By Adewale Adeoye
Of all the left activists I have encountered in life, Dapo Olorunyomi, Baba Omojola and Chima Ubani were the finest.
The son of a Seventh Day Adventist Pastor, not that Chima was a Marxist, but because he was a humane person who was honest, kind-hearted, humble, affectionate and selfless long before he became a Marxist.
Becoming a Marxist around 1986 only gave ideology to his natural kind, honest and humane character.
Chima brought selflessness, humility and humanity first in everything he did.
He was someone that was very difficult to find fault with.
He had compassion for fellow human beings and very decent in his choice of words.
He was not malicious and kept his head above immoral mannners.
Chima was from Abia State, Obete-Umuoha in the Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia.
I hope Imo State too will honour him. Lagos State already did few years after his death
Many thanks to the Governor of Abia State for recognising one of the finest icons that fought to overthrow the system the person who honoured him represented.
This is the first time Chima Ubani is being recognised by his encenstral home region.
I first met Chima in 1985. He was permanently lean and emaciated, with a stony and defiant eyebrow.
His physique was tiny but cast in steel.
He was in Reggae Movement. I was in the Marxist Youth Movement, MYM led at that time by Comrades Chris Uyot, Obasiigwe, now a Prof, Uzodinma Nwala, a Professor of Philosophy, Emma Ezeazu, Chris Ani, Eke Emmanuel, Joe Eugene Onuora, Femi Ahmed, now Femi Israel and many others
Our Marxist candidate lost to a more practical,more modest, more affectionate and less combative Chiman Ubani.
We actually had two candidates from MYM.None wanted to step down for the other. The election taught me that voters take decisions motivated by many factors including psyschological consideration. Our Marxist candidate for the UNN Publicity Secretary, Eugene Onuorah also lost to Chido Nwagwu. Why Eugene was a Marxist revolutionary, seen as more committed and perhaps from a tradition that would not betray the students, voters chose Chido for a different reason. The girls prefered Chido because they felt he was more handsome and cute. Onuorah’s signature was his Che Guevera beret, Chido’s was his well tailored Western suit. We lost.
Of course, there may have been other reasons, but that was the excuse given by many female students that I chatted after the election.
After Chima’s victory, the Marxist group noticed that everything about Chima was humanity in its finest form. He was not a compromise candidate. His love for justice was real.
The task of inviting him to the MYM became historic, a mission that must be fulfilled.
He did not refuse the offer. Coming to MYM strengthened his support and ideological base and the richness of his programmes.
Decisions now had to be taken after exhaustive debates, scientific analysis using Dialectics as the tool for analysis. Chima rose within the MYM like a storming comet.
His charm, honesty, dedication were irresistible.
His emergence as the UNN Students Union President further revolutionarised the entire UNN. His fame grew like a nurtured plant in summer.
He led the students during the SAP riots. He mobilised UNN in solidarity with Ahmabu Bello University when students of ABU were killed by Anti-riot police.
The students would roar: Ubani, Ubani, Ubani Ka je so, Ono jeje Ono bia bia, Ubani ka je so
Whereever you lead us, we will follow you. Ubani was like most of the typical Igbo I met throughout my sojorn in Eastern Nigeria: honest, firm, resolute and determined.
In class as a student of Crop Science (Horticulture) he was a significant star. His grade from his first year was first class.
His suspension, forcing him to come back and resit the exams he missed was what dropped him to second class Upper. He would have come out of UNN with First Class.
Fate brought us together again in Lagos at the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO and later at the Campaign for Democracy, (CD).
In everything Chima did he would consider his own interest the least.
I recall when he did a yearly budget of 300 Naira for his office as President of UNN students union, the debate at the Students House of Representative was that the 300naira should be reviewed upwards. But Chima refused.
I won as the Representative for Alvan Ikoku Hall. The electoral officer was Chinonye Obiagwu, now a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Chinonye read philosophy but returned to University of Ibadan for a fresh Law Degree.
Wale Oyekanmi, from Ibokun in Osun State also won as the Speaker of the Students Union.
Chima led the students to defeat the Military Tribunal set up by the Ibrahim Babangida administration to try suspended UNN students.
Chima was one of the victims. Femi Falana was at the time the students’ lawyer. He would visit Nsukka travelling by Night Bus, at no cost. All the students were recalled after a firerce legal and street battles.
Students moved from.Nsukka to Enugu to chase away the members of the Tribunal from their Chamber.
Chima hardly used the Peogeot Station Wagon car assigned to his office as President of the Students Union.
His leadership in CD with Dr Beko Ransom Kuti was inspiring. He worked like a horse. He left a legacy of truth and integrity.
Chima gave his blood, his vein, his artery, his flesh and his spirit.
He worked day and night. Sometimes he would visit my house at midnight. The job was to distribute anti-military pamphlets. The strategy of popular mobilisation was neither drama or photo opportunism. CD reached out to the people, students, workers, teachers, pupils, organised and unorganised formal and informal sectors through one-on-one pamphleteering and constructive dialogue with the least resources available.
Chima was also a man of humour. He would always mock Nassir Kura for not knowing how to call FUFU but would rather say PUPU. Kura should be forgiven for his tongue of birth.
It is difficult to understand why good people die leaving many rogues to run the affairs of the commonwealth.
If going to heaven is not determined by how many times one attended Churches, but based on strength of character, honesty, compassion for humanity, Chima should be in the right hand and at the feet of God.