The
third part of the program, that was expected to go on until dawn, was
introduction of Biafran veterans. Captain Okpe was one of them. He spoke
about being only 26 at the end of the war, and yet being the chief
pilot. And his arrest and detention after the war. He told us he had
written a book about the air war. So after that, at the first
opportunity I introduced myself to him and invited him to speak on
MJoTAtalks.
Captain Okpe has been generous to MJoTAtalks with his time, and we have recorded 2 programs.
The
first program was recorded the Tuesday after the New York Memorial, and
can be heard on this page. The second program was recorded on February
13, the day before Captain Okpe left the United States.
In between those 2 recordings, I collected Captain Okpe in New York and drove him to Philadelphia.
I
love driving great story tellers because they are also great listeners.
Captain Okpe has listened to commands and to his countrymen and to
control towers and to his family. In Philadelphia, Captain Okpe
addressed the Catholic congregation, and was taken to lunch with 11
others by High Chief Malachy Orji, who is MJoTAtalks Executive Producer,
click here.
Don't
even think about not buying his book. I can deliver it to you anywhere
in the United States, USD40 for the softback, USD60 for the hardback,
plus postage if I have to send it to you. The hardback is the bargain,
and you will need it to give to your grandchildren and your great
grandchildren. Because it is the best story that has come out of 20th century Africa by a fearless hero who followed orders but had an
ethical over-ride.
The
pictures on this page taken in the 21st century were taken by my
cameras, mostly by me, in the 18 days that Captain Okpe came to the
attention of MJoTAtalks that he remained in the United States.
His story was too good to leave on the shelf gathering dust, the day he left to return to Nigeria, on February 14, he signed 2 agreements, one was that I had exclusive rights to develop the book into a movie, and that I have the rights to sell copies of the book for him.
Two weeks later, I was in Nigeria for 3 weeks, up to my chin in his books about the Biafran War. I met Air Vice Marshall Abdul Bello, and another pilot from Captain Okpe's days as pilot, and then chief pilot of Nigeria Airways (1976 until 2001). I met his elder son, a US Army veteran himself, and his identical twin daughters: these were all born during the Biafran War while Captain Okpe, then Biafran Air Force Squadron Leader Okpe, was flying and bombing Nigerian military and economic targets at every opportunity. I met the sisters of the late mother of his children (a second son was born after the war), and he took me to Enogu when General Ojukwu was being buried.
I came back to the United States with a notarized copy, with both our signatures, of a copy of the certification of a new company Ganymede Movies LLP. Captain Okpe and I are equal partners in this company: at its start, on March 20, 2012, Ganymede Movies has 2 assets: the film rights to The Last Flight, and the film script for the movie of The Last Flight.
Where is the movie? When will it be made? Keep coming back to these pages. If you want to be part of it, contact Dr Susanna through Facebook (Wanjiru Susanna J Dodgson, I will accept you as a friend).
