A Tribute To Gallant Civilian Soldier Of Igbo-Biafra, George Obiozor By OYC’s Igboayaka
It is very heavy for my pen to ink down a tribute to Professor Ambassador George Obiozor, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
Many people knolew George Obiozor as an erudite Professor, while some knew him as an excellent Diplomat.
Prof. George Obiozor was one of the rare true Igbo man who lived on the surface of the earth that saw two battles in Igboland- the conventional battle, (the Genocide against Ndigbo-1967/70) and unconventional Battle in Southeast from 2021 till the day he departed from this cosmological metropolitan.
Within this short period, Prof. George Obiozor became my mentor and father, and that undoubtedly spurred my convinction about my Igbo survivalistic struggle. The time with him as President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, was a history class to me, that period of two years with him, was like undergoing a degree course and masters graduation to the road map of political cum economic survival of Ndigbo.
There is one regret I have about Prof. George Obiozor, I regret that his reign as president General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo didn’t come from 2017-2021, if it was his reign lo and behold the coded “Operation Python Dance” of the Nigerian Army, the second attempted missionary conquest against Ndigbo would have been averted.
Yes, the then Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide played a silent role in the demonic “Operation Python Dance” while Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu played a logistics/financial role that eliminated over 200 Igbo youth in AfaraUkwu Umuahia, Abia State, on 17th September 2017.
It takes only Prof. George Obiozor to be Prof. George Obiozor, a man that his political mates/elites within, advised to keep away and abandon the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB) and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, yet he went further to constitute Ohanaeze Ndigbo Delegation to Observe Court Proceedings of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu versus Federal government of Nigeria.
A particular meeting I had with Prof George Obiozor that fateful day, he said to me, “Look my son, Nnamdi Kanu is our Son, I owe him support and protection”, he said. Also, he told me his role in defending Biafra land during the 1967-1970 genocide against Ndigbo.
Many people never knew how Ikemba Chukwuemeka ODIMEGWU Ojukwu came to Nigeria in 1982 during President Shehu Shagari administration. The brainchild of the royal and heroic welcome of Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu to Nigeria was Prof George Obiozor and Oyi of Igbo land, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo.
Even when federal government delayed in providing logistics, Prof. George Obiozor mobilized fund and raised One Hundred thousand naira (100,000). This sacrificial action of Obiozor to ensure that Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu came back to Nigeria before Nigeria Government would change its mind, as perceived, is called ” Mberede yiri Dike; Mberede Ka Eji Ama Dike.
Prof George Obiozor was a rare Dike in Igbo land. He told me a lot, I left that meeting with a new and bolder spirit of a true convinced Igbo man.
In the attempted third conquest of Ndigbo which was manipulated by Federal government that seemingly took insecurity dimensions could have resulted in declaring State of emergency in Southeast, but how Prof. George Obiozor scuttled the idea of the federal government of Nigeria, remains a decision which only a rare Dike like him could take.
If Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide was not led by Prof. George Obiozor, a State of emergency could have been declared that could have been target at the killings of Igbo Youths in Biafra land.
Prof George Obiozor took several bullets for Ndigbo especially (IPOB), his views about Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and other Pro-Biafrans bridged a lot of catastrophic end, because his reign as the president General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo was the time federal government showed unsatisfied quest to crush Biafra agitators.
Prof George Obiozor was a rare Igbo man at his height and level has conquered this egocentric tendency of many Igbo political elites, he was a humble to listen to any body irrespective of one’s class. In fact, George Obiozor was ready come very low to take an advice from a “foetus” in his selfless bid to move Ndigbo forward especially in Nigeria’s political project.
In fact, his reign as the president General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide was not a coincidence, it was predestined at that time, from the day of Adam at Eden, God saw this era, that such a man like him could diplomatically handled civilian crisis in Nigeria, a situation that could have led to a war between those clamouring for self-determination and the federal government of Nigeria. Dike is not merely a man who fought a war, such men who tactical quenched wars that could have taken the skulls of heads are “Dike”. Obiozo, your reign as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo was most tasking and indeed impactful, a it came at the perilous time of Ndigbo in the Nigeria’s political history.
Ndigbo must remain gratitude to Prof. George Obiozor. Candidly, what he averted for Ndigbo at the shortest sketch of time, shall outlive the generation of Prof. George Obiozor and anyone from his extended families in Awo Omemma.
I bid you farewell as Dike of Igbo nation.
I bid you farewell, the father of Igbo modern freedom;
I bid you farewell, the Lover of Freedom!!!
Igboayaka O Igboayaka,
National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council, (OYC).
