Psychological projection or projection bias is a psychological defense mechanism where a person subconsciously denies his or her own attributes, thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the outside world, usually to other people. Thus, projection involves imagining or projecting the belief that others originate those feelings.[1]

Projection reduces anxiety by allowing the expression of the unwanted unconscious impulses or desires without letting the conscious mind recognize them.

An example of this behavior might be blaming another for self failure. The mind may avoid the discomfort of consciously admitting personal faults by keeping those feelings unconscious, and by redirecting libidinal satisfaction by attaching, or "projecting," those same faults onto another person or object.

The theory was developed by Sigmund Freud - in his letters to Wilhelm Fliess, '"Draft H" deals with projection as a mechanism of defence'[2] - and further refined by his daughter Anna Freud; for this reason, it is sometimes referred to as Freudian Projection

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection

A lot of Igbo people suffer from Freudian projection and Achebe is obviously one of them.

1. The Northerners resented Igbo encroachment before independence and rioted a few times killing Igbo. Despite this, the Igbo went into power with the Northerners. Awo was disappointed because he didn't want Nigeria but put up with the contraption anyway.

2. The Northerners and Easterners jailed Awo on trumped up charges. There was an uprising in the west and the Balewa.Azikiwe government sent soldiers in to quell it.

3. The Igbo and the Northerners had a falling out over power. The Igbo subsequently executed a coup killing political and military leaders from other regions but their own.

4. Ironsi seized power after the failed coup, failing to try the plotters. Instead, he promulgates decree 34 which gave Nigeria a Unitary style of government. Ojukwu hailed this decree but would turn around and demand a return to confederationism after the Northerners executed a revenge coup 7 months later.

5. The Biafrans declare secession knowing fully well that a war would follow. They failed to prepare for war in so many ways. The war started with action between the North and the East. The Mid-west and West maintained neutrality but Ojukwu attacked both regions. After the attack on the mid-west and West, sons of both regions enlisted to fight Biafra.

6. At this point, there was a war that had to be won. The FG for humanitarian reasons allowed food aid being provided by charities to go into Biafra but Biafra was smuggling arms in. The FG demanded aid to be flown in during the day and that it had to be inspected. The Biafrans REFUSED this offer even though it couldn't feed its people and didn't have the means to end the blockade. Biafrans even charged the charities landing fees for the food aid.

7. Rather than surrender when it could no longer feed its citizens, the Biafrans continued fighting. The Biafrans are responsible for their own misfortune.

But rather than accept their failings, they prefer to blame others, most especially Obafemi Awolowo. I wonder why the Germans don't blame Churchill for not surrendering when everyone else in Europe had done so. Elders like Achebe are aware of this history, they didn't challenge the Biafran high command but as soon as they failed in their attempt to secede, they had to look for excuses and a scapegoat to blame.

All that was required was an understanding of what led to failure so that the same mistakes could be avoided in the future.

sweet_gala: History is good, but I see this a tactful act to destroy the image of your enemy.
Awolowo was a great leader , a man was willing to take certain questionable decisions in the hope of ending a terrible civil war.
He never had any verbal agreement with Ojukwu to protect Biafran interest, why should he be vilified . It was not a strange tactic to deny your enemy access to amenities through routes which were under your control. All sides done so in world war II , merchant ships were targeted by all sides, cargo planes and rail lines, during the American civil war both sides resorted to caves and underground passages. It's your enemies duty to deny you easy access to supplies its yours to protect your supply routes, gain some and come up with alternatives. All wars are won on this simple principle.

It is no news that Awolowo and Achebe were on opposing sides during the war , history is written by the victors , to that effect Gowon, Awolowo and several other Nigerians are celebrated as powerful people who kept this country together today, achebe has denied himself a national honour twice a decision I respect.
We made an effort to forgive Ojukwu of treason and gave him a state burial honoured his widow.

