A soldier who defied torture and death,
Did dedicate his life to his last breath.
Emphatic should Ironsi's death be planned
Keener he would to join this gallant band.
Under the grip of those who thirst to kill,
Neither of them protested at the grill.
Like men of valour, doughty to the end,
Eternal paean was their's around the bend.
For those of us who mourn this brave colonel,
And anxious to hallow the spot he fell,
Justice demands that what this hero did
Undaunted, with the will to give the lead,
Yearly should be retold throughout the land,
In language that all men can understand.
- Zungeru Haven, Onitsha
30 July, 1967
CC: igboworldforum@yahoogroups.com; igboevents@yahoogroups.com; naijapolitics@yahoogroups.com; umuahians@googlegroups.com
To: NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com; OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com; usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
From: aadeboye@mac.com
Date: Thu, 1 May 2014 21:42:02 -0400
Subject: Re: [NIgerianWorldForum] "Omimi Ejo: An Acrostic": Azikiwe's Elegy for Okotie-Eboh
Hello Dr. Nwakanma,
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Did dedicate his life to his last breath.
Emphatic should Ironsi's death be planned
Keener he would to join this gallant band.
Under the grip of those who thirst to kill,
Neither of them protested at the grill.
Like men of valour, doughty to the end,
Eternal paean was their's around the bend.
For those of us who mourn this brave colonel,
And anxious to hallow the spot he fell,
Justice demands that what this hero did
Undaunted, with the will to give the lead,
Yearly should be retold throughout the land,
In language that all men can understand.
- Zungeru Haven, Onitsha
30 July, 1967
CC: igboworldforum@yahoogroups.com; igboevents@yahoogroups.com; naijapolitics@yahoogroups.com; umuahians@googlegroups.com
To: NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com; OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com; usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
From: aadeboye@mac.com
Date: Thu, 1 May 2014 21:42:02 -0400
Subject: Re: [NIgerianWorldForum] "Omimi Ejo: An Acrostic": Azikiwe's Elegy for Okotie-Eboh
Please kindly post President Azikiwe's elegy for each of Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, Premier Ladoke Akintola, Premier Ahmadu Bello, Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari and any other public servant who was killed during the January 1966 coup. The second stanza here is rather alarming:
Of all the tragic deeds on that bleak day,
Killing the portly servant of the state
On flimsy ground, to have their devilish way
Transformed our land into a den of hate,
Instilling prejudice and fear galore
Wow. One learns quite a bit from what is written here that one would want to unlearn.
On May 1, 2014, at 5:44 PM, Rex Marinus wrote:
Farewell, my bosom friend, and rest in peace,
Eager were you to serve the nation's cause,
Sincere and loyal friendship I will miss,
The forward march of freedom will now pause
Under a new order of discipline
Sceding a future from the shifting scene.
Of all the tragic deeds on that bleak day,
Killing the portly servant of the state
On flimsy ground, to have their devilish way
Transformed our land into a den of hate,
Instilling prejudice and fear galore
Enfeebled by this tragic will of fate,
Be brave, Victoria, for the sun still shines
Over the clouds, to foil evil designs.
His life endures with those of us who wait.
-Onuiyi Haven, Nsukka,
February 26, 1966
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