Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu passed away just over a year ago. His will, however, was only read yesterday in the Enugu. The wrangling and conspiracy theories that trailed the will and its content strongly reminded me of Nollywood and its hopelessly inane 'home videos'.
I like men like Chief Ojukwu. They lived their adult lives shrouded in controversy. Even in death, they still manage to grab headlines by confusing many. In his grave, Ojukwu remains an enigma to many and this was aptly reflected by the content of his will.
The high points for me were the sudden appearance of a 'secret' daughter who is Hausa, the disowning of one of his sons called Sylvester and the emergence of his widow, the delectable Bianca as the biggest beneficiary of Ikemba's estate. In all, Ikemba claims he sired eight children and categorically stated that no other person be considered his offspring apart from those he mentioned.
Ikemba's Hausa daughter was the 'rabbit out of the hat'. She was probably the only aspect of Friday that nobody saw coming. It also got me thinking about Nigeria and Nigerian men. Bianca claims her late husband never mentioned having a daughter before he died. Ironically, she is listed first among all his offspring and is actually said to be his first child. Tenny Haman is said to be older than Emeka Ojukwu Jnr but interestingly born by a Northerner. I assume Ikemba met her mother as a young man and sowed this seed quietly many years ago. Why he remained secretive about it we will never know now, since he has now returned to meet his ancestors. Ikemba's adventure may seem unusual to many people. To me, there are many more of such today in this country. Men with children outside their marriages who their spouses will never know about till the husband's will is read after his demise. Some think it is cowardly of a man to reveal his indiscretion only after his death. They argue that a real man should be man enough to face his spouse with the truth while he is alive. Why wait till you are dead when you can't tell your wife to her face that you haven't been as honest as you should have been? For another school of thought, it is a mark of respect. Respect for the woman he was married to during his life. If a man understands his wife does not handle such things very well and she's happy in her not-knowing, the home is working and life is good, why divulge such weighty information? Its easy to quickly judge the man as being dishonest, after all, openness and honesty are the pillars of a good marriage but can women actually handle this openness they seek? If a man believes his actions would hurt his wife gravely and betray her trust in him, do we vilify him for holding her in such regard?
Ikemba also disowned Mr Sylvester Ojukwu. He was not gracious enough to tell his family members why he did that. This also got me thinking. Why wait till after death to tell Sylvester he's not your child? Ikemba struck me as a fearless man. There's a popular Yoruba adage that says only a mother knows the real father of her child. Was Ikemba privy to some information about his supposed son while he was alive? There are two things here in my view. The first is if Ojukwu always knew he was not the biological father but continued training Sylvester, which would be noble in my view. The second is if Sylvester is indeed a biological scion but probably had a fall-out with his late father that continued till death or at least to the last revision of the will. If the latter is true, then I think Ojukwu may have gone overboard with his pronouncement. While I believe he totally reserves the right to decide who inherits what, I do not believe proclaiming a supposed son a 'bastard' is the way to go. I'm not saying he should have willed any part of his estate to Sylvester, I am saying he could have simply said 'to my son Sylvester Ojukwu,I leave no part of my estate' rather than totally expunging him as an offspring. That must really hurt.
I have my reservations for some aspects of the African tradition. I do not appreciate leaving a widow to suffer while her husband's relatives squander the 'spoils of war'. This is why I am happy for Bianca that her late husband was smart enough to prepare a functional and viable will. It is no longer news that she was undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary of Ojukwu's estate. In an African setting where the late husband had adult sons, it would have been pretty difficult flexing muscles with them for a chunk of their father's estate, especially since she is a step-mother. Ikemba has saved her a lot of stress no doubt. Already, there are rumours that the family smell a rat with the sizable chunk Bianca inherited. They say they may contest the will in the court of law. Money, the Bible says, is the root of all evil. I suspect the members of Ojukwu's family may soon learn this first hand. While I'm glad Bianca won't be left empty-handed, I think her public display of 'victory' as if it were some boxing match with Ojukwu's older children isn't very nice. She's now an Ambassador to Spain, under this current administration, such an appointment is likely to assure you of a secure future at old age.
Ojukwu's will has shown even the Ojukwus that blood may not be as thick as water after all. Ojukwu's family and their haggling isn't entirely strange. Family members are related till money creeps into the picture. I know of many Nigerian families, directly and remotely, that have been torn apart following the demise of the head of that family. Human greed transcends blood and African extended families show their real colours at such times. Unfortunately, polygamy worsens the outlook in Nigeria. The children grow up competing for everything with their step-siblings including their parents' estate.
Life is more than material wealth. We must remind ourselves everyday that we brought nothing to this life and we will take nothing. Bianca has inherited many things. If, God forbids, something happened to her tomorrow, all the wrangling won't count for anything.
May God help us.
Nice write up
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