Gowon gave a great speech after the war which denounced the notion of victory for the Nigerian state but promoted peace dialogue unity and reflection.

[b]Now I ask why must a old much respected Nobel laureate [/b]invite the topic of division and taint the image of his long dead enemy for personal gratification?
The war for him is long gone and lost.

Achebe has not been awarded the Nobel prize.

and he will soon come and get you

Wily+Wily:
For Real, Awolowo is in Hell Now

DailyNews:

I respected your previous response to my post. I respected the fact that u knew that Nigeria is never one & will never be one with Hausas in it.


Igbos love Yorubas, reason you see them still marrying their daughters & co-habiting with them peacefully, but the average Yoruba man is cunning by birth. They derive pleasure in betraying & backstabbing an Igbo man, don't if its always done out of envy for Igbo man's ease at growing financially.


You talking of my age, yes I was yet to be born when the war took place, but my father fought & participated fully in the war, & an uncle, a prof in making lost his life in the war. Another uncle was amongst the highly intelligent military guys that executed the first coup, yes...& he told me lots of story. They did the coup cos they were not happy with Zik, Tafa, Awo, etc of the first indigenous govt. so they wanted to cleanse it, unfortunately Zik being a highly diabolical man escaped b4 d time & The Hausas like always who think from their anus before their brain, took it for a tribal attack.


Biafra almost won the war if not for British, American urgent intervention plus Awolowo's inhumane economic plan to cut off food supplies to the east as a desperate measure to win the war.


Biafra remains the strongest ever lived small young nation. If it was between Biafra & Yoruba, the war would have lasted for 24hours just like the cold war & the one Israel won Lebanon, Iran, etc.


If at all it was even bw Biafra & solely The rest of Nigeria without foreign power intervention, the war would have ended in say 6 months in favor of Biafra.


Go find an international history book on the war & read.

Its funny you advised someone to find a book on history and war but clearly, you haven't read one yourself.

1. In war, sometimes you need alliances not to be defeated. I suppose the Germans should be blaming the Americans for joining WW2. No two nations are evenly matched and that is why military and economic alliances are sometimes necessary.

2. "Igbo man's ease of growing financially". No one likes a loud mouth. When some of you go about looking down on others, its no wonder that trouble follows.

3. So Zik escaped because he was diabolical and not because he was aware of the coup? Or did Zik have spider senses?

4. At no point was Biafra in a position to win that war. Enugu, its first capital, was captured in a matter of months. For the rest of the war, Biafra was losing territory and constantly on the backfoot.

5. You sure do love irrelevant titles. Isn't it silly to use titles such as "strongest ever lived small nation"? Read it again and discern how idiotic it sounds. War is not for the fainthearted and it isn't won by bravery. Strategy and experience are good tools in war. Biafra didn't have either before the war, yet you are bragging about defeating a people that had been warring for centuries in 24 hours. Thats the sort of mindset that leads to humiliating defeat. And after such defeat, excuses become the other of the day.

what has value of the dead got to do with the topic. For all i care you can leave your dead body for vulture to devour.

Chimanet:
yeap, in igboland we value our dead, so hw does that 1 concern u?

hehehe! your tail has caught fire.

Chimanet: ask my ogojo and ijaw friend. they will tell you that yorubas can never love any good thing from anybody that doest speek yoruba atleast. no that that we r best but at least we r liberal and not too tribalistic in general

why don't you login with your other id to apologize on their behalf just like two of your brothers have previously done here?

Solozzo: Not sure of the details, but there was clear indication of genocide against the Igbo tribe, even before the war broke out and this was the driving force for the declaration of the Biafra nation. Clearly any senior govt minister like awolowo may have given some genocidal advice,. Awo was not a saint. The family of awo should feel disappointed in their patriarch and apologise on his behalf.

Achebe only weaved history into his writings, the truth we all knew.

Katsumoto:

Achebe has not been awarded the Nobel prize.

