President Muhammadu Buhari, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, and other top military rank and file were conspicuously missing at the burial of Gen. Alexandra Madiebo (retd.) which was held Friday at Awka, Anambra state.
Madiebo, who died at the age of 90, in June this year, served both in the Nigerian and Biafran Armed Forces.
The Anambra state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, was also absent although he and the speaker of the House of Assembly, Uchenna Okafor, were respectively represented by his special adviser on politics, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu and the deputy speaker, Paschal Agbodike.
Speaking at the occasion, Brig.-Gen. Chika Arinze Ebenebe described Madiebo as “a gallant soldier and morale booster” who offered his best to the nation.
“We remember the role his colleagues in the Engineering Department of the Army which was drawn from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, who produced the Ogbunigwe bomb and the Ojukwu bucket as well as the Biafran aircraft known as the Biafran Baby played.
“The likes of your colleagues in the Army are waiting to receive you there and our General, the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, has already reserved your rightful place as one of his military Generals to continue with your routine military service,” he said.
On his part, the representative of Governor Soludo, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, said Madiebo was an icon and a soldier whose life was worth being emulated by the younger generation.
