shymexx: Another question:

- When is Achebe going to call out Nnamdi Azikwe for abandoning them when the going got tough after composing the national anthem for Biafra??

The man is so fixated about the roles people from the other ethnic groups played in the war - what about people from his own ethnic group

This just shows that you didn't even read the memoir.

afam4eva:
If Achebe had written bad things about Ahmadu Bello, Murtala Muhamed and any Northern leader even the Yoruba leaders would have supported him but he wrote something about Awo and all hell was let lose.

But why "Awo and his Yoruba people?" Did Awo declare the war??

Tell your icon, Achebe, to write a book about how Nnamdi Azikwe, Tafawa Balewa, and Ahmadu Bello locked the same man up for four years for absolutely no reason whatsoever... And why Aguiyi Ironsi failed to release him when he became the head of state..

afam4eva:
This just shows that you didn't even read the memoir.

Did he critique Nnamdi Azikwe with the same venom for his role and how he was an opportunist??

coogar:

you are a tool - before the first coup, the igbos weren't contented with how the brits left the country in the hands of the hausa/fulanis. the first coup was plotted by mainly igbo soldiers and they targeted hausa/fulani officers. the fulanis retaliated with pogroms which anyone would have predicted in a young country like nigeria. the igbos felt cheated especially when the federal government didn't do anything tangible to stop the mass killings of the igbos especially in the north - and the igbos sought secession. how does this have anything to do with awolowo?



stop smoking your pubic hair.....
the single most important fact is ojukwu could have averted that war. gowon even made last minute arrangements to do a peace talks with ojukwu in a foreign land. he was ready to meet all the conditions tendered by ojukwu but he still refused to take the option. the problem with ojukwu was that he's a spoilt kid - he saw himself as too superior to gowon to respect gowon's issues. he put his ego before 3 million igbos and sent them to their deaths!

Quite unlike a m0r0n like you, I have never said there was a need for the war. I try to have a balanced view with an open mind. I am not interested in "Awo", I focus on issues. And that is what is expected of you at your age instead of sticking to the tales most of our parents told us on the war or sticking to the view that Awo is infallible. Awo made mistakes just like every other human, however, what I find most disgusting is the attempt by you dolts to canonise him overnight. Absolutely ridiculous!

shymexx:

But why "Awo and his Yoruba people?" Did Awo declare the war??

Whether you like it or not but Awolowo was at the tick of the action and i can assure that is Awolowo hadn't granted that interview about using starvation as a war policy, he would have even been mentioned.

shymexx: Tell your icon, Achebe, to write a book about how Nnamdi Azikwe, Tafawa Balewa, and Ahmadu Bello locked the same man up for four years for absolutely no reason whatsoever... And why Aguiyi Ironsi failed to release him when he became the head of state..

Achebe wrote his own personal memoir. It's left for you and your people to write one about how Awolowo was locked up. Ho's that his business?

we will indict Ojukwu and his cabinet of biafran leaders, Achebe included, for using hunger as a propaganda to kill their own people.

were they blind, did thy not see the civilians starving and how come they did not share their supplies of food, which to begin with was intended for the civilians?

Ojukwu and Achebe killed their own people and Achebe as a surviving criminal should be made to face justice.

What do you expect from a man you locked up in maximum security prison for four freaking years to do?? He tried everything possible to advise you lot against going to war, however, Ojukwu thought he had the best black army ever - with Achebe as the chief media officer... You also invaded his region when the war started after he told you his region was a "neutral" region, yet you still want to tell porkies about the same man...

Get a freaking life!!

shymexx: What do you expect from a man you locked up in maximum security prison for four freaking years to do?? He tried everything possible to advise you lot against going to war, however, Ojukwu thought he had the best black army ever - with Achebe as the chief media officer... You also invaded his region when the war started after he told you his region was a "neutral" region, yet you still want to tell porkies about the same man...

Get a freaking life!!

Get a freaking brain!!!

What exactly is your argument cos i don't understand you lot. From this post you're positing that Awolowo actually did what he's been accused of. You guys should just stick to one story so that we can take it from there.

I'm not in anyway holding brief for Ojukwu or anybody. No human being is perfect. We all have our faults and have done something bad at one point in our lives. But i think it's sheer delusion if you guys keep making it look like Awo(a human being not god) is without fault while others were damaged beings. Tell yourselves the truth and be saved.