Katz,

......dont you mean "he will not be awarded" a Nobel prize?

Katz,

.... I dont like it when you restrain your tongue.

Dudu_Negro: Katz,

.... I dont like it when you restrain your tongue.

lol

I get that a lot.


Baba Dudu,

How you dey?

Hey dailynews,

I saw what you wrote about Zik not having any pre knowledge of coup.

The very next day after Jan coup, Ironsi had railed-road NNPC (the party eligible to replace Balewa) and installed himself with rally from Igbo administrators. They made Shagari and Dipcharima signed document transferring power and authority to Ironsi.

Days after this drama and with Ironsi as head of govt, Nzeogwu was still in command in Kaduna. Ironsi had not thought it a matter of national emergency and security breach that a coup planner was still loose and controlling military installations.

On record, Nzeogwu declared his loyalty and subordination to Ironsi......one of the men on his hit list. Nzeogwu should be alarmed that Ironsi was alive and in fact ought to be alert that Ironsi would come after him. But none of that....instead he spoke of Ironsi with admiration and in a tone of relaxed comfort.

That couo was an ethnic cleansing of non-Igbos.

Katsumoto:

lol

I get that a lot.


Baba Dudu,

How you dey?

I dey jare my brother. Im about to put a fatwah on Achebe head.

PROUD-IGBO:


^^^Thank you my brother. It's amazing what a little contrition, having a humane stance, and being the 'bigger person' in trying to resolve an argument.....it's amazing what these qualities can do in helping in dousing tensions.

Ndigbo are angry based on the loss of millions of their kith and kin b/4 and during the civil war (partly carried out by people they least expected this from) and the subsequent gloating; Ndiyoruba are angry b'cos they feel Igbos are disrespecting Awo; and Ndihausa no wan show face at all for this spat; so gauge whose feeling would/should be hurt more, and from where the apologies should start from.

I also, for and on behalf of my Igbo brothers (i mean, lets be honest here.....these spats are mainly testosterone fueled aren't they ) likewise apologise to all Yoruba that feel we have generalised and insulted all Yorubas in this argument.

So let's give these topics a rest and leave those that want to apologise to do so......and those that don't want to apologise can be left to their conscience and to God.

1. Officers such as Ademulegun, Maimalari, and Shodeinde were also killed in their sleep, some with their wives, by people they called brother.

2. Full responsibility for the deaths of Igbo during the war lies with Biafran High command which refused to surrender when it couldn't either break the blockade or find sources to feed its citizens.

3. The rest of your post is in good taste.

Prof Corruption:

That's what you do, destroy it if you can't have it. Nobel Prize is now worthless. I ignore an obvious fool and move on.

We are talking of Nobel Prize in Literature here foooools.

Katsumoto:

Envious breed, PHD means Playa Hating Degree.These scumbags are here defending Awo, meanwhile his family home is still under construction....lol

My Yoruba brethren why can't you guys use your intelligence to write a rejoinder? Why ranting and fighting an e-war like Boko Haram boys without reading the said memoir? Truth is like pregnancy they say, it comes out eventually. WHen Farouk came out to say Yorubas should go back to their history book, how many of you guys came out to speak in defense of what he said?

whitecat007: why don't you login with your other id to apologize on their behalf just like two of your brothers have previously done here?

Honestly, already?? your probably the same troll that makes all those other ridiculous accounts. Its pretty pathetic how much time you have spent making emails accounts to follow yourself and "like" what ever garbage you said....lol

Prof Corruption:

It belongs to Igbo. You have the governor, you have the commissioners, you have the legislators, you make the policies, you have the traditional rulers, you control the corporate lagos! Una neva jam.

You think you own a place by empty chest beating! Because you are selling spare parts that can be scattered with just a policy, you think you count in the scheme of things! Can you prevent a policy from becoming a law in Lagos? Do you even have a vibrant lobbying group in Lagos? Nwanne, stop empty chest beating.

