration of Independence of Biafra on 30th
May 1967. He commended Ojukwu for fighting back instead of sitting there and
waiting to be slaughtered by the rampaging Nigerian Army.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
Fighting
in Northern sectors of Biafra
It would appear that the
mystery of life rests on the unknown and this makes man a puppet in the hands
of his creator. Little did Major Kaduna Nzeogwu realize that the 15th
January coup which he masterminded would lead to a chain of events which would
culminate in a bloody Civil War.
CHAPTER
NINE
Fighting
in southern sectors of Biafra.
In this chapter, the author
describes the fighting in the southern sector of Biafra comprising PH, Oguta,
Owerri, Ngor-Okpala, Enyiogugu and Aba and discloses the reasons why some
mercenaries fighting on the Biafran side abandoned their duty posts and fled
from Biafra land at the peak of the war:
CHAPTER
TEN
Mission
to recapture Owerri
In chapter ten, the author
describes the mission by the Biafran Army to recapture Owerri, his resolve to
Liberate Ngor–Okpala and his encounter with American journalists who were on
ground to cover the war:
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Marriage
in the midst of war
This chapter takes away from
the theater of war to theater of love for the time being. We see it as a drama
of love. The author sees it so too:
CHAPTER
TWELVE
The
fall of Biafra
In chapter twelve, Ihenacho
described the scenario that played out in Biafra shortly before its collapse
and gives account of how he led a group of demoralized Biafran soldiers to
engage the advancing Federal troops in an attempt to buy time for General
Effiong to make the surrender broadcast. Col. Lambert Ihenacho becomes ‘ the
last Biafran Field Commander.’
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
My
growing family
In chapter thirteen, the
author describes the obstacles he was forced to overcome having lost all his
possessions to the ill-fated war. It was also at this period that his wife gave
birth to their first child:
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Back
in the Nigerian Army (1972 – 1990)
Our author is reabsorbed in
the Nigerian Army in 1972 as a Lieutenant (his rank before the war). His old
self is cast off. He is faced with a new beginning of life. The drums of war
ceased to beat. He no longer dances to the rhythmic beats of the drum. When
cobra the snake sheds its outside skin, it emerges refreshed and reinvigorated.
So it is with our author. Nothing is lost by him save the appendages of his
former military authority. The old chapter of his life is closed and the new
chapter is opened.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Extra-Service
appointments: Nigerian Cement Company Limited, Nkalagu
In chapter fifteen, the
author gives a detailed account of his extra-service appointments.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
My
Retirement from Nigerian Army and return to my roots.
In chapter sixteen, Ihenacho
describes his premature retirement from the Nigerian Army and his return to his
roots.
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
My
contact with “In The Light of Truth – The Grail Message” by Abd-ru-shin
“ My retirement from the Army truly
opened new avenues for me”. It is said that when one road closes, another
opens.”
“As I as I was leaving the army in
September 1990, the Imo state government on 11th October, same year,
appointed me Chairman of Imo Airport Monitoring Committee. I was not in
politics then and had no connection with those in government”.
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
My
foray into politics
This commentary and analysis
is imbalanced without tracing the history of our author’s foray into politics
which started in 2003:
EPILOGUE
‘Autobiography of ‘Biafra’s Last Field Commander’ reviewed by London based media
‘A
Guided Life’
The autobiography of Col. Lambert Ogbonna Ihenacho
mni
‘The Last Biafran Field Commander’
REVIEWED BY Ralph
Igbo and Ebere Inyama
Published by Strive
Books Nig. Ltd. no. 1 Strive Street Ext., Owerri, Imo state, Nigeria. Phone
+2348033323514, +234803404306, +2348034276894
Prologue
The book, ‘A Guided Life’ is the autobiography of
Colonel Lambert Ogbonna Ihenacho. In
this 339 pages of documented history, one of Nigeria’s brilliant and fearless
army Officer, Colonel Lambert Ogbonna Ihenacho, who hails from Imo state,
narrates the story of his life beginning from the period he joined the Nigerian
Army in 1957 till he retired from active service in 1990.
Like Ademola Ademoyega’s ‘Why
We Struck’, ‘A Guided Life’ captures
the scenarios that played out in the Nigerian Army shortly before, during and
after the failed coup of January 1966; the book went further to discuss the
Nigeria – Biafra war in detail, the events that followed after the war and the
travails of the Nigerian polity. And
like Chinua Achebe’s ‘There Was a Country’, the author made good use of his
amazing descriptive power to put events in their proper perspectives.
Lambert Ogbonna Ihenacho was
a Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army before the Nigeria/Biafra Civil War. He was
serving at the 5th Infantry Battalion Nigerian Army, Kano. Back in
Eastern Nigeria, he joined hands with Governor Odumegwu Ojukwu and other Igbo
elites to fight for Biafra Independence.
During that war, Ihenacho
employed all the training he received to command Company, Battalion and Brigade
effectively in various sectors. He gave details of the various battles he
fought in the war. He recaptured large
territories occupied by the enemy which helped Biafra to remain afloat for such
a long time. He ended as a Lt. Colonel.
After the war, Ihenacho was
reabsorbed into the Nigerian Army where he served in various capacities before
he was compulsorily retired in 1990 as a Colonel.
Colonel Ihenacho had a close
shave with the coup of 1985. When the dust settled, his friend, Lt. Colonel
Bitiyon was found guilty and was executed alongside Gen. Mamman Vatsa and
others. Again, he narrowly escaped execution after he was wrongly arrested for
the coup plot of April 1990 alongside Major Gideon Okar and others.
In this book, the author
narrates his exploits when he commanded Nigerian troops in Lebanon between 1980
and 1981. Towards the tail end of the book, Ihenacho who was nominated as a Deputy
Governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo state in
2007, narrates his experiences as a politician. He also talks about his
spiritual life with greater emphasis on his contact with the Grail Message.
Lambert Ogbonna Ihenacho is
a blend of the military and the intellectual, a man with the sword in one hand
and a pen in the other. He is a fearless warrior who dared to challenge any
misdeed or atrocity committed by anybody including his superiors in the army,
many of whom are still alive today.
CHAPTER
ONE
My
antecedents, pedigree and family
In chapter one of this
autobiography, Lambert Ihenacho gives a brief history of his community, Upe, in
Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area of Imo state. He goes further to give account
of the unique circumstance that led to his birth. He narrates how his father’s
first wife, Mama Cecilia sacrificed her marriage to ensure that Lambert Ihenacho
was born in Upe Community:
“Mama Cecilia met every description of a loyal wife. But
she was infertile for about 10 years of her marriage to my father. This
condition set her on edge. Out of sympathy for my father’s plight, Mama Cecilia
arranged for a young cousin of hers for marriage to my father…
Mama Cecilia upon presenting my mother as my father’s
second wife, departed from her matrimonial home in remarkable humility and
vanished. Her nobility shone into the darkness which seemed to engulf my father
especially considering his fear of childlessness.”
Further in this chapter, the
author briefly narrates his experiences in school starting from when he
enrolled at St. Mary’s Catholic school, Upe in 1950 and then received guidance
from his father who presented him with the lather that took him to the top of
the iroko tree of eminence. In this chapter, the author traces the cultural and
historical background of his people, with their totems and taboos. He is of a
lineage of warriors.
“
It could be realism that my incarnation among my people at Upe is connected
with our past that was replete with military exploits.” The Abam slave raiders
met their waterloo at Upe. “Our strength at that time lay with committed and
selfless leadership and a common will to protect our people and their heritage.
The will of the people was cast in steel”
CHAPTER
TWO
The
Military Option
In chapter two, the author
discloses how his father guided him into joining the Nigerian Army and narrates
his experiences during the journey to Owerri for screening into the Army. He
also described the manner in which his mother expressed her disapproval as she
battled hard to discourage her son from joining the army:
“My mother was extremely sad. She was in
fact crying. People gathered and tried to placate her. Her concept of the army
was downright negative. There was an adage generated during the Second World
War that the mother of a soldier is childless for when there is war, death is
certain for any soldier.”
The feelings of a mother for
a son whom she considers to be in danger are displayed here. It is touchy… She
intoned in Igbo “Ishiagi-jere-olee? Meaning where did you say you went? Our
author’s description of his journey to Enugu by a Bedford truck is
interestingly comic. The movement of the truck is graphically described. One
can easily visualize the scene with its comic relish. Our present day travelers
by bus can hardly imagine such a vehicle, but it was a wonder in those days. Colonel
Lambert Ihenacho may not have realized the power of his pen and potentials of
his work in its literary and historical content. There is power in the barrel
of the gun but greater power in the tiny bowel of the pen. ‘A
Guided Life’ is a history of histories.
It is personal history that touches on the history of other things. He
achieves this by the use of his narrative and descriptive power. Despite the
mischief of his clansman, Col. Lambert Ihenacho is guided towards becoming “the
property of the Nigerian State”.
CHAPTER
THREE
Training
at Nigerian Military School, Zaria
The fortunes of a man lies
on the solid foundation of his life and the proper choice of his career. The
chapter presents the preparations of Colonel Lambert Ihenacho at his tender age
to face and overcome the challenges of his life.
Military career is a career
where the hazards of his life are more pronounced. This is the career he
chooses to achieve success in life.
The loftier the vision of
life is the greater prospects of achievement:
”We arrived Zaria with roust feelings of
conquerors only to learn that other batches of candidates were to join us for
another round of competitions.”
Properly, he conditioned
himself to the prevailing norms of the school.
He gives us graphic details
of his military training and academic work. Thus, a general view of life at the
school is presented to us:
“That was the luxury in the school in
those days, and indeed, the happy side of the story.”
The school offers him the
longing and satisfaction of his heart:
“I convinced myself that I have arrived
where my heart found a proper rhythm”.
