I know this is side bar from the topic but it provokes thought nonetheless. Looking at this road picture it is clear the sidewalk has plenty room, if not sheer disregard for orderly conduct, why do people walk on car lanes instead?

Im not in the number, but for those advocating ONE NIGERIA it's little things like this left unaddressed that grow to become gross disorderliness in public and private sectors of society........a malignant culture of indiscipline that hinders progress.

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demmy:

Bigot and bitter Yigbos are forbidden from taken this road again.

There will be no hausa/fulani this time to help you and enforce your desire.
Think about what will happen to you with out them and stop using the word forbidden because
you can not forbid people from using what belongs to them.

PhysicsQED:

You've got to be kidding me. The point of contention here is not whether officers from the Midwest who were already in the Nigerian army stayed in the army (as even the Igbo officers from the Midwest did, up until some defected to the other side when the opportunity arose or defected later when their lives were in danger after the federal forces took the Midwest). Rather the the issue is this phantom claim about a "massive buildup" of certain groups and recruits at Escravos to join the July attack on Bonny.

Ejoor was never part of 3MCDO and was staying in the Midwest as an administrator/governor, not staying at the frontline of the Nigerian military during the war and there is no evidence that he "urged Gowon to usurp the position of Head of State" or that he ever gathered supplies for the Nigerian army at Escravos. The entire basis of this claim that he gathered supplies for the Nigerian army at Escravos is that Gowon sent a group under an officer to Benin to pick up boats (whether they were already there or not is also an issue as I don't see how one man could have procured boats single-handedly) and was rebuffed by Ejoor's Igbo subordinate officers. After that officer (Igbinosa) was rebuffed and sent back, there is no evidence that Ejoor attempted to get the boats to Igbinosa or Gowon by other means or through other (non-Igbo) personnel or even that he was aware that any boats were meant to have been delivered.

The claim about Ejoor planning to "invade the eastern region through the southern flank at Bonny" is completely absurd. Was he going to lead this force with largely Midwestern Igbo officers (like Igboba, Ochei, Nzefili, etc.) and soldiers? Use common sense here. In fact, when Innih requested that the Midwest be given adequate means of defending the region against a possible incursion, the suggestion was ignored because of the risk. I can't comprehend how one can claim there was some kind of arms build up to go on the offensive even while others who were actually in the Nigerian army were complaining about the lack of an arms build up to provide adequate defense.

Samuel Ogbemudia was never part of 3MCDO or any attack on Bonny nor was he involved in any supposed training in Escravos. I really don't see the relevance of Ogbemudia to my point as he stayed in the Midwest as an officer prior to the invasion and stayed there after the Biafran invasion was over. George Innih joined the 3MCDO in 1968 under Lt. Col. Pius Eromobor/Eremobor. He did not join in any invasion of Bonny in 1967 and was in Lagos directly under Gowon prior to joining the 3MCDO. Samson Tomoye was not involved in the July invasion of Bonny either, and in fact was still part of the federal guard in the west by the time of the Midwest invasion in 1967. That he later joined the 3MCDO is nothing unusual and is not surprising. Isemede was not involved in the 1967 Bonny invasion either but was still in the west as well. Pius Eremobor/Eromobor was not involved in the 1967 Bonny invasion and was still an intelligence officer in the Midwest under Ejoor at that time. I don't see what the relevance of his joining the 3MCDO later is to my point. As for Alabi-Isama, who also did not take part in the July Bonny invasion but was still an officer in the Midwest at the time, his father is from a place called Utagba-Uno in the Ukwuani area and his mother is Yoruba - why you even mentioned him, I don't know. I would consider him Igbo/Yoruba just like anybody would consider Ike Nwachukwu as Igbo/Fulani, unless Ukwuani is suddenly not Igbo to you.

Innih, Eremobor, Tomoye, and Isemede joined the 3MCDO later - after the Midwest invasion. As for their staying in the army through the Gowon regime which came to power after a coup, they also stayed in the army during the Ironsi administration, and had he not been overthrown, he would have been their boss for the duration of his administration, not Gowon. As for what they were supposed to do, as career soldiers, as the higher ups took positions that led increasingly to war - were they supposed to end their careers? If they did not suddenly resign from the military under Ironsi for no reason, I don't think one could interpret them not suddenly quitting when Gowon was in charge as proof of some kind of sectional bias against the eastern region even when it was not absolutely certain that there would even be a war against the former eastern region until secession was declared. Obviously they intended to stay in the army regardless.

Believe me it is a waste of the time dribbling around with certain craps about Nigeria\Biafra war. Ejoor and Ogbemudia did not wear 3MCDO insignia but they were frontline officers of Nigerian army. Yes, Ejoor was consulted in every move made by Gowon as such he was privy to the plans to invade eastern region both from northern and southern flanks

It is very clear the pretentious shenanigans that mid-westerners joined the Nigeria side because of inversion amounts to bold and bloody falsehood. Nigeria, which instigated military operations against eastern region from northern and southern flanks, from July 6 through 26, 1967 when Bonny was captured included mid-western, western and northern regions. It is a fact there was not time either mid-western, western or northern region raised an objection to the fact that Gowon sat in Lagos and ordered military operation against eastern region on July 6, 1967.

Based on the above facts, I guess eastern region has every right to attack Nigeria from any possible flank deemed necessary. It is equally a glaring fact mid-western region of Nigeria did not comprise only individuals from the ethnicity such as Isoko, Edo, Urhobo, Esan, Ijo or Itsekiri. The argument that the individuals from the aforementioned ethnicities joined Nigeria to fight eastern region because of later‘s retaliatory attack on former through mid-western region is an incompetent hogwash and dishonorable behavior.

