ndu_chucks:

Na wa for wayas.

(a)The South will never secede and form a new country as proposed by several people particularly those from the ND.  There will be no help or cooperation forthcoming from ndiigbo to promote that cause.

(b)Ndiigbo will never team up with  Niger Delta people to fight the rest of Nigeria under any condition. There is too much bad belle between these 2 groups.

(c)It will take at least 1 more generation before Ndiigbo and Yorubas begin to fully trust each other again.

(d)The rest of Nigeria needs Arewa to provide survival balance; with Arewa out of the picture, I submit that you people go kill all of una selves finish. awon olodo 

God Bless ONE NIGERIA.   

I know this has always been your goal- to create a need for Arewa at the very top of the food chain.
The truth though is that Biafra was never chiseled on iron even before the war. If Gowon had implemented an agreement he signed at Aburi, if he never moved to weaken the East by blockading the East even before a shot was fired and so many other things he did to make the Easterners feel insecure in the Nigeria of 1967; the East would not have seceded, and the war would not have been fought.

Having said that, the bigger lesson of this war (I have to say this again because I have not seen much change in my Igbo peoples world view about Nigeria), is that we must make sure that Nigeria never disintegrates in the future. I say this because I strongly believe that most of those who fought against Biafra will one day seek secession. Something deep down tells me that one of these days, the same people will get uncomfortable with Igbo presence in their corner of Nigeria and want to stop that. So my advise to my Igbo brothers is to completely drop the Biafran idea and spend some time to assimilate Nigerian politics which is largely Machiavellian.

If we must support progressive parties in Nigeria, we must limit that support to Igboland (APGA for example in governorship elections in the south east, PDP in presidential and other national elections). Any national political maneuver must be purely to protect our interest -nothing more. I don't need to remind us of what constitutes our interest in Nigeria. If we do that, we own that country. All we've lost in the past was as a result of our progressive politics.

So my friend ndu_chucks, tell your Arewa brothers that the Igboman has decided to stay in Nigeria(they should stop panicking), but that Arewa's chance of secession is zero because we will make sure Nigeria stays one.

ndu_chucks:

Having said that, I will state here that the man Ojukwu is a brave man. To say that he is not revered by the Igbos will be a gross understatement. This man remains one of the most influencial men in Igboland and I personally admire his commitment to his people.

As is the case of all mortals, Ojukwu made some mistakes, however, I share with you very high regards for Ojukwu. May his days on earth remain happy ones.

ndu_chucks:

Dede1, you've made great points as usual. 

I must point out that you've again missed the point of my disagreement with the timing of Biafra's surrender. Let's assume that the war was winnable by either side after Nigeria received full support from Britain, USSR and USA.  Now, we know that Biafra lost a total of 200,000 to 300,000 soldiers to the war and to the credit of Biafran troops, the federal troops lost close to the same number of soldiers. 

Now, after the blockade, women and children were dying of starvation by the hundreds of thousands, and the Igbos have reported that the total number of these women and children is between 1million and 2 million. Ojukwu should have surrendered once  he realized that people were dying at such a high rate - that should have been the compassionate thing to do. 

No one is saying that the surrender should have come simply because of the blockade -  what I'm saying is that, the effect of the blockade (hundreds of thousands of dead Igbo women and children), should have been enough to cause an immediate surrender. Why wait for 1.5million women and children to die before surrendering? Ojukwu and his commanders knew that these people were dying at alarming rates! Was cheap publicity and propagander or sympathy from the rest of the world worth the lives of 1.5million chilren? I think not.

ndu_chucks,

You seem to have left out the real human emotion of fear!

How do you contemplate surrendering to an enemy who, at peacetime, coordinated the massacre of tens of thousands of Igbos and other South-Easterners? What would you expect such a vile enemy at peace time do at wartime?

It is possible that Ojukwu and his top lieutenants did not believe that the Nigerian side would even respect the rules of surrender in war - I know some are ignorant of the rules of war, but there are rules. One of such rules is the granting of safe passage to the emissaries (typically a top lieutenant or overall general) of the surrendered side to submit the documents of surrender.

It is no secret that the Nigerian side was fighting a barbaric war - prisoners of war were executed, civilians including women and children were killed, surrendered soldiers were shot at sight, unborn babies were brought of the womb and dismembered, etc. These war crimes were not isolated events as some may want to say, but the routine practice of the Nigerian side.

So, even the basic war tradition of granting safe passage for surrender were never guaranteed until Ojukwu was out of the scene. Gowon and his lieutenants had so much personal animosity towards Ojukwu that they were not able to guarantee him any safe passage to Lagos or on any of the naval warships off the coast of Biafra, even if he wanted to surrender. It was after Ojukwu was out of the scene that the Nigerian side began, albeit grudgingly, to consider granting General Effiong safe passage to Lagos.