All is not rosy at the school. The delicacies in the kitchen with their
tantalizing aroma and the colorful uniforms of the boys in an environment that
comparatively looks paradisaical are offset by the harsh conditions inherent in
military training especially heights climbing and other bush exercises. “I
recall with mixed feelings of achievement and pain and experience during the
bush exercise in which we had to live without food for days. We had to fend for
ourselves in a barren land”.
At the news of the death of
his father, Lambert Ihenacho returned home, beholds his mother sitting forlorn and
engrossed in grief as if the ground was sinking under feet:
“According to tradition, my mother was under
confinement. She could touch no one. I could not even cry over her laps about
my tragedy. When I arrived at my home, a wave of wailing and screaming rent the
air. It was as if the message that the man who would grieve more has arrived. I
barely took their wailing in but could not help dropping tears of sorrow in a
voluntary response to the situation.”
He is to grieve more not because of any other
reason, but because of that mysterious inexplicable cord that binds parents to
their children. It is beyond human understanding. With the demise of his father, his family
load of responsibility falls on him. Our people say that when the head is off,
the shoulder carries:
“I had the opportunity to discuss our
future with my siblings and other relations. We resolved to face the future
with hope and determination.”
Another striking feature of
this autobiography is that Colonel Lambert Ihenacho possesses the power to
recall the past, giving the time, dates, names of people and locations with an
amazing degree of exactitude and vividness:
“At exactly twelve noon, we were matched from
our various locations to the kitchen area”
Experience shows that it is
rare to recall the past without mixing up issues. But in this autobiography,
events flow sequentially and with clarity as if they are happening at this
moment. This is an indication of a mastermind at work.
CHAPTER
FOUR
Training
at Ethiopian Military Academy, Harar
Chapter four marks another
level of progress in the military training of our author, Col. Lambert Ihenacho.
He leaves the training school in Zaria, Nigeria, and goes to the Military
Academy at Harar in Ethiopia where he and his colleagues were received by the
deified Emperor Hailie Sellassie (the Lion of Judah) and other high level
nationalities.And that helped to form the framework of his life:
”If the world respected Nigeria thus, the
least any of us would do was to vow with our lives to defend the honor and
integrity of this great Nation. That was my resolve deep inside me. It came
from my background of experiences so far and that resolve was to shape my
entire life afterwards.”
Colonel Lambert Ihenacho is
one of the first Nigerians to be offered admission in the Ethiopian Military
Academy for cadet training. Ethiopia is a country with a legendary aura and a
history that is unique and fascinating and which dates back to biblical times.
“Ethiopians would proudly tell you, a
visitor, how the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon of Israel and came back
pregnant. The offspring of King Solomon/Queen of Sheba became the lineage of
King Menelik of Ethiopia. Emperor Haille Sellaisse is a descendant of that
lineage.”
This myth accounts for the
deification of the Emperor. He becomes the personification of the country he
rules. He is virtually everything. The myth lasted for a while and with
dwindling fortunes of state, and rising poverty indices, the youths began to
question his power in muffled tones. His government was soon overthrown by the
military”. We will continue to repeat ourselves in saying that this
autobiography is a history of histories. It is a history of nations, of
individuals and of man’s civilization. Here Ethiopia is placed in a historical
perspective, dating from thousands of years ago. It is connected with the
Jewish history in the Old Testament of the holy Bible. Whether or not it is
mythological, the lineage of Ethiopian Emperor Haille Sellaisse is traceable to
King Solomon. Again, in the holy Bible, a reference is made to an Ethiopian
eunuch. We are irresistibly drawn through the pen of Colonel Lambert Ihenacho
to the historic importance of Ethiopia in her ethereal and mundane perspectives.
He goes into the ancient archives of Ethiopia to dig out the historic link with
the Jewish nation. This information whether real or imaginary is not contained
in the Holy Bible. No doubt, the greatness of a writer is his ability to
co-ordinate his bulk of learning to create a new knowledge and a new
understanding. This autobiography is not just about the life of a man, it is
about the life of a man in relation to a world of incredible contrasts and
mysteries and a bewildering variety of creations.
It is obvious that the
author is enchanted by the beauty of nature. He captures the beauty of
Ethiopian landscape with his usual power of description in these lines:
“On the slopes and on the knolls, one
could see large herds of antelopes and deers roaming freely in the undulating
planes that spread out in the vast distances in all directions. It was a
breathtaking sight to behold. More fascinating was the rich variety of flowers
that bloomed in the landscape. Pine trees blended with the undulating ground to
create a lovely paradise of variety in plant and animal life.”
This is a powerful,
beautiful and fascinating description. The description itself is more beautiful
than the beauty of the paradise created here. This is achieved by the beauty of
words. The beauty of the landscape is three dimensional. The landscape contains
the beauty of animals, the beauty of flowers and the beauty of trees. Let us
take another look at the last sentence in quotes with the emphasis on the verb
“blended”. This is the magic word that sets in motion the process of
transformation and creation. With word blended, the pine trees and the
undulating ground cease to exist in isolation. They come together to complement
each other to produce a more beautiful and pleasant look:
Words have their own beauty
and the beauty of nature is erected on the beauty of words. The beauty of words
become manifest when words are properly placed where they are supposed to be. The
poet, John Keats is an apostle of beauty created by men, for example, the
Grecian Urn while Colonel Lambert Ihenacho is an apostle of the beauty of
nature. In nature, Ihenacho sees the handiwork of God. He also sees the glory
of God. The beauty of the Glory of God he sees as paradise.
The place of photographs in
this autobiography needs some mention. Photographs play a dual role. They not
only compliment the written words as statements of fact, but also as visual aids
lend added credence to situational reality, leaving indelible impressions in
the mind. Words can easily be forgotten but not photograph which have a wider
coverage in the mind. They recreate long forgotten events at first sight. What
words do is to create pictures in mind and these mental pictures are not
reproductions of reality because in the process of their formation, they can be
distorted. Photographs are reproductions of reality and aid us in comprehending
the autobiography in its totality. These
photographs carry the periods of their production. They are pre-war, post-war
and the recent time. Their periods show developments in the history of
photography.
CHAPTER
FIVE
My
posting to 5 Infantry Battalion, Nigerian Army, Kano
An energetic wrestler
becomes restless at the rhythm of the wooden drum till he engages his opponent
in a wrestling match in the village square. The sound of the drum, coupled with
its message stiffens his nerves and makes him almost wild and furious, pacing
to and fro like a hunter dog sniffing for the hideout of grass cutters. The
military training of our young Cadet, straight from the Ethiopian Military
Academy and posted to 5th Infantry Battalion of the Nigerian Army is
to be put to test:
“I was already bubbling with enthusiasm
for action”. The efficient, diligent and price-winning battalion is commanded
by no other officer than Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu who had a presence that could
intimidate a lion”.
Col. Lambert Ihenacho, a
young military officer, bubbling with life and enthusiasm and full of
anticipation for actions finds himself in this colorful Infantry Battalion. “I
was ready to fly!“ This is his first experience in command of troops.
It is necessary to take a
look at the 5th Infantry Battalion which is commanded by Lt. Col.
Odumegwu Ojukwu and to which Col. Lambert Ihenacho is posted. Col. Lambert Ihenacho’s posting to this battalion is not in
any way as a result of coincidence as future events in the Nigeria – Biafra War
will prove. The battalion is said to be the best in all things:
“It
gave all of us a high level of visibility in the Army henceforth.”
But the question is: why is Col. Lambert
Ihenacho in the same battalion with Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu and why is the
encounter between the two necessitated by Gora’s report? It is understood from
the turn of events that Gora’s report is ironic because it fails to produce the
expected result to mainly Col. Lambert Ihenacho’s effrontery. It rather brings
him notice of and friendship with Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu:
“For the first time, I saw Ojukwu smile”.
This is a very crucial moment, not only for
Col/ Lamert Ihenacho, but also for Ojukwu and the Biafran Army that was formed
about two years later. This is the foundation of the handover of power to Col.
Lambert Ihenacho as the last Field Commander of the Biafran Army just before
the surrender of Biafra to Nigeria. In all these, neither Ojukwu nor Ihenacho
sees what lies ahead of them. This is the irony of life that anchors on the
unpredictability of future events.
Lt. Gora’s appearance on the
scene is ominous. It is not without a purpose. It is a philosophical import as
it shows the two sides of life – the good and the evil. Gora fails to
acknowledge his wrong action when it is pointed out to him.
“The matter was over with Lt. Col.
Ojukwu but Gora did not forgive and certainly did not forget as subsequent events
would clearly demonstrate… Gora just turned and left the parade ground
obviously angry with my effrontery.”
Gora is a contrast to
everyone else. This is the Gora that became the executioner of Igbo military
officers during the coup and who, were it not for divine intervention, would
have succeeded in having Col. Lambert Ihenacho’s head.
We would like to revisit the
physical appearance of Ojukwu, if physical appearance is synonymous with
presence. Ojukwu is said to have a presence that would intimidate a lion. He
has a stern look and hardly smiles:
”He was seated and we were standing at attention
before this fierce-looking man”. His look is like that of a lion. This is the
description of a man who later became a legendary and revolutionary character
and who became the king of the Igbo race. He was revered to the point of
idolization; “A presence that would intimidate a lion” is the phrase that
attracts us and sums up all his attributes. Lion is said to be the strongest
animal, a devourer of other animals and the king of the jungle. But there is a
man whose presence, only his presence is capable of intimidating a lion. He has
no comparison. Therefore he is presented to us as superhuman. For us humans, lion has stood as a symbol of
extraordinary physical strength. Notable
writers have celebrated warriors with this type of valor in their works by
likening them to a lion. In about four hundred years ago, William Shakespeare
saw this valor in Julius Caesar and celebrated him in his play titled, Julius
Caesar. For purposes of reference and
comparison with Col. Lambert Ihenacho’s ‘A Guided Life’, we turn to
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar where Caesar
says; “danger knows full well that Caesar is more dangerous than he. We are two
lions littered together in one day, I the elder and more dangerous”. Here,
Shakespeare saw the attributes of a lion in Caesar and rated him “more
terrible”. In ‘A Guided Life’, Col.
