Anyone with a pair of brain cells to rub together ought to know that the Federal troops committed serious war crimes against defenceless children, women and civilians during the Biafran war. Having said that, i think it's about time the Igbo's should forget and Forgive and move on.

aribisala0:

@ point B
personally i think your thinking is simian  and there is really no redmption but hey that's just my opinion

Childish!

Aringarosa:

Anyone with a pair of brain cells to rub together ought to know that the Federal troops committed serious war crimes against defenceless children, women and civilians during the Biafran war. Having said that, i think it's about time the Igbo's should forget and Forgive and move on.

Forgive? No man can make the progress Igbos have made with such burden in their heart. Clearly Igbos have forgiven themselves, but how about 'Nigeria' have they forgiven themselves, have they obtain the necessary forgiveness from people of old Biafran? That is the burden the author was referring to. Forgetting is clearly another issue? A son never forgets!

Igbo are thriving, Nigeria is striving.

Nigeria is the one with the burden, they are the accursed here. Not people of the old Biafrans, not Igbos, Ibibios, Annangs, Efik. The rest of them murderers, accomplice, and onlookers! Will they learn to make effort to lift the burden? Their call!

why do all these commentators try and rewrite biafra as igbos only

was it only igbos that died??

you wish to don the victim toga but there were victims on all sides

Aringarosa:

Anyone with a pair of brain cells to rub together ought to know that the Federal troops committed serious war crimes against defenceless children, women and civilians during the Biafran war. Having said that, i think it's about time the Igbo's should forget and Forgive and move on.

there is absolutely no doubt about that.

those were acts of misconduct, not official policy, as we have seen in war  everywhere
there was no chopping of of arms as we have seen elsewhere.

truth is it was a very brutal war between two ill equipped poorly trained armies and too many people died . it was not an ethnic cleansing exercise

but biafra could have surrendered earlier it was obviously a lost war much earlier than the surrender and biafran leaders must accept responsibilty for this
there are two sides to the story.
even the igbo say "where one thing stands another will also stand" we have had this discussion a million times and no one is convincing the other ,
what then should japan who had two nuclear bombs dropped on them do. are they not the ones being asked to apologise.

we all listento those who  play victim  THEY should listen and hear how nigerians feel it can not be one way.

why were those on the  northern side so angry they should be listened to too?

I have followed this trend with keen interest and have this to say:
that there is actually a burden on the federal side which cannot be wished away with mere Grammar!
As a young boy of about 12 years, I was sitting in my father's compound shortly before the war ended. I watched helplessly and in utter disbelief as a Nigerian Jet Bomber exterminated an entire market population of women and children. The market was and is still located in the area of present day Imo airport. It was an atrocity, a genocide, comparable only to events of the holocaust. After the war, I tried to read all books on what must have caused the beginning of hostilities. I have also read THE MAN DIED by a prominent Yoruba man whose bright mind at least recognised some act of injustice not without a cost to his liberty. If our Yoruba brothers continue unjustly, to hinge immediate cause of the war to Igbo greed, sweeping other factors under the carpet, the wounds of that war will never heal. An igbo proverb says that you cannot beat a child and at the same time be alarmed that the child is crying. It is mere vainglory for people to shun history and continue to sing a sarcastic victory song amid so much injustice and yet pretend to call for united Nigeria.

that is one side to the story . i am sympathetic,

BUT

there is an opposite side

i have heard them all

war is  not football people die.


responsibility is not one sided.

if there was no secession there would be no war
maybe Nigeria should have just said
okay thats fine you can have your biafra

it is irresponsible to attribute any particular view to yorubas. there is no one yoruba viewpoint on the war an some yorubas fought for biafra
i am not aware of yoruba triumphalism and this is the problem with many commentators. you throw away logic and bring in all kinds of silly sentiments.
it would have been just as irresponsible for MKO to try claiming his mandate by force a misguided enterprise. a different set of tactics might have been more succesful in achieving biafra
the factors that led Ojukwu to secede were an injustice but was that action wise
did all igbos support it
did Zik support it.
it was the right thing at the wrong time,imprudent and doomed


secession can only be justified if it succeeds. to that extent Colonel Ojukwu must bear some responsibilty for the lives that were lost. he gambled with his brothers lives and it was costly

but

what does all the finger pointing achieve . no one is going to change their minds so maybe  another war? let us see.

I mentioned an eye witness horrendous war event and you term it silly and one sided. I do not know how old you were during the war neither do I know what history books you have read about events preceding the war. There was a pogrom in the north, not caused by Ojukwu. Thousands were murdered alive: children, pregnant women, defenceless segment of the civil population from the east. All in the name of revenge for an Igbo led coup. My dear brother, do you have a heart? Are you logical in your reasoning? Several thousands were forced back to the East; I happened to be among the lucky ones that arrived alive from Lagos. We need to be focused on the events that lead to the war. Secession as pronounced by Ojukwu was the last act on the unfolding tragic drama. If Ojukwu was such a self centred General, the Igbo nation would be stupid not to hold him personally responsible for loss of many lives. Yet every Yoruba friend/foe I have ever met outside NL have strived to heap all responsibility either on him or on all Igbo greed to control the nation's crude. I rest my case.

no i did not use the word  silly 
it is as important to state your case as it is to know the viewpoint of others
accusing me of that is the kind of emotive twaddle i am talking about
your account is  an account that is one of hundreds on both sides.

unless we put all accounts on the table one account is one sided in the sense that it does not tell the WHOLE story


i am trying to look at the big picture i do not have any strong feelings about biafra not succeeding .

what happened is the nature of war if you do not win you surrender or people die
what happened in vietnam almost 2 million people died

sudan same thing

zaire 4 million

that is why Ojukwu should have thought very carefully before he rolled the dice .
so many people begged him to change course but he was obstinate,
in life when a bigger force wrongs you there may be no way of getting redress that does not mean you commit suicide which is what the biafra project was.
it was the same in chechya,zaire and other places


in my mind he is as responsible as the Nigerian army
we are doing an analysis so let us be rational an objective.