I hereby submit that the peacetime massacres (large-scale coordinated pogrom of Igbos outside Igbo land) and the wartime atrocities (flouting every conceivable rules of war) of the Nigerian side made it very difficult for Ojukwu to surrender.

RichyBlacK:


I hereby submit that the peacetime massacres (large-scale coordinated pogrom of Igbos outside Igbo land) and the wartime atrocities (flouting every conceivable rules of war) of the Nigerian side made it very difficult for Ojukwu to surrender.

Hmmm. . . .

FINALLY!!!!

I was with this Hausa guy yesterday, a Military  friend of mine he told me why the Hausa Elite groups would not want Ag. President Joe in Power. The Hausas would rather prefer a Yoruba Man to IBO or Niger-Delta Man.
I asked why??, he said  for the Yorubas any thing goes, as long as "pepper Red". That the Hausas  also know that Yorubas only make Verbal and Bogus treats write articles and that's the end.

But the Ibos and the Niger-Deltas are hard nuts to crack. If they become President the Hausa elites will lose their Oil Blocks, and the power to always become President or King makers will vanish

The Yorubas though in the South,  have supported the Hausas to remain  in power as long as they get some gooddy-goodies. They will never want war, or ask for revolution. They depend on the Yorubas to sabotage the ibos and the Niger-Delta Movement  for separation of 9aa any day.

boy t:

FINALLY!!!!

I was with this Hausa guy yesterday, a Military friend of mine he told me why the Hausa Elite groups would not want Ag. President Joe in Power. The Hausas would rather prefer a Yoruba Man to IBO or Niger-Delta Man.
I asked why??, he said for the Yorubas any thing goes, as long as "pepper Red". That the Hausas also know that Yorubas only make Verbal and Bogus treats write articles and that's the end.

But the Ibos and the Niger-Deltas are hard nuts to crack. If they become President the Hausa elites will lose their Oil Blocks, and the power to always become President or King makers will vanish

The Yorubas though in the South, have supported the Hausas to remain in power as long as they get some gooddy-goodies. They will never want war, or ask for revolution. They depend on the Yorubas to sabotage the ibos and the Niger-Delta Movement for separation of 9aa any day.

There is always an issue between Youba and Ibos. They are like salt and water that never mix,

So it implies the Yoruba are double cross .

I mean they are like Oil and water that never mix

boy t:

FINALLY!!!!

I was with this Hausa guy yesterday, a Military  friend of mine he told me why the Hausa Elite groups would not want Ag. President Joe in Power. The Hausas would rather prefer a Yoruba Man to IBO or Niger-Delta Man.
I asked why??, he said  for the Yorubas any thing goes, as long as "pepper Red". That the Hausas  also know that Yorubas only make Verbal and Bogus treats write articles and that's the end.

But the Ibos and the Niger-Deltas are hard nuts to crack. If they become President the Hausa elites will lose their Oil Blocks, and the power to always become President or King makers will vanish

The Yorubas though in the South,  have supported the Hausas to remain  in power as long as they get some gooddy-goodies. They will never want war, or ask for revolution. They depend on the Yorubas to sabotage the ibos and the Niger-Delta Movement  for separation of 9aa any day.

i am assuming you're ibo - and your hausa friend - ( those gworo chewing murderers - how can u be friends with them ) told you this - what new fable can we expect

oyb:

i am assuming you're ibo - and your hausa friend - ( those gworo chewing murderers - how can u be friends with them ) told you this - what new fable can we expect

Na waa for you. Why would assume that he is Igbo ? Dude said this in the past :

boy t:

I am from the North West, but i think the poster is an slowpoke for posting that ibos are trying to claim ND: I think ND needs Strong IBOS to protect them from this OMONILE -corrupt & double face Yoruba people. the ND should not allow others to come in between them, they can work good with each other. i lived 6 years in PH and ABA and 5 years in Yoruba land

Blame it on Bishop Ajayi Crowther that turned ibo people from animal to human by given them a language.


Let me tell you from the history, the whole language you speak before modernity was so similar to that of our monkeys in Idanre hills, that cried "Amu Amu Amu" from our Idanre Hills. But many Yorubas rather misconstrued that our monkeys language to Amen. That’s why when they crack jokes with each other sometimes “they would, they ask your monkey to say amen back then he refused, now he is in Idanre hills shouting Amen Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The similar language has been scientifically proven to be of ibo’s ancestors.
Yoruba people played very important roles in the life of all these ingrate ibo people. Because they get irritated by them shouting Amu, amu, amu amu, we created their ibo language for them. Because of their cave men mentality then, they could not master the complexity of stresses and patterns in language. We codified their language so simple without stresses and patterns. One thing for sure, you can take monkey out of cave and tailor him up, but can never take monkey mentality away from him. That’s why the ibos still keep their original monkey language (Amu, amu, amu, amu and amu)
That is why after we helped you formulate your language you still make use of that "amu".
Reply back and let me show the link on the internet. Cool Cool Cool That's where you get Amu-ni wuru wuru of iboland, Amunike, Amucaechi, Amuchukwu, Amueze, Amuani, Amuocha, Amukoro, Amuchukwu, Amunuobi, Amuchineke, Amudarego, Amuniaka, Amuachi and other Amu amu type of shits. They even name captital of their state after their first language Abia, Amuoya.

