My father met my mother as a virgin; that is why I’m his exact replica - Debe Ojukwu

Chief Chukwudebe Sylvester Ojukwu is the late Biafran warlord, Ikemba Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu’s 56-year-old first son. Since his father’s death on November 26, 2011, the retired Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) has had running battles with other family members. His name was also conspicuously missing in the controversial will read on November 30, 2012. In this interview with Assistant Editors, LINUS OBOGO, GBENGA ADERANTI and SEGUN AJIBOYE, Debe insists he is the true son of his father, throwing a challenge at those who doubt the veracity of his claim. He also dismisses the will as a fraud. Excerpts: 

When Calabar comes Christmas carnivalaglow with

Written By Linus Obogo, Assistant Editor

 

 

To many tourists and fun seekers, the annual Calabar Carnival has come to represent something of a pilgrimage. They look forward to it with great eagerness. To them, it is one glorious moment in the state’s annual calendar of events. It holds so much for them- the razzmatazz, the glitz, frills and thrills.

My vission for UNILAG —New VC, Rahamon Bello

By Linus Obogo, Assistant Editor

 

Stepping into the shoes left behind by your predecessors usually comes with a measure of nervousness. The anxiety of ensuring your legs fit into them is one thing; the burden of expectation is another. Are the fresh legs big enough to fit in? Can they carry the shoes?

These were questions that hung on the lips of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) community following the appointment of Prof. Rahamon Adisa Bello as the new vice chancellor of the 50-year-old institution on November 12, 2012.

Striding into the coveted office as the 11th Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG can be quite intimidating. Yet it is a rare opportunity for Bello to prove that it is not so much about the dog in the fight but the fight in the dog. And for the ‘large shoes’, his legs are more than sizeable.

2015: Those asking for power shift to the North are self-seekers — Col Umar (rtd)

Col. Abubakar Umar is a former governor of Kaduna State from August 1985 to June 1988 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. After his retirement from the army, Umar became Chairman and Chief Executive, Work and Worship (Gas Company) Nigeria Limited, Kaduna.
Umar was an unrepentant critic of the Abacha regime. He joined the G-18 group of politicians that publicly opposed Abacha’s plan to become president. Known for his outspokenness, Umar, who has variously dismissed the concept of a monolithic Northern region as obsolete and unnecessary, in this interview with Assistant Editor, LINUS OBOGO, condemned those asking for power to shift to the North ahead of 2015, insisting that they are not speaking for the region. He also spoke on the helplessness of the Northern leaders to deal with the menace of Boko Haram. Excerpts:

National Assembly not competent to amend constitution -Horsfall

By Linus Obogo, Assistant Editor

 

Chief Albert K. Horsfall is an administrator, author and politician. He was a Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS) and ex-Chairman of the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC). In this interview with Assistant Editor, LINUS OBOGO, he criticises the involvement of the National Assembly in the ongoing constitution review, arguing that it exposes the lawmakers to the temptation of tampering with the organic law of the land to suit their own purposes. He also speaks on Boko Haram and sundry issues. Excerpts:

Whoever is denying that starvation was used against the Igbo is living in denial – Col. Achuzia (rtd)

Col Achuzia (rtd)

Col. Joseph Achuzia was not only a participant in the Nigerian civil war (1967-1970) but one of the top Biafran war commanders and a very intimate associate of the late Biafran warlord, Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu. In this interview with Assistant Editor, LINUS OBOGO, the British-trained Aeronautic engineer and one-time Secretary-General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, took issue with those who accused Prof. Chinua Achebe of distorting history in his book, There Was a Country, where the celebrated story teller alleged genocide and the deployment of starvation as a weapon of war against the then Federal Government. Excerpts: