Katsumoto:

Hillary Njoku, who happened to have the same Nigerian rank as Ojukwu, was imprisoned for arguing against Ojukwu's strategy.

What strategy are you referring? Please I would appreciate to be intimated with such strategy.

katsumoto i think you are putting these ojukwu acolytes to shame with your indepth and objective analysis of what went on during this tragic period, if only people like only truth, dede1 and other emotional basket cases could take off those rose tinted glasses for a second and see this man for who he really is they would start making sense.

what i find amazing is some people's definition of a hero , the fact that Ojukwu fought a battle which he knew he could not win does not make him a hero it makes him a megalomaniac, the same way hitler tried to fight a war on 2 different fronts sacrificing millions of his german soldiers lives, ordering them to advance into the bitter russian terrain with temperatures falling as low as minus 40C  in defiance of advice from him own generals  made him a megalomaniac, the same way hitler declared war on america despite the fact that the american  military vastly outmatched him makes him a megalomaniac, what hitler didnt not know was that he had been provoked into athat declaration of war on america in order for the americans to have an excuse to crush germany's war machine once and for all, now turning to ojukwu - as  the son of a man who fraternised with the british colonial elite, (his father was a personal friend of the former colonial governor general of nigeria) he must have known that britain had a vested interest in ensuring that power remained in the hands of the north, after all they (the british) orchestrated the rigging of the 1959 elections in order for this to be the case, why then would he put the lives of millions of his own people in jeopardy in order to realise his political ambitions? only a deranged individual suffering from a mental disorder would do such a thing, this is the reason he embarked on this war, he couldnt imagine himself playing second fiddle to a northern puppet which i understand but why not ensure that you are militarily equipped to embark on this war first, its like two people playing a game of chess and the other one sees that his opponent is winnning, what does he do, consider that the odds are against him and accept defeat, no he overturns the chess board - insisting that if he cant win - nobody will win - that is ojuwkw's mentality, however being a cunning and wily man he convinced the igbos that he was their messiah, that he had come to deliver them out of the hands of the blood thirsty northerners and they bought it, to be honest i cant blame igbos during that period for not seeing through Ojukwu's opportunism because of the pogroms, however i do blame him for ploughing on with a war in which he was so devastatingly outmatched, furthermore britain was determined not to loose the oil fields to the igbos particularly with someone like Ojukwu at the helm of affairs as this would spell doom for the plan to continue to control the economic and political destiny of the country.  these are all the things Ojuwkwu knew but carried on with regardless.  The man should not be lauded as a hero but exposed for the power crazed individual that he was.  definition of megalomaniac:  

"Megalomania is an unrealistic belief in one's superiority, grandiose abilities, and even omnipotence. It is characterized by a need for total power and control over others, and is marked by a lack of empathy for anything that is perceived as not feeding the self."

@Sillymuse

You have every right to display your God-given idiocy in the public but pal; you do not have such effrontery to distort history. The idea of Ojukwu as the same event as Nigeria-Biafra civil war only exists in the figment of your idiotic imagination. Only a fool such you would occupy your moronic self with something such as Biafra war that never existed. Oh, I guess you meant Nigeria-Biafra civil war. Again, Ojukwu, Gowon, Biafrans and Nigerians are part of the Nigeria-Biafra civil war. When next a scoundrel such as you stepped into argument about Nigeria-Biafra civil war, try to disabuse your mind from the conjectures fed to you by your parents.

Ojukwu is a comprehensive bad luck to the Igbos. He's the type of person a trader meets on is way to the market and scream ewo, tufiakwa!  and return home in disgust; because  its going to be a bad day.

What profit a man to gain the world, and lose his soul.

Ojukwu benefited handsomely from the war, while the rest of Igbos were losers.
At the end of the war, the coward stole biafra money and ran away, claiming his going to form a government in exile. Years later when he returned from exile, he got his properties back, the rest of the Igbo lost theirs. His rank was restored by the FG with full benefit, hundred of thousands of former biafran soldiers got nothing. Hes the self appointed leader of the Igbos , collaborating with every government in power.

Well my own opinion is that Ojukwu is and sees himself primarily as a politician. This despite the fact that he has been a professional soldier. As a matter of fact like many of his contempories in Africa he joined the army because he saw it as providing a powerful platform from which to launch his political career.
The machinations of Ojukwu between the Nzeogwu coup and the beginning of the Nigerian civil war should very much be seen in the context of a guy ambitious to attain and retain power. Although he exhibited great courage during the war he was also clever enough to realise that his continued presence was making negotiation and reconciliation impossible. Clasewitz has said that war is the continuation of politics by other means.
That is why he had to exit the stage in January 1970.

I challenge anybody to rationalise that Ojukwu is justified to kill deserters and collaborators during the biafra war, while he ran away at the end of the war to save his pathetic neck

Dede1:


@Cap28

To say that I was not impress on reading the names of your listed revolutionaries in Africa is an understatement. I guess you are entitled to your skewed opinion and must be judged by your words. Please be informed that your words betrayed you as a dimwitted jackass.

