From the little i've read so far from the article, it's apparent that so many things were not mere coincidences and should never be glossed over.

Why did Zik travelled out for medical check up just before the coup and never returned until after things had cleared up a bit?. Even his personal physician came back citing exhausted allowance as reason.

Allow me to add just two or three more wonders to that dissapearance by Zik. . .

1. Inspite the fact that they killed Balewa and Okotie Eboh in Lagos and Akintola in Ibadan, the coup plotters declared their plot in both Lagos and Ibadan a failure. What would it take for it to be a success, how many more people were targeted and who were they?

2. At Lagos they killed three Northerners and four Middle Belt ethnics, at Ibadan they killed one Westerner, at Kaduna they killed three Northerners (one was the wife of Ahmadu Bello) and four Westerners (one was the wife of Brigadier Ademulegun). The plotters did not take any action in the Eastern region, In all, not one military or civilian person of Igbo origin or of Igbo speaking culture was killed anywhere in the country. This should raise eyebrows!

3. The Deputy Prime Minister was Zanna Dipcharima and constitutionally should have been sworn in as the succeeding Prime Minister. Instead Ironsi took over power.

4. Why did Yorubas not strike back, what was going on in Yorubaland and why was their political leader, Awolowo, in jail?

There is load of questions. . .

sure!!

Negro_Ntns:

3. The Deputy Prime Minister was Zanna Dipcharima and constitutionally should have been sworn in as the succeeding Prime Minister. Instead Ironsi took over power.  

So, the highest ranking military officer took over government, quelled the coup and sent the plotters to jail and you still believe that Gen Ironsi was a party to the coup?

Negro_Ntns:

There is load of questions. . .

Sure, there are lots of questions but the shameful thing is that as your questions are answered or statements proven wrong you disappear and after a while come back with other questions.

Even if you are given the next 100 years to bring up questions you will not exhaust them considering the fact that you are biased and your sole aim is to sow and spread hatred towards a people.

I also want to believe that either Ironsi was at lost with what to do with the coup plotters of Jan since it's apparent that they were been looked upon as heroes in some part of Southern Nigeria or was overwhelmed by events immediately after the coup.

Either way he made some terribly bad decisions and his handlers did not help issues in the aftermath of the jan coup.

It's also possible that though Ironsi might have not been an active participant in the Jan coup, he nevertless gave a tactical approval of it just the way Gowon gave a tactical approval to Danjuma in arresting Ironsi and eventual death.


Also, the undeveloped nature of communication unlike what we have today did not help to mitigate the spread of some insane rumours that were going on then.

Whatever any one might have against the body of the article, I think it gave an insights into what transpired during the dark period in our nation's history and some lessons therein should not be lost on us.

The first mistake I think Ironsi made was taking over from the civilians. As head of the army, he should have quelled the rebellion and allowed the civilians continue to rule. However, it seems to me from the article that there were other issues at stake or maybe Ironsi himself had his own agenda??

Second error was after taking over as head of state, he should have gone ahead to punish the perpetuators of the rebellion. If he himself declared them as rebels, then shouldn't he have donethe right thing and tried them same way he quelled and tried the leaders of the Isaac Boro rebellion?

In all, its easy for us to sit down and read articles and pass judgements. I strongly believe that we as a Nation have made mistakes in the past, grievious ones. We have stained our hands with blood all in the name of tribal affiliations. All in my opinion was and still is down to greed and everyone's rush to have a share in the National cake. But, today, as a Yoruba, I have friends who are Igbo and Hausa and from all other tribes in Nigeria and to me, they are my friends and mean a lot to me. I also want to believe that it is the same with all of us on this forum and beyond. We have friends and have probably eaten from the same pot with people from other tribes. Therefore, what our Nation needs is not a continuation of the mistakes of our founding fathers, but a true and genuine attempt at reconcilation.

@ negro ntns

Good observations but I disagree with you on a few of those

1. The reason for the failure of the assassination of Sir. Michael Okpara was the fact that the then leader of Greece Archbishop Makarios was a guest of Okpara and was in the same room with him when the squad sent to "off" caught up with him. Makarios reportedly stood between him and the assassins and stated that if Okpara was to be killed then he would have to be killed as well. The soldiers not knowing how to approach it beat a retreat to finish him off later. Feel free to research this

2. I personally lost an uncle in reprisal attacks in lagos

I also forgot to add that Lt.Col Arthur Unegbe (an igbo man) the Quarter Master General was shot by the plotters when he refused to hand over the keys to the armoury to them

russellino:

@ negro ntns

1. The reason for the failure of the assassination of Sir. Michael Okpara was the fact that the then leader of Greece Archbishop Makarios was a guest of Okpara and was in the same room with him when the squad sent to "off" caught up with him. Makarios reportedly stood between him and the assassins and stated that if Okpara was to be killed then he would have to be killed as well. The soldiers not knowing how to approach it beat a retreat to finish him off later. Feel free to research this

If the quote above is a fact then let us expect a response from Negro_Ntns that would be close to the one below

Maybe the Igbos colluded with the Archbishop to be in the same room with late Okpara so as not to kill the man just as the Igbos asked Zik to travel out of the country.

russellino:

I also forgot to add that Lt.Col Arthur Unegbe (an igbo man) the Quarter Master General was shot by the plotters when he refused to hand over the keys to the armoury to them

Gradually information that may have been left out of the FG investigation and report that Negro_Ntns wants everyone to believe as the most authentic source of information are beginning to surface. Of course, including such information would do more harm than good to the theory that the Igbos did everything to favor the Igbos.

Another thing I think we should note in all this is that a lot of the major characters in this whole drama were young and thus very prone to irrational actions. I am not trying to give this as an excuse we all know that young people act before they think plus they were totally inexperienced in governance.


Name                                                                                                          Age as '66 coup
Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, (1937 – 1967)                                   29
Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi (1924 - 1966)    42
General Murtala Ramat Mohammed (1938–1976)                                         28
General Yakubu "Jack" Dan-Yumma Gowon (born 19 October 1934)            32
Ibrahim Gbadamosi Babangida (1941)                                                          25
General Sani Abacha (1943 - 1998)                                                              23

thats just a few. Il paste more when I can find them and if they are needed.

Negro_Ntns:

Yes, it was not an impulsive move. It preceeded Independence but 1959 was an important mile post in Nigerian history and that's why I mentioned that I will start from there and work the way up to 1966.

People have questions. Many are wondering why I would bring this up in today's climate given that the political timeline is different. Yes, the timeline is different but we are beset by the same issues that the country faced back then and as was in 1966, the country is again going through a highly tense political culture.

. . .it should not matter what ethnic group our President belongs to. . .we desire to have a person of merit to lead. So why isn't the other two major tribes confident and trustful of an Igbo leadership? What is the past relationship between these three tribes where one is in disfavor amongst the other two and that one has been kept out of Presidential seat for so long?

Are you really sincere to yourself and the citizenry of the jungle called Nigeria? You can not disapprove unification decree #34, which eliminated nepotism and sued for merits, and at the time calling for processes of selection or appointments based on merits.

The fear was instigated by the sheer and overwhelming number of qualified individuals of Igbo extractions in particular and eastern region of Nigeria in general. The Army, Police, Judiciary, Heads of Parastatals and Public Services would have been occupied by the dudes from the eastern region of Nigeria.

Like I wrote in my previous posts, the innocence of Nigeria to embark on radical change was killed in 1966 and it does not have the credibility to discuss the process of revolution. The presently constituted colonial contraption called Nigeria will never experience meritocracy.

Dede1:


Are you really sincere to yourself and the citizenry of the jungle called Nigeria?

This is not the first time you will be referring to Nigeria as a jungle, but 've refrained to say anything but not now.

Please whatever  your misgivings about Nigeria, stop referring to her as a jungle.

Yes!, we agreed that things aren't exactly the way we want and wish for, but it sure hurts when some peeps starts labelling her with such appellation.

Naija for life!! (Irrespective of wherever I found myself on the the face of the planet).

ilugunboy:

This is not the first time you will be referring to Nigeria as a jungle, but 've refrained to say anything but not now.