yorubas have always been friends of the igbos but many igbos wish to blame the yoruba for their hurt

did wole soyinka not spend time in pison

all we hear from igbos

yorubas are cowards
we are traitors etc
i guess the only thing that would have satisfied many igbos is if we too had died in our thousands well maybe we are cowards as you call us but we did not kill you in the west and there was no abandoned property issue in yorubaland.

you say you were among the lucky ones that came back alive from lagos


what happened in lagos  please tell us

it is very sad for me that many commentators here do not understand the role of Britain in all of this i will only say people need to drink from a different fountain of knowledge .

every people have the right to choose their road ,for the yoruba the correct thing to do  then was to be "cowardly" and fight another day for you it was different/
we have a different history.

but i do NOT blame Ojukwu. there is a different thing between blame and responsibilty he is partially responsible along with others you cannot keep blaming others.

if you guys are sincere about reconciliation you will embrace the yorubas because they are the only genuine friends you have . i have experienced so much hate from igbos because of this war  and this is misdirected.stop miseducating your children the yoruba as a group did you no wrong,

Looking at Nigeria today, I wonder who is more foolish, Nigeria or Biafra.
Nigeria fought against the split of Nigeria 
Ojukwu fought against the Unity of Nigeria 

So who really won the war ?

Reggie2:

I mentioned an eye witness horrendous war event and you term it silly and one sided. I do not know how old you were during the war neither do I know what history books you have read about events preceding the war. There was a pogrom in the north, not caused by Ojukwu. Thousands were murdered alive: children, pregnant women, defenceless segment of the civil population from the east. All in the name of revenge for an Igbo led coup. My dear brother, do you have a heart? Are you logical in your reasoning? Several thousands were forced back to the East; I happened to be among the lucky ones that arrived alive from Lagos. We need to be focused on the events that lead to the war. Secession as pronounced by Ojukwu was the last act on the unfolding tragic drama. If Ojukwu was such a self centred General, the Igbo nation would be silly not to hold him personally responsible for loss of many lives. Yet every Yoruba friend/foe I have ever met outside NL have strived to heap all responsibility either on him or on all Igbo greed to control the nation's crude. I rest my case.

C'MON!!! How can you say this?? That is a bloody lie!!! How can "cowardly" Yorubas kill you? Tell another story.

What the FG did was to kill a fly(not saying anyone is a fly) with a sledge hammer. In as much the FG troops went way over board on the way they attempted to bring the East back, the attempt by "Biafrans" to make it a ONE SIDED affair will always backfire. For a war to occur, it takes two to tango.

jason123:

C'MON!!! How can you say this?? That is a bloody lie!!! How can "cowardly" Yorubas kill you? Tell another story.

you see how silly these people are at times

The same Baifra account that said in the west, Yorubas did not chase them infact kept there children and properties for them are now the same people that were lucky to be alive in lagos.

Silly people.

The same yorubas that told them not to leave the west in the 1960's Yet they still left for the east only to blame yorubas for killing them when there children were still in lagos

The same yorubas that told them not to leave the west 1993 yet they still left for the east only to blame yorubas for them dying and being robbed on the road to the east

the same yorubas that told them not to leave again 2007 census, they still left for the east only to say they are 60 % of lagos. something they can not claim in abuja, rivers or kano

the same yorubas that told them to stay again 2011 elections only for them to say they are 45 % of the western population after they were allowed to stay. You see how dubious this people are at time

read this

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1968/11/12/the-legacy-of-the-biafran-war/

^^^^
This is an emotional topic so the insults are totally unnecessary. Thanks for the link. I'll read up on it later. As for the "luckily escaped Lagos" thing, I'll assume the guy made a mistake.

jason123:

^^^^
This is an emotional topic so the insults are totally unnecessary. Thanks for the link. I'll read up on it later. As for the "luckily escaped Lagos" thing, I'll assume the guy made a mistake.

Yes I agree but the thing they pain me I no go lie. If people lie just for younger ones like bliss4lyf and co to read do you not think they would have another impression of people that have nothing to do with anything ?

Think of it jason. You had an impression before you joined Nl (reading your first post jason12345) and now you post like a completely different person why is that ? Have they not changed your perception ?.

People really not to be careful with they chew up on Nl, I would advice people to do research themselves before commenting or chewing up crap people post here

alj_harem:


you see how silly these people are at times

The same Baifra account that said in the west, Yorubas did not chase them infact kept there children and properties for them are now the same people that were lucky to be alive in lagos.

Silly people.

The same yorubas that told them not to leave the west in the 1960's Yet they still left for the east only to blame yorubas for killing them when there children were still in lagos

The same yorubas that told them not to leave the west 1993 yet they still left for the east only to blame yorubas for them dying and being robbed on the road to the east

the same yorubas that told them not to leave again 2007 census, they still left for the east only to say they are 60 % of lagos. something they can not claim in abuja, rivers or kano

the same yorubas that told them to stay again 2011 elections only for them to say they are 45 % of the western population after they were allowed to stay. You see how dubious this people are at time

read this

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1968/11/12/the-legacy-of-the-biafran-war/

part of the rubbish info.

THE stereotypes are, of course, just images, but the images are not entirely exaggerated. For both cultural and historical reasons, the North is the least developed section of the country. The bulk of the Nigerian army before the crisis was Hausa; for the uneducated the army is a road to advancement.

The Ibos in Nigerian history were a relatively insignificant tribe, but their society had achievement-based norms that adopted quickly to Westernization. All over Nigeria they formed a merchant and professional class. An engineer said, "If you are a businessman and you need engineers, you read applications and you don't look at tribes. Fifteen of the twenty men you hire will be Ibos."