Lambert Ihenacho struck the same note at a much higher pitch.
CHAPTER
SIX
Harvest
of Coup D’etat. January and July 1966, December 1985 and April 1985.
This chapter is very
important in the history of Nigeria. Nigeria’s chequered history is as a result
of the first military coup d’etat. The date, time and cause of the coup are
given here. As usual, Col. Lambert Ihenacho’s penchant for details and accuracy
is again demonstrated:
“At 11 am on the 15th day of
January 1966, we were at Kano stadium for parade rehearsal in anticipation of
the arrival of General Officer Commanding (GOC) Nigerian Army, Major General
JTU Aguiyi Ironsi, who was to come to Kano for the purpose of presenting us our
Battalion flag. It was to be a colorful occasion. In whispers, news came that
there was a coup D’etat in Nigeria and a number of officers had been arrested.”
The shocking news had a
psychological impact on him:
“Luckily, I firmly believed in God and
so surrendered all to Him and that conscious act banished all fear within me.”
Our author’s reaction to the coup is worthy of
note. His condemnation of it is in unequivocal terms:
“What is the difference between it and
murder? In fact, coup is the cheapest operation any coward can carry out and
they want us to clap for them for committing despicable serial murders.”
In this chapter, Col.
Lambert Ihenacho presents an in-depth analysis of the problems that led to the
coup. As a nationalist in military uniform, he clearly sees the water passing
beneath Nigeria’s feet. He states the causes of the war and blamed it mainly on
Major General Yakubu Gowon for his lack of capacity for governance:
“Their ill-fated experiment threw up
people like Yakubu Gowon who in my view, had not the capacity to act decisively
and who had to depend on the likes of Major Theophilus Danjuma, Lt. Col.
Murtala Mohammed and a few other hot heads to decide the fate of our country.
Gowon’s emergence as Commander – in – Chief therefore became the worst
misfortune that befell the Nigerian nation at such a pivotal time.”
Our author points out categorically that
Nigeria’s problem is the problem of imbalance in the federal structure and it
is this imbalance that has become recurring decimal up till today.This is the
situation the author would not like to see:
“My concept of life did not accommodate
violence of the nature of a coup where I would have to sneak out at night to
murder my friends”.
However, it is historically
important to note that it was the 15th January 1966 coup that
brought General Aguiyi Ironsi as the first Nigerian Military Head of State.
The 29th July
1966 coup eliminated Aguiyi Ironsi and brought in Yakubu Gowon as the Military
Head of State. Henceforth the story of the massacre of the Igbo race begins. It
is a story of killings and murders:
“Our fatherland disintegrated before our very
eyes and distrust had developed into a murderous passion. Again Lt. Gora came
to our cell and sharply ordered: “Ihedigbo come out; Major Ihedigbo stood up,
walked up and was led to a spot and shot dead; the elimination of Igbo military
officers in cold blood becomes a daily ritual which is reminiscent of the
holocaust.”
But in all these deadly and bastardy acts
committed by the Nigerian soldiers against their Igbo colleagues, Col. Lambert
Ihenacho’s life remains inviolable. The only logical conclusion is that his is
a guided life. His blood fails to make
up the flowing sea of Igbo blood. Despite the repeated attempts by Gora to see
him dead, he remains unscathed.
This event opens a new
chapter of his life. It is the experience of the sordid realities of life. It
is no longer the beautiful landscapes that create the impression of a paradise
on earth.The Ethiopian nightclubs and all their likes are now dim memories of
the false glory and beauty of the past. The present in its true nakedness is
frightening to behold and to face.
The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado
Bayero’s intervention which brought a halt to the killings also brought out the
fact that in every cloud, there is a silver lining. This was a man, leader of
Hausa’s, highly revered and whose word was a bond, a true Muslim of peaceful
co-existence, detribalized and nationalistic who acted in unprecedented godly
way. If he had acted contrarily, the extermination of the Igbos would have been
a thing of history. By this singular act
of the Emir of Kano, soldiers of Eastern Nigeria origin were sent back to the
east to avert further massacre. The author graphically described the harrowing
experiences they had on the way to Enugu after the Nigeria military government
ordered that officers and men of Eastern Nigeria origin living in the north should
be sent back to their states of origin:
“Our train was the last out of the
forsaken land. The train that was to succeed ours was brutally attacked”.
Like the Biblical Jews, Ndigbo in the east
created centrifugal force that propelled them into the secessionist movement
that led to war.Togetherness brings unity of purpose, collective wisdom and
concerted action.
“For the first time, people began to
talk about separation openly.”
Further here, the author
discloses the real motive of coup plotters:
“If the coup of 29th July
1966 had gotten to its planned conclusion, it would have been the worst
annihilation of a people in African history.”
This is the only vital
information for which we should be grateful to God. This sums up the whole
story. The benevolence of God is again brought in. The Igbo race was saved from
annihilation, not by a dint of its power, but by the grace of God. The echoes
of the grace of God reverberate through the pages of the autobiography to
justify its title – “A Guided Life”
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Drums
of war and preparations
In chapter seven, the author
gives a detailed account of the steps taken by the Easterners to defend
themselves if the ongoing hostilities by the Nigerian Armed Forces should lead
to war. He disclosed a classified information on how arms and ammunitions arrived Port-Harcourt before the declaration of Independence of Biafra on 30th
May 1967. He commended Ojukwu for fighting back instead of sitting there and
waiting to be slaughtered by the rampaging Nigerian Army.
“I supported Ojukwu’s action line by
fighting back rather than wait for annihilation… some chicken - hearted folks
came to him pleading that he should not embark on war. If Ojukwu had listened
to the pleas of these uninformed people, doom would have been the harvest of
the Igbo race and their neighbors.
Further in this chapter, the
author describes his posting to 7TH Battalion, Nsukka and the
attacks on Garkem in Ogoja on the 5th of July 1967 and Nsukka on 6th
July by the federal troops. Ihenacho faulted the decision of British government
to support Nigeria in the war against Biafra.
“The case of Biafra proved once more
that humanity will always be slow to support the weak no matter how cogent the
reason for resistance.”
Our author believes that
this very fact played itself out during the Nigeria – Biafra conflict. In fact
a remarkable uniqueness of this autobiography is that Col. Lambert Ihenacho
does not tell the story of his life in order to receive acclamation, he
indulges in social criticisms. The function of literary criticism is to improve
the work and that of social criticism is to improve the lot of humanity. He is
a social critic and social critics are the catalysts of societal growth and the
custodians of social justice.
Social criticism is the
basis of the enactment of laws which regulate the behavior of humans for
societal peace and harmony.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
Fighting
in Northern sectors of Biafra
It would appear that the
mystery of life rests on the unknown and this makes man a puppet in the hands
of his creator. Little did Major Kaduna Nzeogwu realize that the 15th
January coup which he masterminded would lead to a chain of events which would
culminate in a bloody Civil War.
In chapter eight, the author
described in detail the fighting in the northern sectors of Biafra including
the horrifying encounters at Nsukka and 9th Mile Corner.
“6th July 1967 was a
remarkable day. As early as 6am, hell was let loose on our troops. The federal
Army initiated a massive assault. Artillery and mortar shells hit almost every
piece of ground our troops were occupying… “next days were bloodier. Battle
intensity reached a new height. Federal troops made massive wave of efforts to
break our defenses. We held out by the skin of our teeth. They tried a night
attack which ended in a fiasco… Out-gunned and outnumbered and without a single
anti-tank weapon to challenge their armored vehicles, it became very difficult
to continue to hold out… A stubborn enemy platoon supported by an armored car (Saladin)
was bent on dislodging our men from the flanks. Our men stood their ground and
succeeded in separating the infantry from their armored car shield. Those enemy
soldiers who were not killed ran away and for unknown reasons, the Saladin just
stopped and could not cut and retreat. It could not move. But the brave
soldiers inside rained bullets on our troops relentlessly. Our platoon
Sergeant, Sergeant Nweke, picked up a hand grenade and crawled bravely to the Saladin,
keeping discretely out of the view line of its personnel. His objective was to
open the turret of the Saladin, throw in a hand grenade, restore the turret and
await mayhem to report. As Sergeant Nweke crawled to the top, he pulled out the
pin of the grenade and as he tried to open the turret of the armored car, he
was shot, not by the enemy, but by our troops who were still firing at the stationery
Saladin. He fell and the grenade that was primed for silencing the Saladin
exploded on his chest. It was a tragedy which has not ceased to arouse goose
pimples on my chest whenever I recall it. The enemy shortly brought another armored car
to salvage their grounded Saladin and we could do nothing to stop them. Before
long, the 7th Battalion of the Biafran Army was virtually wiped out.
Anyone who survived to the stage of evacuation was simply lucky or guided
towards survival… I was one of those who survived.”
The author went further here
to narrate details of his elevation by the Biafran Army authorities after he
had performed extra-ordinarily well at the war front. He revealed some of the
strategies and tactics employed by the two opposing sides in the battle.
“I was promoted to the rank
of Major and given charge of the newly created 6th Battalion of the
Biafran Army… I was to lead an advance party to reoccupy Nsukka. My specific
task was to retake Ziks’s flats” the task was achieved but Nsukka finally fell,
followed by Enugu, Owerri, Onitsha and other major Biafran towns.”
Further in the chapter, the
author narrates how Governor Ojukwu appointed Colonel Achuzia ‘alias Hannibal’,
and later, ‘Air Raid’ over the head of 14 Division Commander, Brigadier Ogbugo Kalu
to clear Owerri as a New Year gift to Biafra and how Achuzia became rather
ruthless to the point of killing his fellow Biafran soldiers without
justifiable reasons.