It's plain bad manners to blame others for the calamities you brought upon yourselves. It's even laughable to blame your enemy for defeating you. It's nothing short of an insult to put the blame of an avoidable war on the very same man that worked assiduously to prevent the war.

Achebe enlisted himself in the Hall of Shame by taking bigotry to an unenviable height and for publishing lies as memoir.

ballabriggs:

Quite unlike a m0r0n like you, I have never said there was a need for the war. I try to have a balanced view with an open mind. I am not interested in "Awo", I focus on issues. And that is what is expected of you at your age instead of sticking to the tales most of our parents told us on the war or sticking to the view that Awo is infallible. Awo made mistakes just like every other human, however, what I find most disgusting is the attempt by you dolts to canonise him overnight. Absolutely ridiculous!

you are a consummate rëtard....
why not tell us the mistakes awo made, huh?

afam4eva:
Whether you like it or not but Awolowo was at the tick of the action and i can assure that is Awolowo hadn't granted that interview about using starvation as a war policy, he would have even been mentioned.

The interview was done in plain English - and anyone who understands basic English should be able to discern what he said in the interview!! Ooops, English isn't the first language of Nigerians!! The policy was necessary and it was directed at the Biafran soldier - the civilians were victims of collateral damage! If Biafran leaders really cared about their people, they would have ended the unwinnable war there, however, they held on to their pipe dreams..

Achebe wrote his own personal memoir. It's left for you and your people to write one about how Awolowo was locked up. Ho's that his business?

He's entitled to his opinions - and Yoruba people are also entitled to their opinions by calling him out on his porkies! And whose business is it that many Biafrans died and Awolowo effected the starvation policy??

coogar:

you are a consummate rëtard....
why not tell us the mistakes awo made, huh?

I don't know why some of you just lack common sense. I don';t think anyone has said Awolowo never reached out to the est and advised them not to go to war. That's not the point. Obviously, Ojukwu and the east defied the advise and went ahead to declare Biafra(now war). Now, we're talking about Awo's hand during the war and not before the war. Address that and stop moving goal post.

shymexx:
He's entitled to his opinions - and Yoruba people are also entitled to their opinions by calling him out on his porkies! And whose business is it that many Biafrans died and Awolowo effected the starvation policy??

It's great to know that you've accepted this. This is the first step.

Nairaland seems to have missed this hall of shame thing for it's role in the promotion of disunity and bigotry among Nigerians.

On the other hand, sooner or later, the site will reach its melting point and end up like Hi5.

afam4eva:
Get a freaking brain!!!

What exactly is your argument cos i don't understand you lot. From this post you're positing that Awolowo actually did what he's been accused of. You guys should just stick to one story so that we can take it from there.

I'm not in anyway holding brief for Ojukwu or anybody. No human being is perfect. We all have our faults and have done something bad at one point in our lives. But i think it's sheer delusion if you guys keep making it look like Awo(a human being not god) is without fault while others were damaged beings. Tell yourselves the truth and be saved.

Granted Awo has his fault - however, Achebe's assertion that Awo and his people wanted to dominate Igbos(paraphrasing Achebe's texts) is just pure porkies... Tell him to stick to what happened during the war next time...

afam4eva:
It's great to know that you've accepted this. This is the first step.

The question is: was the policy directed at Biafran civilians, yes or no??

shymexx:

Granted Awo has is fault - however, Achebe's assertion that Awo and his people wanted to dominate Igbos(paraphrasing Achebe's text) is just pure porkies... Tell him to stick to what happened during the war next time...

Don't put words into Achebe's mouth. he has written his war memoir the way he saw and perceived it. You guys should write your own.

afam4eva:
I don't know why some of you just lack common sense. I don';t think anyone has said Awolowo never reached out to the est and advised them not to go to war. That's not the point. Obviously, Ojukwu and the east defied the advise and went ahead to declare Biafra(now war). Now, we're talking about Awo's hand during the war and not before the war. Address that and stop moving goal post.

so you agree that it was ojukwu's fault that he refused the offer given to him on a platter of gold and sent ill-prepared igbo sons to a senseless war? awo's hand during the war was a different matter entirely. an offer was made for ojukwu to open a road corridor so aid could reach the suffering masses, ojukwu refused. ojukwu wanted an air corridor instead and the plane must travel in the night(his cheap attempt to smuggle more arms to fight the federal government)!

besides, awolowo and many others were already tired of the pictures of kwashiorkor kids. the only way to stop that war quickly was to stop feeding biafra - mind, people had died before awolowo's tactical approach so i don't see how awolowo was solely responsible for the death of 3 million people - ojukwu was responsible for all that!

afam4eva:
Don't put words into Achebe's mouth. he has written his war memoir the way he saw and perceived it. You guys should write your own.