The Yorubas fall somewhere in between, but closer to the Ibos than the Hausas. They are literate; they're politically sophisticated, but they look at life with a grin.

Thus, the Yoruba and Ibo came together not so much because they feared the numerical preponderance of the Hausa, for it would have been more politically expedient for either group to make peace with the Hausa against the other, but because they feared the political dominance of an uneducated majority. They could see the resources of the East and West financing the development of the North, and they envisioned hordes of inefficient Hausa bureaucrats.

This kind of friction--educated versus uneducated--is not new. In 1953 the Yoruba party called for independence after three years. The Ibos supported the demand, but the Northern group opposed and defeated it, well aware that independence in 1966 would mean economic and administrative subservience to its more developed neighbors.

The propaganda arms of the Ibo and Yoruba party labelled the Hausa traitors and stooges of the British, while in the North rioting between the feuding groups broke out.

In 1953 the British mediated the feuds; after independence they were unchecked. The Hausa government elected in 1964 amidst cries of foul play was topped by an Ibo-led coup in January, '66. The new government which had seized power to "clean up the country" did so with a vengeance, and the deaths of former Hausa leaders sparked riots and unrest in the North.

Then came the July coup, when Hausa officers struck back and installed a Tiv tribesman, Yakubu Gowon, as head of the military government. Some say that Gowon came to power because he was regarded as a man with an even temper and no strong personal ambition. Others said that in the tribal politics of Nigeria, Gowon held an ace, for his tribe dominates the artillery corps.

Whatever the reas

Whatever the reason, the compromise candidate could not hold Nigeria together. He tried. After the Ibo massacres, he offered concessions, but whatever he did was interpreted by Governor Ojukwu as one more sign of duplicity and hatred. On the one hand, it seemed, Gowon offered friendship, while on the other, the people he governed murdered Ibos. Gow- on was caught. Only punishing the Hausa mobs involved in the riots would have placated Ojukwu, but to punish Hausas when the bulk of the army was Hausa would have been political suicide.

Gowon also has to deal with Hausa-Yoruba feuds that even the war emergency has not laid to rest. Observers, some with government jobs and official contacts, have said that when the Ibos seceded, the Yorubas would have gone with them, but Yorubaland was quickly occupied by the Nigerian army.

Government printing centers publish enormous amounts of propaganda, most of it directed against Ojukwu, but a recent broadside from the Ministry of Information in a northern city attacked the pretentious inellectuals of southern groups (Yoruba and Ibo).

It reads: "Events have always proved these 'intellectuals' not only wrong, but blind and ignorant tools of prejudice. They still masquerade about in Universities brandishing intellectualism which they equate with Ph.D. but do not prove by thinking properly."

Looking at Nigeria's history, particularly the past twenty years, the outbreak of war isn't surprising. That same broadside which criticized "southern intellectuals" admitted that the country had been divided for a long time: "It is clear," the article said, "that the 'Nigeria' which was forged by the British was a purely artificial creation comprising three main groups which had very little in common apart from their dark skins."

Yet everywhere there is a feeling of indignation and surprise that the Ibos had actually seceded and started a dirty civil war. It was irrational. It must have been the work of a madman, many Nigerians feel, and they blame Ojukwu. The press often compares him to Hitler.

Just how many government officials really believe this version of events is impossible to tell. However, it is a very dangerous line of thinking, for it implies that all evil will disappear once the devil is gone. With that idea, the army presses on, and people look to the surrender or death of Ojukwu as the end of Nigeria's troubles.

Peace will, of course, just mark the beginning of Nigeria's real difficulties, because instead of waging a relatively easy war, the government will be facing staggering problems of redevelopment, relocation, rehabilitation. And the old spectre of triablism will draw strength from the inflamed passions of war.

Yet, when you walk the streets of Lagos, you have to look hard for signs of war. True, between radio and T.V. shows sinister-sounding announcers say, "Challenge anyone doing anything suspicious. Save precious lives. Save Lagos from destruction." But everyone has heard those lines so often that they've become the butt of innumerable jokes.

At 7 p.m., traffic in and out of Lagos State is closed by soldiers at checkpoints. Originally, the measure was intended to cut the flow of infiltrators. Traffic within the city goes all night, though, and Lagos night-clubs are uninhibited.

Lagos is a cosmopolitan city, and like any growing capital, the new and old exist side by side. In one of the open-air markets you bargain; in one of the big department stores you pay a flat rate for a sundae or a sweater. Just a few miles outside the city, the University of Lagos is literally rising out of jungle forest.

The war is far away to the east, and so life in Lagos goes on as usual, apparently. Even young men have no worries, for the federal army is entirely voluntary. In fact, government propaganda points to Ojukwu's use of conscription as one more sign of his evil nature.

But there is a conflict in the West. It's quiet and personal.

^^^^^

that link was for jason to see what people are writing about the west which is false and not for otherwise

^^^^ Alh harem go to bed.
Alhajih sanni will come with correct koboko now.

any person denying the evils of the civil war is a chronic wicked liar.
The activities of black scorpion the inept nigerian war commander whose unprofessionalism cost nigerian army the lives of so many soldiers will not be forgotten in hurry. I remember some of his quotes.
'i do not want to sea caritas or red cross or any humanitarian body i want to see biafrans shot and killed'
we will shoot at any thing that moves or does not move , whether , human, trees,animals e.t.c'.

Awolowo hand work comes to memory too just immediately after the war stock fish and second hand clothes , the immediate source of livelihood for hustling igbos were banned.
As if that was not enough the privatisation exercise was started with igbos having nothing.
Eventhough i dont absolve igbos of blame on what happened to them , but i would say nigerians are way too devilish.