Dede1 you make me laugh - since you have the nerve to mention skewed opinion - why dont we take a look at your own skewed opinions:  you admire and bow before a man who embarked on a war he knew he could not win because of selfish personal ambition.

you worship and idolise a man who did not learn his lesson after the nigeria biafra civil war but came back after mysteriously being pardoned by the shagari regime (i believe that he used his british connections to secure that pardon because i know of no revolutionary leader who was allowed to come back into the same country after leading a secessionist movement within it )  to FORM AN ALLIANCE WITH THE SAME ELITE GROUP WHO MASSACRED HIS OWN PEOPLE - this is your hero

he FRATERNISED WITH AND FORMED AN ALLIANCE WITH  A STAUNCH MEMBER OF THE HAUSA FULANI OLIGARCHY - Sani Abacha - this is your hero

Now look at my heros: Fela Kuti - fought for social justice and equality of the poor irrespective of  ethnic background - suffered brutal repression from the rulling classes and had his mother murdered in the process

Gani Fawenhinmi - fought for social justice for all irrespective of ethnic background -suffered beatings, imprisonment and death threats

Kwame Nkrumah - challenged western imperialism and fought for social justice and economic progress of africa as a unified entity (pan africanism) - was toppled by CIA

sekou toure - former guinean president - fought french imperialism - suffered economic isolation following his decision to drop out of french controlled francophone entity

thomas sankara - fought french imperialism - murdered by french backed coup detat

nelson mandela - fought western backed apartheid and imperialism - spent 27 years in prison

patrice lumumba - fought belgian and american backed imperialism - murdered by the CIA

NOW COMPARE my heros to your self appointed igbo messiah and i think it becomes crystal clear to anyone with an iota of intelligence who the dimwitted jackass between the two of us really is.

bilymuse:

I challenge anybody to rationalise that Ojukwu is justified to kill deserters and collaborators during the biafra war, while he ran away at the end of the war to save his pathetic neck

You are getting the wrong end of the stick. His tactical withdrawal in January 1970 was to facilitate negotiations and foster reconciliation in my opinion. His becoming a martyr would have made such a process very difficult.

cap28:

katsumoto i think you are putting these ojukwu acolytes to shame with your indepth and objective analysis of what went on during this tragic period, if only people like only truth, dede1 and other emotional basket cases could take off those rose tinted glasses for a second and see this man for who he really is they would start making sense.

what i find amazing is some people's definition of a hero , the fact that Ojukwu fought a battle which he knew he could not win does not make him a hero it makes him a megalomaniac, the same way hitler tried to fight a war on 2 different fronts sacrificing millions of his german soldiers lives, ordering them to advance into the bitter russian terrain with temperatures falling as low as minus 40C in defiance of advice from him own generals made him a megalomaniac, the same way hitler declared war on america despite the fact that the american military vastly outmatched him makes him a megalomaniac, what hitler didnt not know was that he had been provoked into athat declaration of war on america in order for the americans to have an excuse to crush germany's war machine once and for all, now turning to ojukwu - as the son of a man who fraternised with the british colonial elite, (his father was a personal friend of the former colonial governor general of nigeria) he must have known that britain had a vested interest in ensuring that power remained in the hands of the north, after all they (the british) orchestrated the rigging of the 1959 elections in order for this to be the case, why then would he put the lives of millions of his own people in jeopardy in order to realise his political ambitions? only a deranged individual suffering from a mental disorder would do such a thing, this is the reason he embarked on this war, he couldnt imagine himself playing second fiddle to a northern puppet which i understand but why not ensure that you are militarily equipped to embark on this war first, its like two people playing a game of chess and the other one sees that his opponent is winnning, what does he do, consider that the odds are against him and accept defeat, no he overturns the chess board - insisting that if he cant win - nobody will win - that is ojuwkw's mentality, however being a cunning and wily man he convinced the igbos that he was their messiah, that he had come to deliver them out of the hands of the blood thirsty northerners and they bought it, to be honest i cant blame igbos during that period for not seeing through Ojukwu's opportunism because of the pogroms, however i do blame him for ploughing on with a war in which he was so devastatingly outmatched, furthermore britain was determined not to loose the oil fields to the igbos particularly with someone like Ojukwu at the helm of affairs as this would spell doom for the plan to continue to control the economic and political destiny of the country. these are all the things Ojuwkwu knew but carried on with regardless. The man should not be lauded as a hero but exposed for the power crazed individual that he was. definition of megalomaniac:

"Megalomania is an unrealistic belief in one's superiority, grandiose abilities, and even omnipotence. It is characterized by a need for total power and control over others, and is marked by a lack of empathy for anything that is perceived as not feeding the self."

