I read recently some comments made by nairaland users on awolowo’s speech to western Nigerian leaders
i was so disappointed that i had to set some things straight.
When i read fredrick forsyths ojukwu,which was his biography from mostly his point of view,i was
filled with respect and admiration for ojukwu,his background,how he excelled in the military and
most importantly standing almost alone against the nigerian government and how he managed the
biafran war,but my adoration was soon gone after reading other books on biafra war,including
ones written by some close to him during the war.some of the origin of these sad horrific war was
the coup de-tat that stopped our young democracy which was carried out by majority igbos led by
chukuma nzeogwu who believe that previously held election that brought in tafawa balewa was
floored ,they also thought that there was corruption in the system,either by planning or accident the
coup led to the death of leading hausa-fulani and yoruba leaders while igbo leaders like azikuwe and
michael okpara were not affected,awolowo only survived because he was in jail.the deaths of these
leaders was very painful to the masses,this loss was more felt in the north due to Ahmadu bello's
death,the rumors of igbos taking over the country was widely accepted in a tribalistic country where
most citizens had voted along ethnic or tribal lines,all the leaders killed were not military men,they
could have been arrested and jailed ,to make situations worse aguiyi ironsi an igbo man who took
over as the military head of state from a failed bloody coup did not put the arrested coup plotters to death,
he also changed our unitary system of government to federal system which for the first time in our history
gives the center more power over the regions,these reasons and others further fueled suspicion by the
northerners that igbos do really want to take over,the northerners wanted a sever punishment for the coup
plotters and also wanted a revert of decree 34 which would return nigeria to its previous federal structure,
all these led to a counter coup that was led by murtala muhammed and t.y danjuma which brought gowan
to power,during this time the riots and systematic targeting and killing of the igbos had started in the north.
I believe the killing of the innocent civilian igbos went too far and people should have been punished for
their involvement,But the naive coup plotters did not know that killing Ahmadu bello would have ethnic,
religious and political consequences that will change the history of nigeria.
Ojukwu who was the eastern governor did what was right by asking the igbos to come to the east,an estimated
30,000 had lost their lives to these riots, leading to exodus of close to a million people returning to the east,
ojukwu refused to recognize gowan as the head of state and threatened to declare a sovereign state because
gowan was not the most senior officer,and the inaction of the federal government finding a lasting solution to the
humanitarian crisis ,he cut of communication to the federal government ,seized all the revenue collected for the
federal government in the east and gowan reacted by ordering blockade of the eastern region,blocking major
roads to put pressure on the east to negotiate.
Yoruba leader awolowo stated that the federal government should withdraw its troops from lagos ,ibadan and
abeokuta and that if the igbos should leave yorubas will too,these statements probably made gowan more
determined to keep nigeria as one.
In early january 1967 a summit was held in aburi ghana as a concession to ojukwu wanting a neutral location to
address area of conflict ,both parties left aburi with different understanding or interpretation of the agreement,
after 2 months of the east viewing gowan as not implementing the aburi accord,ojukwu unilaterally declared an
independent state of biafra.
Gowan responded by dividing nigeria in to 12 states in such a way that the minority group in the east and the core
igbos who got 3 states out of the eastern region,where separated almost along ethnic lines,
5 million minority groups who were frightened of igbo domination in the east supported these moves because they
believe ojukwu carved out biafra out of the old eastern region since it was area under his control as the then eastern
governor and not by any serious consultation with its people or its leaders ,they were determined to stay in one
country called nigeria or have their own independent state, all these was to gowans advantage seeing it as a moral
responsibly to protect the minority groups from the igbos.
At the beginning of the war 14 military installations were in the north shared between kano ,kaduna and zaria,
3 in the west shared between ibadan and abeokuta and only one in the east which was the 1st battalion in enugu
with no field artillery , air force,reconnaissance squadron , heavy weapon depot, ammunition Factory.
I think ojukwu should have used the threat of war to negotiate a better autonomy for the east which nigerian
negotiators were suggesting then,why do you think Ukraine have not till today tried to attack Russia,it is simply
because it will be a foolish thing to do.
After all the rhetoric on both side the surprise invasion and take over of the mid west by biafra was definitely the
beginning of the war. chinua achebe wrote in "there was a country"about a conversation he had with late
Dr okechuku ikejiani who was one of the leading diplomat of biafra, that he ojukwu did not consult with igbo
leaders like azikwe one of our great leaders and michael opara the former premier of the eastern region neither did
he consult with other igbo leaders before going to war,he only consulted with louis mbanefo and francis ibiam
these leaders advise were ignored by ojukwu according to Dr okechuku ikejiani who holds the view that they
could have made very little compromise to avoid the war,that was why azikuwe eventually withdrew his support for
biafra after frustrating efforts made by him to bring the warring parties to a peaceful resolution.
Ralph uwuchie, biafran's envoy to paris during the war published a book called the "reflections of the nigerian civil war"
in his memoir he strongly criticized ojukwu for the leadership he provided for biafra and his unwillingness to
compromise,for example ojukwu would rather have women and children die than accept a staggering sum of 600,000
pounds from Britain to get relief supplies for the dying citizens,he also wrote that while the war for survival of the
ibgos was on going,the war for survival of ojukwu leadership was also going on and that ojukwu errors had been very
costly to igbos, his quote"the biafran masses, enslaved by an extremely efficient propaganda network and cowed by
the iron grip of ruthless military machine had neither the facts or the liberty to form an independent opinion.
the case of the elite was different…those who had access to the facts knew that the time had come to seek a realistic
way to end the war …. in private they expressed this view but proved to cowardly to take a stand and tell ojukwu the
truth"un quote.
Those that oppose ojukwu will most likely be arrested on false charges and sometimes executed without evidence
like major ifeajuna,sam agbamuche,major phillip alale,brigadier victor banjo and many others.
Ten italians and one jordanian oil workers for eni were killed in an oil field in kwele by biafran troops and 18 others