But come to think of it the same former eastern region + delta that suffered the brunt of the war is now nigerias only hope
with about 5 international airport ,producing more than 75 percent of graduates in nigeria (human capitalism),
producing more than 95 percent of the crude oil export (wealth capitalism)
home to the majority enterpreneurs and business icons , i think the lord has been fair to the victims of the war.

aribisala0:

chinedu  thanks for your recommended reading list.

there were many ethnic groups in biafra. philip effiong was NOT igbo

when you talk about apology to igbos you only generate resentmentment from these groups.

i did not comment on whether or NOT there should be an apology so do not misquote me.
i know of many yorubas who fought on the nigerian side and they were NOT at war with Igbos.
are you aware of igbos being targetted and killed in yorubaland?? like what has happened severally in the north.
not everyone sees the war as a war againgst igbos it was a secession like in the USA Chechnya and elsewhere. it failed

my point is that there is no link between such an apology and developmental progress/

in the history of mankind how many times have apologies been issued after civil wars please educate us. you say nigeria is "lagging behind" this is a claim can you substantiate this or should i take your word for it??

nigeria was the only country capable of making a decisive change in Liberia . is that a country lagging behind

angola,somalia,namibia,ivory coast,zaire,rwanda libya have all fought/or are fighting wars there is armed conflict all over africa and i daresay more people have been killed than in nigeria.
these are unfortunate occurences but that for me is no reason to suspend logic and engage in  what psychologists call  "magical thinking" all in the name of spirituality

my bro i'm not 'magical thinking' here neither am i being spiritual i'm just being intellectual and if you like me are an observer of human behaviour you'll have some empathy. In war people die i agree but waging a war with hunger, against women and children, bomb raiding entire villages not military camps killing all those non combatants in asaba, that's unfair. You remain so stiff and cold and bid us move on as a nation and forget the war. My bro that's hard. Now hear my experience, when i was 7 in pry sch my mom called me one day and told me i was old enough to know about the war, she said she too was 7 when the war broke. After hearing that we were defeated i decided to know more. And for 20 years since then i've come a long way. This story is told every 'biafran child' even to this day. Worse still is the behaviour of the government post war towards us. That is common knowledge. My stance is that since the victors won the war for our unity, then they should seal their victory by embracing their brothers, for 41 years after the war is neither won nor lost. While Nigeria is not divided it is still not united. On a personal note i don't want any break up again the need has been overtaken by events. If your or any region should break today the virus of the nigerian system would surely infect it. Our task is to heal the virus. Me and you and everybody else but first you must ask me properly to forget the war. Admit you wronged me then and only then can we move on. Again i wish to state my error in associating biafra only with the igbo, that is wrong. I yield on that.

Quote 4m Madamot

Ibos

Madamot & others, please it's "Igbos" not "Ibos" Singular = Igbo.

Quote 4m Aribisalao
can you explain the current ascendancy of China in the context of blessings/spirituality

What we practice here as religion is entirely different 4m the believe & religion of most Chinese (they haven't really been confused / tricked by what the West call religion as the case here), hence both are not related (same).

Quote 4m Alj Harem

Question is: will N'digbo ever stop lying against Nigeria and Awolowo in particular about the 20 pounds policy ? Time would tell.

Tell us the truth then, how much was given to Biafrans based on the policy?, wasn't it 20 pounds?

@oduasolja

you are truly a dumb ass, i assure you, I guess you need to re-read the post of (oduasolja) to appreciate the fact and comments of Igbos in this forum.

NOTE: in comparison to accomplishment of other ethnic nationalities in nigeria, the igbos are ahead inspite of marginalisation they get from nigeria over 40 years. Igbos loose their properties and millions during and after the war, yet they did not despair, inspite the Kwasioko, they grew fatter within few years, inspite the millions stolen from them, they own shops and houses here and there across nigerian,

I guess the Yorubas and others cannot be matched with this great feat.

truefact:

@oduasolja

you are truly a dumb Bottom, i assure you, I guess you need to re-read the post of (oduasolja) to appreciate the fact and comments of Igbos in this forum.

NOTE: in comparison to accomplishment of other ethnic nationalities in nigeria, the igbos are ahead inspite of marginalisation they get from nigeria over 40 years. Igbos loose their properties and millions during and after the war, yet they did not despair, inspite the Kwasioko, they grew fatter within few years, inspite the millions stolen from them, they own shops and houses here and there across nigerian,

I guess the Yorubas and others cannot be matched with this great feat.

pls this is not an ethnic bashing discussion, yes our people have done well in the last 40 years but success is not a zero sum game. Besides the yorubas got rich alongside the igbo in lagos. success is not an ethnic bigot it is a universal. The thrust of this discuss is whether or not nigeria should embrace and their brothers who tried to secede that there's no longer need for that with a superior argument not superior gun power. Not with ethnic stereotypes or with 'igbo should never be president' or those other name calling. There can not be peace without justice any thing like peace is just a calm. So don't bash yorubas for they have a hand in our success and failures and so do we. We are all invested in each other. Don't allow the half educated functional illiterater derail this thread with abuses. This is an intellectual matter.

^^^ God bless you!

kettykin:

any person denying the evils of the civil war is a chronic wicked liar.
The activities of black scorpion the inept nigerian war commander whose unprofessionalism cost nigerian army the lives of so many soldiers will not be forgotten in hurry. I remember some of his quotes.
'i do not want to sea caritas or red cross or any humanitarian body i want to see biafrans shot and killed'
we will shoot at any thing that moves or does not move , whether , human, trees,animals e.t.c'.

Awolowo hand work comes to memory too just immediately after the war stock fish and second hand clothes , the immediate source of livelihood for hustling igbos were banned.
As if that was not enough the privatisation exercise was started with igbos having nothing.
Eventhough i dont absolve igbos of blame on what happened to them , but i would say nigerians are way too devilish.

But come to think of it the same former eastern region + delta that suffered the brunt of the war is now nigerias only hope
with about 5 international airport ,producing more than 75 percent of graduates in nigeria (human capitalism),
producing more than 95 percent of the crude oil export (wealth capitalism)
home to the majority enterpreneurs and business icons , i think the lord has been fair to the victims of the war.

