Opinion
By Valentine Obienyem
I was deeply in love with Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu. In those days, you dared not attack him without people like me descending on you in a language every bit as vitriolic as whatever you had used against him. Men like Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and T.Y. Danjuma frequently came under my pen whenever I felt they had disrespected him.
At that time, I devoured virtually everything connected with Ojukwu. I read his interviews, speeches, lectures and papers with uncommon enthusiasm. I was present when he delivered his famous lecture, “Nigeria: The Truths That Are Self-Evident”, during the TSM Lecture Series at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos. As he spoke, NEPA suddenly interrupted the proceedings by taking the light. Ever quick with wit, Ojukwu paused and asked with a smile, “Have I said anything wrong?” The hall erupted in laughter.
Ojukwu valued quality and was highly selective about the media organisations he granted interviews. I believe Dan Agbese and Yakubu Mohammed were among his favourite interviewers. In one of the prefaces to a Newswatch interview with him, they vividly described every one of his reflexes – the contortions, the grimaces, and the twitching of his cheek muscles. They observed how he would manoeuvre his hands as though he were holding a rifle, ready to shoot down a particularly disconcerting question. It was such an accurate and unforgettable description that it remained with me.
Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna and I witnessed that very same reflex today during the 60th birthday celebration and the 30th anniversary of the priestly ordination of the retired Army officer, His Lordship, Rt. Revd Johnson Ekwe, PhD, at Ebenezer Chapel of Faith, Umueri.
The story actually began on the 19th of July when Mr. Peter Obi celebrated his birthday at St. Raphael Hospital, Umueri. During that celebration, Bishop Ekwe happily informed His Excellency that his own birthday celebration would take place today. Mr. Obi immediately promised to be part of it. Although other engagements prevented him from attending personally, he sent Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna and me to represent him.
Just watch the attached videos and you will immediately see that the soldier in Bishop Ekwe has never left him. As he approached the altar for the thanksgiving procession, he held his walking stick exactly as one would hold a rifle, as though preparing to shoot down an unseen enemy – Satan, perhaps. It was impossible for me not to remember Ojukwu and the striking description by Dan Agbese and Yakubu Mohammed. Some habits are so deeply ingrained that neither age nor vocation can erase them.
Bishop Ekwe bears a striking resemblance to Bishop Jonas Benson Okoye of the Diocese of Nnewi. Beyond the physical resemblance, they appear to share certain admirable qualities: simplicity, a commanding yet gentle presence, devotion to the Church, and an uncommon ability to combine firmness with charity. In both men, one encounters a soldier’s discipline tempered by a shepherd’s heart.
The officiating bishop, the retired Bishop of Ihiala Diocese, Rt Revd Ralph Okafor, highlighted many of these qualities in his homily. He spoke eloquently about Bishop Ekwe’s discipline, simplicity, pastoral commitment and unwavering fidelity to his vocation. Listening to him, one could not but appreciate how a life of military service had not been erased by the priesthood but rather transformed. The soldier had simply become a shepherd.
I listened with delight as Bishop Ekwe delivered his remarks. He speaks without inhibition. With him, what you see is what you get – no pretense, no unnecessary airs. He remains exactly as God created him. He recalled his long association with Mr. Peter Obi and expressed, as many of us do, the hope of witnessing Obi’s inauguration as President, convinced that it would herald the dawn of a new era for our country.
Ever emotional, Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna, who represented Mr. Peter Obi alongside me, could hardly conceal her feelings as she rose to speak. She deliberately modulated her voice to reflect the mood of the nation. Nigeria, as we all are aware, is a nation in tears, a country crying and yearning for the New Nigeria that is possible.
Like Demosthenes, whose eloquence sprang from conviction rather than mere rhetoric, Professor Okunna spoke with passion, clarity and moral force. She conveyed Mr. Peter Obi’s goodwill to Bishop Ekwe and reminded the congregation that hope remains alive whenever men and women of integrity continue to inspire society through lives of sacrifice and service.
As I watched Bishop Ekwe once again, I found myself smiling. The way he instinctively held his walking stick took me back to Ojukwu and that unforgettable description by Dan Agbese and Yakubu Mohammed. Some instincts never leave a man. The years may pass, the uniform may give way to the cassock, but discipline, courage and alertness remain etched in one’s bearing.
In Bishop Ekwe, the battlefield has given way to the sanctuary, and the rifle has yielded to the crozier. Yet the soldier has not disappeared; he now fights a nobler battle – not against flesh and blood, but against the forces of darkness.
The soldier in Bishop Ekwe never retired. He merely exchanged his rifle for a shepherd’s staff.
Congratulations to our Lord Bishop at 60!
A.I
July 25, 2026
Tags: Bishop Jonas Benson Okoye Dan Agbese Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu Mr. Peter Obi Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna Yakubu Mohammed.