You're still a fucking loser who just wastes their entire day on a computer. That shit is pathetic gay, go get a job or do something that gets you some Real respect. Not just bullshit feedback on Yoruba garbage sites with little revenue....LMAO

Is it not stupidity to expect to be fed by your enemy during a war? So an enemy you are killing on the war front is obliged to provide you food? Please grow up if you have that kind of belief

Here we go again on A BOOK..and A COMMENT.
I'm sure more than Half of us have not even seen the book yet read it.

Many Countries have had novelists write about the History of wars,opened some secrets, told some truths,some lies...its the controversiality of Life. Evryone has their own side of the story...Free them
Must it be turned into something Tribal...Y do we allow such thing to bring unnecessary Tribalism.
20pages and counting...its just sad.

Achebe just told his own story.

mfm04622: Is it not stupidity to expect to be fed by your enemy during a war? So an enemy you are killing on the war front is obliged to provide you food? Please grow up if you have that kind of belief

That war was not fought during the reign of Usman Dan Fodio. If the Brits acknowledged their mistakes why can't a second fiddle accept been a snake by snitching on his supposed friend? Why do Naija hate to hear truth. Some Yorubas said the war does not concern them why some are saying what was done was right, which version of Yoruba should we believe? IBB was right for not declaring a known sponsores of military coup,the winner of 1993 June 12 election,right?

vilively: Here we go again on A BOOK..and A COMMENT.
I'm sure more than Half of us have not even seen the book yet read it.

Many Countries have had novelists write about the History of wars,opened some secrets, told some truths,some lies...its the controversiality of Life. Evryone has their own side of the story...Free them
Must it be turned into something Tribal...Y do we allow such thing to bring unnecessary Tribalism.
20pages and counting...its just sad.

Achebe just told his own story.

Thanks for seeing these people for who they really are, Pathetic leeches. I have asked their so called free education intellectual to read the book and write a rejoinder yet they choose whinning that dialogue...LMAO ...so much for been sophisticated my azz. Same way Boko Haram reacted over a video that was released on You tube in far away America....Hypocrites !!!

it wuz a WAR!....i think pple say anytin'z fair in war

This is the biggest joke of the decade. Ibos are crying that the enemy starved them! Are you fvcking kidding me?! Without a doubt, Ndigbo have lost their minds. Very soon, they'll be dancing naked on the streets and beating Bournvita container as drums. This sh1t is pathetic.

bashr8: hahahahaha dont mind them , at times i wonder if its their food, ever wonder why seun have never been recognised or mentioned in public because no body want to associate with tribalist website like this. other blog owner are celebrated all accross nigeria and africa for promoting nigerians and africans in general.

how many nairalander are proud to tell their friends that they are memeber here or share their topics on facebook ? i guessed as much

Yorubas don't go looking around for cheap useless publicity because they have published a free blog. I even know one Yoruba man who has written several books on software engineering which are used all over the world and he lives quietly doing his work in Ibadan. Empty barrels make the most noise.

I have read all you guys have said, and it seems like Afghanistan in here. But lets be objective. First of all, the justification for the war is unquestionable. A pogrom of any kind must be resisted.Secondly, I would be better prepared in a war if you spelled it out right from the outset that you were my enemy. But when you suddenly become a turncoat and betray me right in the middle of things, it becomes rather painful. Awo, whether we like to hear it or not did not act like a fine gentleman. He remained on the fence and surprisingly aligned with our enemies to harm us. 2 million children starved to death, those kids were the future generation of engineers, lawyers, soldiers, or professors. They were not fighters. The Ojukwu I know would never have done that to the Yorubas. But the good news is that we have moved on. Afterall, I dare anyone to tell me any tribe that has more faith in the Nigeria project than the ibo man. This is self evident in his willingness to invest in and develop all nooks and crannies of the land. The questions we should be asking is this: who are the true patriots? Is it those who invest in all parts of Nigeria? Or those who would prefer to destroy Nigeria if they cannot rule? Put in another way, we can now see how far Awo's actions have brought us. Are we now more united in Nigeria?is Nigeria moving forward? Have the hausa not squandered our collective resources? Even though they contribute little? But some people seem to be comfortable in the face of injustice, while others confront it head on. The latter group should never be criticized for doing so. Because, it is because of such critics that Nigeria is where it is today. My final point- never be afraid of your past. No matter how ugly, They inform your future decisions. If you don't know where you are coming from, you can't know where you are going.