You are ignorant.

Chinedu Nlem:

my bro i'm not 'magical thinking' here neither am i being spiritual i'm just being intellectual and if you like me are an observer of human behaviour you'll have some empathy. In war people die i agree but waging a war with hunger, against women and children, bomb raiding entire villages not military camps killing all those non combatants in asaba, that's unfair. You remain so stiff and cold and bid us move on as a nation and forget the war. My bro that's hard. Now hear my experience, when i was 7 in pry sch my mom called me one day and told me i was old enough to know about the war, she said she too was 7 when the war broke. After hearing that we were defeated i decided to know more. And for 20 years since then i've come a long way. This story is told every 'biafran child' even to this day. Worse still is the behaviour of the government post war towards us. That is common knowledge. My stance is that since the victors won the war for our unity, then they should seal their victory by embracing their brothers, for 41 years after the war is neither won nor lost. While Nigeria is not divided it is still not united. On a personal note i don't want any break up again the need has been overtaken by events. If your or any region should break today the virus of the nigerian system would surely infect it. Our task is to heal the virus. Me and you and everybody else but first you must ask me properly to forget the war. Admit you wronged me then and only then can we move on. Again i wish to state my error in associating biafra only with the igbo, that is wrong. I yield on that.   

it is part of my personal history that i am yoruba but i knew igbo people before my yoruba people.
all the people i call my friends are igbo or from the east of the niger. i have listened to prejudiced remarks from both sides and even been driven away from playmates' homes because of a war i knew nothing about. as such i have tried to learn as much as i can about it whilst trying to be objective.

nigeria in the 50s and 60s was very backward which is not saying a lot since it still is
but we are relatively more advanced and know each other a lot more.
first there was the coup. i am not one of those who blame igbos as a group for this but that bit of misinformation and propaganda led to gruesome  killings of southerners in the north (mostly igbos) others died too including yorubas.
as a consequence of that there was tension culminating in the secession declaration and then a war that was fought with what can only be described as evil tactics ensued . many died (again mostly igbos) others died too
those kinds of tactics have been seen all over africa since the end of colonisation . sad but true.
there is a difference between the nazis and the german people. a very real difference
the role of awolowo . he is said to have championed the used of starvation as a tactic and the £20 policy
like i said above i do not believe igbos were responsible for the coup and as such yorubas cannot be responsible for the alleged actions  of awolowo.
so when you say you have been wronged the question is BY WHOM?? my answer by your "brother nigerians" with whom you are now enforced "UMUNNA"
i believe that while anger is justified the yoruba are the wrong target and persisting in that mindset is dangerous.
regarding awolowo and the £20 policy i am not his lawyer but i believe there have been denials and counter denials. it certainly has not been established that that policy applied to bank deposit but was to cash sums only. as nigerians we know the score and we know how open to abuse such a system is given that we never had an effective ID system. those people who had bank balances with proof were not prevented from claiming them
starvation policy. much has been said about this but most devoid of verifiable facts and so i won't say much except that many people died from starvation as a result of actions of the nigerian forces  for offensive reasons AND the biafran forces for propaganda reasons.
i am not cold ,stiff or unsympathetic to the suffering of biafrans or any human being for that matter.
it is right that we should talk and reconcile. but as a yoruba i reject that we start from a point where the yorubas are forced to bear a burden of guilt or culpability for the suffering. we,too were victims of the tragedy although on a much smaller scale.
ask yourself why obasanjo the so called champion of that war is not so regarded by the yoruba.

@ aribisala0

I had rested my case earlier but,

Your recent post excuses a rather reckless reaction to my eye witness narration of a war tragedy which was quickly faulted as one sided. In my post, I mentioned that I was a mere child who could not make any sense on why anyone - Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba - could have caused so much sufferings on his fellow humans. I said that after hostilities, I attempted to read all accounts of what could have caused the war in the first instance. From Madueboh, to the Five majors, to Fredrick's Emeka, etc I tried to piece things together. I have read books of international law (see Akhaust) where genocide was alleged. The topic was, if there is a burden on the Federal side. The Federal side does not necessarily mean the Yoruba tribe. Yet I remember saying that most Yorubas I have met sing a tone that is obvious - that of blame to the Igbo. I remember mentioning Wole Soyink, a Yoruba, who refused to sing along. If there were atrocities committed on the other side similar to my personal experience, you only had to say it, to justify the other side of the story - since mine is one sided.

Since you spoke of not being a lawyer to anyone, please be reminded that for lawyers, a burden, of proof, is a pendulum whose weight may reside heavily on onside of a divide. Ndibe's article says that the federal side bears that burden. Our position - yours and mine - is to prove him wrong.

It appeared scandalous to hear that there were returnees from Lagos! I maintain that many families fled from Lagos including mine. Those who were trapped behind or were unwilling to run told stories (I cannot confirm) that they had to hide. I challenge anyone to prove that Ndigbo did not run for their dear lives from Lagos. Be reminded also that when Ojukwu came back from exile, he fought in court for years to get his abandoned family property back. Check the law books.

Finally, events that led to the war are sadly creeping back even though die hard apologists will not admit it.

Reggie2:

@ aribisala0

I had rested my case earlier but,

Your recent post excuses a rather reckless reaction to my eye witness narration of a war tragedy which was quickly faulted  as one sided. In my post, I mentioned that I was a mere child who could not make any sense on why anyone - Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba - could have caused so much sufferings on his fellow humans. I said that after hostilities, I attempted to read all accounts of what could have caused the war in the first instance. From Madueboh, to the Five majors, to Fredrick's Emeka, etc I tried to piece things together. I have read books of international law (see Akhaust) where genocide was alleged. The topic was, if there is a burden on the Federal side. The Federal side does not necessarily mean the Yoruba tribe. Yet I remember saying that most Yorubas I have met sing a tone that is obvious - that of blame to the Igbo. I remember mentioning Wole Soyink, a Yoruba, who refused to sing along. If there were atrocities committed on the other side similar to my personal experience, you only had to say it, to justify the other side of the story - since mine is one sided.

