Celebrating Jonas Odocha in verses

Reading KK Iloduba Junior’s ‘Dear Joe’ reminds me of poems written about cities and countries. But what would make one write about an individual, but for his or her greatness? A city may reek of criminality and evil, thus eliciting stories that make the reader cringe; a country may be characterised by a corrupt government, […]

Reading KK Iloduba Junior’s ‘Dear Joe’ reminds me of poems written about cities and countries. But what would make one write about an individual, but for his or her greatness? A city may reek of criminality and evil, thus eliciting stories that make the reader cringe; a country may be characterised by a corrupt government, with lessons to be learnt that could be in the form of lamentations or even prayer. So what makes anyone decide to write about an individual? 
 In a letter to Sir Jonas Odocha, the subject of the entire collection, Ihechukwu B. Onyerionwu, who, commissioned the project, makes clear his intent to celebrate Odocha at age 70 with eloquent verses. Each poem tells the story of Odocha and takes one on a journey of knowledge and understanding of who he is.   
 So, on the pages of this book, I meet the man Odocha. Aside the fact that the cover has the subject’s face on it, the sometimes abstract illustrations by Ibe Ananaba at the turn of some pages catch my attention  –   and then the revelation.
 In the poem, ‘The Call’, the author likens Odocha to a star thrown down to earth. Excerpts follow, in italics.

Suddenly, you will hear a thundering noise.
It is the sigh of the counted shadows piercing
the skies as a star is hurled upon the earth.
A hero it was that came down to us
the day you were born.
and the Nightingale stows away
her instrument of song
before the owl’s stretching limbs,
When the night is dead
and buried in silence, listen.
You will hear the sound of nzu
falling upon the earth’s torso.
You will hear the cowries
scattering on the ground.
 
In the second part of the same poem, the subject is described as a rare breed in a time of corruption, tribalism and terrorism.

We hear nothing but the rhythm
of your heart,
beating for our fatherland.
 
In page five, what appears to be a spelling error almost deems the perfect flow of the poem ‘Blood and Sands’, which describes the subject as a warrior who fights for truth when others spectate.

But when the skin is long wrinkled,
and the ‘breathe’ (instead of breath) of life flee
from the rivers of blood,
When the dry leaves of the gone-beforers
Gather at the foot
Of the hill,
There will always be a warrior in your lineage
Chanting war songs,
…swinging a sword in the dance of war
 
The poet goes on to talk about how Odocha’s legacy will speak for him when he is gone, and in the poem ‘Leadership’, describing him as an ideal leader who has served Africa and Nigeria diligently.
 
The gift of leadership
is yours by birth,
and you know by right
the future that you seek.
 
For your people
and Mother Africa,
reside not in some distant land.
 
It is in you
and in the tears you sowed,
for Nigeria,
for Africa,
…for Black supremacy.
 
These poems are deep, the language flowery and yet simple enough for any careful reader to decipher the most times not-so-hidden meaning. For example, in the poem titled, ‘The Way You Are’, the poet muses that ‘you are the sum of all that the sun can muster, in her most maiden pleasantness’ the subject’s impact on the society is compared with the brightness of the sun. At this point in Nigeria’s history when corrupt government officials are hunted down by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Odocha is lauded here as one who has remained unstained for many years, without accusations levelled at him for stealing public funds or putting his relatives in key positions in federal ministries like some Nigerians are accused of doing.
 Although this collection is entirely the writer’s opinion, it serves to make one ponder the sense of being Nigerian, the kind depicted as Odocha in this collection.