Do some peeps from Nigeria actually understand the chronological order of events that led to the shooting civil war between Nigeria and Biafra? Or people simply stroll to Internet to display an unqualified bias they had against Ndigbo in particular and Biafra in general. Ojukwu never appointed himself military governor of eastern region of Nigeria. Ojukwu, unlike Gowon, never involved in any failed or unsuccessful coup in Nigeria. Ojukwu was not an instigator of insidious pogrom in northern region of Nigeria.

After Ironsi was declared missing, Ojukwu insisted that chief of staff supreme military headquarters should assume the command of the armed forces. The same Ojukwu warned those who were bent on the usurping the position of C-in-C that indiscipline such action would bring to Nigeria army would reverberate for long time. Ojukwu did not declare war on Nigeria. It is only in the land of stack idiots that when a group of people are forced to protect themselves from the aggressor tantamount to war. If Ojukwu was power hungry, he would not call for Ogundipe to become the Head of State rather he would schemed and gotten handsome concessions from the Gowon. This is a fact any mad fellow could discern. Yet people clouded with ethnic bias will remain lost about the facts.

cap28:

Dede1 you make me laugh - since you have the nerve to mention skewed opinion - why dont we take a look at your own skewed opinions: you admire and bow before a man who embarked on a war he knew he could not win because of selfish personal ambition.

you worship and idolise a man who did not learn his lesson after the nigeria biafra civil war but came back after mysteriously being pardoned by the shagari regime (i believe that he used his british connections to secure that pardon because i know of no revolutionary leader who was allowed to come back into the same country after leading a secessionist movement within it ) to FORM AN ALLIANCE WITH THE SAME ELITE GROUP WHO MASSACRED HIS OWN PEOPLE - this is your hero

he FRATERNISED WITH AND FORMED AN ALLIANCE WITH A STAUNCH MEMBER OF THE HAUSA FULANI OLIGARCHY - Sani Abacha - this is your hero

Now look at my heros: Fela Kuti - fought for social justice and equality of the poor irrespective of ethnic background - suffered brutal repression from the rulling classes and had his mother murdered in the process

Gani Fawenhinmi - fought for social justice for all irrespective of ethnic background -suffered beatings, imprisonment and death threats

Kwame Nkrumah - challenged western imperialism and fought for social justice and economic progress of africa as a unified entity (pan africanism) - was toppled by CIA

sekou toure - former guinean president - fought french imperialism - suffered economic isolation following his decision to drop out of french controlled francophone entity

thomas sankara - fought french imperialism - murdered by french backed coup detat

nelson mandela - fought western backed apartheid and imperialism - spent 27 years in prison

patrice lumumba - fought belgian and american backed imperialism - murdered by the CIA

NOW COMPARE my heros to your self appointed igbo messiah and i think it becomes crystal clear to anyone with an iota of intelligence who the dimwitted jackass between the two of us really is.

I would not join issues with you on these childish drivels. When you listed Patrick Lumumba in this jest oriented post, I knew you were drunk with distortion. If British had fought on the side of Biafra and Gowon was eventually killed, I bet you would have listed Gowon too. Please I suggest perusal of well articulated history devoid of CIA and KGB bias. Try to be none typical naïve African for a moment.

cap28:

he FRATERNISED WITH AND FORMED AN ALLIANCE WITH A STAUNCH MEMBER OF THE HAUSA FULANI OLIGARCHY - Sani Abacha - this is your hero

Well Abacha was the military head of state at the time and he needed the support of political heavyweights from all sections of the country in order to give his regime some semblance of stability and legitimacy.

Dede1:

@Katsumoto

To write that “the Yoruba's were the most under-represented ethnic group of the three major tribes in the military” is simply mischievous streaming from seeds of deceit planted by the western region of Nigerian publications of 1967. I think you over exaggerated when you used the phrase “decimated Igbo officers and NCOs” in order to manipulated already weak and cheap political point. Yoruba had the second highest number of officers in Nigeria army as of January 1, 1966. This is also true about the NCOs. Thanks goodness that we live among recorded events as to avoid being told by certain group of people that Ogundipe never existed. It is very disappointing to read a waste of brain effort from you. Gowon was part and conniving central figure in July 29, 1966 coup.

What was one of the issues raised by Ojukwu regarding Yoruba representation in the forces? Was it not Ojukwu who argued for the recruitment of Yoruba sons into the forces. Yes the Yoruba had officers but were lacking in NCOs. Please see below, you may disagree with my arguments but I still try to back up my arguments with some evidence. BTW, I think you need to keep out the slide remarks when you disagree with me. We can disagree from time to time.