accused of spying and jailed despite international outcry, it took the persistent intervention of the pope before they
were eventually released.
Biafran soldiers were sometimes shot in other to enforce discipline,colonel achuzia aka" air raid "was allegedly
known for this,two soldiers were also in some instances given one rifle so that when one is wounded or dead
the other will use it and this is according to fredrick forsyts documentary" biafrans fighting a war without guns".
There was no trust on both sides gowan did not allow humanitarian relief through land and sea because he believed
biafran's will use route to get weapons,ojukwu refused to allow foods and medicine to reach biafra starving citizens
through a neutral corridor that took weeks to negotiate by emperor selassie,for fear it would be poisoned by nigerian
troops despite assurance from the international relief organizations and despite the fact that there was no prior
evidence of poisoning by nigerian troops,some of the foods and medicine that was eventually donated and flown
into biafra by these organizations was diverted for military use.
He was more interested in using using the horrific pictures of hunger ,death and destruction to gain international
sympathy and getting weapons than finding a quick end to the war
according to "there was a country "by chinuia achibe,canada was neutral until it officially criticized ojukwu openly
for rejecting humanitarian assistance of cloths ,food and medicine while he was vigorously seeking weapons.
apart from the surprise attack of the midwest and ore the only advancement the biafran troops made was when they
recaptured owerri which they soon lost, within five months of the start of the war biafrans had gradually lost the
midwest and all their territories to the federal government remaining about 2000 sq kilometers a portion of umahia
the then capital of biafra after former capital enugu was lost,why then did ojukwu find it necessary to fight for another
two and a half years with heavy causality.
Ojukwu would have people believe through propaganda that nigeria was fighting an all out war and that its intent
was to kill all igbos,but that is not the case, as much as there were many causalities due to ojukwu's
gorilla style war fare that had little front line and his disregard for biafran's lives in the way he prosecuted the war,
and some over zealous nigerian troops mostly northerners,who neglected the rules of engagement,some like
colonel benjamin adekunle who was later retired, nigerian government was fighting a war of reconciliation,
examples of these is that in any war even with western standards the loosing side would have their political
and military leaders prosecuted and killed but gowan re absolved almost all the military leaders in to nigerian
army ,also thousand of biafran soldiers surrendered and none was killed contrary to the impression that ojukwu
gave the international community and his people through propaganda,that was why during the war to the
mediators and in the international community gowan was seen as a gentle man why ojukwu was viewed
as a war monger except for countries like china, and france who was interested in the oil deposits and also
reducing britain's influence in west africa,which sent weapons through ivory coast and gabon,even these
2 countries did not give their support openly or recognize biafra diplomatically.
All the major powers including united nations and african union supported nigeria ,their argument is that if
biafra was allowed to separate ,it may give way for other african ethnic groups to do the same which will
destabilize africa.
The only countries that recognized biafra was tanzania,ivory coast,gabon,gambia and haiti the only country
to do so diplomatically outside of africa.
How can the igbos believe that yoruba leaders would allow biafrans to storm through Ore one of yoruba
heartlands with 1000 unorganized,mostly untrained soldiers ,poorly armed,some without uniforms,riding
on farming trucks,personal cars,and Peugeot 404 to attack and take over lagos and then be at ojukwus mercy
when they did not believe in his cause,even if they had succeeded,reinforcement would have come from
military installations in ibadan and abeokuta which had one of the largest armory. the igbos till today believe
the misinformation,they see it as yoruba betrayal ,the well informed knows better .
The above description of the troops organization that wanted to attack lagos was reported by a reputable
journalist "john de st. jorre"who worked for uk observer .
Ojukwu was not a leader the igbos chose them selves,he was appointed by the military after the coup,they
rallied around and depended on him because he was the man in power during the crises,he is not an hero,
his leadership brought great calamity to his people ,if the igbos had been lead by someone other than him,
they would have gotten at least a semi autonomy with little or no casualty but he ignored advises of more
experienced leaders,some of whom even helped in negotiating nigerias independence with Britain.
Ojukwu should have been arrested and prosecuted for using children young as 13 as soldiers with little training,
some times on the spot training to fight skilled nigerian soldiers,knowing they would die in large numbers.
It is humans that builds and also destroys,no one comes out of a war without a loss,decisions to go to war should
not be taken lightly.
Every time i remember the war events,it is so painful that millions of men,women and children had to die and some
survivors had gone through unbearable hardships just because two men were unwilling to compromise because of
their ego and political stance ,especially ojukwu who was ill prepared and had more to loose,when sometimes making
concessions was the necessary thing to do.
The painful war was avoidable or at least more lives could have been saved if the war had ended earlier,i still wonder
what the population of the igbos will be today without the unjustifiable death and destruction he brought on his people.
I am still baffled why a military leader would make such catastrophic miscalculations of starting a war with such odds
stacked against him,you don't go to a sword fight with a spoon and then complain about bloody nose and broken legs.
Like the usual selfish and dictatorial african leader,he did not wait to finish what he started,after properties and
livelihood were destroyed and an estimated dead 2 million biafran soldiers and 1 million biafran dead civilians
due to starvation and collateral damage ,total 3 million biafrans lives wasted, in addition to total of 100 thousand
nigerian soldiers losing their lives.
He fled the country stating in is usual articulate style"whilst i live biafra lives" with over 3000 pounds of personal
luggage and his expensive Mercedes Benz leaving the igbos to their faith which to me is the most visible act of
cowardice and betrayal displayed by him.
even after the war some continue to die because of land mines , thousands of wounded veterans are still alive today
with no care,most of the survivors of the war continue sharing their painful war experience and bitterness,blaming
other ethnic groups for ojukwus errors and military blunders ,and restating the propaganda ojukwu used in
motivating them to fight during the war to their descendants,without doing their own research,these misinformation
continue to breed hatred in to the younger generations.the tragedy in all these is that humans refuse to use past
experience to avoid the mistakes of the future.

