Remember Home Before It’s Too Late, Lady Bianca Ojukwu Charges Igbo People In The UK

Lady Bianca Ojukwu, wife of late General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu has charged Igbo people living outside Nigeria, especially in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland to always remember home while they live.

The former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain made this known while addressing the Igbo community in the United Kingdom at a summit and Annual General Meeting (AGM) set up by Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK and Ireland.

According to a statement signed on Tuesday by the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK and Ireland, Mrs Aqueen Ibeto, the summit was part of activities to celebrate the 100 days in office of the new Ohanaeze executive.

Lady Bianca Ojukwu noted that it was time for each and every Igbo person in the UK to revisit the root of the Igbo people and help in community development, even as the oncoming 2023 elections is almost here.

“In fact, some of our people feel somehow threatened when they have contact with their relatives back home

“The tragedy is that much as we may want it otherwise, the UK will become their home and the home of their children.

“Unlike the Jews, Indians and Asians, we have not found a way to connect our children to our homeland,” she said.

The former Miss Intercontinental remarked that a good number of children of Jewish descent visit the Holocaust place, study their origin and the history of their place, and are taught never to forget their roots.

“What do our own children know about our history and the war that we fought; what do they know about the Igbo spirit and how far we have come.

“What do they know about the fact that the Igbo man is like the phoenix rising from the ashes.

“The Igbo enterprise today is the phoenix rising from the ashes of 20 pounds, which is what we had, but look at the Igbo man today, it is a testament of the resilience of the Igbo man,” she said.

She expressed her sadness over the sheer influence the Western culture is having on the Igbo culture. She mentioned that the nonchalant attitude of parents towards the culture has a hand in this.

“When we think of our children, we make excuses about having to conform, but other races make more excuses about raising their children in the culture they know.

“Your friend will come to your home and your child will say “how are you Andrew, welcome to our house”, no uncle or sir attached.

“Somebody told me when I went to Ireland that she had to have an elaborate ploy to bring her child back home to Nigeria to go to Marris Brothers in Uturu, Okigwe.

“This happened because she was in the kitchen and asked her son to get her spice from the kitchen cupboard; the boy was watching TV and he said to her, mum you are such a bugger.

“When she insisted, he got up, got the spice, and said to her, very well, soon Jane and I will be leaving here and won’t have to go through this.

“Jane and I, his girlfriend. And the mum asked why, and he said because by then you will be in the old people’s home. It didn’t take long for her to realize that something desperate had to be done.

“She managed to get him back to Nigeria and after three years, his brain had to be reset; you know Marris Brothers don’t take nonsense,” she added

Lady Bianca said that although the action the woman took may be severe the issue stemmed from dereliction of duty on the part of the parents.

While Mrs. Aqueen Ibeto, the President gave the remark, she noted that the Ohaneze summit and the Annual General Meeting were also a means of bringing together the Igbo community in the United Kingdom. She did not leave out the platform’s objective of reawakening the culture and tradition of the Igbo people in the members.