"A few days later on May 20, Gowon accepted the recommendations of the National Reconciliation Committee. Although Ojukwu said he did not recognize the group as constituted, members passed along his demands to the federal government. After consultations, therefore, Gowon announced on May 25, that the SMC had agreed to withdraw non-Yoruba troops from Abeokuta and Ibadan and establish a crash training program to increase the Yoruba representation in the Army. This had always been a key demand of Ojukwu but was also later echoed by Yoruba leaders. To ease the process and avoid apprehension among the mostly northern soldiery, Lt. Col Hassan Katsina (Northern governor), Lt. Col Joe Akahan (Chief of Staff, Army) along with the Battalion Commander, Major Sotomi addressed the troops at Ibadan. The plan was that they would mostly have departed Ibadan and Abeokuta by May 31, some to Apapa and Ikeja in the Lagos area, while others were to be transferred to the Jebba and Ilorin garrisons by train. The SMC, citing the status of the city as the federal capital, had rejected the suggestion that northern soldiers be removed from Lagos as well. However, events quickly spiraled out of control and none of this came to pass."

http://www.kwenu.com/biafra/nowa_may30.htm

Dede1:


What strategy are you referring? Please I would appreciate to be intimated with such strategy.

"However, those who lobbied that the Eastern region accept Decree No. 8 based their arguments on the fact that the decree gave Ojukwu "over 90%" of what he wanted at Aburi as well as providing a way to avoid the horrors of war. (Col Hilary Njoku's disagreement with Ojukwu on this point cost him the command of the Biafran Army and bagged him a sentence to jail without trial for almost the entire duration of the war. However, Mr. NU Akpan who was also pro-Decree No. 8 held on to his job as Secretary to the Government of the eastern region (and Biafra) to the very end.) Back on Feb 25, Ojukwu threatened to take unilateral action by March 31 if there were persistent delays in announcing the new decree as he understood it to have been agreed at Aburi. On March 1st Gowon met with the diplomatic corps to discuss the ABuri agreement and reservations the government had about certain implications of the Ojukwu interpretation. On March 10 the SMC met in Lagos without Ojukwu - for reasons of personal safety - in order to discuss the draft text. This was followed on Mar 12 by a meeting in Benin of all Law officers from the different regions - and the subsequent release of the decree."

http://www.kwenu.com/biafra/nowa_may30.htm

Dede1:


Do some peeps from Nigeria actually understand the chronological order of events that led to the shooting civil war between Nigeria and Biafra? Or people simply stroll to Internet to display an unqualified bias they had against Ndigbo in particular and Biafra in general. Ojukwu never appointed himself military governor of eastern region of Nigeria. Ojukwu, unlike Gowon, never involved in any failed or unsuccessful coup in Nigeria. Ojukwu was not an instigator of insidious pogrom in northern region of Nigeria.

After Ironsi was declared missing, Ojukwu insisted that chief of staff supreme military headquarters should assume the command of the armed forces. The same Ojukwu warned those who were bent on the usurping the position of C-in-C that indiscipline such action would bring to Nigeria army would reverberate for long time. Ojukwu did not declare war on Nigeria. It is only in the land of stack idiots that when a group of people are forced to protect themselves from the aggressor tantamount to war. If Ojukwu was power hungry, he would not call for Ogundipe to become the Head of State rather he would schemed and gotten handsome concessions from the Gowon. This is a fact any mad fellow could discern. Yet people clouded with ethnic bias will remain lost about the facts.

I agree with the above except for the part regarding the war. After the pogroms, Ojukwu could have adviced Igbo sons and daughter to remain in the East. He could have then quietly formed alliances and also got the backing of at least one super power. While the British and Russians supported the Federal side, he could have gotten the support of the French and the Americans. From the Americans, perhaps, strategic and political backsing since the Americans were engaged in Vietnam at that time. We both know that there were several Yoruba groups that supported the Biafrans; wouldn't it have made sense to also reach out to them before declaring Biafra. The declaration of a state within another state is a declaration of war whether you are going to agree with it or not.

No matter how much anyone adores ojukwu as a hero, I insist the man did a severe harm to Nigeria in general and the igbos in particular.
As an Igbo person myself, I do not condone the massacre of the igbos in the north at the time and in the same way I cannot praise a man for bringing war to his house, the war was fought on igbo soil while the yorubas and hausas were going about their businesses.

Before the wars, igbos were leading in the military, academically, in business and in so many other areas. We were doing so good that at the time we had built so many houses in Port Harcourt, and in igbo land there was peace, development, progress and an almost crime free society.

Now what did we achieve from the war? Absolutely nothing but backwardness. We have more of our youths doing 'buying and selling' in Nigeria while many who manage to go school come out with nothing. Before the war we had scientists, academics and brains that could have served as role models, today our role models are scammers, fraudsters, people with unexplainable wealth and traditional rulers who are more evil and hypocritical than some demons.

It baffles me how a lot of people on this forum celebrate one mans faux pas and attack anyone that tells the truth about ojukwu.


What we need to read about ojukwu is not his mamoir but an appology to the igbo race for leading us into a war we were not prepared for.