NOTE:i intentionally used 21century because most igbos consider ojukwu one of
their greatest leader in this 21century

ok...

infoispower:
I [s]read recently some comments made by nairaland users on awolowo’s speech to western Nigerian leaders
i was so disappointed that i had to set some things straight.
When i read fredrick forsyths ojukwu,which was his biography from mostly his point of view,i was
filled with respect and admiration for ojukwu,his background,how he excelled in the military and
most importantly standing almost alone against the nigerian government and how he managed the
biafran war,but my adoration was soon gone after reading other books on biafra war,including
ones written by some close to him during the war.some of the origin of these sad horrific war was
the coup de-tat that stopped our young democracy which was carried out by majority igbos led by
chukuma nzeogwu who believe that previously held election that brought in tafawa balewa was
floored ,they also thought that there was corruption in the system,either by planning or accident the
coup led to the death of leading hausa-fulani and yoruba leaders while igbo leaders like azikuwe and
michael okpara were not affected,awolowo only survived because he was in jail.the deaths of these
leaders was very painful to the masses,this loss was more felt in the north due to Ahmadu bello's
death,the rumors of igbos taking over the country was widely accepted in a tribalistic country where
most citizens had voted along ethnic or tribal lines,all the leaders killed were not military men,they
could have been arrested and jailed ,to make situations worse aguiyi ironsi an igbo man who took
over as the military head of state from a failed bloody coup did not put the arrested coup plotters to death,
he also changed our unitary system of government to federal system which for the first time in our history
gives the center more power over the regions,these reasons and others further fueled suspicion by the
northerners that igbos do really want to take over,the northerners wanted a sever punishment for the coup
plotters and also wanted a revert of decree 34 which would return nigeria to its previous federal structure,
all these led to a counter coup that was led by murtala muhammed and t.y danjuma which brought gowan
to power,during this time the riots and systematic targeting and killing of the igbos had started in the north.
I believe the killing of the innocent civilian igbos went too far and people should have been punished for
their involvement,But the naive coup plotters did not know that killing Ahmadu bello would have ethnic,
religious and political consequences that will change the history of nigeria.
Ojukwu who was the eastern governor did what was right by asking the igbos to come to the east,an estimated
30,000 had lost their lives to these riots, leading to exodus of close to a million people returning to the east,
ojukwu refused to recognize gowan as the head of state and threatened to declare a sovereign state because
gowan was not the most senior officer,and the inaction of the federal government finding a lasting solution to the
humanitarian crisis ,he cut of communication to the federal government ,seized all the revenue collected for the
federal government in the east and gowan reacted by ordering blockade of the eastern region,blocking major
roads to put pressure on the east to negotiate.
Yoruba leader awolowo stated that the federal government should withdraw its troops from lagos ,ibadan and
abeokuta and that if the igbos should leave yorubas will too,these statements probably made gowan more
determined to keep nigeria as one.
In early january 1967 a summit was held in aburi ghana as a concession to ojukwu wanting a neutral location to
address area of conflict ,both parties left aburi with different understanding or interpretation of the agreement,
after 2 months of the east viewing gowan as not implementing the aburi accord,ojukwu unilaterally declared an
independent state of biafra.
Gowan responded by dividing nigeria in to 12 states in such a way that the minority group in the east and the core
igbos who got 3 states out of the eastern regoin,where separated almost along ethnic lines,
5 million minority groups who were frightened of igbo domination in the east supported these moves because they
believe ojukwu carved out biafra out of the old eastern region since it was area under his control as the then eastern
governor and not by any serious consultation with its people or its leaders ,they were determined to stay in one
country called nigeria or have their own independent state, all these was to gowans advantage seeing it as a moral
responsibly to protect the minority groups from the igbos.
At the beginning of the war 14 military installations were in the north shared between kano ,kaduna and zaria,
3 in the west shared between ibadan and abeokuta and only one in the east which was the 1st battalion in enugu
with no field artillery , air force,reconnaissance squadron , heavy weapon depot, ammunition Factory.
I think ojukwu should have used the threat of war to negotiate a better autonomy for the east which nigerian
negotiators were suggesting then,why do you think ukraine have not till today tried to attack Russia,it is simply
because it will be a foolish thing to do.
Ater all the rhetoric on both side the surprise invasion and take over of the mid west by biafra was definitely the
beginning of the war. chinua achebe wrote in "there was a country"about a conversation he had with late
Dr okechuku ikejiani who was one of the leading diplomat of biafra, that he ojukwu did not consult with igbo
leaders like azikwe one of our great leaders and michael opara the former premier of the eastern region neither did
he consult with other igbo leaders before going to war,he only consulted with louis mbanefo and francis ibiam
these leaders advise were ignored by ojukwu according to Dr okechuku ikejiani who holds the view that they
could have made very little compromise to avoid the war,that was why azikuwe eventually withdrew his support for
biafra after frustrating efforts made by him to bring the warring parties to a peaceful resolution.
Ralph uwuchie, biafran's envoy to paris during the war published a book called the "reflections of the nigerian civil war"
in his memoir he strongly criticized ojukwu for the leadership he provided for biafra and his unwillingness to
compromise,for example ojukwu would rather have women and children die than accept a staggering sum of 600,000
pounds from britain to get relief supplies for the dying citizens,he also wrote that while the war for survival of the
ibgos was on going,the war for survival of ojukwu leadership was also going on and that ojukwu errors had been very
costly to igbos, his quote"the biafran masses, enslaved by an extremely efficient propaganda network and cowed by
the iron grip of ruthless military machine had neither the facts or the liberty to form an independent opinion.
the case of the elite was different…those who had access to the facts knew that the time had come to seek a realistic
way to end the war …. in private they expressed this view but proved to cowardly to take a stand and tell ojukwu the
truth"un quote.
Those that oppose ojukwu will most likely be arrested on false charges and sometimes executed without evidence
like major ifeajuna,sam agbamuche,major phillip alale,brigadier victor banjo and many others.
Ten italians and one jordanian oil workers for eni were killed in an oil field in kwele by biafran troops and 18 others