“Half-heartedly, Biafran troops fought
their way to the college but their dwindling strength could not sustain the
momentum of the attack. It fizzled out and Major Atumaka died with it. Those
bearing his remains stumbled back under heavy enemy fire only to be confronted
by waiting Achuzia who opened fire on them believing that they were stragglers…
and for the Biafran High Command to have looked away while Achuzia and his
likes ravaged the frontlines was a clear sign of weakness… I vehemently
rejected Col. Achuzia’s trifling with Human lives and I gave a clear order for
Col. Achuzia to be shot any where he was sighted within my command. I am glad
that he is still alive as I write for I would have hated to place this on
record behind him.”
“Determined to stop the enemy by all
means, Biafran civilian fanatics numbering well over five thousand able-bodied
men across age groups armed with only razor-sharp machetes were assembled for a
night attack. They were to ‘assault’ the enemy positions, kill and destroy
everything in sight. Ignorant men led by ignorant and daft leaders left their
hiding places at H-Hour and blindly charged at the enemy. It was a disaster of
monumental proportions. At close range, the ‘unarmed’ mass of patriots were
mowed down without mercy. Nothing could have been more tragic for Ndigbo
throughout the war.”
What can one say about the
above quotation? It is all a tale of woes. It is thought-provoking. It is a
bizarre happening at the ‘Valley of Death’ on the Enugu main axis. This passage
seems to defy all reasonable conjectures as to the cause of this bizarre event.
It is an enigma. It sounds like a film trick. It is like the events in a book
titled ‘Alice in Wonderland’ we read in the 1960s where improbabilities become
probabilities as if with the magic wand. ‘The Valley of Death’ may be a
wonderland – a land of wonders. We ask again; is it an act of sabotage on the part
of ignorant daft leaders? Was it fanaticism or foolhardiness on the part of
civilian fanatics? How on earth can unarmed men attack armed soldiers? No
history has ever recorded such a bizarre event but it is now recorded in the
Nigeria-Biafra war. The only plausible
conjecture for the occurrence of the event is that it is a display of
patriotism at its extreme. It is patriotism that has never been recorded
anywhere else in the world. It has no historical parallel even in the Jewish
history. Although our author condemns it as fanaticism and foolhardiness and
concludes that “nothing could have been more tragic for Ndigbo”, in it, we see
element of extraordinary bravery, self –sacrifice and patriotism which
characterize Ndigbo.
The verb ‘mowed’ draws our
attention. The author refuses to use ‘shoot’ or ‘kill’or any other synonym. The
verb ‘mowed’ says it all. It tells us the manner of the death of the Biafran
patriots. We cannot fully understand this until we visualize a mower in action
and see the speed and the regularity at which the grasses fall beneath it. This
is the manner of the death of the ‘unarmed mass of patriots’ and this is
another instance of the author’s descriptive power. Consider another word,
‘mass’. It brings to mind a lump or group of people with no capacity for
in-depth reasoning. One can see that the author is densely critical of the
‘unarmed mass of patriots and ignorant leaders’, pouring venom on them. We have
dwelt long on this chapter because in dramatic terms, it is where the conflict
is centered and the outcome of which determines the winner and the looser.
CHAPTER
NINE
Fighting
in southern sectors of Biafra.
In this chapter, the author
describes the fighting in the southern sector of Biafra comprising PH, Oguta,
Owerri, Ngor-Okpala, Enyiogugu and Aba and discloses the reasons why some
mercenaries fighting on the Biafran side abandoned their duty posts and fled
from Biafra land at the peak of the war:
“ My new command, (63 Infantry Brigade}
was initially commanded by Col. Steiner from far away Sweden who was so
committed towards the actualization of Biafra that he enrolled into the Biafran
regular military establishment with enthusiasm. He was frustrated on account of limitations in
supply of requisite weaponry and he abandoned his command and left the
country.”
”As the fighting in the northern sector
was raging, the federal troops landed in Bonny and by 19th May 1968,
it fell. Biafra’s viability was in jeopardy. 3rd Marine Commando
Division (3MCDO) under an ambitious officer called Benjamin Adekunle (a.k.a
Black Scorpion} was furiously moving to end the war from the south. 16 Brigade of 3MCDO bulldozed its way,
crushing all Biafran opposition and captured Owerri on 16th
September 1968. 14 Brigade (3MCDO) swept
through Ngor-Okpala and occupied the strategic Okpala –Owerrinta Bridge and
moved to take Enyiogugu. 15 Brigade (3MCDO) got to Oguta without difficulty and
set the stage for crushing what was left of Biafra.”
One notable aspect of this
autobiography is that the author tells the story of his life as a detached
observer. He takes away bias and prejudice. He says what he sees exactly as he
sees it without coloration. Take for instance the case of Col. Benjamin
Adekunle of 3rd Marine Commando Division of the Nigerian Army. He describes him as ambitious and audacious,
ferociously moving to end the war from the south. He carefully fails to use
derogatory words to qualify him as an enemy. He says exactly what he is-
‘ambitious and audacious’, and the manner of his movement, ‘furiously’, and
this gives rise to the fall of many towns in the south of Biafra.
Col. Ihenacho fights back
ferociously, recapturing towns and villages because he felt duty-bound to
defend his people:
“no risk was too great for me to take in
order to return my people to their homes and farms speedily”.
As we said before, Col.
Lambert Ihenacho is an apostle of beauty not only of material objects, but also
of language. It is the beauty of language he uses to garnish the narrative.
Beauty has a psychological effect in that it gladdens the heart. It elevates
the soul like music. It is therapeutic. Take for instance these two
expressions:
“The situation in 63Bde Command was so
fluid that Major Okilo could not even sit down to brief me. He and I drove to
Enyiogugu market where our front was caving under relentless pressure”
The two beautiful and prominent words that are
the pillars on which the two sentences stand are ‘fluid’ and ‘caving’. The
situation was unsteady and critical. It gives the impression of a backward
movement – capture and recapture. No other word could have been more
appropriate to describe this fluctuating movement. ‘Caving’ gives the
impression of someone in a cave. The word ‘encircled’ or any other synonym
would have conveyed the same impression. The imagery is clear – that of a cave,
and encirclement without an outlet as if held in captivity under a continuous
bombardment of pressure. Beauty of expression depends on the right choice of
words.
CHAPTER
TEN
Mission
to recapture Owerri
In chapter ten, the author
describes the mission by the Biafran Army to recapture Owerri, his resolve to
Liberate Ngor–Okpala and his encounter with American journalists who were on
ground to cover the war:
“The enemy had virtually everything on
the Ulakwo end and did not believe we could cross the river to attack them from
the rear. They were wrong here ... The all-round attack on Ulakwo was
sustained. The bridge was captured intact and was blown to pieces. A number of
enemy soldiers swam or waded across the river to escape. Some drowned and many
were shot in the attempt. Corpses littered the grounds and prisoners were
picked up from diverse locations. With the demolition of the bridge, Ulakwo was
now in our hands and the coast was now clear for us to move swiftly and
liberate the whole of Ngor-Okpala in accordance with the wishes of the Biafra
High Command and the people of Ngor-Okpala. Having secured our eastern flank,
we now turned our attention to the west….As we planned to carry out a major
assault on Umuneke, a group of journalists arrived from the Army Headquarters
to interview me. Among the journalists was James Wilde, an American who had
covered theatres during the Vietnam War. He was to report extensively in a
spotlight later in Time magazine (April 4, 1969) the attack on Umuneke where he
claimed I was the youngest Lt. Col. in the Biafran Army.”
Much is said about James
Wilde by our author but the note that strikes us most is this: “He represents
for me, dispassionate humanity who desires to know and contribute truth to
every situation in the world. This is a professional who amidst the rain of
bullets and bombardments goes to the warfront to see and collect facts, armed
with a camera and a pen and guided by the ethics of his profession. His kind is
rare indeed. He is driven not only by the demands of journalism but also by the
passion to know and protect the truth. It is the truth about the claims of
Biafra, the claims of Nigeria, the war situation on both sides. It is this
dispassionate humanity who are seekers of truth to whom he and Col. Ihenacho
belong.
“Finally, we were ready to move in to
recapture Owerri which had been in enemy occupation for six months and
counting. Inside Owerri, there were seasoned federal troops who still had their
armored vehicles intact. They had been fighting from there well prepared
defensive positions to ward off series of peripheral attacks but this time, it
was going to be different. They would be forced to get out of their trenches
and face Biafran troops with exceptionally high morale… We moved through
Biafra’s 60 Brigade forward positions to the bank of Nworie River. Our plan was
aimed at splitting the enemy in Owerri into small groups and shaking off the
cohesion of their command and structure, limiting mobility for their armored
cars and consequently, force individuals and small groups to fight for their
life. The nut to crack was how to drag them out of their comfortable tranches and
bunkers and deal with them. That was what turned out in reality. About twenty
minutes later, and in spite of approaching darkness, a jet fighter suddenly
emerged in the horizon and hovered around the area… An alarm was raised and
every one of our troops darted into cover… He then started strafing the
formation indiscriminately using overlapping fire tactics to ensure that no
target was missed. Anyone of us who escaped machine gun fire was simply lucky…
The two attacking companies moved through the bridge- head and went straight to
their objectives. The enemy was completely surprised. They did not expect an
attack from that difficult assault flank at the time it started... We attacked
the bridge with all ferocity and they withdrew from the bridge and headed
towards Umuguma, abandoning large quantities of ammunition, stores and
vehicles. I had done my job. Owerri had been recaptured.”
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Marriage
in the midst of war
This chapter takes away from
the theater of war to theater of love for the time being. We see it as a drama
of love. The author sees it so too:
”It was like a set scene in candid theater.”