Please whatever  your misgivings about Nigeria, stop referring to her as a jungle.

I totally concur.

Negro_Ntns:

Allow me to add just two or three more wonders to that dissapearance by Zik. . .

1. Inspite the fact that they killed Balewa and Okotie Eboh in Lagos and Akintola in Ibadan, the coup plotters declared their plot in both Lagos and Ibadan a failure. What would it take for it to be a success, how many more people were targeted and who were they?

2. At Lagos they killed three Northerners and four Middle Belt ethnics, at Ibadan they killed one Westerner, at Kaduna they killed three Northerners (one was the wife of Ahmadu Bello) and four Westerners (one was the wife of Brigadier Ademulegun). The plotters did not take any action in the Eastern region, In all, not one military or civilian person of Igbo origin or of Igbo speaking culture was killed anywhere in the country. This should raise eyebrows!

3. The Deputy Prime Minister was Zanna Dipcharima and constitutionally should have been sworn in as the succeeding Prime Minister. Instead Ironsi took over power.

4. Why did Yorubas not strike back, what was going on in Yorubaland and why was their political leader, Awolowo, in jail?

There is load of questions. . .

The Lagos and Ibadan axis of the coup was termed unsuccessful because the primary target, Gen T. Ironsi, was not apprehended as planned.

I am not surprised that you displayed a stark ignorance of the January 15, 1996 coup and military parlance by owning up to a brazen fallacy that non-Igbo person was killed during coup. The name of Lt. Col. Arthur Unegbe, who held the position of Quartermaster-General in 1966, does neither sound Yoruba nor Hausa. Base on the military structure, the Colonel manning an important command position was a legitimate target to the coup plotters.

Of course, the coup plotters did not take any action in the eastern region of Nigeria because they have serious causes and reasons for the coup which eastern region of Nigeria did not meet. The January 15, 1966 coup and the subsequent coups were not planned to touch every nook and crannies of the country.

I can not believe that a person who had advertised him/herself as a lawyer would allow him/herself to be associated with statement such “The Deputy Prime Minister was Zanna Dipcharima and constitutionally should have been sworn in as the succeeding Prime Minister. Instead Ironsi took over power”.

Pal, you should not be in this debate. Nigeria ran a parliamentary system of government prior to January 15, 1966 and the Nigerian constitution did not have provision for the office of Deputy Prime Minister. In the coalition government that resulted after 1964 elections, the senior coalition partner, in this case NPC, produced the Prime Minister while the junior partner, in this case NCNC, produced the top ranking minister who is the de facto deputy prime minister. The NCNC ranking minister was Dr. K. O. Mbadiwe who had, in several occasions, conducted executive meetings in the absence of the prime minister. Well, if the prime minister was sick or died in accident, K .O. Mbadiwe would have continued as the prime minister until the time when the coalition government produces another prime minister. If the coalition partners could not reach agreement on the position of the prime minister, the president will order the government to be dissolved another election conducted.

The above scenario played itself out after the unsuccessful January 15, 1966 coup. As usual, the northern region of Nigerian politicians had always thought the leadership of Nigeria is or remains their birth right. Instead of NPC allowing smooth transition of the government through the right protocol, thus, Dr. K. O. Mbadiwe continuing as the Prime Minister of Nigeria, NPC huddled with NNDP without the major partner in the coalition government, in this case NCNC, to present Zanna Dipcharima as the prime minister to the acting President Dr. Nwafor Orizu. Seeing the NPC's break of protocol, NCNC, AG, NEPU, UMBC and NDC huddled to present K. O. Mbadiwe as the PM to Orizu. Having noticed the impasse among the coalition partners and headache of the coup, Orizu called in the GOC of the Nigerian Army to the meetings.

I guess your question is missing the qualified recipient of the Yoruba’s strike.