accused of spying and jailed despite international outcry, it took the persistent intervention of the pope before they
were eventually released.
Biafran soldiers were sometimes shot in other to enforce discipline,colonel achuzia aka" air raid "was allegedly
known for this,two soldiers were also in some instances given one rifle so that when one is wounded or dead
the other will use it and this is according to fredrick forsyts documentary" biafrans fighting a war without guns".
There was no trust on both sides gowan did not allow humanitarian relief through land and sea because he believed
biafran's will use route to get weapons,ojukwu refused to allow foods and medicine to reach biafra starving citizens
through a neutral corridor that took weeks to negotiate by emperor selassie,for fear it would be poisoned by nigerian
troops despite assurance from the international relief organizations and despite the fact that there was no prior
evidence of poisoning by nigerian troops,some of the foods and medicine that was eventually donated and flown
into biafra by these organizations was diverted for military use.
He was more interested in using using the horrific pictures of hunger ,death and destruction to gain international
sympathy and getting weapons than finding a quick end to the war
according to "there was a country "by chinuia achibe,canada was neutral until it officially criticized ojukwu openly
for rejecting humanitarian assistance of cloths ,food and medicine while he was vigorously seeking weapons.
apart from the surprise attack of the midwest and ore the only advancement the biafran troops made was when they
recaptured owerri which they soon lost, within five months of the start of the war biafrans had gradually lost the
midwest and all their territories to the federal government remaining about 2000 sq kilometers a portion of umahia
the then capital of biafra after former capital enugu was lost,why then did ojukwu find it necessary to fight for another
two and a half years with heavy causality.
Ojukwu would have people believe through propaganda that nigeria was fighting an all out war and that its intent
was to kill all igbos,but that is not the case, as much as there were many causalities due to ojukwu's
gorilla style war fare that had little front line and his disregard for biafran's lives in the way he prosecuted the war,
and some over zealous nigerian troops mostly northerners,who neglected the rules of engagement,some like
colonel benjamin adekunle who was later retired, nigerian government was fighting a war of reconciliation,
examples of these is that in any war even with western standards the loosing side would have their political
and military leaders prosecuted and killed but gowan re absolved almost all the military leaders in to nigerian
army ,also thousand of biafran soldiers surrendered and none was killed contrary to the impression that ojukwu
gave the international community and his people through propaganda,that was why during the war to the
mediators and in the international community gowan was seen as a gentle man why ojukwu was viewed
as a war monger except for countries like china, and france who was interested in the oil deposits and also
reducing britain's influence in west africa,which sent weapons through ivory coast and gabon,even these
2 countries did not give their support openly or recognize biafra diplomatically.
All the major powers including united nations and african union supported nigeria ,their argument is that if
biafra was allowed to separate ,it may give way for other african ethnic groups to do the same which will
destabilize africa.
The only countries that recognized biafra was tanzania,ivory coast,gabon,gambia and haiti the only country
to do so diplomatically outside of africa.
How can the igbos believe that yoruba leaders would allow biafrans to storm through Ore one of yoruba
heartlands with 1000 unorganized,mostly untrained soldiers ,poorly armed,some without uniforms,riding
on farming trucks,personal cars,and pogeot 404 to attack and take over lagos and then be at ojukwus mercy
when they did not believe in his cause,even if they had succeeded,reinforcement would have come from
military installations in ibadan and abeokuta which had one of the largest armory. the igbos till today believe
the misinformation,they see it as yoruba betrayal ,the well informed knows better .
The above description of the troops organization that wanted to attack lagos was reported by a reputable
journalist "john de st. jorre"who worked for uk observer .
Ojukwu was not a leader the igbos chose them selves,he was appointed by the military after the coup,they
relied around and depended on him because he was the man in power during the crises,he is not an hero,
his leadership brought great calamity to his people ,if the igbos had been lead by someone other than him,
they would have gotten at least a semi autonomy with little or no casualty but he ignored advises of more
experienced leaders,some of whom even helped in negotiating nigerias independence with britain.
Ojukwu should have been arrested and prosecuted for using children young as 13 as soldiers with little training,
some times on the spot training to fight skilled nigerian soldiers,knowing they would die in large numbers.
It is humans that builds and also destroys,no one comes out of a war without a loss,decisions to go to war should
not be taken lightly.
Every time i remember the war events,it is so painful that millions of men,women and children had to die and some
survivors had gone through unbearable hardships just because two men were unwilling to compromise because of
their ego and political stance ,especially ojukwu who was ill prepared and had more to loose,when sometimes making
concessions was the necessary thing to do.
The painful war was avoidable or at least more lives could have been saved if the war had ended earlier,i still wonder
what the population of the igbos will be today without the unjustifiable death and destruction he brought on his people.
I am still baffled why a military leader would make such catastrophic miscalculations of starting a war with such odds
stacked against him,you don't go to a sword fight with a spoon and then complain about bloody nose and broken legs.
Like the usual selfish and dictatorial african leader,he did not wait to finish what he started,after properties and
livelihood were destroyed and an estimated dead 2 million biafran soldiers and 1 million biafran dead civilians
due to starvation and collateral damage ,total 3 million biafrans lives wasted, in addition to total of 100 thousand
nigerian soldiers losing their lives.
He fled the country stating in is usual articulate style"whilst i live biafra lives" with over 3000 pounds of personal
luggage and his expensive Mercedes Benz leaving the igbos to their faith which to me is the most visible act of
cowardice and betrayal displayed by him.
even after the war some continue to die because of land mines , thousands of wounded veterans are still alive today
with no care,most of the survivors of the war continue sharing their painful war experience and bitterness,blaming
other ethnic groups for ojukwus errors and military blunders ,and restating the propaganda ojukwu used in
motivating them to fight during the war to their descendants,without doing their own research,these misinformation
continue to breed hatred in to the younger generations.the tragedy in all these is that humans refuse to use past
experience to avoid the mistakes of the future.[/s]