Any person with a dot size of brain will wonder why the retaliatory attack on Nigeria by eastern region caused wild vexation that forced Isoko, Edo, Urhobo, Esan, Ijo or Itsekiri to joined Nigeria armed forces in large numbers yet Igbo peeps from the same region did not join. Or does it mean Ndigbo who held and still hold the natural and fundamental claim to portions of acreage known as mid-western region were not bona fide entity.

Again, the Britain-Nigeria\Biafra war had been fought, won and lost. In the process, mortal enemies were created and there is nothing anybody could do about it. The dates of the events are still with us. Only the unrepentant revisionists will moronically attempt to circumvent the chronicle order of real time. Every person with degree of intellect equal to that of a goat knows the month of July precedes August.

Dede1: Believe me it is a waste of the time dribbling around with certain craps about Nigeria\Biafra war. Ejoor and Ogbemudia did not wear 3MCDO insignia but they were frontline officers of Nigerian army.

My understanding of "frontline" might be different so maybe you're using it in a different sense. Anyway, they were indeed officers of the Nigerian army but I don't accept any claim that they took aggressive actions until they were invaded.

Yes, Ejoor was consulted in every move made by Gowon as such he was privy to the plans to invade eastern region both from northern and southern flanks

Is that so?

Good to know that you are somehow privy to what Ejoor was privy to, but it doesn't change the fact that Ejoor was not planning any offensive and could not be faulted merely for being informed of what Gowon was planning if he was in fact informed of such. If he was informed of what Gowon was planning, I don't see what obligation he was under to take sides about it and inform the other side nor do I see what he could have done about these plans.

It is very clear the pretentious shenanigans that mid-westerners joined the Nigeria side because of inversion amounts to bold and bloody falsehood. Nigeria, which instigated military operations against eastern region from northern and southern flanks, from July 6 through 26, 1967 when Bonny was captured included mid-western, western and northern regions. It is a fact there was not time either mid-western, western or northern region raised an objection to the fact that Gowon sat in Lagos and ordered military operation against eastern region on July 6, 1967.

The presence of officers of Midwestern origin in Lagos or in the Western region or who stayed in the federal military at all even in their own region (the Midwest) is being read by you as meaning that the actual region (the Midwest region) and its government was initiating aggressive action toward the eastern region - which is the only claim I take issue with. The presence of Midwesterners under the employ of the federal government or Gowon being used to argue that the actual region and its government was taking aggressive action against the East is like arguing that the presence of some eastern Ijaw, Ekoi, etc. directly under Gowon means that their hometowns and home areas were taking aggressive action against the seceding east regardless of whether there was any actual action, aggression, or resistance taking place there. The point is that the actual region and its government was not planning or participating in an offensive before the invasion, regardless of what was going on in Lagos, and that the Escravos claim from you is false. These technicality based or fiction based arguments to assert that the Midwest was taking aggressive action even in spite of the clear lack of action in that region are not particularly convincing.

Based on the above facts, I guess eastern region has every right to attack Nigeria from any possible flank deemed necessary. It is equally a glaring fact mid-western region of Nigeria did not comprise only individuals from the ethnicity such as Isoko, Edo, Urhobo, Esan, Ijo or Itsekiri. The argument that the individuals from the aforementioned ethnicities joined Nigeria to fight eastern region because of later‘s retaliatory attack on former through mid-western region is an incompetent hogwash and dishonorable behavior.

The Midwest invasion was bound to happen anyway so I wonder how this became a discussion about the "right" of a country to invade another. People can make different arguments for who had the "right" to invade who based on whatever reasoning they can come up with and I'm sure Gowon's eastern minority supporters probably felt like the Nigerian army had some right to invade when they invaded as well. In the case of the East invading the Midwest, a besieged seceding country is going to attack wherever they need to, after all, in order to survive, so that is not an issue for me. What I have repeatedly taken issue with is this Escravos stuff you've been repeating to use as a pretext to claim the Midwestern region was taking aggressive action because it is false and you refuse to provide even a modicum of evidence to support it but have been repeating it constantly as if it were fact.

Any person with a dot size of brain will wonder why the retaliatory attack on Nigeria by eastern region caused wild vexation that forced Isoko, Edo, Urhobo, Esan, Ijo or Itsekiri to joined Nigeria armed forces in large numbers yet Igbo peeps from the same region did not join. Or does it mean Ndigbo who held and still hold the natural and fundamental claim to portions of acreage known as mid-western region were not bona fide entity.

Again, the Britain-Nigeria\Biafra war had been fought, won and lost. In the process, mortal enemies were created and there is nothing anybody could do about it. The dates of the events are still with us. Only the unrepentant revisionists will moronically attempt to circumvent the chronicle order of real time. Every person with degree of intellect equal to that of a goat knows the month of July precedes August

I was not arguing about what "mortal enemies" were created and I couldn't care less.

I have said already that the Midwest was technically not neutral (how could they be when the federal government was paying the officer's salaries, after all?). That is no longer the issue as I don't believe the Midwest had the means to achieve real neutrality. The problem is claiming the Midwest region took offensive action in July through this fictitious story about some buildup in Escravos that never happened and claiming that the Midwesterners that joined the 3MCDO after the Biafran invasion were training in Escravos before the Biafran invasion which is simply false. That is the chronological issue here, not whether a "retaliatory" attack was really retaliatory or aggressive, as we're simply not going to agree on that.

Dede1 using the same style of obfuscation in a debate; what else is new?

Only Dede1 can verify Dede1's version of events.

I am with PhysicsQED on this. Nothing to add.

Katsumoto: Dede1 using the same style of obfuscation in a debate; what else is new?

Only Dede1 can verify Dede1's version of events.

I am with PhysicsQED on this. Nothing to add.

I am not surprised by your expression.