The question why Awolowo was in jail should be directed to Ademola Adetokumbo; the chief justice of the federal republic of Nigeria, T. O. Elias; the attorney-general of the federal republic of Nigeria who prosecuted Awolowo,  O. Sorowumi (sp); the federal chief judge who sentenced Awolowo to jail, Akintola led western region of Nigerian government that produced all the evidences against Awolowo and the federal government of Nigeria led by Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa who indicted Awolowo on the counts of treasonable felony.

@Dede1,

Thanks for the information you have been making available.

Thus far, it is pretty obvious that Negro_Ntns is incapable of defending statements he made, even his questions when answered bring up inconsistencies that he usually ignores but would be quick to bring up other questions no matter how misleading or irrelevant.

Needless to state this, he is incapable of any intellectual discourse on this rather he prefers the tribal and ethnic angle while sowing and spreading hate.

@Negro_Ntns,

Better start defending your posts as it is becoming clearer by the day that the many lies are being exposed one after the other.

Lies will always fall like a pack of cards, any day anytime.

Afam:

Thus far, it is pretty obvious that Negro_Ntns is incapable of defending statements he made, even his questions when answered bring up inconsistencies that he usually ignores but would be quick to bring up other questions no matter how misleading or irrelevant.

I have been reading Negros comments and laughing at his self-proclaimed "mission to educate us about the civil war", for it is quite obvious that all this info is new to him and he is not well-versed in what he is attempting to educate us on. I have also learnt not to argue with Grandpa Dede1 on the technical details of the civil war cos Dede1 was physically present during the war and knows all the protagonists and antagonists personally.

http://www.dawodu.com/nzeogwu.htm

please see the link above for further information.

it is very sad that the ibo use their own hands to bring evil upon themselves. it due to their greed and end justifies means attitude, as had been earlier stated.

they should repent, learn contentment and learn to love, and it would be well with them. hopefully

initiate:

http://www.dawodu.com/nzeogwu.htm

please see the link above for further information.

it is very sad that the ibo use their own hands to bring evil upon themselves. it due to their greed and end justifies means attitude, as had been earlier stated.

they should repent, learn contentment and learn to love, and it would be well with them. hopefully

A personal website belonging to one Segun Toyin Dawudo and an article written by Nowamagbe Omoigui as one of the 3 contributors should be checked out to get the facts of the first military coup in Nigeria?

I dey come, make I get my binoculars as ordinary reading glasses no go suffice for this one.

First to all those calling for me to defend claims. I said at the onset that I will debate but I never said I will attack or defend anything,so I hope you get it right.  Read the article and mae use of it anyway you want but you are wasting time waiting and expecting a defense from me, you are not going to get one.   I will answer questions or give clarifications but I will not attack or defend.

I also want to believe that either Ironsi was at lost with what to do with the coup plotters of Jan since it's apparent that they were been looked upon as heroes in some part of Southern Nigeria or was overwhelmed by events immediately after the coup.

Either way he made some terribly bad decisions and his handlers did not help issues in the aftermath of the jan coup.

It's also possible that though Ironsi might have not been an active participant in the Jan coup, he nevertless gave a tactical approval of it just the way Gowon gave a tactical approval to  Danjuma in arresting Ironsi and eventual death.


Also, the undeveloped nature of communication unlike what we have today did not help to mitigate the spread of some insane rumours that were going on then.

Whatever any one might have against the body of the article, I think it gave an insights into what transpired during the dark period in our nation's history and some lessons therein should not be lost on us.

Ilugun,

It is claimed by many that Ironsi was amongst those targeted for assasination in Lagos. That is inaccurate.  That claim is an after-the-fact attempt to whitewash the trail of Yoruba and Hausa blood. They said the Lagos plotters went to his residence to get him and they did not find him at home and only learnt the next day that Ironsi had spent the night on a floating boat on the Marina.

Let's do an analysis of the circumstance to explore that possibility and leave the reader the decision to judge any accuracy in the claim.

1. In each and every occassion, whether in Lagos, Ibadan or Kaduna, where the plotters successfully made it to the target's home, they faced security personnels on guard.
2. In each and every occassion in any and all of the attack territories, casualties started at the entrance to the residence and continued on to the interior of the home.
3. If indeed they made it to Ironsi's home, as they claimed they did, why were there no casualties, even though it wasn't until they entered the interior that they discovered he was not home?