OP you must be so high on a cow junk

Talk your own. Post your own. You are the chairman of your opinion.

I find it funny that the roots and branches of the IBO tribe will point their fingers at Yorubas,its so shameful that the same people that canvassed for independent Biafra are being vilified by the children of hate.
when Soyinka and solarin rose on their feet to support Biafra, who would think their people would be pointed at as cowards.
the issue is sad but sad as it may be,we've learnt our lesson,the hatred is mutual,no more remorse.

So you guys will not even allow a dead person to rest in peace?

Ojukwu, 21st century? Okk

Summary needed please. Too long, quit reading halfway.

A well researched work. Thumb up OP. fifty likes for u

[s][/s]

infoispower:
I read recently some comments made by nairaland users on awolowo’s speech to western Nigerian leaders
i was so disappointed that i had to set some things straight.
When i read fredrick forsyths ojukwu,which was his biography from mostly his point of view,i was
filled with respect and admiration for ojukwu,his background,how he excelled in the military and
most importantly standing almost alone against the nigerian government and how he managed the
biafran war,but my adoration was soon gone after reading other books on biafra war,including
ones written by some close to him during the war.some of the origin of these sad horrific war was
the coup de-tat that stopped our young democracy which was carried out by majority igbos led by
chukuma nzeogwu who believe that previously held election that brought in tafawa balewa was
floored ,they also thought that there was corruption in the system,either by planning or accident the
coup led to the death of leading hausa-fulani and yoruba leaders while igbo leaders like azikuwe and
michael okpara were not affected,awolowo only survived because he was in jail.the deaths of these
leaders was very painful to the masses,this loss was more felt in the north due to Ahmadu bello's
death,the rumors of igbos taking over the country was widely accepted in a tribalistic country where
most citizens had voted along ethnic or tribal lines,all the leaders killed were not military men,they
could have been arrested and jailed ,to make situations worse aguiyi ironsi an igbo man who took
over as the military head of state from a failed bloody coup did not put the arrested coup plotters to death,
he also changed our unitary system of government to federal system which for the first time in our history
gives the center more power over the regions,these reasons and others further fueled suspicion by the
northerners that igbos do really want to take over,the northerners wanted a sever punishment for the coup
plotters and also wanted a revert of decree 34 which would return nigeria to its previous federal structure,
all these led to a counter coup that was led by murtala muhammed and t.y danjuma which brought gowan
to power,during this time the riots and systematic targeting and killing of the igbos had started in the north.
I believe the killing of the innocent civilian igbos went too far and people should have been punished for
their involvement,But the naive coup plotters did not know that killing Ahmadu bello would have ethnic,
religious and political consequences that will change the history of nigeria.
Ojukwu who was the eastern governor did what was right by asking the igbos to come to the east,an estimated
30,000 had lost their lives to these riots, leading to exodus of close to a million people returning to the east,
ojukwu refused to recognize gowan as the head of state and threatened to declare a sovereign state because
gowan was not the most senior officer,and the inaction of the federal government finding a lasting solution to the
humanitarian crisis ,he cut of communication to the federal government ,seized all the revenue collected for the
federal government in the east and gowan reacted by ordering blockade of the eastern region,blocking major
roads to put pressure on the east to negotiate.
Yoruba leader awolowo stated that the federal government should withdraw its troops from lagos ,ibadan and
abeokuta and that if the igbos should leave yorubas will too,these statements probably made gowan more
determined to keep nigeria as one.
In early january 1967 a summit was held in aburi ghana as a concession to ojukwu wanting a neutral location to
address area of conflict ,both parties left aburi with different understanding or interpretation of the agreement,
after 2 months of the east viewing gowan as not implementing the aburi accord,ojukwu unilaterally declared an
independent state of biafra.
Gowan responded by dividing nigeria in to 12 states in such a way that the minority group in the east and the core
igbos who got 3 states out of the eastern regoin,where separated almost along ethnic lines,
5 million minority groups who were frightened of igbo domination in the east supported these moves because they
believe ojukwu carved out biafra out of the old eastern region since it was area under his control as the then eastern
governor and not by any serious consultation with its people or its leaders ,they were determined to stay in one
country called nigeria or have their own independent state, all these was to gowans advantage seeing it as a moral
responsibly to protect the minority groups from the igbos.
At the beginning of the war 14 military installations were in the north shared between kano ,kaduna and zaria,
3 in the west shared between ibadan and abeokuta and only one in the east which was the 1st battalion in enugu
with no field artillery , air force,reconnaissance squadron , heavy weapon depot, ammunition Factory.
I think ojukwu should have used the threat of war to negotiate a better autonomy for the east which nigerian
negotiators were suggesting then,why do you think ukraine have not till today tried to attack Russia,it is simply
because it will be a foolish thing to do.
Ater all the rhetoric on both side the surprise invasion and take over of the mid west by biafra was definitely the
beginning of the war. chinua achebe wrote in "there was a country"about a conversation he had with late
Dr okechuku ikejiani who was one of the leading diplomat of biafra, that he ojukwu did not consult with igbo
leaders like azikwe one of our great leaders and michael opara the former premier of the eastern region neither did
he consult with other igbo leaders before going to war,he only consulted with louis mbanefo and francis ibiam
these leaders advise were ignored by ojukwu according to Dr okechuku ikejiani who holds the view that they
could have made very little compromise to avoid the war,that was why azikuwe eventually withdrew his support for
biafra after frustrating efforts made by him to bring the warring parties to a peaceful resolution.
Ralph uwuchie, biafran's envoy to paris during the war published a book called the "reflections of the nigerian civil war"
in his memoir he strongly criticized ojukwu for the leadership he provided for biafra and his unwillingness to
compromise,for example ojukwu would rather have women and children die than accept a staggering sum of 600,000
pounds from britain to get relief supplies for the dying citizens,he also wrote that while the war for survival of the
ibgos was on going,the war for survival of ojukwu leadership was also going on and that ojukwu errors had been very
costly to igbos, his quote"the biafran masses, enslaved by an extremely efficient propaganda network and cowed by
the iron grip of ruthless military machine had neither the facts or the liberty to form an independent opinion.
the case of the elite was different…those who had access to the facts knew that the time had come to seek a realistic
way to end the war …. in private they expressed this view but proved to cowardly to take a stand and tell ojukwu the
