BIANCA OJUKWU SET TO BECOME NIGERIA’S AMBASSADOR TO GHANA

The colorful and highly respected Nigeria High Commissioner to Ghana,Senator Musiliu Obanikoro is leaving Ghana any moment from now,we can authoritatively reveal.

The ebullient politician and colorful diplomat, who has held sway as the head of the Nigerian diplomatic mission in Ghana for over 3 years now has concluded his job and his replacement will be announced anytime from now.

However,as Obanikoro is preparing to take his exit out of Ghana where he has done creditably well in the last 3 years,there is a big battle back home in Nigeria among the new set of designated ambassadors as some of them are currently battling to step into Obanikoro’s shoes.

According to trusted sources,the slot for the office of the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana has become one of the juicy slots diplomat designates now jostle for.

The source informed that the new development is informed by the new attention the Ghanaian mission has been receiving especially since Obanikoro came into the office over 3 years ago.Without doubt,the Obanikoro years at the Nigerian embassy in Ghana had seen tremendous developments which has made the office a reputable one.

It was also during the period that the bilateral business relationship between Nigeria and Ghana tripled thereby drawing more attention to the office.

Sources further said that the office has become so eye-catching that diplomats now wish to be posted there.

Meanwhile,according to reliable source,there is now fierce battle between 2 of the new diplomat designate to replace Obanikoro as the Nigeria High Commissioner in Ghana.

The battle,we gathered last week,is between late Nigerian warlord,Ojukwu’s wife,Bianca and another popular politician from Lagos who is also on the ambassadorial list.

According to our source,the Lagos politician,Tokunbo Kamson had earlier been given the Ghana ambassadorial slot,but a new twist came when Bianca suddenly picked interest in the same slot.

Our source informed that Bianca had earlier been given some “more juicy” missions but that she could not get the nod of the said countries because of the required experience.

The source hinted that the U.K and Ireland are among the countries.

However,after the moves to get her on board of those missions could not scale through,she opted for Ghana and this has now prepared the ground for the battle between her and the man who had earlier been given the slot.

Though it could not be confirmed as at press time,our source informed that the delay in the allotment of missions to the 80 diplomat-designates whose names have been announced about 2 months ago might not be unconnected with the scramble for certain countries by the diplomats,including the battle for the Ghana mission.

OJUKWU'S SON BATTLES BIANCA

Even as late Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu’s kinsmen are yet to come terms with the grim reality of his demise,the festering feud between his wife,Bianca and eldest son,Emeka Ojukwu(Jnr) is threatening to mar his final rites of passage.

Since the Ikemba Nnewi took ill,there has been a lingering feud between Bianca and her stepson.If there was any doubt about the sour relationship between Bianca and late Ikemba’s son,the brawl between the duo culminating in conflicting statements on his state of health only brought it to the fore during the early stages of Ikemba’s hospitalization in London,as the supremacy conflict endured.

While Bianca consistently fed Nigerians a picture depicting Ikemba as recuperating,the younger Ojukwu was of the opinion that Ojukwu’s health was on the decline,and as such,the world should know.

Emeka reportedly put his foot down,insisting that he remained the only authority to speak on his father’s health being the eldest son and as Igbo tradition demands.

We gathered that Emeka Ojukwu (Jnr) was however ready to play down his feud with his stepmother(Bianca) so as to avoid any conflict that would possibly mar the father’s burial ceremonies.

Another snag in the whole issue boils down to who gets the bigger recognition .

Until now,Federal Government and the states in the East have been discussing with Bianca on how to give the late Ikemba a befitting burial while Emeka(Jnr) has been doing his own thing.Only last week,some of the late Ikemba’s siblings led by Chief Innocent Okafor,officially communicated the Ikemba’s death to Igwe K.O.N Orizu of Nnewi.

Before then,the South East governors had stated that the funeral rites of the ex-Biafran warlord will hold in Enugu,being the capital of the old Eastern region,before handing his body to his kinsmen in Nnewi for burial.

The burial of Ojukwu,we gathered,will involve some traditional rites in Nnewi since he was a holder of 2 major traditional titles-Dim & Ikemba, in the town.