It's either they made it there and all the guards posted to secure the GOC immediately surrendered and laid down arms before any shot was fired, a very unlikely option, or the plotters never had Ironsi on their list and had no reason to go to his home. . .but must provide a whitewash for their stained hands.

If he himself declared them as rebels, then shouldn't he have done the right thing and tried them same way he quelled and tried the leaders of the Isaac Boro rebellion?

9ja,

Boro did not do half as much damage but he was tried, convicted and imprisoned. Enahoro did not do any damage but he was tried, convicted and imprisoned.  Awolowo did not do any damage but he was tried, convicted and imprisoned.  . . .but here are Igbo boys who went on an ethnic cleansing and Ironsi declared them rebels but yet were not tried.  Raises eyebrows doesn't it?

The reason for the failure of the assassination of Sir. Michael Okpara was the fact that the then leader of Greece Archbishop Makarios was a guest of Okpara and was in the same room with him when the squad sent to "off" caught up with him. Makarios reportedly stood between him and the assassins and stated that if Okpara was to be killed then he would have to be killed as well. The soldiers not knowing how to approach it beat a retreat to finish him off later. Feel free to research this

Russell,

I did research it, in fact I wrote an article on that a while back when I was looking into the claims and counter claims about this 1966 coup.  It's an after-the-fact attempt to cover blood tracks.  Use the same litmus test I stated above for Ironsi to clear Okpara's residence on why there were no casualties.  There is a signature to the killings.  The plotters did not spare anyone on their path to get to the targets. . . beginning at the gate. So if we would say they excused Okpara because of the clergyman which they only discovered in the interior. . . then their carnage should have begun atthe gate, with the security men.  So then if this claim is true, this would make the second targetd person to escape assasination and in both instances the killers broke their signature pattern of overpowering security violently and also in both cases. . . they were Igbo men.

Let me say this. . . there is a list of the targets in all the regions where the plot was to happen.  Eastern region was not one of them and no Igboman is on the list.  Ironsi and Okpara definitely were not on it.

I also forgot to add that Lt.Col Arthur Unegbe (an igbo man) the Quarter Master General was shot by the plotters when he refused to hand over the keys to the armoury to them

So if Unegbe had handed over the key he would not have been killed. That was his offense.  What was the offense of the Yorubas and Hausas massacred. . . and in two cases, with their wives and in one case with an unborn baby?  What was these people offense?

right!

what next

@Negro_Ntns


It is either you are a drooling liar or blinded to irrepressible ethnic bias. I am very sure that you are a pathetic novice when it comes to military parlance but can not fathom the issues that make it hard for you to discern the dissimilarities between the presence of security guards at the premises of army officers and civil ministers, premiers or governors.

The regime in discussion was a civilian regime and during this era the military officers where not what they became during and after the Nigeria-Biafra civil war that ushered many years of military regimes in the jungle called Nigeria.

The premises of the premiers and ministers were heavily guarded by the men and women of Nigerian Police Force based on different chain of command from the army. In the other hand, the military officers do not get such elaborate security guard presence in their premises. During the era in discussion, the officers in command positions may get one aid-the-camp (ADC), two orderlies and a driver.

Any form of confrontation that occurred between the security guards and the coup plotters occurred at the premises of either the regional premier, ministers or regional governors. I am of the view that the overwhelming hatred you harbored for a particular ethnic group in the jungle called Nigeria would not allow you perceive the correct facts even when placed under your nose

You claimed doing a research on this subject matter but I seriously doubt it. If you did a research on any of the issues about January 15, 1966 coup, you would have, at least, realized that Quartermaster-General of the army has absolutely nothing to do with the armory.

Pal, you need serious schooling on the issues about the cradle of Nigeria.

I believe that as we look into the 1966 coup, both the January massacre and the July retaliation, deeply troubling as it is there is nothing as more profoundly shocking as the response from Yorubaland. To that end I will ask the following questions:

(1) what caused the grievance that subsequently triggered the violent outburst and what ideology were the coup plotters pushing when they unleashed terror in January 66?

