Former Biafran soldier, Cletus Asolukanwsu, 80, talks to MOTUNRAYO JOEL about his view of the late Emeka Odumegwu - Ojukwu as well as his war - time experience.
What significant event can you link with the time of your birth?
Children who were born during my time were baptised within two months after birth. I was born in Ihiagba, Owerri, Imo State and was baptised at a Catholic Church a few weeks after. My baptismal certificate still helps me to remember my birthday.
Where did you have your primary school education?
I attended St. Michael’s Catholic School, Ihiagba before I was later transferred to Christ’s Kings School in Aba. After my primary education, I got a job as a bar man in a hotel but it linked me with better employment. I met the General Manager of a British Company at the hotel, who noticed how hard I worked. Clients who patronised the hotel always commended me. I was around 20 years old at the time. I even had an opportunity to travel to America from a relationship I established with someone at the hotel, but I couldn’t leave my parents all alone in Nigeria.
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I later left the hotel for another company where I worked as a store keeper in northern Nigeria in 1954. When I returned to the eastern Nigeria, I engaged in onion business. There was scarcity of onions in Aba at the time, but in the North where I worked, onions were in large supply. So I decided to be transporting onions from the North to Aba. But the business wasn’t successfully because many traders also went into the business, so I lost a lot of money.
When I left Zaria, I moved to Kano in 1955 to work with Coca Cola Bottling Company. Later on, my uncle asked me to join him in Port Harcourt. That was when the civil war broke out in Nigeria.
What did you do when the war began?
When the war started, Port Harcourt was in a chaotic state, so my uncle and I decided to move to Owerri. But the war got so intense and we noticed soldiers from foreign countries taking part in it. I got a job in Owerri but when things became unbearable, we were told to go home and the company was sold off.
With a few friends, I relocated from the central Owerri to a village. One evening, when my friends and I were playing a game of draughts, we were thanking God that the Nigerian soldiers did not come to the village where we were staying. A few minutes after the discussion, we heard the sound of warplanes. Before then, I was taught how to hide when a warplane approached during the war. The pilot dropped the first bomb and then the second bomb. At the time he was dropping the second bomb, I was hiding beside a wall but unfortunately for me, the bomb landed where I was hiding.
How did you escape?
I was lucky to escape with a little cut on my face. When the Biafran soldiers came to check out the extent of the damage, I showed them the spot where the second bomb dropped which was where I was hiding, but they didn’t believe me. They said I was an ordinary civilian who didn’t know the difference between his left and right hands. I was angry when I heard the statement and at that point, I made up my mind to join the Biafran army. I was 32 years old, same age with the Biafran leader, Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
Later that night, I heard that a chain of bombs exploded and destroyed most of the houses in the village. Luckily, my friends and I had left the area. We then built a refugee camp that took 300 refugees. We were there till the Biafra soldiers located us and tried to make us join the army by force. They were so brutal about it. I eventually joined because I had already made up my mind. After finding favour in the sight of my superiors, I rose quickly and became chief instructor. I was posted to Imo State with other trainees and we were there until the war ended, after which I went back to my village.
What was your experience like in the war?
It was a terrible period. We saw dead bodies everywhere. Some were buried upside down, others had various parts of their bodies missing, and some of the bodies had no heads.
Do you regret joining the Biafra war?
I have no regrets at all. I know there were times I should have been killed, looking back at when a bomb was dropped at the spot where I was hiding and when I was almost sent to wage an attack against the Nigerian army. There were times I also got caught up in air raid, but I came out of it alive because of the grace of God.
What did you do after the war?
I moved to Lagos to work with a British company.
Did you let your family know that you were joining the Biafran army?
My mother didn’t know much about my whereabouts during the war. She didn’t even know I was joining the army. If she knew, she would have done everything to prevent me. She would rather die than allowing her child taking part in the civil war. She only got to know after I had joined the army. But I didn’t see her so I did not know her reaction. I am sure she must have felt bad about it. I used to write letters to her during the war. When she died, I saw some of my letters in her box.
How much of Odumegwu-Ojukwu did you know during the war?
Ojukwu was a true leader who loved his people. Many people said he started the war but it is not true. He didn’t instigate the war in any way. One of Nigeria’s problems is that many people don’t like hearing the truth. Before the war broke out, the Igbo people were being massacred in the North. And when this tragedy continued, Ojukwu asked them to come back home. He cared so much for us. All those who were in secondary school at that time were commissioned as officers in the Biafran army. Sadly, out of all those who were commissioned, a few of them survived the war.