Onlytruth:

He had his Igbo agenda when he did that, and I wish he did much much more! I wish Abacha is alive today. But not to worry, other of your nemesis from the north will soon ascend the presidency next year. We Ndigbo will do our best to help enthrone him.  

LOL your such a clown-  

You can never hurt yorubas by making IBB president. Yorubas have no enemies or allainces with anyone or even among themselves.
IBBs running mate is hinted to most likely to be from SW(some ype of atonement for Abiola 1993) and Govenor gbenga Daniels is his SW campaign and he was well recieved in Abeokuta, Ogun state. One of my fathers friends (a yoruba of course) is close friends with IBB and wants IBB to become president, So how is IBB and enemy to yorubas?

lol you are making me laugh, I want a better Nigeria for everyone but if IBB becomes president hey "i get connection for Aso rock big time" doesnt really matter.

[size=13pt]2011: Arewa elders reject Babangida[/size]

"There is an understanding that the retired general was called in to help stabilize Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and neutralize the cabal’s influence in government within the few months that he agreed to serve before going for the 2011 race.

"This retired general had been a pillar of support behind the scene for IBB and others. The elders may be asking IBB why he has to pre-empt his loyal friend and more or less, truncate his friend’s only chance to reach a position that IBB once held," a source in Kaduna stated.

Aliyu Gasau is who theyre talking about. he secured IBB's presidency and Obasanjo's and now Jonathans.

Aliyu Gasau for president 2011 and i must tell you Gasau is our man in the PDP SW literally one of my uncles in Abuja was talking about Aliyu is his Guy and now that he is NSA again is a plus and may become president in 2011 which is great.

So my friend lemmi tell you - doesnt matter to us if IBB becomes president or not. Tribal politics are Old.

@post ojuwku fumbled big time.

Katsumoto:

What was one of the issues raised by Ojukwu regarding Yoruba representation in the forces? Was it not Ojukwu who argued for the recruitment of Yoruba sons into the forces. Yes the Yoruba had officers but were lacking in NCOs. Please see below, you may disagree with my arguments but I still try to back up my arguments with some evidence. BTW, I think you need to keep out the slide remarks when you disagree with me. We can disagree from time to time.

"A few days later on May 20, Gowon accepted the recommendations of the National Reconciliation Committee. Although Ojukwu said he did not recognize the group as constituted, members passed along his demands to the federal government. After consultations, therefore, Gowon announced on May 25, that the SMC had agreed to withdraw non-Yoruba troops from Abeokuta and Ibadan and establish a crash training program to increase the Yoruba representation in the Army. This had always been a key demand of Ojukwu but was also later echoed by Yoruba leaders. To ease the process and avoid apprehension among the mostly northern soldiery, Lt. Col Hassan Katsina (Northern governor), Lt. Col Joe Akahan (Chief of Staff, Army) along with the Battalion Commander, Major Sotomi addressed the troops at Ibadan. The plan was that they would mostly have departed Ibadan and Abeokuta by May 31, some to Apapa and Ikeja in the Lagos area, while others were to be transferred to the Jebba and Ilorin garrisons by train. The SMC, citing the status of the city as the federal capital, had rejected the suggestion that northern soldiers be removed from Lagos as well. However, events quickly spiraled out of control and none of this came to pass."

http://www.kwenu.com/biafra/nowa_may30.htm

This is nothing but hogwash. The Yoruba NCOs solely gave Nigeria more than half of the infantry men needed to stand up two divisions such as 3MCDO and 2nd Division. The Yoruba NCOs were drawn from Lagos Garrison Organization and entire 2nd Brigade comprising 2nd battalion, 4th Battalion and 8th Battalion. You should realize that when the two divisions (3MCDO and 2nd Division) were stood up by mostly NCOs from Yoruba extraction, Biafra could not even stand up a battalion of mostly Igbo NCOs. I do not understand the reasons behind putting argument that could withstand the scrutiny of curious mind. It did not look like Gowon built a magic factory of soldiers in Lagos, Abaokuta, Ibadan, Oshogbo and Ilorin that gave Nigerian army two division mostly populated by Officers and NCOs of Yoruba extraction in 6 months.

Dede1:


This is nothing but hogwash. The Yoruba NCOs solely gave Nigeria more than half of the infantry men needed to stand up two divisions such 3MCDO and 2nd Division. The Yoruba NCOs were drawn from Lagos Garrison Organization and entire 2nd Brigade comprising 2nd battalion, 4th Battalion and 8th Battalion. You should realize that when the two divisions (3MCDO and 2nd Division) were stood up by mostly NCOs from Yoruba extraction, Biafra could not even stand up a battalion of mostly Igbo NCOs. I do not understand the reasons behind putting argument that could withstand the scrutiny of curious mind. It did not look like Gowon built a magic factory of soldiers in Lagos, Abaokuta, Ibadan, Oshogbo and Ilorin that gave Nigerian army two division mostly populated by Officers and NCOs of Yoruba extraction in 6 months.