lagcity: This is the biggest joke of the decade. Ibos are crying that the enemy starved them! Are you fvcking kidding me?! Without a doubt, Ndigbo have lost their minds. Very soon, they'll be dancing naked on the streets and beating Bournvita container as drums. This sh1t is pathetic.

I wonder o. So I am supposed to keep feeding my battle opponent so that he can have more strength to fight me next day abi ? Apparently common sense is scarce in Igboland.

anybody i see making noise on this thread again will go without lunch today, plus 24 strokes of the cane.
So...mind!

hugafella: I have read all you guys have said, and it seems like Afghanistan in here. But lets be objective. First of all, the justification for the war is unquestionable. A pogrom of any kind must be resisted.Secondly, I would be better prepared in a war if you spelled it out right from the outset that you were my enemy. But when you suddenly become a turncoat and betray me right in the middle of things, it becomes rather painful. Awo, whether we like to hear it or not did not act like a fine gentleman. He remained on the fence and surprisingly aligned with our enemies to harm us. 2 million children starved to death, those kids were the future generation of engineers, lawyers, soldiers, or professors. They were not fighters. The Ojukwu I know would never have done that to the Yorubas. But the good news is that we have moved on. Afterall, I dare anyone to tell me any tribe that has more faith in the Nigeria project than the ibo man. This is self evident in his willingness to invest in and develop all nooks and crannies of the land. The questions we should be asking is this: who are the true patriots? Is it those who invest in all parts of Nigeria? Or those who would prefer to destroy Nigeria if they cannot rule? Put in another way, we can now see how far Awo's actions have brought us. Are we now more united in Nigeria?is Nigeria moving forward? Have the hausa not squandered our collective resources? Even though they contribute little? But some people seem to be comfortable in the face of injustice, while others confront it head on. The latter group should never be criticized for doing so. Because, it is because of such critics that Nigeria is where it is today. My final point- never be afraid of your past. No matter how ugly, They inform your future decisions. If you don't know where you are coming from, you can't know where you are going.

You say all this as if you were there. And of course Achebe can keep this up because Awo and Ojukwu are dead. You speak in a truly duplicitous and unreasonably over- emotional Igbo manner. Anyway as I said before my earliest unfortunate encounter with Ibo people as a child was of them coming to steal our chicken in the night while we slept. That habit hasn't changed much.

felifeli:

I wonder o. So I am supposed to keep feeding my battle opponent so that he can have more strength to fight me next day abi ? Apparently common sense is scarce in Igboland.

Scarce? I'm sure you meant to write NON-EXISTENT!!

Real-Mccoy:
My Yoruba brethren why can't you guys use your intelligence to write a rejoinder? Why ranting and fighting an e-war like Boko Haram boys without reading the said memoir? Truth is like pregnancy they say, it comes out eventually. WHen Farouk came out to say Yorubas should go back to their history book, how many of you guys came out to speak in defense of what he said?

. He actually mentioned ibos...just to correct u

Real-Mccoy:

You're still a fucking loser who just wastes their entire day on a computer. That shit is pathetic gay, go get a job or do something that gets you some Real respect. Not just bullshit feedback on Yoruba garbage sites with little revenue....LMAO

. Y so bitter,n den u put lmao to hide ur bitterness,I'm sorry for ur biiterness