Since you spoke of not being a lawyer to anyone, please be reminded that for lawyers, a burden, of proof,  is a pendulum whose weight may reside heavily on onside of a divide. Ndibe's article says that the federal side bears that burden. Our position - yours and mine - is to prove him wrong.

It appeared scandalous to hear that there were returnees from Lagos! I maintain that many families fled from Lagos including mine. Those who were trapped behind or were unwilling to run told stories (I cannot confirm) that they had to hide.[b] I challenge anyone to prove that Ndigbo did not run for their dear lives from Lagos. [/b]Be reminded also that when Ojukwu came back from exile, he fought in court for years to get his abandoned family property back. Check the law books.

Finally, events that led to the war are sadly creeping back even though die hard apologists will not admit it.

no one can prove what you ask. really. it is like me asking you to prove there are no evil spirits.
i have heard so many versions of this tragedy. the point is that when i look outside my window right now i am seeing a completely different view fro what you can see wherever you are right now and so it would be wrong for me to insist that what is outside my window is the only version of reality.
another analogy is when people say "my father told me" this is our land and some neighbouring clan says something else.
where there is conflict you cannot insist that what  saw outside your window is the only thing that happened. while you were seeing what you saw as a little child as you say others were seeing something different. you cannot say that for justice to occur you were the only one that was wronged.

i will not argue about what is fact or what is not  fact because that will get us nowhere. what is important is to understand WHAT PEOPLE BELIEVE.

i think i have a good idea of what people believe,what they want to say and what they refuse to hear on both sides.

i think on both sides there is a serious problem of wanting to be heard and refusing to hear.
the bottomline is
the igbos see themselves as victims while  many others see them as responsible for everything
i believe the truth is somewhere in between.
some of the things you mention e.g igbos running for fear.
well it is a common BELIEF that Ojukwu ordered all igbos to return to their homelands following the slaughter in the north. of course this was natural in the context of uncertainty around the time[b] but  in yorubaland [/b] it was not a case of hebrews fleeing into the RED SEA with Pharaoh in hot pursuit, It was a voluntary repatriation which heightened distrust in the west. you cannot make progress without curiosity about what other parties think. sadly such curiosity has been redacted by the hurt.
you talk about hearing nothing but blame from all the yorubas you met.
my experience has been the same in reverse where does that leave us.
if you argue igbos should not be blamed for the coup why then do you go around calling yorubas traitors or saying yorubas starved igbos to death and seized your property.
the reason Ojukwu was able to reclaim his property was because there was no legislation stopping him as widely claimed. [/b]unfortunately many people who c[b]ould NOT prove ownership lost out
a strong sense of grievance often obviates detached objectivity but we must come to that. there is such a thing as victims of circumstance. while we want to hold someone accountable for hurt so deeply felt we find that no one ,really,is available for that and we must find other ways to move on.
the circumstances at that time were a confluence of ignorance,suspicion,and bad leadership.
leadership was bad on both sides and that is why i continue to maintain that Ojukwu MUST take responsibility for his leadership as must others. however it would be a  mistake to blame individual failings on the wider ethnic group even though in the north they made themselves available for manipulation.
rather than challenging people to show that igbos fled yorubaland in fear you show that yorubas have been less than friendly neighbours to NDIIGBO. of course it is always going to be a complex frienship but its successful negotiation will happen only when we start to focus more on each other's needs than our own.

Thank you for a soothing reply to my post. I would like you to know, matter of fact, that outside my 3 year forced sojourn in the east between1967- Jan 1970, I lived all my life in Lagos before migrating abroad. My Yoruba language is more fluent than my Igbo, accent and all. Having said this, I will proceed to correct a few of the things that you said.

1. I did not use the word "all Yorubas" because Wole Soyinka is Yoruba - read my write-up again. I said almost all, that I have met.

2. I came back to Lagos in January 1970 - had to accept humiliation of being branded OMO OJUKWU of the koboko kind; it is quite natural for fellow children to taunt others in a weaker position. However the legend of cannibalistic prowess coupled with knowledge of yoruba was a vital shield then. Growing up and going through Secondary School, I was privileged to discuss the events of the Biafran war with fellow students.

3. I have the impression you decided to cluster all NL Igbo claims on my eye witness account. There was an igbo coup agreed, several other coups had taken place in Nigeria without corresponding ethnic cleansing.

4. In yorubaland it was not a case of hebrews fleeing into the RED SEA with Pharaoh in hot pursuit, yet this was undeniably the case in the north; and that is the pogrom widely talked about.

5. It will not be right to blame Biafran woes only on Yorubas just because they participated rightly or wrongly in the war. My contention is that history has a way of repeating itself if we do not learn from it, or if the truth is hidden. Ojukwu's responsibility lies on his bluffing his way through a suicidal war by declaring an Independent Biafra (my opinion) knowing obvious limitations. But he was duty bound to give a sense of protection to igbos who were massacred like flies.

See another thread.

Udoka Estate, Awka
Posts: 749

Offline Boko Haram Justifies Biafra & Vindicates Ojukwu - SaharaReporters
« on: Yesterday at 02:40:45 PM »
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Boko Haram Justifies Biafra And Vindicates Ikemba Nnewi Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu

The Boko Haram (BH) claims it is avenging the “extra-judicial” killing of its leader, Muhammed Yusuf, who died at the hands of the Nigerian Police in 1999, during the presidency of the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua – a Northern Muslim. BH waited for Jonathan, a Christian, to become president before taking terror to a new level.