You have to start backing up your arguments with concrete evidence. Information from uncles and friends who fought in the war can not be the basis of your arguments. You need to post links or reference books. You disagreed with the post I provided but you failed to provide evidence to support your position. In the absence of any evidence from you, I guess we have to agree to disagree.

Katsumoto:


"However, those who lobbied that the Eastern region accept Decree No. 8 based their arguments on the fact that the decree gave Ojukwu "over 90%" of what he wanted at Aburi as well as providing a way to avoid the horrors of war. (Col Hilary Njoku's disagreement with Ojukwu on this point cost him the command of the Biafran Army and bagged him a sentence to jail without trial for almost the entire duration of the war. However, Mr. NU Akpan who was also pro-Decree No. 8 held on to his job as Secretary to the Government of the eastern region (and Biafra) to the very end.) Back on Feb 25, Ojukwu threatened to take unilateral action by March 31 if there were persistent delays in announcing the new decree as he understood it to have been agreed at Aburi. On March 1st Gowon met with the diplomatic corps to discuss the ABuri agreement and reservations the government had about certain implications of the Ojukwu interpretation. On March 10 the SMC met in Lagos without Ojukwu - for reasons of personal safety - in order to discuss the draft text. This was followed on Mar 12 by a meeting in Benin of all Law officers from the different regions - and the subsequent release of the decree."

http://www.kwenu.com/biafra/nowa_may30.htm

I hope you do understand that during and immediately after Aburi agreement, eastern region operated as a region not a nation. And I hope you should agree with me that disagreement found within individual opinions in dealing with Decree No. 8 and brazen violation of Aburi accord by Nigerians does not constitute disagreement on strategic approach. There was no easterner who did not agree on the accord reached in Aburi, Ghana.

It is unfortunate that you and Omoigui would want us to believe that a fabricated fallacy involving non-existed disagreement between Ojukwu and Njoku on Decree No. 8 and total disregard of Aburi accord caused the later the command of Biafra army. What a joke. When Ojukwu and Njoku had little misunderstanding about Biafran armed forces chain of command, the issues of Decree No. 8 and the alleged violation of Aburi accord had long past.

Dede1:



I hope you do understand that during and immediately after Aburi agreement, eastern region operated as a region not a nation. And I hope you should agree with me that disagreement found within individual opinions in dealing with Decree No. 8 and brazen violation of Aburi accord by Nigerians does not constitute disagreement on strategic approach. There was no easterner who did not agree on the accord reached in Aburi, Ghana.

It is unfortunate that you and Omoigui would want us to believe that a fabricated fallacy involving non-existed disagreement between Ojukwu and Njoku on Decree No. 8 and total disregard of Aburi accord caused the later the command of Biafra army. What a joke. When Ojukwu and Njoku had little misunderstanding about Biafran armed forces chain of command, the issues of Decree No. 8 and the alleged violation of Aburi accord had long past. 

You might have improved your argument considerably if you told us why Ojukwu had Njoku locked up and please, something that can be backed up properly.

Katsumoto:

You might have improved your argument considerably if you told us why Ojukwu had Njoku locked up and please, something that can be backed up properly.

The obvious question then is who are the hawks within his cabinet that pushed Ojukwu to break of negotiations with the Gowonian regime after Aburi and opt for seccession?

Katsumoto:

You have to start backing up your arguments with concrete evidence. Information from uncles and friends who fought in the war can not be the basis of your arguments. You need to post links or reference books. You disagreed with the post I provided but you failed to provide evidence to support your position. In the absence of any evidence from you, I guess we have to agree to disagree.

I have no discernable reasons to aide in propagation of falsehood. Why should I engage in the habit of providing links that point to erroneous article of facts that do not stand the scrutiny of time? For example, Omoigui is an original exponent of the fallacy that had everybody believed that only five Nigerian army officers had university degree as of January 1, 1966. This rubbish was further propagated by scholars such Max Siollum. If I quote this fallacy and provide a link to Omoigui’s and Maxsiollum’s Intenent bound articles, does it make a factual truth?

Katsumoto:

You might have improved your argument considerably if you told us why Ojukwu had Njoku locked up and please, something that can be backed up properly.

According to your slide statement, I shall remain a lazy scholar. In addition, I shall wait for my uncle or friends to inculcate such knowledge into my skull. Until now, I did not know that explorative research is an exclusive domain of the elites.

cicero:

No matter how much anyone adores ojukwu as a hero, I insist the man did a severe harm to Nigeria in general and the igbos in particular.
As an Igbo person myself, I do not condone the massacre of the igbos in the north at the time and in the same way I cannot praise a man for bringing war to his house, the war was fought on igbo soil while the yorubas and hausas were going about their businesses.