Who should be blamed for the war?
It was Gowon and his people; they started the war by dropping the first bomb. They just wanted to exterminate all Igbo people. The Igbos had no sophisticated weapons to fight a long war so how could they have started the war? The weapons we used for the war were made by us.
Judging from the outcome of the war, do you think it would have been better if the Igbos had succeeded in the secession bid?
There is nothing we have gained by being together. Look at what is happening now. Ojukwu forewarned us and we are all living witnesses today.
Would you say that the Biafra war was necessary?
Yes of course. It was worth it. It’s just unfortunate we lost the fight.
Are you saddened by Ojukwu’s death?
Yes, because I think he would have been a good leader. He believed in hard work. He was a loving man. He loved Nigeria as a whole. He was dragged into the war when he was made a governor. He warned Igbos that war isn’t good but that if it was necessary for us to fight.
Were you married before you joined the army?
I was not married but I kept thinking about it. I wanted to settle down first before I approached a woman for marriage. The war ended in 1970 and four years later, I met a woman I loved in Lagos. We met for the first time when I was packing into my new house. I saw her coming out of her father’s compound. She looked so pretty to me. She was 16-years-old at the time. I jokingly told her that I was going to marry her but she objected. During that period, the Igbo people were hated by other ethnic groups in Nigeria. They did not want to be associated with us. Unfortunately, the girl I loved is from an area in the then Mid-Western State, now known as Delta State. When she objected, I forgot about her and married another woman. But the marriage didn’t last because she couldn’t conceive. I sent her back home and married the girl who objected to my proposal at first. We have been living together for the past 36 years.
Why did you propose to a woman who was less than half your age?
Love has no age limit. You may not even need to know your partner’s age at the initial stage of your relationship. It’s the love you both have for each other that matters.
Do you think your marriage would have lasted this long if you had married a woman your age?
My first marriage lasted for just two years and my first wife was almost my age. So I believe my wife and I were destined to be together.
What do you love about your wife?
I like telling people about a special quality that my wife has; if I don’t have money and my wife prepares a little food for the family, she will make sure I eat first. She doesn’t mind eating the remnants.
How many children is the marriage blessed with?
We have six children together. Some are still studying in various universities while two of them are married.
Do you still keep in touch with your siblings?
I’m the only child of my parents, but I grew up with extended family members. Sadly, only two of us are alive today.
How was life growing up as the only child of your parents?
People say that parents who are not blessed with more than a child spoil their only child. They also say that children who are born into wealth are pampered by their parents. But my youthful life was different. I came from a poor home and my mother raised me as a poor child. I was her only child but she did not go out of her way to provide all I needed as a child. She trained me in a strict way. So life was very tough for me as a child.
Can you remember events that dominated your youthful days?
I was always going to the farm with my mother. Sometimes, I would go to the stream to fetch water. I had to sweep the house every morning before going to school. Any time I offended her, she would punish me by giving me yam to eat.
What is the significance of yam as a form of punishment?
That was her way of punishing me when I erred. She would say that eating yam alone was a way of preparing me for the tough life ahead. But apart from that, she was a loving and wonderful mother. I later realised that what she was doing wasn’t because she hated me but because she loved me.
How was your relationship with your dad?
It wasn’t any different. My dad also loved me as well, but he wasn’t too supportive financially. My family was so poor that my parents couldn’t afford to send me to secondary school. When I passed Standard Six examination, I could not go to secondary school because my parents could not afford two shillings and six pence which was the tuition fee at the time.
My mother too could not shoulder the responsibility all alone because she was poor. She had the intention of sending me to secondary school but her dream for me was not realised until she died. She told me to learn a skill while she looked for money to pay for my secondary school fees but she never had enough.
What kind of sport did you take part in?
I enjoyed boxing, but my parents didn’t like it. My last fight was in Kano but I quit after the victory because my mother found out I was a boxer.
At 80, you look fit still. What is the secret?
I had a serious accident in 2005 and just came out of the pain this year. But God has given me good body frame. I like eating vegetable soup because it is very healthy. I also engage in long walks.
What would you have wished to reverse in your life if the opportunity comes?
I would never drink. When you drink, you lose control of your mind. You end up going to places you wouldn’t have been to and doing things you wouldn’t have done. I would also have spent my time evangelising for Christ.
What kind of men do you want your daughters to marry?
I pray for men that are sincere at heart and have the fear of God. Their husbands must take joy in caring for their family.
Punch Nigeria
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