truth"un quote.
Those that oppose ojukwu will most likely be arrested on false charges and sometimes executed without evidence
like major ifeajuna,sam agbamuche,major phillip alale,brigadier victor banjo and many others.
Ten italians and one jordanian oil workers for eni were killed in an oil field in kwele by biafran troops and 18 others
accused of spying and jailed despite international outcry, it took the persistent intervention of the pope before they
were eventually released.
Biafran soldiers were sometimes shot in other to enforce discipline,colonel achuzia aka" air raid "was allegedly
known for this,two soldiers were also in some instances given one rifle so that when one is wounded or dead
the other will use it and this is according to fredrick forsyts documentary" biafrans fighting a war without guns".
There was no trust on both sides gowan did not allow humanitarian relief through land and sea because he believed
biafran's will use route to get weapons,ojukwu refused to allow foods and medicine to reach biafra starving citizens
through a neutral corridor that took weeks to negotiate by emperor selassie,for fear it would be poisoned by nigerian
troops despite assurance from the international relief organizations and despite the fact that there was no prior
evidence of poisoning by nigerian troops,some of the foods and medicine that was eventually donated and flown
into biafra by these organizations was diverted for military use.
He was more interested in using using the horrific pictures of hunger ,death and destruction to gain international
sympathy and getting weapons than finding a quick end to the war
according to "there was a country "by chinuia achibe,canada was neutral until it officially criticized ojukwu openly
for rejecting humanitarian assistance of cloths ,food and medicine while he was vigorously seeking weapons.
apart from the surprise attack of the midwest and ore the only advancement the biafran troops made was when they
recaptured owerri which they soon lost, within five months of the start of the war biafrans had gradually lost the
midwest and all their territories to the federal government remaining about 2000 sq kilometers a portion of umahia
the then capital of biafra after former capital enugu was lost,why then did ojukwu find it necessary to fight for another
two and a half years with heavy causality.
Ojukwu would have people believe through propaganda that nigeria was fighting an all out war and that its intent
was to kill all igbos,but that is not the case, as much as there were many causalities due to ojukwu's
gorilla style war fare that had little front line and his disregard for biafran's lives in the way he prosecuted the war,
and some over zealous nigerian troops mostly northerners,who neglected the rules of engagement,some like
colonel benjamin adekunle who was later retired, nigerian government was fighting a war of reconciliation,
examples of these is that in any war even with western standards the loosing side would have their political
and military leaders prosecuted and killed but gowan re absolved almost all the military leaders in to nigerian
army ,also thousand of biafran soldiers surrendered and none was killed contrary to the impression that ojukwu
gave the international community and his people through propaganda,that was why during the war to the
mediators and in the international community gowan was seen as a gentle man why ojukwu was viewed
as a war monger except for countries like china, and france who was interested in the oil deposits and also
reducing britain's influence in west africa,which sent weapons through ivory coast and gabon,even these
2 countries did not give their support openly or recognize biafra diplomatically.
All the major powers including united nations and african union supported nigeria ,their argument is that if
biafra was allowed to separate ,it may give way for other african ethnic groups to do the same which will
destabilize africa.
The only countries that recognized biafra was tanzania,ivory coast,gabon,gambia and haiti the only country
to do so diplomatically outside of africa.
How can the igbos believe that yoruba leaders would allow biafrans to storm through Ore one of yoruba
heartlands with 1000 unorganized,mostly untrained soldiers ,poorly armed,some without uniforms,riding
on farming trucks,personal cars,and pogeot 404 to attack and take over lagos and then be at ojukwus mercy
when they did not believe in his cause,even if they had succeeded,reinforcement would have come from
military installations in ibadan and abeokuta which had one of the largest armory. the igbos till today believe
the misinformation,they see it as yoruba betrayal ,the well informed knows better .
The above description of the troops organization that wanted to attack lagos was reported by a reputable
journalist "john de st. jorre"who worked for uk observer .
Ojukwu was not a leader the igbos chose them selves,he was appointed by the military after the coup,they
relied around and depended on him because he was the man in power during the crises,he is not an hero,
his leadership brought great calamity to his people ,if the igbos had been lead by someone other than him,
they would have gotten at least a semi autonomy with little or no casualty but he ignored advises of more
experienced leaders,some of whom even helped in negotiating nigerias independence with britain.
Ojukwu should have been arrested and prosecuted for using children young as 13 as soldiers with little training,
some times on the spot training to fight skilled nigerian soldiers,knowing they would die in large numbers.
It is humans that builds and also destroys,no one comes out of a war without a loss,decisions to go to war should
not be taken lightly.
Every time i remember the war events,it is so painful that millions of men,women and children had to die and some
survivors had gone through unbearable hardships just because two men were unwilling to compromise because of
their ego and political stance ,especially ojukwu who was ill prepared and had more to loose,when sometimes making
concessions was the necessary thing to do.
The painful war was avoidable or at least more lives could have been saved if the war had ended earlier,i still wonder
what the population of the igbos will be today without the unjustifiable death and destruction he brought on his people.
I am still baffled why a military leader would make such catastrophic miscalculations of starting a war with such odds
stacked against him,you don't go to a sword fight with a spoon and then complain about bloody nose and broken legs.
Like the usual selfish and dictatorial african leader,he did not wait to finish what he started,after properties and
livelihood were destroyed and an estimated dead 2 million biafran soldiers and 1 million biafran dead civilians
due to starvation and collateral damage ,total 3 million biafrans lives wasted, in addition to total of 100 thousand
nigerian soldiers losing their lives.
He fled the country stating in is usual articulate style"whilst i live biafra lives" with over 3000 pounds of personal
luggage and his expensive Mercedes Benz leaving the igbos to their faith which to me is the most visible act of
cowardice and betrayal displayed by him.
even after the war some continue to die because of land mines , thousands of wounded veterans are still alive today
with no care,most of the survivors of the war continue sharing their painful war experience and bitterness,blaming
other ethnic groups for ojukwus errors and military blunders ,and restating the propaganda ojukwu used in
motivating them to fight during the war to their descendants,without doing their own research,these misinformation
continue to breed hatred in to the younger generations.the tragedy in all these is that humans refuse to use past
experience to avoid the mistakes of the future.