It added to its manifesto the annihilation of all Christians in the North; the removal of all churches and all businesses associated with Christians from the North; the introduction of Sharia law throughout the rest of Nigeria (13 Northern states now have Sharia law); the removal of all symbols of Western-styled democracy; and the abolition of Western education altogether. This manifesto could be dismissed as the wishful thinking of a deranged group, except that members of BH are dead serious (no pun intended) about achieving these goals. They have essentially made Borno and Yobe States ungovernable. They have the presidency on its heels, sweating and fretting; they have the security agencies hobbled and in shambles; they have all Nigerians restive and pensive; and they have the international community paying rapt attention.

To the rest of the civilized world, BH’s activities exemplify the very definition of “Ethnic Cleansing”, genocide or Jihad. It happened in the old Yugoslavia and now there is no more Yugoslavia. It happened in Sudan, and now we have the countries of Sudan and South Sudan. It happened in Germany…the infamous Holocaust…and now we have the new Israel.

It has happened in Nigeria before…this wanton killing, maiming and destruction of properties. Ah, you forgot? You forgot the Northern pogrom of 1966 which was the precursor to our first civil war? I say “first” because I think we are headed for the second one. During the pogrom, hordes of Hausa/Fulani people, like flies, invaded the homes of Igbo people in the North, slitting their throats and clubbing them to death…without provocation, and with utter impunity! I didn’t read this in a history book. I witnessed it with my own eyes as a kid in Zaria. I lost my innocence then. My family was spared because my father had one of those tribal marks native to Ibadan, and he was a devout Muslim.

So, today, suppose a group springs up in Enugu under the aegis of Christianity, with a name like say…Eastern Sons of Christ (ESOC), and begins the killing and maiming of all non-Christians, especially people of Hausa/Fulani extraction, along with some of their Yoruba collaborators. Imagine the ESOC laying explosives in and around businesses, mosques and homes owned by people other than members of the ESOC tribe. Imagine a similar group, under the name of say…Western Sons of Christ (WESOC), stands up its operations in Ibadan, targeting all Hausa/Fulani Muslims, along with their Yoruba collaborators (there are many Muslims in the Yoruba kingdom). Imagine yet another group springs up in Port Harcourt, under the name of say…Southern Sons of Christ (SOSOC), killing people of Hausa/Fulani extraction - Muslims, along with their Yoruba collaborators.

If the ESOC became a terror group like the Boko Haram (BH) has become, it would be justified. It could claim vengeance for the thousands of Igbo people that were, without provocation, ruthlessly massacred by the Hausa/Fulani during the pogrom. It could further justify its actions by claiming more maltreatment during the ensuing civil war (1967 – 1970), and yet more maltreatment following the so-called “No Victor No Vanquished” truce evident in the continued marginalization of the Igbo in most spheres of influence in Nigeria.

If the WESOC became a terror group like the BH, it could claim that it was tired of being caught between the Hausa/Fulani Vs Igbo (Muslim/Christian) fights. WESOC could say that it frequently suffered with ESOC each time the Northern Muslims embarked on one of their barbaric extermination missions and that ESOC never gave it enough credit. Instead, ESOC blamed WESOC for not joining in the Biafra cause. (WESOC can’t even claim any monolithic Christian stronghold in its geographical area, and can’t state with any degree of certainty which of the two major religions enjoys a numerical superiority in its communities.) WESOC can further claim that when one of its illustrious sons, a strong Muslim for that matter - MKO Abiola, won the election for President, the Hausa/Fulani Muslims, before morphing into BH, killed him rather than allow him to rule.

And if the SOSOC was to become a terror group exactly like the BH, it could claim that its previous acts of blowing up oil pipelines and kidnapping for ransom did not fully achieve SOSOC’s goal of 50% oil revenue allocation. It could argue that “our oil” was being used to build skyscrapers, mansions and “six-star” hotels in Abuja, Sokoto, Maiduguri and Yola, while “our people” in the Niger-Delta couldn’t fish or farm without fear of pollution. It could argue vengeance for the brazen, state-sponsored killing of one of its illustrious sons - Ken Saro-Wiwa, during the presidency of a Hausa/Fulani man and the desecration of his body by pouring acid on it.

In essence, we could have anarchy all across Nigeria, not just in the Northeastern States and Abuja, and no one would have peace. These groups could all find nebulous excuses to justify unleashing mayhem on the rest of the country like the BH is now doing and we would have our second civil war.

We had the Maitatsine riots of 1980, largely in the same Northeastern area. We have had other similar incidents in the intervening years, all aimed at building a homogenous, Islamic caliphate in Northern Nigeria. The military governments of the day easily put down those riots and attacks. But that was before the advent of the use explosives as weapons of terror. In 1980, Maitatsine rioters, progenitors of the BH sect, used knives…long knives…to attack Christians. Now they use guns…machine guns…and explosives to mow down innocent, unharmed people. Then they brazenly take onto the internet to claim responsibility for their dastardly acts. And like Al Qaida, they have amorphous, nameless and faceless leadership.

It is clear that since Nigeria’s amalgamation, the Hausa/Fulani Muslims of the North thought of themselves as superior beings, compared to the Christians of the South, and particularly the largely-Christian Igbo people. In fact, if you have the trust and confidence of a Northerner, you will frequently hear him derisively refer to Igbo people as “impure” and “lower-than-dogs”. This may sound like I am fanning the embers of ethnic crisis here. But I am stating the facts. I know that Igbo people in power today are aware of this, and so are their Yoruba and, of course, their Hausa counterparts. They are just too timid to say it in the open. I am not in power and I am not timid. I grew up in Zaria as a practicing Muslim. I attended Arabic/Islamic evening classes, lived in Kano and Maiduguri and finished my elementary school in Bukuru, near Jos. I also speak Hausa better than I speak English. So, before anybody castigates me as a basher of the North or of Muslims, they better take cognizance of the fact that I had firsthand experience. Notice how no Hausa/Fulani of significant profile, like say…the Sardauna of Sokoto, the Emir of Zaria, the Emir of Gwandu, the Emir of Maiduguri, Ibrahim Babangida, Mohammadu Buhari, Abubakar Atiku, Abubakar Umar, etc…has come out to openly denounce the BH sect. Their quiet acquiescence should not be interpreted as cowardly or coincidental. It is calculated.

