Let’s Take You Through The Final Hours of Sir Louis Philippe Odumegwu That Nobody Ever Told You!

Let’s Take You Through The Final Hours of Sir Louis Philippe Odumegwu That Nobody Ever Told You!

Just before the Nigerian Civil War, the tension in the country has been palpable, impending calamity was in the air. The only ray of hope was anchored on the adhoc Constitutional conference that was slated to take place in Lagos on the 12th of September, 1966.

This Conference was long scheduled to hold right from the regime of Aguiyi Ironsi, at that conference, each Nigerian region was supposed to table their own stand in Nigeria. It was also a ray of hope to the return to civilian rule in Nigeria.

On the part of Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu, he had hoped that this conference will at least lay a foundational block to a new constitution as against the constitution proposed by Aguiyi Ironsi on 24th May known as the Unification Decree. His intention was to propose a loose association of states with wide internal Autonomy.

Eastern Delegates who were supposed to leave Enugu on the morning of 12th September, abruptly grew cold feet on the evening of September 11th when news filtered in that numerous Easterners have been murdered in the North.

Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu, on hearing the news summoned the delegates and persuaded them to go ahead with the proposed journey, an appeal that fell on deaf ears. When Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu got exhausted with appealing to the delegates, he retired to his private quarters where he informed his Father, Sir Louis Philippe Odumegwu about the development.

Sir Louis Philippe Odumegwu , throughout that evening and night, went from house to house of the delegates, persuading them to change their minds. He succeeded in winning their minds and they agreed to fly to Lagos the next day for the meeting.

Sir Louis Philippe Odumegwu went to his son’s quarters and told him about the triumph, he also shared a drink with Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu, before speeding off to Nkalagu in Enugu where he was supposed to spend the night with friends.

By the early hours of the next day, Dim Chukwuemeka was phoned that his father was seriously ill. He immediately drove down to Nkalagu where he saw his father in a very bad state. He held Sir Louis Philippe Odumegwu’s hands and received his blessings.

Ten minutes later, Sir Louis Philippe Odumegwu died.

Dim Chukwuemeka was never in the right stand of mind, but he took up courage in the morning to see the delegates of the Enugu airport to bid them good luck for their journey.

Reference: Frederick Forsyth