Awka Literary Society has organized a night of tribute, poetry and voices to mourn and remember former Chief of Staff of the Biafran Army, late General Alexander Madiebo.
The night captured at the General Madiebo Colloquium is titled “Concept of Biafra: Then and Now”.
The colloquium held in Awka, attracted Ndigbo from different walks of life and well-wishers from other ethnic nationalities and provides an opportunity for attendees to reflect on the life of the Biafran Army General and the short-lived Republic.
Late General Madiebo, a native of Umuokpu village in Awka, was the General Officer Commanding and Chief of Staff of the Biafran Army during the Nigeria-Biafra war that lasted between 1967 and 1970.
He was also the author of the book, ‘The Nigeria Revolution and the Biafran War’, adjudged the greatest and most objective book writer on the civil war.
Speaking at the event, the Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Sir Paul Nwosu who graced the occasion, appreciated the organizers of the event, noting that it is a moment to celebrate one of the icons of Nigeria and described late General Madiebo as an individual who devoted his life to service of the nation and Ndịgbo in general and left an astonishing legacy for the South Easterners that will help in moulding the future of the region.
Two grandchildren of General Madiebo, Nkemjika Nweke who lives in Houston, Texas and Sochikaima Madiebo after reading selected passages from their patriarch’s book, thanked the organizers and attendees of the colloquium for honouring their grandfather especially as according to them, the platform will further share their father’s narrative of the Biaran War which they said will clearly remain a spectacular documentation of events around that thirty-months war.
Sharing their thoughts on the Biafran ideology, Professor Chima Nwankwo, Associate Professor Greg Mbajiorgu, Barrister Sam Okeke and Mr Ejikeme Anyaduba said that the book by late General Madiebo gave insights into the Biafran War and nation building, adding that Biafra represented a nation and a platform to fight for one’s right and to demand for justice.
They insisted that insecurity, resisting injustice, and a quest for freedom brought about Biafra, and made it clear that Ojukwu was forced to declare the independent state as a way to protect the people of eastern Nigeria at that time.
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