The hatred of Igbo people and Christians by the Hausa/Fulani people remains palpable. Northern Muslims just manage to tolerate them. If they thought they could harm a Christian or an Easterner and get away with it, they would do it in a jiffy, without compunction and without remorse. And they would do it in the name of Allah. I have read the Qur’an, to include the Hadiths, and I have not found any portion of it where the Prophet Mohammed (PBOH) enjoined, sanctioned, urged or ordered adherents of Islam to destroy believers of other faiths. Of course, we have ultra-right-wingers in all religions, including Christianity, but none is waging such destructive and bloody war against “non-believers” like our Northern brothers. I think it is even tantamount to heresy referring to them as “brothers” those who have taken self-righteous indignation beyond any scintilla of reason. They are reprobates.

So, if the West, the East and the South conclude that the North has gone beyond redemption, why not grant the North its request? Why not draw a real, physical border with the North and allow it to rule its people like it wishes? By now, we all should know that no attempt at placating the Hausa/Fulani people would prevent them from sliding into their banal recidivism. I have absolutely no problem having to apply for a visa to visit my Alma Mata in Zaria or Bukuru. By their acts, the BH sect has vindicated Odumegwu Ojukwu and proved the venerable Obafemi Awolowo wrong about Biafra. Awolowo fought to “keep Nigeria one” but it is now clear that the task had always been only one-sided. The North obviously did not get that memorandum and so did not share the same objective. We need to quickly adorn the Ikemba of Nnewi with rose-bedecked garlands for being brave and visionary enough, as far back as 1966, to attempt Biafra. Ojukwu, who was humiliated, harangued, vilified and exiled for knowing (that far back) that the North was always going to be implacable, should be celebrated as a hero and rewarded as such before he passes on to the great beyond. And I am not being facetious or sarcastic.

The North now wants its own country – one ruled by Sharia and devoid of any semblance of Western civilization. We should let them have it peacefully. Those who have called for a Sovereign National Conference should redouble their efforts. Nigerians need to talk amongst themselves now so that they can peacefully decide how to coexist. Otherwise, the inevitable combustion will swallow everybody. If you have not been directly (or even remotely) touched by the BH attacks, you may not appreciate the urgency of deciding peacefully the future of Nigeria. If you have never seen a full blown war firsthand, I hope that you and your family continue to be protected from finding out how it feels. It is not a pretty sight.

i think it is reasonable and accurate for me to say that the Nazis committed a lot more atrocities than the Nigerian forces during the civil war. today we are able to make a distinction between Nazis and ordinary Germans.
we need to make that distinction between northerners too. many risked their lives to save southerners and we must not deny their humanity too
there is no doubt that leaders of our different peoples have fed us a diet of propaganda about ourselves and about what happened during our Troubles.it takes great clarity of mind to see things as they really are and such lucidity may be acquired by reflecting on  what has happened and is happening elsewhere.
it is the case that all the actors, the key players who led us down that bloody path were young men in their 30s or younger. many are still alive now and would probably act diffferently. i have no doubt that their immaturity and our collective unfamiliarity with the mechanics of a modern nation state given our recent tribal history meant that together we,all, were in than state which Seligman calls PREPAREDNESS for what followed.
regarding the Igbo situation i accept unreservedly that the killings in the north were wrong and that there should have been some action but the truth is those killing were mob killings and Gowon was relatively powerless to do anything.
.  i lack the wisdom to say what it is that should have been done and everyone is clever with the benefit of hindsight.   it is very frustrating to think about  but we must move on.
nigeria is a nation which is on autopilot and any perception of who is in control is an illusion
the northerners feared that because they are less exposed  to western education they would  be dominated by southerners and the january 1966 coup 
only heightened those fears and was used to manipulate people to devastating effect.
everyone has to look at themselves and do some serious searching. there is no doubt that igbos are a strong,resourceful people but the nigerian game is a complex one and  triumphal impulses must be curbed if one is to play the game to win

Our two positions are interestingly converging into an acceptable postulation. In my previous posts, I started out with an eye witness account of a personal war experience; then went personal when I talked about post war stay in the west. I want to add that during my NYSC period when I deliberately chose Ibadan - since I could choose, being foreign trained - I met two guys who later became dear friends. One is of Edo extraction, the other is from Kaduna. During a moment of financial travail in Nigeria, one of them was dearer than any blood relation. When friends entrust charming wives and children in the care of each other, then there's absolute trust. I was spurred into coming to study abroad in the 80s by a bosom friend of Yoruba extraction, we have remained friends till date. This is to state that I can stand clear of parochialism informed by tribal sentiments.

It is hardly reasonable to be held responsible for the sins of our fore fathers who sold our brothers into slavery. Yet we can never stop to condemn such actions as ill motivated and wrong. Same with the killing of twins in the east and such other practices done out of ignorance. Pope John Paul asked for pardon on behalf of Xtians who committed atrocities in jihadist fashion. I may be wrong but Germany sought pardon for Nazi treatment of the Jews.

In our internal situation, there was no truth and reconciliation committee vested with a duty to make recommendations for purposes of history. This is why there is still heated and endless debate on this subject. How I wish that some of the things you wrote about could feature in such a document, e.g, mob action, lack of control, inexperience, fear of domination; even the 1st coup and Ojukwu's rash decision for an Igbo Republic. Wars have rules and regulations, believe it or not, a child of about ten/twelve years - which I was then - is quite capable of narrating scenes of horror. Nobi dem say or my papa told me.