(2) the Hausas were extremely offended and viewed it as an act of indignation on their political aspirations. Why did the Northerners retaliate and what became of their behind-the-scene consultations to seceed North from Nigeria?

(3) why were Yorubas unresponsive to either the January or the July carnage. . .there was a paralysis in Yorubaland, why and what caused it?

If you ask what form of government we should adopt, majority of Nigerians will choose the American style of democracy. If you ask them to explain American democracy they have no clue. I guess they figured if America is doing good leading the rest of the world in commerce and technology, then whatever it is they are doing we Nigerians should copy. I am troubled by people that default to what they perceive to be good without first analysing its merits . I admire originality and independence of thought. That's the true measure of intellect.


I am starting with the first query in my opening post.


[bold] A. What political parties did we have in the First Republic and who were the Leaders of the parties?[/bold]


Follow this link to get answer and also see results of the elections. Pay attention to the distribution in 1959.

http://africanelections.tripod.com/ng.html

What is significant about 1959 that it should be the starting line for my discussion on Nigerian politics? I could have started in 1861 or any other time inbetween. . . each is as relevant and significant as 1959 but none holds the milepost value that the latter holds in our history. First, it is the eve year of our independence, second, there was a foothold on democratic representation and third, it marks the timeline at which the propaganda against Awolowo was conceived by the British. Although it took another two years before chargs of treason were brought against him.

Awo had wanted Nigeria to be independent by 1956 and had won support for it in the South. It would have happened but for the lack of mandate in the North. The North had 50% representation in Parliament in Lagos and when they requested enough time beyond 1956 so they could deliberate with their traditional rulers and obtain approval before voting on the date, Awo was terribly suspicious and upset. In truth the Norther representatives were not having deliberations about Nigerian independence. . . but instead, about their own independence from Nigeria. Britain convinced them against it and told them to stick to Federal arrangement because it was for the forseeable future in their favor. By stalling on the date and gaining advantages with no real loss. . .Northerners rooted themselves as political torch bearer for Nigeria. Upon this Awolowo immediately began to campaign for the creation of additional states out of the then Western region. . . thus MidWest was carved out of West.

THE SE are now wiser. The yorubas will regret their actions

The SE will always grow irrespective of any distance

Nigerians like talking,instead of organising series of rallies to protest,blackout,bad roads,insecurity, to protest Government failure and advise them to privatise Governance. here we are talking,Yoruba,hausa,Igbo, ok lets talk. I welcome anyone who can volunteer to form a protest team and we have a press conference on maybe just power alone till something is done. I have a format on how all that will go.

to protest Government failure and advise them to privatise Governance

My friend, you have a legitimate and prime issue but where did you get this idea to privatise governance?

Negro_Ntns:

My friend, you have a legitimate and prime issue but where did you get this idea to privatise governance?

It is strange that while you run away or avoid relevant questions that tend to dispel some of the notions and statements you have made on this thread you started you are quick to respond to comments that do not have direct bearing to the issues you raised.

It is obvious you cannot engage in any intellectual debate let alone able to defend statements you make. If you cannot defend a statement then do not waste our time churning out ridiculous upon ridiculous accusations against a tribe.

Fortunately for all, you will never be both the judge and the jury so while you continue to spread the hate based on misinformation and half truths readers will always think through counter statements and in the process the lies and conspiracy theories will give way to verifiable facts.

SE dont need SW

The feeling is mutual, bro!!!

Looking at the 1959 election results it is evident that what started in the mid-50s is now manifested into a political advantage for the North. There is clarity here that the North is favored by the British, starting back to the allocation of 50 seats for their representation in Parliament, the reluctance of the Governor General to honor the unanimous agreement by Southerners to obtain independence in 1956 and his deferrence to the North's opposition for the date.

