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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup (1261 Views)
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The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by Turboking(m): 1:17am On Aug 29, 2019 |
The political mistake Ojukwu made after 1966 coup ― Mbazulike Amaechi The first Republic Aviation Minister, Mbazulike Amaechi, has revealed the political mistake that former eastern region military governor, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, made in the wake of the 1966 coup that eventually led to the infamous civil war. Mbazulike Amaechi In an exhaustive interview with Vanguard, Amaechi explained that while the military governors in the north were consulting with grassroots politicians, Ojukwu “sidelined and threatened us with restriction notices,” and that was the greatest political mistake he made. When asked if he thought Ojuwku was only obeying the military authorities or he just did not want people around his government, Amaechi said: “…He did that before they started their quarrels, after killing Aguiyi Ironsi. Immediately after the coup, he was appointed the military governor. He did this but in the other parts of the country, their military governors were consulting their politicians and so forth, so if we had not been restricted or imprisoned as politicians, we could have gotten in touch with our counterparts in the North. It wouldn’t have mattered how bitter the position or quarrel was, the civil war could have been avoided. “But he told the people that he had the weapons to reduce Lagos to sea level. That was his exact word; we thought he had what he claimed not knowing there were no weapons. It was an ordinary boast, it was diplomacy he used, some propaganda, but the politicking did not work and the war broke out. “It was when the war broke out that he released all of us and by then, Yakubu Gowon had released Obafemi Awolowo from Calabar Prison and posted him to Lagos and made him the Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council and the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Matters, but our politicians here were rubbished by Ojukwu’s action,” Amaechi said. The former Minister enthused that Awolowo’s appointment was to get the support of the Yorubas. “Although it was okay for him and his Yoruba people, the action of Awolowo did not help Ndigbo and could read as ingratitude although he had no option because it was a military government. “…So to me, he had no choice than to go along with them, but if our man, Ojukwu had played his part well there would have been a way Michael Okpara would have gotten in touch with Awolowo, there would have been a way a person like me would have gotten in touch with Aminu Kano and others to soften things, because there was a link of that ideological and fraternal meet among all of us that went all round. So the war could have been avoided. “But however, so many people were killed in the pogrom. But the question was that the leaders who would have changed things like Saduana of Sokoto were killed; Abubakar Tafawa Belewa was killed, Mai Malari, the highest Northern Military man was killed, so, if you were the Northerners, won’t you react? We could have stopped the war through diplomacy and politics, but we were not involved. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/08/the-political-mistake-ojukwu-made-after-1966-coup-%E2%80%95-mbazulike-amaechi/ |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by Nobody: 1:20am On Aug 29, 2019 |
Turboking: |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by Wiifesnatcher(m): 3:47am On Aug 29, 2019 |
no matter how high your political will is/ was, no matter the weapons at your disposal, without consultation before planning war you won't succeed. imagine ojukwu just wake one morning and say prepare for war, he didn't equip at least 80% of his people with arms and ammunition for self protection. my heart bleed when I read how people were massacred Nigeria lost many of their soldiers even though soldiers are meant to die, East record the highest causalities. thank God nnamdi KANU was quickly tamed, east would have lost more of their kinsmen again with the lack of foresight their leaders had 2 Likes 1 Share |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by Sunnyboom: 7:08am On Aug 29, 2019 |
Oloriburuku Ojukwu want to reduce Lagos to ground zero, no wonder his tribesmen are raised with the same passionate & chronic hate. The envy jealousy hatred & bigotry Yoruba suffers from Igbo is a generational thing, no wonder they can not breath except they have Yoruba in their mouth. Any average Yoruba is the biggest treat they see whether it’s in the their sleep or alive. : 9 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by Jimasun: 7:24am On Aug 29, 2019 |
[quote author=kenwhawha post=81710269][/quote] See this cursed orangutan. An Igbo man is talking about the many flaws of your thin god and the only thing that came to your mind is Yoruba? This is generational curse o 1 Like |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by Nobody: 7:26am On Aug 29, 2019 |