Before the wars, igbos were leading in the military, academically, in business and in so many other areas. We were doing so good that at the time we had built so many houses in Port Harcourt, and in igbo land there was peace, development, progress and an almost crime free society.

Now what did we achieve from the war? Absolutely nothing but backwardness.  We have more of our youths doing 'buying and selling' in Nigeria while many who manage to go school come out with nothing. Before the war we had scientists, academics and brains that could have served as role models, today our role models are scammers, fraudsters, people with unexplainable wealth and traditional rulers who are more evil and hypocritical than some demons

It baffles me how a lot of people on this forum celebrate one mans faux pas and attack anyone that tells the truth about ojukwu.


What we need to read about ojukwu is not his mamoir but an appology to the igbo race for leading us into a war we were not prepared for.

[b]Lies, lies and more lies!!

You see, it's your kind that betrayed us during the war - the ''Ikegbunas''.  

Everyone knows Ojukwu opened our eyes and we saw and have been seeing ever since, haven't we If the Hausas and Yorubas have not been wicked, devilish in their ways and hell bent on their Hatred of the Igbos, why up till now (40yrs+ after the war) are they continuously marginalising the Igbos.  Isn't it time they treat Nigeria as one by 'Action' and not by words.

You claimed, the war was not fought on their soil and I assume the impact on them (as they managed to go about their businesses) were lesser compared to the Igbos, during that war.  

In fact, they never lost anything apart from few soldiers which often happens at wars.  So, why are they still hell bent on seeing the Igbos perish if not for their own wickedness of heart which Ojukwu saw and challenged in the first place. And, may I ask since that war, who is holding power in this country and who is in charge of the oil rigs? Is it not them, taking their turns in destroying our country?  What have they achieved for Nigeria ever since, if not lining their own pockets and creating the chaos we have in this country today - armed robbers here, kidnappers there and many Nigerians in diaspora seeking greener pastures? Maybe, you'd attribute this to Ojukwu as well, won't you?

Therefore, in your views, if the Igbos had not done well  considering all the structural inequalities put in place to stop us - I mean, all sorts of obstacles, hindrances, restrictions and limitations stack up against ndi Igbo that we have to manoeuvre to get what we need, I wonder.

And may I ask, how better have they themselves done despite how good they've always had it aside, stealing our money? The oil money is in their hands yet, a rich country like Nigeria is looking like Sudan and Ethiopia put together.  Shame on you for castigating ndi Igbo!!!

God bless Ikemba Emeka Ojukwu and, God bless Ndi Igbo!![/b]

Dede1:

I have no discernable reasons to aide in propagation of falsehood. Why should I engage in the habit of providing links that point to erroneous article of facts that do not stand the scrutiny of time? For example, Omoigui is an original exponent of the fallacy that had everybody believed that only five Nigerian army officers had university degree as of January 1, 1966. This rubbish was further propagated by scholars such Max Siollum. If I quote this fallacy and provide a link to Omoigui’s and Maxsiollum’s Intenent bound articles, does it make a factual truth?  

Lets assume that Omoigui and Max Siollum are not credible historians, who would you suggest is credible? Secondly, who or what are your sources of information with regards to Nigerian history? As I was not born until after the war, I have to really on various sources for knowledge. It is obvious that you do not agree these historians but you have to at least provide contrary evidence, which supports your argument or position.

BTW, my sources of historical data are not limited to Omoigui or Siollum, I quote them regularly because their information is readily available on the Internet.

Dede1:


According to your slide statement, I shall remain a lazy scholar. In addition, I shall wait for my uncle or friends to inculcate such knowledge into my skull. Until now, I did not know that explorative research is an exclusive domain of the elites.

Dede1, you need to relax. No one is an embodiment of knowledge. All I ask is that if you are going to refute any provided evidence, that you do so with your own evidence. We are all students of history. I meant no disrespect.

Theblessed:

[b]Lies, lies and more lies!!

You see, it's your kind that betrayed us during the war - the ''Ikegbunas''.  

Everyone knows Ojukwu opened our eyes and we saw and have been seeing ever since, haven't we If the Hausas and Yorubas have not been wicked, devilish in their ways and hell bent on their Hatred of the Igbos, why up till now (40yrs+ after the war) are they continuously marginalising the Igbos.  Isn't it time they treat Nigeria as one by 'Action' and not by words.

You claimed, the war was not fought on their soil and I assume the impact on them (as they managed to go about their businesses) were lesser compared to the Igbos, during that war.  

In fact, they never lost anything apart from few soldiers which often happens at wars.  So, why are they still hell bent on seeing the Igbos perish if not for their own wickedness of heart which Ojukwu saw and challenged in the first place. And, may I ask since that war, who is holding power in this country and who is in charge of the oil rigs? Is it not them, taking their turns in destroying our country?  What have they achieved for Nigeria ever since, if not lining their own pockets and creating the chaos we have in this country today - armed robbers here, kidnappers there and many Nigerians in diaspora seeking greener pastures? Maybe, you'd attribute this to Ojukwu as well, won't you?