Trash, go and die with Ojukwu if he gives you nightmare from his grave

20th century

lalasticlala obinoscopy Mynd44
Why won't you guys take down this thread and sanction the op

Op you really get time to research and type this lengthy post. Well, there are so many mistakes on both sides.

thesicilian:
So you guys will not even allow a dead person to rest in peace?

There are very important historical lessons to be learnt, lessons that will ensure that the tragic events of 1966-1970 never repeat itself again

BADNEAT:
Ojukwu, 21st century? Okk

[color=#006600][/color]



i intentionally used 21st century instead of 19th century to draw attention to the topic and because in the 21 century majority of igbos still consider ojukwu as their greatest leader.

If the OP has respect for his leader and god awolowo, he should just let the dust settle. Ojukwu is a respected leader in the SE and awolowo is a respected leader in the SW. I you should respect your leader by not insulting other peoples leaders. If urs was insulted on a thread, you end it there than opening a new thread to throw insults and the cycle goes over and over again. None is greater than the other because they both did what they both cannot do.

Federal system isn't just working and nobody is ready to claim responsibility for exploiting people, destroying their land,livelihood and still neglecting them. do u know what oil spillage and gas flaring has caused to some people's land? Yet u expect them to keep quiet and continue to scream one Nigeria.
My opinion: even if we ain't going to break up, there is need to go back to d drawing board, accept act of negligence to adequately care for some people and some regions, correct our mistakes. Then yes we can now think of trusting ourselves and saying one Nigeria. As of now! I don't wanna hear dat shit anymore.

Nigeria doesn't even generate revenue from cattle o, yet they wanna give d herdsmen grazing patches in every damn states, now imagine how the people on whose land we get crude oil and we close eyes to d situation there.

CC Lalasticlala and co information is power. Please move this to front page.

@OP, I want to thank you greatly for this piece. You have done a great work here.

I also read the thread about the Awolowo speech and i was so disappointed with what some Igbos were typing.

They are quick to use the 3million dead propaganda forgetting that Nigeria also lost some people in thousands or even millions too.

I was also forced to researched also and whole doing that, I came across a piece in the Vanguard, published on November 28, 2011, where even Ojukwu himself called the Sage, The Best President Nigeria Never Had.

Let me quote a little here
BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

HATE him or like him, the late Biafran Leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu was fond of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The fondness arose from his perception of Awolowo’s vision, politics and welfarist ideology that sought and pursued the betterment of the citizenry.

Without doubts, Pa Awolowo concretised his vision in Western Region, when he superintended the area as premier in the 1950s. Having made his mark in Western Region, Awolowo’s attempts to replicate good governance at the centre, beginning from Independence in 1960 to May 9, 1987 when he died, did not yield dividends.

At various times, he sought the headship of the country on the platforms of the Action Group (AG) and Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).

When he died in 1987, a sad Odumegwu-Ojukwu described Awolowo as “the best president Nigeria never had.”

Some of these Igbo youths, who are fond of saying the Hausas' are dump followers are also exhibiting the same triats.

I know of some Yorubas who will tell you Awolowo was bad, but you can hardly find a Igbo who will be rational and objective while talking about the civil war.

If they take there time to study and read about the cause of the civil war and the eventual end of the war, they would have realised to win a war, there are definitely going to be casualties.