This election result was also an attempt on the part of the authorities in Lagos to buttress their bogus claim that the population density in the North is twice that in the South and thus is translated into a higher turnout and vote for NPC, although it is highly unlikely that the Northerners fully understood the electoral process or whether in fact these vote counts were not dubiously manufactured numbers. But who would be so corrupt as to do such a thing? To reach the nook and corner of the villages and the townships and cities you need contact and communication. . .media presence. How much of that resource did the North have working on its behalf? So let us talk about media coverage and public awareness.

As at 1959, radio broadcast was nationwide and there were four broadcast stations; one in Lagos and one each for the regional capitals of Ibadan, Onitsha and Kaduna. Print media was also widespread in Lagos and the regions. Television broadcast was different. In 1959 Ibadan was the only Nigeria city with TV broadcast and its programms covered the entire Yorubaland as well as boundaries beyond. Ibadan was also the first Nigerian city to have a Univeristy campus. In 1959, the city of Ibadan was the largest city in geographic area and most populous in tropical Africa. What gains could one expect out of these facts?

Meaning that in terms of public relations and social awareness through education and media coverage, Western region and particularly Action Group had the best of advantage working in its favor to reach the most eligible voters, to get the highest turn out on election day and win the election. But why did it not?

Awolowo may very well have won the count but we don't know that and may never know but we do know is that he lost the election and placed third nationwide. Not only did he lose the electoral leadership and the Prime Ministership but by coming in third he also lost the opportunity to form opposition in Parliament or secure any favorable alliances to that end. He had stepped on the wrong toes and been blacklisted ever since his outcry and agitated campaign against extending independence date past 1956. Wihout doubt Britain had a prolong interest in Nigeria. . .one that would extend past independence and self-rule. It was shrewd that the leadership of Nigeria be given. . .not elected!. . .but be given to that group which is similarly positioned as an outsider and would likely be sympathetic to the British interest for dominance and preservation.

Awolowo had already proven himself unworthy as a viable partner for a continued British interest in Nigerian affair. Azikiwe was a flip-flopper and with sufficient pressure he could fold to Awolowo and go against Britain. . .on the other hand he could also be persuaded to form a coalition against Awo. Awo could be frustrated to lower his defenses and come around on the British side. Balewa did not need any persuasion. . .he had already raised concerns many times about Southerners' indifference to the North and this had led NPC to consider very strongly the possibility of forming their own country out of Nigeria. Balewa was not ambitious for the oil in the Niger Delta, Britain was and their exit from Nigerian government would limit that interest severely if the most patriotic out of these three became the Leader. When you leave a legacy to your children you don't assign it to the prodigal child. . . you give it to the prudent one for safekeeping. Right? So why would Britain give the leadership mantle to that group of Nigerians who clearly and by all account in 1959 were the least likely to safeguard Nigerian sovereignty prudently?

This unfortunate outcome only added to the resentment and bitterness in the country. It touched every part of our social life. . .it even led to an uprising in 1962 or 63 in the University of Lagos. An occassion upon which the students and faculty considered it berating to appoint an Igbo man the VC of UnilLag and UI. Both appointments of course were not isolated incidences but rather a coordinated effort to frustrate Awo and his supporters in Yorubaland. The scheme peaked in 1963 when he was finally charged for treason and was sentenced to imprisonment. The entire Western region erupted and factions broke out of AG. It was so volatile that Balewa became fearful that Yorubas would topple the Nigerian government and destroy him. He contemplated releasing Awolowo from prison to calm the West but unfortunately he did not live long enough to achieve that.

Negro_Ntns:

Looking at the 1959 election results it is evident that what started in the mid-50s is now manifested into a political advantage for the North. There is clarity here that the North is favored by the British, starting back to the allocation of 50 seats for their representation in Parliament, the reluctance of the Governor General to honor the unanimous agreement by Southerners to obtain independence in 1956 and his deferrence to the North's opposition for the date.

I am very proud of you and your efforts to seek truth about the historical events that has brought Nigeria to this point. You have clearly focused and tried to be objective in your analysis. Please continue to ignore the efforts of those with an agenda to distract your clearly logical reasoning. Truth stays universal, and will always rear it's ugly head. I hope your next step will be an effort to debunk all the lies circulating the internet on various sites such as wikipedia.

There is a clear objective that has been embarked on by the so-called Biafrans who refuse to come to terms about the past by seeking truth. These people are ready to sacrifice more innocent lives without dealing with issues that led to what they claim to be genocide. Their leaders clearly brought ethnicity and nepotism into the Nigerian Political climate, and it is obvious that they are keeping their areas ethnically clean to pursue a future hidden agenda.

One should ask these questions:

Why is Igboland not conducive to acceptance of other Nigerians (foreigners) for development?

Why are Biafrans perpetrating frauds all over the internet by lying about being marginalized?

Are hausas and Yorubas Governors, Senators and House reps in Igboland today?

How rich are their political title holders in comparism to the common Igbo-man?

How long does it take for their Political Class to get filthy rich from having nothing until getting in power?

What difference is there is these occurrences as compared to other regions?

Why do they continue to invest and develop other parts of Nigeria when they are seeking a Biafra?

If by God's grace they get their Biafra, do they think the rest of Nigeria will leave itself vulnerable to security threats from Biafra by having them run freely and try to control the economy of what is left of Nigeria?

Have they ever heard the adage of eating your cake and wanting to have it too?

Are they aware that most Yorubas support them in their bid to have Biafra?

Are they aware that most Minority groups within their so-called Biafra do not want anything to do with their Biafra?

How would they address this issues, and what are they proposing as the demarcations of Biafraland?

How will getting all over the Internet and insulting Yorubas and Hausas help them achieve Biafra?

With those questions asked, I want to assure my Igbo friends that I vow to personally support them in achieving their Aim of Biafraand once the above questions have been adequately addressed. I believe that those not interested in being part of Nigeria should be free to emancipate so the rest of the country can be free of agitators who are clearly blackmailers in disguise that only want to find ways of lining their pockets without earning it.

larez:

I am very proud of you and your efforts to seek truth about the historical events that has brought Nigeria to this point. You have clearly focused and tried to be objective in your analysis. Please continue to ignore the efforts of those with an agenda to distract your clearly logical reasoning. Truth stays universal, and will always rear it's ugly head. I hope your next step will be an effort to debunk all the lies circulating the internet on various sites such as wikipedia.

There is a clear objective that has been embarked on by the so-called Biafrans who refuse to come to terms about the past by seeking truth. These people are ready to sacrifice more innocent lives without dealing with issues that led to what they claim to be genocide. Their leaders clearly brought ethnicity and nepotism into the Nigerian Political climate, and it is obvious that they are keeping their areas ethnically clean to pursue a future hidden agenda.

One should ask these questions:

Why is Igboland not conducive to acceptance of other Nigerians (foreigners) for development?

Why are Biafrans perpetrating frauds all over the internet by lying about being marginalized?

Are hausas and Yorubas Governors, Senators and House reps in Igboland today?

How rich are their political title holders in comparism to the common Igbo-man?

How long does it take for their Political Class to get filthy rich from having nothing until getting in power?

What difference is there is these occurrences as compared to other regions?

Why do they continue to invest and develop other parts of Nigeria when they are seeking a Biafra?

If by God's grace they get their Biafra, do they think the rest of Nigeria will leave itself vulnerable to security threats from Biafra by having them run freely and try to control the economy of what is left of Nigeria?

Have they ever heard the adage of eating your cake and wanting to have it too?

Are they aware that most Yorubas support them in their bid to have Biafra?

Are they aware that most Minority groups within their so-called Biafra do not want anything to do with their Biafra?

How would they address this issues, and what are they proposing as the demarcations of Biafraland?

How will getting all over the Internet and insulting Yorubas and Hausas help them achieve Biafra?

With those questions asked, I want to assure my Igbo friends that I vow to personally support them in achieving their Aim of Biafraand once the above questions have been adequately addressed. I believe that those not interested in being part of Nigeria should be free to emancipate so the rest of the country can be free of agitators who are clearly blackmailers in disguise that only want to find ways of lining their pockets without earning it.

Keep your support to yourself. Of what importance are you? You ask a bunch ignorant ass questions not worth answering. Worry about you not us.