It is no longer the cries of
dying soldiers, the rains of bullets and harvest of war prisoners, but soothing
words of affection and the harvest of amorous kisses and hugs. But it is not
essentially the dramatization of love as it is the dramatization of divine
guidance on a man:
“I got married when the war was still raging.
It was not a comfortable undertaking at that point in the war. Newly-weds in Biafra
during the war left huge prejudices in the minds of young men about wedding in
war situations. Superstitious beliefs were rife that officers got killed as
soon as they wedded or in the process of wedding. As if to lend credence to the growing
superstition, many of our officers died in various circumstances shortly after
or in the process of wedding. One could count several cases of such deaths. A
particular death that struck fear into many was that of Captain Ekwenugo. He
was brought back from the frontline dead as the bride was being dressed for
their wedding. The list of officers who were killed just before or during or
immediately after their wedding was mind boggling… I took the plunge and have no
regrets for doing so. Throughout my life including the period of the war, I
never made any extra effort to get out of danger. I just lived from day to day
unperturbed about what would happen to me. I still don’t know how to describe
my life as I drop these letters”.
The plot of the story shows
that Lambert unexpectedly sees a pretty young girl. It is without aforethought
and immediately falls in love with her. He sees her, as people would say, by
chance but it is by design. Events later proved that Eucharia is his real
destined wife sent to him by God because despite the prevailing superstition in
the army, the prejudice and opposition from her parents and relatives and the
changing war situations and despite the bridegroom’s challenges from the home
front, the marriage is at last consummated.
CHAPTER
TWELVE
The
fall of Biafra
In chapter twelve, Ihenacho
described the scenario that played out in Biafra shortly before its collapse
and gives account of how he led a group of demoralized Biafran soldiers to
engage the advancing Federal troops in an attempt to buy time for General
Effiong to make the surrender broadcast. Col. Lambert Ihenacho becomes ‘ the
last Biafran Field Commander.’
This is the most critical
moment of our author’s life when the ghost of certainty of defeat and imminent
death grins and stares at him. He is at war with himself, a newly wed faced
with the inevitability of the sorrows and tears of defeat. He is besieged by
wild imaginings:
“I was under immense pressure. My
anxiety increased. My head nearly stopped functioning as I contemplated the
plight of Biafrans on the move and what could happen to them if the enemy was
to decide on genocide”.
Even in this moment of
mental anguish and insecurity of his life, he thinks about the plight of his
fellow Biafrans.
“Owerri fell on the evening of 8th
January 1970. Troops were milling about everywhere in utter confusion and distress.
General Ojukwu was on his way out of Biafra for negotiations. In his absence,
General Phillip Effiong was authorized to announce the surrender of Biafra. I
was ordered by the Division Commander, Brigadier Ogbugo Kalu to take charge of
what was left of the entire 14 Division and that I must ensure that the enemy
was delayed with whatever was available until the broadcast was made. He said
if General Effiong was not given the chance to make the broadcast to the people
of Biafra and the world, the war would end in unnecessary blood bath that would
spell doom for Biafran men, women and children… It was not an easy task to
control hordes of demoralized people in retreat from enemy forces”
This is an order that
appears impossible to execute under the prevailing circumstance. The odds are
all against him:
“I
simply had an impossible task to contend with at a most critical time.”
It is not easy to see
clearly the working of his mind at this time. He is like a man asked to take
the bull by the horns or to fight a roaring lion with bare hands.
“I do not have the expressive capacity
to vividly convey the depth of dismay and helplessness conjured by
circumstances at that time. I physically had to halt some Biafran Officers and
soldiers and shouted out to them that it was important for the sake of our
people to hold our ground in order to delay the enemy… The enemy was to be
fired on sight not necessarily to kill, but to force him to deploy and attack
undefended ground. We did this to buy time for the announcement to come
through. Unfortunately, this new arrangement caused serious casualties on the
withdrawing troops and fleeing refugees… I made an effort to set up another
delay position by mopping up a few soldiers and whipping them up with the
protection rhetoric”
He eventually executes the
order but the inevitable end is around the corner. General Effiong broadcasts
the Biafran surrender and it marks the cessation of hostilities. On January 12th
1970, Biafra ceases to exist as a geographical expression and fades into the
pages of history as our Lambert fades into the cozy arms of his wife, Eucharia,
for comfort and security at Ogborji. Our warrior, a one-time lion of the
jungle, ‘the last Field Commander of the Biafran Army’ sheaths his sword and
later becomes reabsorbed in the Nigerian Army.
The thunderous reception
accorded Col. Lambert Ihenacho immediately after the end of the war by his
people is a show of gratitude and reverence to a son of the soil who fought to
save his people when their lives were in jeopardy:
“As if everyone was alert to hear of my
return, in seconds, the entire village, men, women and children trooped out to
receive me. Youths sang war songs and danced up and down our streets in wild
jubilation.”
The debasement of Igbo women
at the end of the war is one of the afflictions of a defeated people.
“For Ndigbo, the height of humiliation
was the appropriation of their wives and defilement of their young girls.”
This raises the issue of womanhood and the
place of woman in creation:
“Once womanhood was debased, a people
are finished”.
Let us find her place from
what we have so far known about her in this autobiography. We consider Lambert
Ihenacho and Eucharia, Ambrose Egu and Theresa. Lambert falls into a terrific
search for Eucharia, bulldozing his way, uprooting all oppositions till he
tracked down the “little pretty girl” of school age and possesses her.
Supposedly, this is true of Ambrose Egu and Theresa. Ambrose Egu offers his
life to save Theresa and Lambert will do so if he finds himself in such a
situation. This is because man is not complete without woman. It is said that “it
is woman who through her more delicate initiative ability, keeps open the
connection to light.”
It is true that all men are
not the same. They have their varying dispositions and temperament. This is
illustrated by the benevolence of Brig. Adeyinka Adebayo. Some men are
sympathetic and compassionate while others are indifferent to the sufferings of
humanity. Brigadier Adeyinka Adebayo contrasts with General Yakubu Gowon and
many Nigerian military officers at that time.This is evidenced by the sentence
in quote:
“The then Governor of Western region,
Brigadier Adeyinka Adebayo was in charge and he showed us some concern and
sympathy.He was vividly depressed over our hungry looks and shabby clothing and
ordered that each officer should be offered a bag of rice, a bag of beans and a
bag of salt.”
This is a man who should
have loathed those who fought against him in the war but instead, offered them
a life – saving gesture.
The present rickety unity of
the country owes its origin to this information:
“General Gowon in his vindictive and
blind desire to subjugate “stubborn dissidents” lost a chance to radiate love
and to lay a sound foundation for a united country”.
Vindictiveness, blind desire, subjugation and
hatred are vices which are counter-productive in any governance. They are a
clog on the wheel of progress. If the unity of a country does not rest on the
pillar of love and sound foundation, it is therefore likely to crumble someday.
Understandably, as our author tells the story of his life, he comments on
critical national issues. This is what among other things, makes his
autobiography stand out from others.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
My
growing family
In chapter thirteen, the
author describes the obstacles he was forced to overcome having lost all his
possessions to the ill-fated war. It was also at this period that his wife gave
birth to their first child:
“Just about three months after the war,
my wife was delivered of a baby boy on the 19th April 1970 at the
University Teaching Hospital in Enugu. We officers were still in Lagos under
interrogation... I had lost all my possessions through the war. At the tail end
of the conflict, I was at the battle front holding out for the safety of our ordinary
citizens when my HQ was hurriedly abandoned. Not a pin was picked from my base.
My only possessions were the military uniforms on me which I had to drop, my
pair of slippers which my wife gave me and a pair of trousers and shirt, each
of which was donated to me by my friends, Eugene Okere and Ambrose Egu. I
became a vagrant of sorts. It was the second time in my short life I had to
start afresh after losing all my possessions.”
What should draw our attention
here is not the arrival of the baby. It is a natural phenomenon. There is
nothing spectacular about it, but the time the baby arrived. He arrived at the
time when his father, ‘The Last Biafran Field Commander’, a man of power and
authority, a man whose word carried fire, but now is a ‘vagrant of sorts.’ All is lost through the war.
“Starting family life in the village
with a young wife and a new baby was not a tea party at all. I however received
amazing levels of assistance that gave additional credence to the title of this
book.”
Unusual experiences appear
to dominate the chapter. Our author decides to share this experience with us for
our benefit.
“I had wanted to keep these experiences
to myself in humility, but since I have been persuaded to tell my story for the
benefit of others who may have one thing or the other to gain from it, I had no
alternative but to come out with it here.”
As usual, he glorifies God
for his experiences.
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Back
in the Nigerian Army (1972 – 1990)
Our author is reabsorbed in
the Nigerian Army in 1972 as a Lieutenant (his rank before the war). His old
self is cast off. He is faced with a new beginning of life. The drums of war
ceased to beat. He no longer dances to the rhythmic beats of the drum. When
cobra the snake sheds its outside skin, it emerges refreshed and reinvigorated.
So it is with our author. Nothing is lost by him save the appendages of his
former military authority. The old chapter of his life is closed and the new
chapter is opened.
Situations hardly change
great minds built on principles. A former Lieutenant Colonel of the. Biafran
Army is never changed by the change of military title. He does his job
diligently and happily:
“I did my job without any fears and I
accepted without reservations, the results of my decisions.”
Lt. Col Utuk and now Lt.
Ihenacho are contraries. They meet again not in the battle field in Owerri as
enemies, but as colleagues in 186 Battalion of the Nigerian Army:
“186 Battalion was being commanded by
Lt. Col. Utuk, the same Utuk I nearly captured or killed at Owerri as commander
of the 16Bde of 3MCDO, who escaped by the skin of his teeth.”
Maj. Audu Usman contrasts with Lt. Col. Utuk.
He is described as a detribalized Nigerian.
“Maj. Audu Usman came from the far
north. But he was an epitome of a detribalized Nigerian. He understood clearly
the sentiments that had to do with the civil war and avoided ruffling feathers
as much as possible.”
