Tributes
Asaba has suffered a very grievous loss in the death of its most committed champion. The fierce disagreements which hung around Emma in recent times should now by his death be silenced.
It fell to Emma to use his life and voice to give urgent expression to one of the worst atrocities ever visited by a government against its own people. Asaba massacre remains an unspeakable slur upon our imagination as a country and we owe Emma much for bringing it to light.
The only guide to a man is his conscience and the only protection to his memory is the sincerity of his actions.
Emma was a most misunderstood man particularly by those too impatient to comtemplate that in life there are many other worthwhile preoccupations than money and position.
It is possible that Emma knew that his journey was rounding up. This explains perhaps why the “Ikemba Designate” description came into common use recently as he used the title before it was celebrated and he did rejoice that at last, his people turned the corner to honour him.
He has lived as he must. It is so with most conviction activists.
It now remains for me on Emma’s behalf to thank the following people profusely for standing by him in what sometimes looked like a very lonely journey – HRM Obi Prof Chike Edozien CFR, The Asagba of Asaba, Ogbueshi Nabo Designate Egbuiwe, Director of Protocol to the Palace, Ogbueshi Nabo Designate Ndili, Secretary to the Asagba in Council, Chief Newton Jibunoh, Ms. Bridget Anyafulu, Mrs. Martina Osaji, Ogbueshi ken Odogwu, Innocent Isichei Jnr, Ogbueshi Chike Ogeah, Ogbueshi Nabo Designate Peter Ejiofor, Paul Mordi, his Cousin Ifeanyi Ajufo and others too numerous to mention who saw in Emma that flash of positive light that his journey represented. History will judge him well.
Chuck Nduka-Eze, Isama Ajie of Asaba
Emma Okocha, the Ikemba Asaba Passes on
(Thisday Newspaper)
The people of Asaba were recently thrown into helpless mourning following the shocking news of death of the author of Blood on the Niger, ogbueshi (Prof) Emma Okocha, the Ikemba Ahaba designate. Emma Okocha, died in the early hours of Sunday, 29 November, 2020. The news was contained in an obituary announcement released from the palace of the Asagba of Asaba, H.R.H Obi (Prof) Joseph Chike Edozien CFR, on 30 Nov, 2020, as signed by the Palace Secretary, Ogbueshi Patrick N.C. Ndili.
In the same announcement, Obi Edozien, made known to the public his gracious conferment of a post-humous chieftaincy tittle of Ikemba of Asaba, to the late Chief Emma Okocha, a tittle to be conferred on him Saturday November 28, 2020, a day before he passed on.
The astonishing qualities of the late Chief Emma, and his contributions to society are recognised and praised even in the international front. Following Okocha’s book, Blood on the Niger, two international anthropologists from the University of South Florida, Professor Elizabeth Bird and Professor Fraser Ottanelli, came to research the incident and produced an internationally acclaimed book published by the Cambridge University Press in the UK with the title: “The Asaba Massacre, Trauma, Memory, and the Nigerian Civil War”. Consequently, these two Professors both wrote of Chief Okocha:
“The loss of Chief Emma Okocha is a sad blow to the people of Asaba and beyond. His courageous and pioneering work uncovered the truth about the Asaba Massacre, setting the stage for the international recognition of this tragic event. He has earned an honored place in the history of his nation.”»» More »» -Thisday Newspaper »»
(227) Asaba Massacres October 1967 – YouTube – reference link for Chief Emma Okocha
Our sincere appreciation goes to all donor’s towards making the Asaba Memorial Monument project
a success:
Ogbueshi Emma Okocha (The Ikemba Asaba)