What is greater than the political mistake called Buhari. When we have issues to tackle with the mohammadeen of a buhari.. 1 Like |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by gidgiddy: 7:54am On Aug 29, 2019 |
Wiifesnatcher: It is true that Ojukwu did not have enough weapons to fight the war but what choice did he have? To have Gowon break the Aburi agreement, watch the slaughter of his people and then bow to the caliphate of the North on top of that? If it were me, I would go to war with catapults than to be reduced to a slave because of lack of weapons. Either way, Biafrans gave a good account of themselves for 3 years. If it had not been for the far superior firepower and Airforce Britain and Russia gave Nigeria, Ojukwu would have won 1 Like |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by Perkins2018: 8:56am On Aug 29, 2019 |
This is to all the foolish pigs that have been saying ojukwu released Awolowo from prison. It was Gowon that released him. 3 Likes |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by Perkins2018: 8:58am On Aug 29, 2019 |
Typical of iboes. Boastful and full of lies and propaganda. Kanu is praying the same trick. I hope they will learn this time and not follow blindly like ojukwu. 4 Likes 1 Share |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by ORIENTATION101: 9:16am On Aug 29, 2019 |
Truth has finally caught up with lies of More than 50 yrs. No matter how long lies is being peddle truth will definitely catch up with it. Many sources re coming out to confirm the truth that 1. Ojukwu never prepared for the war. 2. Ojukwu relied on falsehood and proganda to win the war. 3. Ojukwu didn't make thorough consultations with the leaders of the eastern region before going on a suicide mission 4. Ojukwu didn't release awolowo from calabar prison Many more truths to come ![]() ![]() 6 Likes 1 Share |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by T9ksy(m): 2:46pm On Aug 29, 2019 |
gidgiddy: So if, by your admittance, ojukwu knew he didn't possess the military might to confront the federal govt., why then did he took such a militant approach to the impasse? Why did he LIED to his people that he has the strongest army in black Africa? Why did Ojukwu saw fit to deceive his people that he has the military power to effect Biafra? Don't you think, had ojukwu told his people the absolute truth, they would not have mandated him to go to war? Ojukwu witnessed more devastating horrors inflicted on his people during the war (than after the revenge coup and the pogroms that ensued, thereafter) yet persisted with the war only to finally bowed out after 3millions (more) lives had been meaninglessly lost. And then he eventually submitted to the same caliphate when it became apparent that his precious neck is eminently at stake. 3 Likes 1 Share |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by gidgiddy: 3:31pm On Aug 29, 2019 |
T9ksy: The reason you ask these questions is because you are not Igbo. You do not understand the Igbo mentality or how Igbos see things. Have you asked your self why it is that despite the fact Igbos now know that Ojukwu did not have as much firepower as Nigeria and lost over 3 million souls, yet most Igbos revere Ojukwu in death? Why is it that Ojukwu is like a demi-God amongst most Igbos despite leading them through difficult times and losing the civil war and over 3 million people? The answer is that Ojukwu tried to give them something Nigeria will never give them, freedom. Its remarkable what people will do and endure for freedom and independence. So Igbos would have rather have gone into battle with 3 bullets, fight and lose millions for the chance of being free. It didn't work out for Igbos but the way they see it is that it was better to fight with for freedom, with catapults if need be, than to willingly submit to the caliphate without a fight on the excuse of not having enough firepower |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by T9ksy(m): 3:44pm On Aug 29, 2019 |
gidgiddy: So what's the actual point in fighting for "freedom" when it's evident that your fight is D.O.A? Why sacrifice millions of other peoples lives for a cause that you know the odds are hugely stacked against you? Why not wait patiently till you are strong enough, when the odds are at least even than to fight there and then knowing that you bound to fail? So, it means ojukwu was willing to gamble with millions of his peoples' lives for an elusive "freedom"..............which of course, he didn't believe in as he was not ready to lay down his own privileged life for it. That's, if that was what he truly intended. 4 Likes |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by Nobody: 3:49pm On Aug 29, 2019 |
