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Ghana�s former President, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, has at a ceremony in Enugu paid tribute to the late Biafra leader, General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, describing his death as a great loss to Nigeria. President Rawlings said General Ojukwu stood for equity, peace and justice but did not hesitate to defend his people militarily in pursuit of those ideals. The former President who led a delegation to the funeral of Chief Ojukwu who died late last year after a protracted illness said circumstances that led to the Biafra war were very disturbing. �As a young, respected leader of his people he had to lead a sacrificial war that eventually brought realityhome to all Nigerians and sowed seeds of unity in Africa�s most populous and ethnically diverse country,� he said. The former President said events leading to the Biafra war have some similarities to today�s political circumstances in Nigeria and cautioned Nigerians to appreciate the sacrifices of those who laid down their lives during the Biafra war and create an opportunity for hope rather than despair. General Ojukwu led the Eastern Region of Nigeria to secede in 1967 after the first two military coups in Nigeria created a systematic massacre of his native Igbos. Efforts to secure peace through a reconciliation meeting in Aburi fell through subsequently leading to the creation of Biafra and the Nigeria civil war. Members of President Rawlings� delegation included National Security Advisor, General Nunoo-Mensah, Hon. Michael Teye Nyaunu, businessman Herbert Mensah, Kofi Adams, Deputy GeneralSecretary of the NDC and Alhaji Muftau Sanni Thomas. Also in attendance were Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and Nigeria Vice-President, Namadi Sambo.