We've nominated his name to be enshrined on NL's hall of shame - you lot need to vote against that...

I haven't voted yet, I'll vote for him..

shymexx:

We've nominated his name to be enshrined on NL's hall of shame - you lot need to vote against that...

I haven't voted yet, I'll vote for him..

I have voted for Farouk Lawan. A thief is an inch worse than a wicked liar.

Prof Corruption:

I have voted for Farouk Lawan. A thief is an inch worse than a wicked liar.

A thief and a liar are basically the same people...

coogar:

so you agree that it was ojukwu's fault that he refused the offer given to him on a platter of gold and sent ill-prepared igbo sons to a senseless war? awo's hand during the war was a different matter entirely. an offer was made for ojukwu to open a road corridor so aid could reach the suffering masses, ojukwu refused. ojukwu wanted an air corridor instead and the plane must travel in the night(his cheap attempt to smuggle more arms to fight the federal government)!

Saying it was Ojukwu's fault will be looking at it in plain black and white. Don't forget the reason why Ojukwu decided to declare Biafra in the first place. I'm not saying Ojukwu is totally right for declaring Biafra at the time that he did. maybe if it was someone else, he would have done things a little bit differently. Now, we're not talking about Ojukwu's fault and Awolowo's good samatarian disposition before the war. This is strictly about the policy of starvation. let's stick to that.

coogar: besides, awolowo and many others were already tired of the pictures of kwashiorkor kids. the only way to stop that war quickly was to stop feeding biafra - mind, people had died before awolowo's tactical approach so i don't see how awolowo was solely responsible for the death of 3 million people - ojukwu was responsible for all that!

Nobody has named Awolowo as the sole character responsible for the war. Only myopic minds would even think so. Many of you have also forgotten that Gowon was also mentioned in that Memoir but no one is talking about it.Immiediately you guys just saw AWO's name you just started singing "Kill am, catch am, die[b][/b]" without even going through the whole book. Some other characters both non-Igbos and Igbos alike have also been blamed one way or the other about the war but you won't see that. It's only the one about Awo that tickles your fancy.

shymexx:

A thief and a liar are basically the same people...

I agree with you. A liar, eventually, will end up as a thief.

afam4eva:
Don't put words into Achebe's mouth. he has written his war memoir the way he saw and perceived it. You guys should write your own.

only a lunatic would type the drivel you just did up there.
achebe is a professor - he should know better than concocting lies to denigrate the other tribes in nigeria. he would have gotten away with it 20 yrs ago when there's no medium for people to air their opinions but in this day and age, he fücked up big time! he knew the truth but it's like he has a personal score to settle with awolowo. achebe should win this award by a country mile for shredding his own legacy. a bloody attention seeker!

afam4eva:
Saying it was Ojukwu's fault will be looking at it in plain black and white. Don't forget the reason why Ojukwu decided to declare Biafra in the first place. I'm not saying Ojukwu is totally right for declaring Biafra at the time that he did. maybe if it was someone else, he would have done things a little bit differently. Now, we're not talking about Ojukwu's fault and Awolowo's good samatarian disposition before the war. This is strictly about the policy of starvation. let's stick to that.

ojukwu was just a spoilt kid
without a doubt, another leader would have calculated the risks of going to war to the last contingency. ojukwu was so blood-thirsty and the fact that he ran when biafra surrendered shows his cowardice.