gidgiddy:@ the bolded, who told you the Igbos don't have freedom pre-1966? What do you mean by Ojukwu offered them freedom? The main reason for the Biafran war is because of CRUDE OIL. If you are conversant with history, you will remember that in February 23, 1966, Isaac Adakaboro declared the Niger Delta Republic because of the way the eastern region treated the Niger deltans because of their oil. The Igbos made sure they frustrate Adaka Boro up to the extent that he was jailed for Treason before Gowon released Adaka Boro in May 1967. The Igbos have some sort of domineering tendencies like the Fulani North, they have the same Ideology with the North and that led to what Ojukwu tried to do to secede from Nigeria whereas he made sure they Jailed Adaka Boro for trying the same thing. Karma is a bitch you know. The Igbos through Azikwe pre-civil war are positioned as leaders in federal government parastatal and they are calling the shot and this was due to the betrayal of Azikwe of the south, he made sure he formed an alliance with the illiterate North to be able to control them. This was akin to the same thing Buhari is doing presently by putting the Fulanis in better position. Azikwe is a snitch and yet you said the Igbos don't have freedom. The Igbos were never marginalized or in chains pre the first coup, the first coup angered the northerners coz you killed their most noble men (Ahmadu Bello and Balewa), you also killed Akintola and the Yorubas at that time felt no sympathy for you because of what happened. Ojukwu knew he cannot win the war, but just like Nnamdi Kanu today, he believed in the tool of propaganda and I can remember the video he did then claiming he will finish the federal troops within few months. If you have the clips where phillip Effiong surrendered to Gowon, you will shed tears based on what Gowon said and you will see that Ojukwu should have been jailed for war crime for intentionally dragging his people to a massacre because of his ego and after that he flee like a coward. The Igbo man should stop blaming other people for their actions, how are you marginalized in Nigeria of today? Don't you get federal allocation? Some of your state are getting 13% derivation and yet you always claim the gov't is marginalizing you. The only thing I can think of is about Igbo presidency and that is usually due to your political miscalculation. 4 Likes |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by gidgiddy: 4:29pm On Aug 29, 2019 |
T9ksy: That's why I said that we are all different and have different way of seeing things. Even if I explain it to a none Igbo from now until tomorrow, they will never understand how much freedom means to Igbos. Freedom means a lot to Igbos, without it, life has little meaning. It is one of the few things an Igbo man can die for. For the Igbos, it was far better to suffer and lose millions fighting for freedom that to submit willingly to slavery. Even if you don't achieve freedom, at least you can have the dignity of saying that you did not go down without a fight. In Ojukwus case, he didn't have the luxury of time. Gowon had renged on the Aburi agreement, abolished the 4 Regions, cancelled the Regional Army and created states. Had Ojukwu not declared the Eastern Region Biafra when he did, later there would have been no Eastern Region to declare Biafra. It was a now or never situation and his people stood by him. I'm proud of my people that we stood up in the face of tyranny and enslavement and fought for our freedom with nothing for 3 years. Cowards look for all the excuses in the world to fight for their freedom and sovereignty, brave people stand up and fight no matter what. After 3 years of tough fighting, things were not going well for Biafrans and the end was near. It made no sense at all for Ojukwu to stay back in the end just for his enemies to kill him. If Ojukwu had stayed to be captured and killed, it would have only benefitted Nigeria and done nothing to help Biafrans. So when people say that Ojukwu ran away, I ask them how his death would have helped the cause of Biafra that There is nothing that is more honourable than for a people to rise up and fight for their freedom and I'm proud of my people and to Dim Ojukwu for leading us, no matter the condition 2 Likes |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by Nobody: 5:03pm On Aug 29, 2019 |
gidgiddy: Can you please tell me what freedom the Eastern region lacked pre-1966? Can you please tell me why Ojukwu was against the seccession of the Niger Delta? Can you please tell me why Ojukwu fought the Biafran war? Is it for the pogrom in the North or the crude oil? I'm willing to learn. 1 Like |
Re: The Political Mistake Ojukwu Made After 1966 Coup by T9ksy(m): 6:28pm On Aug 29, 2019 |
gidgiddy: And i ask again, if ojukwu knew how important freedom is to the average iboman, why then did he deem it fit to LIE to them about the prospect of them winning the war. And when he declared his futile biafra and lost woefully, is that the end of biafra? wonder then what kanu is all about? It had to be now or never for ojukwu even when he knew the probability of actualising his goal is akin to the existence of a snowball in hellfire but still he persisted. 1 Like |
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