He is a nationalist. Maj.
Audu Usman is a man of beauty of soul and body:
“The considerations of previous times
were no longer relevant; what was relevant was the current situation”.
The current rank of
‘Lieutenant’ in no way diminishes his enthusiasm and capacity for work. He
works to achieve excellence. General Yakubu Gowon commends him for his
performance at the parade that received him. He serves with humility:
“I held many command, teaching and staff
appointments”.
Under UNIFIL, he goes to Lebanon to command
Nigerian troops. His exploration of the dreaded Makaar valley is a feat that
requires the heart of a lion to accomplish. He is commended by the UNIFIL
Headquarters and the Nigeria representatives in Lebanon “for this spectacular
achievement in peace keeping in the Middle East region”. We have said again and
again that this autobiography is the history of the life of Col. Lambert
Ihenacho. It is also the history of Nations. Like Ethiopia, Lebanon is
presented to us in their true nakedness. This historical plunge into nations by
our author is a fascinating, distinct feature of this autobiography:
“The Lebanese people were sucked into an
endless conflict that did not really concern them directly. Strictly speaking,
the Lebanese are one of the most oppressed human beings on Earth today.”
Our author combines his job of peace keeping
with a study of the historical background of his host country which a community
with stranger elements of Syrians, Palestinians and Israelis. He presents
himself to us as a political analyst who proffers solutions to political
aberrations. He blames the UN for failing to address the “infringements of
Lebanese sovereignty.”
In his unbiased judgment, he
does not fail to blame the lawlessness in Lebanon on the treacherous
dispositions of the Lebanese and their propensity to divulge secrets to
strangers. This is a balanced critical assessment of a given situation.
Autobiographies are simply straightforward account of life history. Non is as
penetrating and informative of other peoples historical background as ‘A Guided Life’. His mission in Lebanon
is fulfilling. The advantages are numerous. His meeting with “officers of world
class integrity” is educative and entertaining.
An autobiography is expected
to be a fire lit in the dark that dispels darkness it is a star in a cloudy
night that guides the traveler to his destination. It is a light that
illuminates the dark recesses of humanity.
‘A
Guided Life’ serves all there purposes. It discusses
life, not only the life of the author, but life in general. It is the life of a
man and the approach to it. He tells us that he accepts any posts given to him
and he goes wherever he is asked to go without lobbying. In all these, he is
telling us the right approach to life: “everything that come our way is part of
what to experience, the way it is taken makes the difference.” And again, he
says:
“I did my job honestly without any fears
and I accepted without reservations, the results of my decisions”.
The ground from which all
these canons are fired is Col. Lambert Ihenacho. It is a large ground with a
variety of items. Unsurprisingly, we are taken into international politics:
“I was permitted a glimpse into
international politics with its intrigues and hypocrisy, which rather than promote
love, accentuate greed and avarice amongst nation states. No wonder the world
is headed in a self-destruct trajectory.”
Here, we are given the
privilege to have insight into international politics. The intrigues and
hypocrisy that characterize it are destructive of global peace. It is knowledge
hitherto unknown to most of us. Insight into the Nigerian Army is not left out:
“…training in the Nigerian Army is a
progressive continuum.”
‘A
Guided Life’ is informative, educative and entertaining.
We see the role played by our author in the withdrawal of South African
Candidates from the 20th International Course on Armed Conflict
because of that country’s reprehensive apartheid policy. The political situation
in South Africa parallels that of Lebanon to some degree. The author opens our
eyes to the existence and unity of the UN as a watchdog of nation states. Like all human institutions, it is not devoid
of imperfections. International politics has some elements of intrigue and
hypocrisy.
This autobiography is like a
document on world tour. We are now in Rome, the headquarters of Christendom to
see the Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica. This is by the courtesy of ‘A Guided Life’. St. Peter’s Basilica is associated with the
Reformation and Counter Reformation. Lutheranism as a religious movement which
started in the 16th century is responsible for today’s religious
expansionism. Here again, the seat of Christian religion with its superfluous wealth
is brought home to us. One can see all these as a panoramic view of the world
with its historical record. As we read the author’s experiences, we certainly
have a feel of them. They appear as our own experiences.
As we accompany our author
to the recreation park, “to relax and soak up all the experiences” and “top up
my level of achievement in one trip”, we witness a humorous event that provides
comic relief. His encounter with the Ferry’s wheel elicits tears and laughter:
“it was miraculous. I was not flung out”. A Colonel, the ‘Last Field Commander
of the Biafran Army”, the lion of the jungle of Africa, the officer who
commanded the Nigerian troops in Lebanon, the officer who explored the dreaded
Makaar valley, our ‘Amalinze’ the cat is now ‘wrestled down’ by the Ferry’s
wheel and made him sob like a baby: “Tears filled my eyes although I was not
crying. I was frightened stiff”. Immediately, he recollects himself:
“ Immediately it rolled to a stop, I
dashed out like a bullet and swore never to try that joke again.”
He compares himself to a bullet. The
tragic-comic drama illustrates that the strong are vulnerable and that human
strength at all levels has its limitations.
We have been hearing about
Colonel Ihenacho, but let us hear now about Colonel Ihenacho from the authorities
of the Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies as slated in his
report card:
“Colonel
Ihenacho is a much disciplined man with a clear sense of purpose and the
resolute will to achieve it. He served as chairman of his syndicate during the
second half of the course. An able organizer and achiever, he helped to plan
syndicate activities in detail and to execute them effectively. His capacity
for hard work and his ability to coordinate enabled him to discharge his duties
creditably. He was not only an innovative leader, but also a pleasant and
effective team player. He enlivened discussions with motive wit and
illustrations from a large store of aphorisms. He wrote an interesting essay on
‘Retraining the Nigerian Army for Modern Conventional War’. His overall
performance is graded ‘A’ ”.
This attestation on behalf
of Col. Lambert Ihenacho is a declaration of his personality and the
factualization of all we have said about him. What we are evaluating in this
work is the life activities of a noble character presented to us in print, but
at times, we cannot ignore the vibrations of words that demand our immediate
attention. It is not purely literary criticism. However, the various positions
of authorities he holds in the two leading military training institutions speak
for his capacity for hard work and intellectual ability. His literary
disposition finds an outlet in his many articles published in ‘The BAYONET’ and
various other magazines and papers. It is said that the pen is mightier than
the sword. As a man of many parts, in him is found the pen and the sword. It is
a rare combination of apparently opposing powerful forces that rule the world.
Major Orka’s abortive coup
which could have split Nigeria into geo-political zones of North, West and East
ironically adds more feathers to the character profile of Colonel Lambert
Ihenacho. That searchlight beamed on him gives us a charity of perception of
his character. It is firmly established that he is above board, a man of no
‘itching palm’:
“The investigators made strenuous
efforts to exhume their reasons for placing me so high on the list of those
they considered suitable for positions in their proposed administration and
found no other reason than that Col. Ihenacho was one of those considered firm
and upright who could be relied upon for permanent change to circumstance
bedeviling Nigeria.”
The picture is very clear.
It is now from the coup plotters. Col. Ihenacho is considered “firm and
upright”. The adjective, ‘upright’ is rarely applied to humans. It is Job in
the Bible who is considered upright. There are others too, but they are very
few indeed. When Col. Lambert Ihenacho says:
“It should never have crossed my mind to
debase myself with such mundane paths to leadership positions or financial
reward.”
He is stating a truth that
can be vouched by heaven. It is attested to by the authorities of NIPSS, by the
‘dying’ coup plotters and by the ‘living’ military investigation panel. Here is
the verdict of the Military Investigation Panel of 30th May 1990:
“The above named officer who was invited
by the Military Investigation Panel on the abortive coup of 22nd
April had been interviewed and cleared by the panel. He is hereby released to
report back to his duty station”.
Despite his release, despite
all his exemplary services and spotless record in the Nigerian Army, it is
clear that the ghost of a defeated people trails him:
“I also believe strongly that my
eventual retirement from the Nigerian Army alongside a number of my colleagues
from Biafra was not unconnected with the events surrounding the 22nd
April failed coup”.
We take on this quotation:
“My job was simply to do my best at all
times, pass my examinations in flying colours, do well in all my courses and
allow events to take their natural courses”.
At the surface, this sentence may not be
attractive because it is not adorned with verbal ornaments. But beneath it lies
much wisdom. It sounds Biblical. It is like ‘Solomic’ admonition. It is the
philosophy of life that creates wealth, promotes hard work, peace and unity in
any setting. In this sentence, there are two elements involved- the human and
the supernatural. The human does not control the courses of events. It is the
supernatural that allows events to take their natural courses. These are the
words of a sage. They show us the pattern of life that is acceptable and
pleasing to God and man.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Extra-Service
appointments: Nigerian Cement Company Limited, Nkalagu
In chapter fifteen, the
author gives a detailed account of his extra-service appointments.
When Col. Lambert Ihenacho
says that:
“…in spite of my apparent insular
character, I did not totally escape being sucked into government appointments.”
He is highlighting the
essence of his character. Throughout his life, as much as we have seen, it is
his character profile that speaks for him. He does not lobby for positions and
appointments. They come to him uninvited:
“Without notice to me, General Ike
Nwachukwu went to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Sani Abacha and
pleaded with him to allow him (Ike Nwachukwu) to appoint me into the board of
Nigeria Cement Company Ltd. (NIGERCEM) Nkalagu. Brigadier Ike Nwachukwu was
then the military governor of Imo state. He and I served as Lieutenants in 5th
Battalion, Kano before the Civil War and he appreciated my worth… I earned my
position as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of NIGERCEM through a formal
election by the directors of the company in line with the rules prescribed in
the articles of association of the company”.
NIGERCEM has had a chequered
history. The author and his team came on board and returned it into a
profit-making company.
