This article is not about blacks’ achievements. It is about blacks’ ignorance and in this case, black Africas’ ignorance and particularly, Nigerians’ ignorance.

I like to consider myself quite well read across a broad spectrum of interests but I can’t clearly remember coming across this information in any educational book or even work of fiction except perhaps a book like “Why We Struck” which I read as a secondary schoolboy. On several occasions when privileged and honored to talk with senior citizens I had gotten surprising information about the history of Nigeria and Africa that make me wonder and ask why they were never taught in schools?

Maybe I’m the ignorant one here and not quite as well read as I thought, though I strongly doubt it. Anyway here’s what I recently learnt about the good old notebook (pictured below) or exercise book as we call it back in our primary school days.

I never particularly liked the graphics but that notebook was in honor of Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna (1935–25 September 1967). According to Wikipedia, born in Onitsha, he was a Nigerian army major and high jumper. He was the first Black African to win a gold medal at an international sports event when he won gold medal at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. At the 1954 Games in Vancouver, he competed wearing only his left shoe yet managed to clear 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), which was both a Games record and a British Empire record for the discipline. The resulting gold medal made him the first Black African to win at a major international sports competition. In his honor, his image was later used for the front cover of a national exercise book for Nigerian students.

Now a little more about him. Dissatisfied with the direction his country had taken during the First Nigerian Republic under Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Ifeajuna became a conspirator in an Igbo-led plot to overthrow the government. At some point during the Nigerian civil war, Ifeajuna, Victor Banjo, Phillip Alale and Sam Agbam began negotiating with the federal Nigerian officials, via British agents, hoping to bring about a ceasefire, overthrow Ojukwu, and gain prominent positions for themselves. Ojukwu uncovered this plot and sentenced the four to death by firing squad for treason. Ifeajuna claimed the plan was to preserve civilian life in Enugu from an oncoming assault by federal troops. Ifeajuna and his three co-conspirators were executed on 25 September 1967. Enugu, the Biafran capital, was captured by federal Nigerian forces two days later vindicating him, I guess.

Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna has not featured prominently or favourably in the history of the Nigerian Civil War. While fellow 1966 coup maker Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu has been decorated as a war hero and had a statue erected in his hometown, Ifeajuna has received little or no posthumous recognition. Upon his death in 2011, former Biafran leader Ojukwu who lead some 100,000 soldiers to their death and close to two million civilians who died of starvation, fled the country, received the highest military accolades from Nigeria and his funeral was attended by the then Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

Isn’t it ironic?

http://bluestocker.com/an-unsung-military-hero-and-the-first-black-african-to-win-a-gold-medal/

He looks like davido

Ok