Therefore, in your views, if the Igbos had not done well  considering all the structural inequalities put in place to stop us - I mean, all sorts of obstacles, hindrances, restrictions and limitations stack up against ndi Igbo that we have to manoeuvre to get what we need, I wonder.

And may I ask, how better have they themselves done despite how good they've always had it aside, stealing our money? The oil money is in their hands yet, a rich country like Nigeria is looking like Sudan and Ethiopia put together.  Shame on you for castigating ndi Igbo!!!

God bless Ikemba Emeka Ojukwu and, God bless Ndi Igbo!![/b]

Thank you abundantly my sister. The Igbo and easterners fought against  characters like cicero even in the thick of the war. The term "sabo" was a term coined for them. They were very active in Biafra and they are still active today and will remain active in our land, unless of course we neutralize them first before our next campaign, if ever we need to fight again.
Once someone starts his argument by saying "I am Igbo" or "I have Igbo friends", run for your dear life.

Katsumoto:

What was one of the issues raised by Ojukwu regarding Yoruba representation in the forces? Was it not Ojukwu who argued for the recruitment of Yoruba sons into the forces. Yes the Yoruba had officers but were lacking in NCOs. Please see below, you may disagree with my arguments but I still try to back up my arguments with some evidence. BTW, I think you need to keep out the slide remarks when you disagree with me. We can disagree from time to time.

"A few days later on May 20, Gowon accepted the recommendations of the National Reconciliation Committee. Although Ojukwu said he did not recognize the group as constituted, members passed along his demands to the federal government. After consultations, therefore, Gowon announced on May 25, that the SMC had agreed to withdraw non-Yoruba troops from Abeokuta and Ibadan and establish a crash training program to increase the Yoruba representation in the Army. This had always been a key demand of Ojukwu but was also later echoed by Yoruba leaders. To ease the process and avoid apprehension among the mostly northern soldiery, Lt. Col Hassan Katsina (Northern governor), Lt. Col Joe Akahan (Chief of Staff, Army) along with the Battalion Commander, Major Sotomi addressed the troops at Ibadan. The plan was that they would mostly have departed Ibadan and Abeokuta by May 31, some to Apapa and Ikeja in the Lagos area, while others were to be transferred to the Jebba and Ilorin garrisons by train. The SMC, citing the status of the city as the federal capital, had rejected the suggestion that northern soldiers be removed from Lagos as well. However, events quickly spiraled out of control and none of this came to pass."

http://www.kwenu.com/biafra/nowa_may30.htm

The other BOLD QUESTION is this:

Why would Ojukwu demand that Yorubas be given a crash program to join and meet their quota in the military if he was so hell bent on pushing only an eastern agenda?

What was our concern with Yoruba running away from military service

This is one of the areas where I feel that Ojukwu was too cosmopolitan. This is why I say that his followers will NOT be that charitable.

Meanwhile all you cowards yapping on this forum, learn that the man you are yapping against tried to protect your miserable interests in the Nigerian military. When you decided to join, you joined to hide behind the Hausa/Fulani to fight the same people who saved your sorry a**'s.

Cowardly backstabbers. 

^^^ I dont think any yoruba actually has a problem with igbos- thers no such thing as backstbabber cause yoruba never wanted to leave Nigeria in the first place. AND IM STILL WONDERING WHAT IGBOS SAVED FROM WHO?

Having more numbers in the army is different than seceding from Nigeria. Ojukwu could ahve been the guy if he stayed in Nigeria and play it out to be better, instead the idiot opted to secede without getting the general consesus of people he "thought" would want to leave also. thats just dumb

Obj wanted more igbos in the Govt does that mean he has an alliance with igbos? NO!

sjeezy8:

^^^ I dont think any yoruba actually has a problem with igbos- thers no such thing as backstbabber cause yoruba never wanted to leave Nigeria in the first place.

Having more numbers in the army is different than seceding from Nigeria. Ojukwu could ahve been the guy if he stayed in Nigeria and play it out to be better, instead the idiot opted to secede without getting the general consesus of people he "thought" would want to leave also.

What was his interest in insisting that Yorubas meet up their quota in the military? What was our business in it?

Ojukwu chose the higher ground, so don't cry for his losing out on the kleptomania of successive Nigerian leadership. He has something that all of his contemporaries can never have -The Love and Ears of Ndigbo, the most independent mined people in Nigeria. 
That is what your folks are here to steal from him.

We have learnt that men like Akpan and Njoku advised him against seccession. For some reason he chose to ignore their advice and plough ahead.
I hope his memoirs would shed more light on this fatal decision.

But I suspect that becoming an ethnic nationalist was the last thing on his mind when he joined the Army.