Nobody has named Awolowo as the sole character responsible for the war. Only myopic minds would even think so. Many of you have also forgotten that Gowon was also mentioned in that Memoir but no one is talking about it.Immiediately you guys just saw AWO's name you just started singing "Kill am, catch am, die[b][/b]" without even going through the whole book. Some other characters both non-Igbos and Igbos alike have also been blamed one way or the other about the war but you won't see that. It's only the one about Awo that tickles your fancy.

yes - it tickled my fancy.
awolowo made frantic efforts to stop the war - it's a crying shame that his name is being mentioned as one of the culprits that allowed the genocide of the igbos. that war would have continued and more lives would have been lost had awolowo not stopped the aid destined for biafra. the hunger of 2-3 days did not kill 3 million people. the events before then was the major cause of death - the question here should be: why did ojukwu go to war when he had no arrangement for arms and relief aid?

afam4eva:
I don't know why some of you just lack common sense. I don';t think anyone has said Awolowo never reached out to the est and advised them not to go to war. That's not the point. Obviously, Ojukwu and the east defied the advise and went ahead to declare Biafra(now war). Now, we're talking about Awo's hand during the war and not before the war. Address that and stop moving goal post.

Foo.l listen to yourself. What about "Awo's hand during the war"? Awolowo was a Nigerian, he had no responsibility for Biafra and Biafrans from that point on.

coogar:

only a lunatic would type the drivel you just did up there.
achebe is a professor - he should know better than concocting lies to denigrate the other tribes in nigeria. he would have gotten away with it 20 yrs ago when there's no medium for people to air their opinions but in this day and age, he fücked up big time! he knew the truth but it's like he has a personal score to settle with awolowo. achebe should win this award by a country mile for shredding his own legacy. a bloody attention seeker!

You call it lies but him and most Igbo people don't see it so. If you also write yours, we'll call it lies whether it's the truth or not. We'll all agree to disagree even when presented with superior argument that is superior depending on who is seeing it and how the person is seeing it. That;s the human nature. Deal with it.

Prof Corruption:

I agree with you. A liar, eventually, will end up as a thief.

Tie-breaker!!

I guess I'll have to vote for the both of them...

First ballot hall of shame!!

shymexx:

Tie-breaker!!

I guess I'll have to vote for the both of them...

First ballot hall of shame!!

I'll propose you vote the liar.

afam4eva:
You call it lies but him and most Igbo people don't see it so. If you also write yours, we'll call it lies whether it's the truth or not. We'll all agree to disagree even when presented with superior argument that is superior depending on who is seeing it and how the person is seeing it. That;s the human nature. Deal with it.

here lies the crux of the matter....
achebe knows what the truth is.....why lie to score cheap brownie points? he had a rare chance to put this matter to bed. he had a rare opportunity to encourage nigeria's unity with his outstanding penmanship but he is still beating the drums of war and stoking the fire of bigotry/tribalism!

for that alone, he is by far the worst nigerian in 2012. worse than aluu killers.

coogar:

here lies the crux of the matter....
achebe knows what the truth is.....why lie to score cheap brownie points? he had a rare chance to put this matter to bed. he had a rare opportunity to encourage nigeria's unity with his outstanding penmanship but he is still beating the drums of war and stoking the fire of bigotry/tribalism!

for that alone, he is by far the worst nigerian in 2012. worse than aluu killers.

And what's the truth, Mr Truthella. It's only when it comes from your mouth or the mouth of your tribesmen that it's the truth, right?

afam4eva:
And what's the truth, Mr Truthella. It's only when it comes from your mouth or the mouth of your tribesmen that it's the truth, right?

the truth is - had ojukwu taken the offer of the peace meeting, the war would have been averted. what's the point of going to war when dialogue is an option. after losing 3 million of his own people, they still went back to dialogue. so why not take the option and keep 3 million people alive, huh?

even with that, ojukwu was forgiven by the federal government. in most countries, he would have been banished from his own land. he was given a royal welcome from his asylum in abidjan. instead of achebe to thank the government for burying the hatchet, achebe went on a boring diatribe riddled with porkies!

coogar:

the truth is - had ojukwu taken the offer of the peace meeting, the war would have been averted. what's the point of going to war when dialogue is an option. after losing 3 million of his own people, they still went back to dialogue. so why not take the option and keep 3 million people alive, huh?

even with that, ojukwu was forgiven by the federal government. in most countries, he would have been banished from his own land. he was given a royal welcome from his asylum in abidjan. instead of achebe to thank the government for burying the hatchet, achebe went on a boring diatribe riddled with porkies!

How does this address the starvation policy? isn't that want the man hunt for Achebe's head is centered on?