Bianca Ojukwu Evades Question On Plans For Remarriage

Bianca Ojukwu, wife of late Biafra leader Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, tactically evaded a question posed to her during a recent interview on plans to remarry eight years after her husband’s death.

Bianca, who is Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, dodged the question during the interview aired on Channels TV programme, ‘THE CHAT’ on Wednesday.

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The show was anchored by veteran radio personality, Mani Onumonu, who asked if she would like to remarry.

But instead of giving a direct answer, the former beauty queen launched into the history of how her late husband changed her life.

“I’ve always said am one of those women lucky enough who have been married to a man who gave me many years of happiness and fulfillments and of course most importantly exceptional children,” she said, and went on to talk about her children.

The anchor, however, did not insist on a definite answer.

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The interview, which lasted nearly 30 minutes, also allowed viewers into the mind of Mrs Ojukwu. Ask to recount an exciting moment she had with her late husband, she said:

“I remember a particular incident he had travelled to one community and he was getting late he hadn’t come back. Coming back he ran into armed rubbers because they had a road block the driver has to stop and then suddenly this hefty looking men with guns and rifles stepped out from the dark and came to the vehicle and said ‘get down’.

“He refused to get down and then the man said if you don’t get down am going to shoot you. Who the hell do you think you are? And he said I am Ojukwu. And the man got a torchlight to his face and screamed excitedly aah! Oga! Na our oga oo! And so many of the robbers that were inside the bush rushed out and at that point he has stepped out of the car and they started shaking his hand. They were so excited that they accompanied him, apparently there was a pickup by the side of the road owned by these robbers, they jumped into the back and accompanied him because there were other robbers at another spot, so they got to that spot, shot into the air and followed him as far as the toll gate and then turned back.

“But you know what’s funny about that? He would do something that I found not pleasant and I would stand by the door and say to him, Oga Ndiori (king of robbers) and he would turn round and say to me Nwuye Oga Ndiori (Wife of King of robbers), he always found that witty one-liners.”

The politician was also asked how her father felt about her decision to marry Ojukwu at the time. She said her late husband was the ideal man for her, describing him as someone with an enviable reputation and a ladies man.

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“My father didn’t think it was going to be something that was going to endure,” she told the interviewer.

Asked how her father received Ojukwu’s intention to marry her owing to the fact he was his close friend and political associate, she said: “ It was customary in matters like this to keep sending emissaries to your prospective father in-law to tell him we’re interested in somebody, a damsel in your home. And he sent several of these emissaries, and we called them contingents because he’ll send them and meet with my father, and my father would say No , and he kept on, he was relentless, it took a while.”

Asked what led to her appointment as ambassador to Spain, she said it was not much of a challenge since she had experience working as a senior special assistant to the President on Diaspora Matters.

“It opened a great vista for me in terms of interfacing between the Nigerians abroad and then their government so I learnt quite a lot on diplomatic matters and of course you might say I come from a family of lawyers and we have had stints actually where diplomacy is concerned.”

On encouraging women participation in politics, she said education was the key, stressing that women cannot go into politics without taking it as a serious engagement.

Bianca also evaded giving a direct answer when asked about 2019. She said “I’m wondering like anybody else, we are waiting to see what that brings Of course there are lightly to be a few surprises here and there but I believe we Nigerians are unshakable.”

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Excerp from the interview:

There was a recent outburst on your breakout election in the party recently?

“Outburst? Me? No I don’t think there was. I was just essentially trying to get a point across, there have to be certain code of conduct in the engagement and in certain processes especially process that are internal to the party itself.”

Where were you when you heard of the death of Ojukwu and how did you react?

“Right there with him, holding his hand and I think that was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life because I didn’t believe. Actually when you have lived with a strong man all your life, you somehow subconsciously tend to think they are invisible so watching him die was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life.”

What do you think he would have thought of Nnamdi Kanu if he was alive today?

“He is very democratic in nature. Actually I imagined he would want to engage with him and discuss and perhaps share a few of his own experiences with him and leave him to make up his mind.”

How are you coping with family challenges? Have you had any issues dealing with his demise?

“Yes I think most widows will give the same sort for answers am giving now. Its not an enviable position because so much changes overnight and you’re having to cope with so many circumstances that you never imagined. That’s why I am a strong advocate for women getting an education, it’s very important, it makes you aware of rights, it gives you a certain confidence regarding what you need to do and how best to save the patrimony of your children and I believe most times people are not able to reach amicable conclusions and people of course have different interest and each is possessive of their own interest..”

How do you feel for most widows in Nigeria who perhaps are not privileged like you?

“It’s a harrowing experience for most widows particularly widows with no education and that why I commend a lot of nongovernmental organizations that are there to assist widows and lot of the advocacy groups that are there to enforce their rights and socials, and I think a lot more has to be done.”

I see that you also have an NGO, what is it about?

“It’s an NGO that centers principally on juvenile offenders, usually when they are apprehended and taken into custody, at the time they are released from custody and they have nowhere to go, no education, no skill nothing to provide for their livelihood, what we do is to ensure we provide skills.

“Those that have a possibility of going into trading and those that wants to learn trading such as painting and those that want to do other stuffs.”

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