Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North, says the late Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, confided in him that while the first Biafra agitation was justified, any renewed push for secession was unnecessary.
Kalu made the revelation during an interview on Arise Television, monitored by Daily Post on Sunday.
The former Abia governor dismissed claims that he is “less Igbo” than others in the Southeast, insisting he had a close personal relationship with Ojukwu in the final years of the late statesman’s life.
“I am a full-blooded Igbo,” he said. “I was with Ojukwu in the later days of his life, and his wife, Bianca, can testify. I visited him regularly, and he spent weekends in my village.”
Kalu said Ojukwu told him clearly that the initial Biafra struggle was unavoidable due to the circumstances of the time, but warned that any second attempt would bring needless destruction.
According to Kalu, the current pattern of violent enforcement of sit-at-home orders contradicts the values Ojukwu upheld.
“Even if these boys want Biafra, who are they going to rule after killing Igbo people? When you stop people from doing business or attack them on Mondays, how is that rational?” he asked.
He urged agitators to pursue political dialogue, especially in the wake of Nnamdi Kanu’s detention.
“I thought what happened to Nnamdi Kanu should have made them sit at a table to resolve this politically, not to continue sounding tough,” he added.
Kalu advised non-violent advocacy, saying the Southeast cannot afford further economic decline.
“There is no more commerce in Igboland. Things are very bad for people living there. How are we going to survive if we keep destroying our land and our properties?” he said.
He also noted that Bianca Ojukwu shares the same position, insisting no true supporter of Ojukwu would endorse violence in the region.