It commenced backsliding to
its pre 1980 days after the author left the scenes in 1990. How this crippled,
dilapidated complex organization is revitalized makes an interesting reading.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
My
Retirement from Nigerian Army and return to my roots.
In chapter sixteen, Ihenacho
describes his premature retirement from the Nigerian Army and his return to his
roots.
“My retirement from the army was rather
precipitate. I hadn’t the slightest notice. I felt really hurt but I knew it
was the hidden continuation of the Civil War now aggravated by unfounded
suspicion that I could instigate or participate in a plan to overthrow a
government in power. It was painful for me because I believed also that I had
given off my best to the profession at all levels. I was effectively retired on
3rd September 1990.”
Also in this chapter,
Ihenacho gives account of his venture into private business almost immediately
after his retirement from the army:
“By 3rd October 1990, one
month after my retirement, my papers had been filed and stamp duties paid at
Abuja. It meant that that my company had been allowed to operate pending a
Certificate of Incorporation being processed. Strive Nigeria Limited with its
headquarters in Owerri was registered as an Engineering company specializing in
building and electrical contracts”
Selfless service is more
often than not reciprocated:
“News of my retirement jolted everyone
in my village. It is as if a large scale calamity had struck my people. When I
finally got home, my people organized a very elaborate reception for me”.
What strikes us in this second sentence is not
the feeling of calamity, but the use of the possessive adjective “my”.
Throughout this autobiography, whenever he refers to the people of Upe, he uses
the word “my”. It has a far reaching impact. They are his and he is theirs, and
that is why the news of his retirement jolted everyone in the village and that
is why an elaborate reception was organized for him.
He sees the marginalization
and subjugation of his people under Imerienwe:
“Upe community has a longstanding
problem of marginalization and subjugation under Imerienwe autonomous
community”.
Despite all challenges, he
succeeds in carving Upe out from Imerienwe. That Upe is now an autonomous
community is the sole effort of Colonel Lambert Ihenacho.
He opens another chapter in
the history of Owerri. This time, it is not on the Nigeria – Biafra war in
Owerri sector, but the war against ritual murders in Owerri known as Otokoto
riots:
“On the 25th of September 1996
at about 8 am, I saw a thick volume of smoke rising from several points (some
in the direction of the Government House) as buildings within the town said to
belong to the kingpins of ritual murders were set ablaze. The revolt went on
for two days without any respite in sight. I played a role in quelling the
uprising for the peace of the state”.
This is the goal of
knowledge. We see the role Ihenacho plays in quelling the uprising
characteristic of him and like a fire brigade, he plunges into the roaring
flame of fire and puts it off. He does this to restore peace in Owerri. It is
for the sake of the people. His entry into the scene of the uprising is
dramatic. unexpected, timely and divinely guided. There is no doubt that if not
for his intervention, the uprising would have gotten out of hand and deepened
into wanton destruction of lives and property:
“Col.
Zubairo did exactly as I advised him and within minutes after the show of force
with a handful of troops driving through key streets affected by the riots
under the direct supervision of the Brigade Commander himself, quietude
returned. No shot was fired to quell the riot. The crowds dispersed and the
rioting came to an end”.
But the question remains.
What kind of man is this man who brazenly takes a plunge into dangerous
situations, comes out unscathed and transforms the situations into havens to
the joy of every one? Your answer is as good as ours. Self-sacrifice for the
good of others is the driving force of his life.
He had been to several war
zones. He had been to Lebanon. He is a man who has seen the two sides of the
coin of life. When he speaks of war or peace, he speaks as an authority to be
relied upon
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
My
contact with “In The Light of Truth – The Grail Message” by Abd-ru-shin
“ My retirement from the Army truly
opened new avenues for me”. It is said that when one road closes, another
opens.”
A divinely guided life runs
its natural course. Road closes for a purpose. Col. Lambert Ihenacho’s
retirement is purposeful. His contact with the Grail Message is detailed here
and requires no repetition but some unveiling. Every meaningful story contains a
gem of life. As beneath the surface of the earth is embedded the fuel that
enlivens mankind, similarly, beneath the surface of every meaningful story lies
the gem of life that transforms gross material into gold. The search for a true
meaning of life should be the concern of all humanity. Some schools of thought
see nothing in life beyond the glorification of self; others see it just as a
journey to eternity. Sensuality and religiosity are two opposing concepts, but
God in his infinite mercy did not leave us in the dark as to the true meaning
of Life. Christian, Islamic and other messengers of God who are the carriers of
the Light of Truth made a definite pronouncement on the true meaning of life.
In like manner, the Grail Message has the appearance of a new religion, but it
is not. Some people may see it as the old wine in a new bottle but it is not.
It is strictly on its own.
The arrival of the Grail
Message to the household of our author is painstakingly narrated here and its
subsequent influence:
“My wife attained a more refined state
in her conduct”.
Engrossed in the message, he
finds it revealing and captivating:
“ I felt like bursting out, Lord, I had
wasted so many precious years, I said to myself”.
One can imagine what he means by the outburst,
how he sees his life empty and his military exploits vainglorious without
knowing the message and coming to terms with it.It is certain from the outburst
that he considers the Message more valuable than whatever else he has achieved
or known in life. A man of Catholic faith who has turned the Holy Bible from
page to page all his life but has never been fed with the truths as contained
in the Grail Message. The truths are profoundly astonishing and thought-provoking:
“ I was frontally challenged by the
audacity and finality with which certain pronouncements were made.”
With the recognition of the truth in the Grail
Message, Col. Lambert Ihenacho becomes a Cross - bearer. This is born of the
authenticity and veracity of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ but offers
more impetus into the understanding of the teachings of Christ as the message
is the continuation and completion of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the
light of what he says here, both messages have their focus on the strict
obedience to the laws of God and the rewards that accrue for such obedience.
May we line up again the
epithets of Col Lambert Ihenacho as a former military tactician and strategist,
a lion of the jungle, a bullet dribbler, a man who emits fire at war fronts now
turns into a preacher of the gospel of the Grail Message, sermonizing on the
importance of understanding God’s eternal laws and establishing a sound
personal relationship with Him. But a question arises: Does Col. Lambert
Ihenacho live by what he preaches? Or is he among those gospel preachers who
say “ follow my words, follow not what I do.” Can people put it thus in our
language, “ sorookwuonu m, e so la omume m.” Is he a man of two tongues?
William Blake says that as a man is, so he sees. The Holy Bible reaffirms that
by their fruits, we shall know them.” The fruits of Col. Lambert Ihenacho are
obvious. They appear to be real, spotless and tasty. He lives by what he
preaches. The testimonies abound. He enjoins us to come to terms with the
truth.
“ I feel it would amount to disservice
to my readers if I deny them access to the most stupendous discovery of my
life.”… “In the Light of Truth – The Grail Message” is the irresistible Book of
Creation. It traces the origin of man and clearly shows man’s relationship with
God and how he should live to attain the purpose of life here on earth. Anyone
who overlooks it, overlooks the meaning of life.”
This is a very important
chapter of the autobiography because it dwells on the spiritual aspect of man.
It contrasts with the other chapters that deal on the physical. The spiritual
is usually ignored but it is the nucleus of life. Not many people care about
it. It is the most neglected field of human knowledge because it is not as
materially rewarding as the other fields of human endeavor. Let us take a look
at this eternal truth which contradicts orthodox belief:
“Those who die fighting for God are in
reality fighting for themselves and will be judged individually by their
actions”.
The religious wars and persecutions of the 17th
and 18th centuries in Europe are on the pages of history. The Papal
Bull of Excommunication and the horrors of the Inquisition are some of the
religious follies of the past. The perpetrators of these atrocities thought
they were fighting for God. The Pilgrims Fathers and others that left for the
New World under the force of religious intolerance are a testimony of the
religious persecutions of the period. The wind of religious fanaticism is still
blowing in the continent of Africa and the world at large. Islamic
fundamentalism, though destructive of itself, abandoning the name of religious
war, taking up the guise of terrorism is cruising at a terrific speed across
the globe only to crash some day in mid-air. In Nigeria, the gang goes by the
name, Boko Haram. Islamism as a religious movement should reconsider its step
and focus its attention on exploration of Heaven with a view to guiding mankind
to that place of eternal bliss.
“You have been deceived by
the trappings of materialism”, says the author. Our Lord Jesus Christ asks; “What
will it benefit a man to own the whole world and loose his soul? From all these
admonitions, one can see that spirituality seem to be two parallel lines that
cannot meet. But on second thought, they can meet. Abraham of the Old Testament
Bible was rich but he was a friend of God. Job was rich but he was the apogee
of faith in God. King David was rich but he had the most intimate relationship
with God. It all depends on what one decides to do with materialism but more
often than not, it is abused. Materialism can be complementary to spirituality.
Both can be harmonized. One can be used to promote the other. The word
“materialism” as it stands alone is pure and indispensable to life but when it
takes up “trappings”, it loses its purity and becomes corrupt. It is in this
sense that the author uses the term, “the trappings of materialism. He is
against the abuse of materialism.”
The trappings of materialism
are those worldly material possessions which are so valued that they blinded
man to his recognition and worship of his Creator. The brazen display of
affluence in society by the bourgeois creates in man the tendency to worship
material possessions. Materialism is thus accorded priority attention in the
affairs of man. The things of God are given a secondary consideration. Owing to
the fact that those in wealth are treated like sacred cows, flouting the laws
of the land with careless abandon, the craze for material wealth becomes the
inordinate ambition of most people. But Col. Lambert Ihenacho says no to this
view of life. Like the Biblical Solomon, he sees it as vanity which in Igbo
language is called ‘ala ma aghara’ because
one leaves it behind as one goes into the grave. Many people have preached the
vanity of earthly possessions at the expense of knowing God and Col. Lambert
Ihenacho may be the last ‘prophet’ on it:
‘In the Light of Truth – The Grail
Message’ is the very continuation and completion of the work of Jesus Christ
the son of God, who as also did apostle Paul talked about the New knowledge”.