Take for instance, the Second World War, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, had to sacrifice 6,000 souls on the D Day to pass through Normandy, the stronghold of the Germans to win the war against Hitler.

The issue of starvation that the Igbos youth always use against Awolowo was not something they understood.

1. Most of the foods being delivered to the people of Biafra was been diverted for Military consumption.

2. The war was lingering too long, and the only way to end it quick is to starve them(you can't fight and feed someone and expect the fight to end).

3. It was the easiest way to end the war and save more souls because if the Northern Military had gotten to the Biafrian side, it would have been disastrous.

People wrote alot about the war, I will always recommend Why We Struck by Ademola Ademoyega, he fought on both sides and The Tragedy of Victory by Gen. Godwin Alabi-Isama.

Yes, it's very good to defend your tribe or people, but please, do it wisely.

thesicilian:
So you guys will not even allow a dead person to rest in peace?

Are the family of the people he lead to their death in Peace?

charix:
Summary needed please. Too long, quit reading halfway.

Very Simple, Bianca husband did not listen to advise of Igbo leader and lead 3million Igbos to their death.

Themonster:
lalasticlala obinoscopy Mynd44
Why won't you guys take down this thread and sanction the op

The op stated facts with proof and it's a well research piece. No hate in the piece what so ever. This is the most thorough Post on Nairaland still date. lalasticlala
obinoscopy Mynd44 Oya front page things

AdiscoPele:
@OP, I want to thank you greatly for this piece. You have done a great work here.

I also read the thread about the Awolowo speech and i was so disappointed with what some Igbos were typing.

They are quick to use the 3million dead propaganda forgetting that Nigeria also lost some people in thousands or even millions too.

I was also forced to researched also and whole doing that, I came across a piece in the Vanguard, published on November 28, 2011, where even Ojukwu himself called the Sage, The Best President Nigeria Never Had.

Let me quote a little here
BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

HATE him or like him, the late Biafran Leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu was fond of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The fondness arose from his perception of Awolowo’s vision, politics and welfarist ideology that sought and pursued the betterment of the citizenry.

Without doubts, Pa Awolowo concretised his vision in Western Region, when he superintended the area as premier in the 1950s. Having made his mark in Western Region, Awolowo’s attempts to replicate good governance at the centre, beginning from Independence in 1960 to May 9, 1987 when he died, did not yield dividends.

At various times, he sought the headship of the country on the platforms of the Action Group (AG) and Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).

When he died in 1987, a sad Odumegwu-Ojukwu described Awolowo as “the best president Nigeria never had.”

Some of these Igbo youths, who are fond of saying the Hausas' are dump followers are also exhibiting the same triats.

I know of some Yorubas who will tell you Awolowo was bad, but you can hardly find a Igbo who will be rational and objective while talking about the civil war.

If they take there time to study and read about the cause of the civil war and the eventual end of the war, they would have realised to win a war, there are definitely going to be casualties.

Take for instance, the Second World War, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, had to sacrifice 6,000 souls on the D Day to pass through Normandy, the stronghold of the Germans to win the war against Hitler.

The issue of starvation that the Igbos youth always use against Awolowo was not something they understood.

1. Most of the foods being delivered to the people of Biafra was been diverted for Military consumption.

2. The war was lingering too long, and the only way to end it quick is to starve them(you can't fight and feed someone and expect the fight to end).

3. It was the easiest way to end the war and save more souls because if the Northern Military had gotten to the Biafrian side, it would have been disastrous.

People wrote alot about the war, I will always recommend Why We Struck by Ademola Ademoyega, he fought on both sides and The Tragedy of Victory by Gen. Godwin Alabi-Isama.

Yes, it's very good to defend your tribe or people, but please, do it wisely.

Finally post with enlighten people. No sentiment.

Lai Mohammad

@AdiscoPele, both the OP and yourself have spoken well. What baffles me a lot about the thinking of an average Igbo man is this:
Considering the movie, October 1st, the character played by Kanayo O. Kanayo, this exemplifies an average Igbo man's assessment of issues of National Importance. Lack of in-depth objectivity, due to emotional attachments and tribal sentiments.

dapsonlou:


Very Simple, Bianca husband did not listen to advise of Igbo leader and lead 3million Igbos to their death.

Thanks.
It's been 30+ years since the war. In this country once an event has passed three years it is completely forgotten.
OP, go and sleep on your prick because this is the last comment your thread would receive.

OP, you have your some facts wrong. Gowon did not create states because Ojukwu declared Biafra, rather, it was the other way around. Ojukwu declared Biafra because after going to Ghana to negotiate a confederation with the existing 4 regions, Gowon went on to break that agreement by creating States. The 'divide and rule' started by Gowon is the same thing that the northerners use and still use to dominate Nigeria. The same true federalism which many Yorubas today say is what is best for Nigeria is what Ojukwu went to get, and got in Aburi, Ghana. But the same Yorubas and their leader Awolowo had no problem with Gowon and his fellow Northerners going back on the agreement, destroying federalism, creating States and taking away resouce control. Awolowo was all too happy to '2ic' to Gowon and protect his peoples interests. When Ojukwu declared Biafra in response, they vilified him. Till today, the same Yoruba man is looking for the same true federalism Ojukwu went to Ghana to get, and got,but has no problem calling Ojukwu a fool for not being a 'northern a$$licker' like Awolowo. All the Yoruba man knows is "we saved our selves from being killed by the Northerners by accepting one Nigeria while that stupid Ojukwu had millions of his people killed by not doing what we did". Shameful


I thank God that he created me an Igho man and didn't give me this level of cowardice

Ipob yoots will surely come for ur head