The disadvantages of polygamy are beginning to play out in the family late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu left behind. Barely days after the remains of Eze Igbo Gburugburu were committed to mother earth, his two eldest sons – Debe and Emeka, Jnr. – have gone for each other’s throats. Not only that, the two of them have also decided to wash the family’s dirty linen in public. Emeka, Jnr. and Debe, by the way, are from different mothers. Emeka’s mother is Njideka, from Nawfia, Anambra. She also bore the Ikemba two other children – Mimi and Okigbo. Debe’s mother is Margaret, from Iwororie. She died in 2008 and had only him.
The later, who is actually the Ikemba’s second son, fired the first salvo. This was soon after Ojukwu’s death in London, on November 26, 2011, and following an interview granted by Debe where he had commented on plans for the burial as the first son of the family. As if on cue, Emeka, Jnr. had replied, warning that any person masquerading as Ojukwu’s first son other than him, should be avoided.
The matter was left at that until days later when it reared its head again. But shooting this time is Debe. According to him, some people are trying to steal his birthright and heritage. “I am the first child and son; nobody can take that away from me”, he had insisted. Continuing, he said: “There have been litigations over the estate my grandfather left behind and other members of my family felt they were going to use the litigations to blackmail me. That is why when they (family members) wanted to see President Goodluck Jonathan over the burial plans, they decided to be hostile towards me and ensured I was not part of the team that visited the president.
“Due to my nature, I decided not to allow the hostility impedes the burial activities of my father, a man I still respect so much, even in death…Despite all they tried to do to me, I was actively involved in the funeral activities. I was very visible in all the states where my father’s corpse was taken to for full military honour. The only place I was not actively involved was the burial in our home town, Nnewi.
That day, I had to attend to some private issues…”This was in his interview with The Punch.
To get to the root of the matter, an Nnewi, Anambra elder was consulted and here is what he told our reporter after pleading anonymity. “Indeed, Debe is Ojukwu’s first son and Emeka the second. However, the advantage Emeka is enjoying over Debe stems from the fact that Ikemba officially married Emeka’s mum unlike Debe’s. And because of that, most people see Emeka as the official first son and Debe, the unofficial first son.
“It is because of Emeka’s status that he is enjoying more visibility and acceptance from a wide spectrum of people. Debe’s issue would have been settled had the Ikemba, before his death, married his own mother officially. What I have told you is the true story, whatever thing any other person tells you is contrary to the custom and traditional of Nnewi people. Nobody is marginalizing Debe, we are just following our tradition”.
Meanwhile we had exclusively broken the story of the war in the family weeks back. This was after noticing that at the Lagos event (pre-burial), it was Emeka that stood in for the family. Again, at the burial proper – where only he and his brother, Okigbo occupied what in Igboland is known as ‘nwogo’, acknowledging all those that came to the burial and also accepting their gifts. Debe was no where near there. Even when President Goodluck Jonathan and his team arrived, it was Emeka, Jnr. that again welcomed him. Likewise all the other dignitaries.
“Debe was like a spectator on that day”, lamented one observer. “He only strolled in with his group and also strolled out. He didn’t do anything of importance that day”.
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