The history of the world is the history of the
unfoldment of ideas which culminates events. The question arises: From where do
these ideas emanate? It appears there is a store house of ideas and this store
house is certainly the Creator of heaven and earth. Here our author talks about
the ‘New Knowledge”. All these are related. The three branches of knowledge –
arts, science and technology – are interrelated. Our author tells us that The
Grail Messages is the very continuation and completion of the work of Jesus
Christ. It contains startling truths which may not be found in the Holy Bible
and the Koran. The adjectives used by Col. Ihenacho stimulate in the reader a
burning curiosity to read the Book of Creation to find out the hidden truths of
Life. One wonders why the book is almost equated with Life: “Anyone who
overlooks it, overlooks life”. We believe all our author says about the book
because he is proven to be a man who goes for the best and the truth in life
and would like each and every one of us to benefit from his discoveries in
life.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Civil
life services and experiences.
“As I as I was leaving the army in
September 1990, the Imo state government on 11th October, same year,
appointed me Chairman of Imo Airport Monitoring Committee. I was not in
politics then and had no connection with those in government”.
Our people say that the palm
of a man cannot cover the sun. A lit brush lamp placed outside attracts
insects. They flock in their thousands. Light attracts wherever it is. What is
in this man that irresistibly attracts governments and organizations to him? A former
Chairman of Nkalagu Cement Factory now Chairman of Imo state Airport Monitoring
Committee and later, Chairman of Imo Transport Company (ITC); Chairman of All
Farmers Association of Nigeria, Chairman of Imo Hotels Limited and member of
the Governing Board of Nigeria Institute of Oil Palm Research (NIFOR). What is this scarce commodity which he
possesses and which others scarcely possess? It is nothing but his character
profile – a profile of honesty and reliability in a waste land of idolization
of the Naira . He has a progressive
character and by that we mean that one stage of character advances to a higher
one till it reaches a crescendo. As in the military so is it in the civil. He
is always on a rescue mission.
Unlike the other people of
Nigeria, Ndigbo were denied government financial assistance in the construction
of their airport project:
“The Imo airport is perhaps the only
airport in Nigeria, the concept and construction of which the common people
embarked upon without government assistance”.
The construction of the Imo state airport
without government assistance brings two things to mind. It reminds one of the
utter neglect of Ndigbo by the federal government and the spirit of self –
reliance and ingenuity which characterizes Ndigbo. That Col. Lambert Ihenachois
placed at the helm of affairs of the construction of the Imo airport project is
not a surprising story. It is “business as usual”. The work is perfectly done
by him:
“ It was prudent for Chief Evan
Enwerem’s government to have done that. The people might have reacted if steps
to ensure transparency and accountability were not taken.”
As we said earlier, objects
crave and reach for light. Listen to what Col Lamnbert Ihenacho says:
“I was
in my house unaware of the goings on. I was informed later that the All Farmers
Association of Nigeria (AFAN) met and decided that the only way AFAN in Imo
state would continue (for now) as one body was to invite me to be Chairman “
And again:
“…as soon as we went into the hall,
there was an explosion of jubilation”.
He is as usual called upon
to prevent AFAN from splitting up into insignificant components. What drug is
supposed to be applied to the ailing association? It does not need codeine or
aspirin. Nor does it need the prayer of a prophet or the libation and
concoction of a medicine man. It certainly needs only the character profile of
Col. Lambert Ihenacho. It is the only drug. It is applied and the Association
stands on its feet as a corporate body.
“Before I became the Chairman of AFAN, I
was appointed the Chairman of Imo Hotels Limited by the Imo state Government in
1998.”
It is a common practice that most people lobby
for and accept appointments because they see them financially rewarding and as
a means of advancing their status quo. This is not the case with Col. Lambert
Ihenacho. He stands out from the crowd. In his acceptance letter to the state
government dated 13th August 1998, he states categorically that he “will not take a broken kobo as remuneration
due to the Chairman”.
This is selfless service to
one’s people which only a few can afford to render. In fact, it is difficult to
find the few. As he puts it:
“We performed no magic feat, we worked
with integrity and dedication and the former glory of Imo state Hotels Limited
is brought back”
Besides this appointment, in
2006, he was “appointed Chairman of Imo Transport Company (ITC) along with five
other persons”. And again in September 2009, he was appointed into the
Governing Board of the Nigerian Institute of Oil Palm Research (NIFOR).
The Resuscitation of ITC is
not an easy task. It requires not only managerial acumen, but also total
dedication and selflessness.
“Our intervention became the most
stupendous event in the history of ITC. I spent a little over 5 months in ITC
and the place changed completely.”
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
My
foray into politics
This commentary and analysis
is imbalanced without tracing the history of our author’s foray into politics
which started in 2003:
”Working with Senator Ike Nwachukwu gave
me a lot of exposure in the field of politics far beyond my expectations.”
As a result of his experience
in politics, he says:
“I have not been and will never be a
‘typical politician’ because I cannot fit into the mold properly.”
Does
this sentence not define Nigerian politics? A typical Nigerian politician is
armed to the teeth with weapons of destruction to catch his prey. Col. Lambert
Ihenacho cannot fit properly into the Nigeria political mold of dishonesty,
corruption and witch – hunting. In all his dramatic role in politics, what he
does is to help typical politicians achieve their ambitions:
“Ike Nwachukwu’s campaign activities
took a lot off me in every respect. I did not expect and did not receive a kobo
of all the efforts, but I put in my best to ensure he succeeded.”
Here
also, Ihenacho describes his meeting with political stakeholders where-in he
was given the opportunity to educate a large number of people on the need to read
the Book of Life – The Grail Message:
“I hate going into details of what
happened but I thank God we survived the ordeal … I could see a number of the
clergy in the gathering and they sat bolt upright waiting anxiously to know
which religion I belonged as if religion was synonymous with God. What a pity!”
What has religion got to do with politics? Both are different worlds. Our Lord
Jesus Christ admonishes us to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what
is God’s. Religion and politics have never had a sound relationship. “The
assumption that anyone not of orthodox Christian faith cannot aspire to be
governor of Imo state set me on fire. I was indeed burning. If a governor
emerges from the Roman Catholic faith, his or her deputy would be expected to
be an Anglican and vice versa to avoid bickering and dilemma of
marginalization.”
The author would have been
denied of his deputy governorship on grounds of his religious faith if not for
his strength of character. A character of low profile would have renounced his
faith to retain that high level position of Deputy Governorship. But in that
inquisitional trial Col. Lambert Ihenacho fails to renounce his faith in The
Grail Message. He defends it strongly and proudly as a Cross Bearer:
“The Grail Message is the continuation
and completion of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ and I will advise everybody
here to read it and confirm for yourself whether your son standing here is a
Christian or a Pagan, Thank you.”
He fails to compromise his faith for earthly
riches and position. This is because he places spiritual matters over material
things:
“That outing made it easier for me to
establish a great deal of the plight of human beings on earth.”
The governorship election in
Imo state is much detailed in this chapter. Every bit of it is assembled.
Nothing is left out. It is not really surprising how all these minutest
details, including time frame are collated.
” It was somehow providential for me. I
have not ceased wondering how I would have successfully waded through the
endless cobweb of deceit and suffocating barrage of untruths that were evident
everywhere. Engineer Ugwu and I had lost the chance to be governor and deputy
governor of Imo state respectively through the Supreme Court in favor of
Ararume”.
Our author had said
previously that “there are unseen hands
in the affairs of men”. This is a common knowledge. It functions as an
illustration of the providential element which prevents him from wading
“through the endless cobweb of deceit and suffocating barrage of untruths that
were evident everywhere”. It is certain that he lacks the courage to belong to
this world of untruths and deceits. He cannot fit in. It is frightening to him
for the cobweb is endless. This is the sordid picture of our society as painted
by an honest, disillusioned and dispassionate artist. Another remarkable feature
of the sentence in quotes is the symbolism and imagery of the spider’s cobweb
which is in tune with political maneuvering, cross-carpeting, rigging and
intrigue. The word ‘spider’ evokes the image of an insect believed to be
poisonous and loathed by people. The cobweb is a trap that entangles small
birds and insects that come across it. Our author escapes this political
entanglement by providential mercy. The beauty that dwells in this metaphorical
expression –”suffocation barrage of
untruths that were evident everywhere” is irresistibly appealing. It is not
only the beauty but also the force of it. Our author likens “suffocating
barrage of untruths” to a continuous firing of large number of guns. Untruths
are suffocating to honest people and they are like guns. This metaphor is aptly
applied. It reminds us that he has not forgotten that even though he is now a
civilian, he used to be a man of many guns. It is a reminder of the past, the
past of valor and service to humanity. The beauty and the morals of expression
can be a source of inspiration to the literary artist and the social reformer.
EPILOGUE
Epilogue by definition is a
speech at the end of a play or any other piece of writing. Our author starts
his autobiography with a prologue and ends it with an epilogue. This careful
organization of his work with pictures of people, places and events as they
occur in the book shows him a conscious writer. He takes a flashback into his
family background, his practical experiences and his services to humanity. He
would like us to see these experiences and the lessons from them as a guide in
our sojourn in life.
Col. Lambert Ihenacho is a
serious literary artist with a mission. In his writings, one sees him crusading
for political and social reforms, world peace, spiritual enlightenment and
man’s understanding of the true meaning of life. All these shows that he is a
lover of mankind.
As we drop our pen, we must
not fail to admit that the evaluation of this autobiography is beyond the
conventional commentary and analysis. This was necessitated by our desire to
amplify every incident and fact of life which we considered of interest to the
general public. We believe it has served the purpose.
For
enquiries on how to get a copy of this book,
call +2348033323514,
+234803404306, +2348034276894
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