No wonder, just because you would have to pass through Ekiti first if you are coming to SW, they killed and ate all our Idanre monkeys. Before Igbo, our Idanre monkeys are 1,000,000 super-strong, now if you go to Idanre, you will be surprised to find zero monkey.




Does this guy really know what he is blabbing about. He is such a child

and i wonder if this guy is actually educated, Its a shame. Does HE know the meaning of AMU? Let alone linking it in those names and towns

he mentioned? What's up with issue of Monkey and idanre? Bobo yi o mo nkoko o. E ledanu ninu thread yi. Seun what are u doing. i bet u are actually enjoying these e kwa!!!!

Badamuwa!!!! no wahala,

RichyBlacK:

ndu_chucks,

You seem to have left out the real human emotion of fear!

How do you contemplate surrendering to an enemy who, at peacetime, coordinated the massacre of tens of thousands of Igbos and other South-Easterners? What would you expect such a vile enemy at peace time do at wartime?

It is possible that Ojukwu and his top lieutenants did not believe that the Nigerian side would even respect the rules of surrender in war - I know some are ignorant of the rules of war, but there are rules. One of such rules is the granting of safe passage to the emissaries (typically a top lieutenant or overall general) of the surrendered side to submit the documents of surrender.

It is no secret that the Nigerian side was fighting a barbaric war - prisoners of war were executed, civilians including women and children were killed, surrendered soldiers were shot at sight, unborn babies were brought of the womb and dismembered, etc. These war crimes were not isolated events as some may want to say, but the routine practice of the Nigerian side.

So, even the basic war tradition of granting safe passage for surrender were never guaranteed until Ojukwu was out of the scene. Gowon and his lieutenants had so much personal animosity towards Ojukwu that they were not able to guarantee him any safe passage to Lagos or on any of the naval warships off the coast of Biafra, even if he wanted to surrender. It was after Ojukwu was out of the scene that the Nigerian side began, albeit grudgingly, to consider granting General Effiong safe passage to Lagos.

I hereby submit that the peacetime massacres (large-scale coordinated pogrom of Igbos outside Igbo land) and the wartime atrocities (flouting every conceivable rules of war) of the Nigerian side made it very difficult for Ojukwu to surrender.

I did not leave out the fear factor in reaching my conclusions.  Fear cannot be said to be the factor that caused Ojukwu and his commanders to decide to surrender only after over 1.5 million women and children had died of starvation instead of surrendering much sooner to avoid the disaster.  To say Ojukwu had fear in him when the decision was made is, in a way, an insult to the man. Ojukwu was a brave man!

The only people that had fear in them were the women and children who were starving to death. All the other excuses you provided to explain why it was difficult for Ojukwu and his commanders to surrender much sooner than they did, are quite weak, in my opinion. 

A more plausible explanation for the actions of Ojukwu and his commanders, is the propaganda factor and the attempt at winning the world's sympathy as mentioned in the time magazine article provided by the OP.

In the end we may have to simply agree to disagree on this issue.  I submit to you that, it is better to surrender and save the lives of over 1million women and children, than to make a foo.lish decision to continue fighting, keeping the available food for soldiers while allowing 1.5million women and children to die. To make matters worse, after these women and children died, Ojukwu and some of his commanders fled.  God dey.

I can't laugh but who didn't know Ojukwu used different
mischevious means to stop him from fighting in the war.

Onlytruth:

I know this has always been your goal- to create a need for Arewa at the very top of the food chain.

are you an animal or a baboon to be describing yourself as being part of a food chain? Apologies to my Abriba brothers, abi you dey eat people ni?  Ngwuanu post ya picture in your profile now now

Onlytruth:

So my friend ndu_chucks, tell your Arewa brothers that the Igboman has decided to stay in Nigeria, we will make sure Nigeria stays one.

Excellent, please join the rest of us in building a great ONE NIGERIA.

ndu_chucks:

are you an animal or a baboon to be describing yourself as being part of a food chain? Apologies to my Abriba brothers, abi you dey eat people ni? Ngwuanu post ya picture in your profile now now

Excellent, please join the rest of us in building a great ONE NIGERIA.

Lol, I bet you he doesn't mean it that way, moochers want to secede but scared of overcrowding or possible famine on that 27,000 square kilometers of land that belongs to Biafrans.

If you still want to remain in Nigeria, tell your cowards and traitors among you guys to shut the "F" up.

boy t:

FINALLY!!!!

I was with this Hausa guy yesterday, a Military  friend of mine he told me why the Hausa Elite groups would not want Ag. President Joe in Power. The Hausas would rather prefer a Yoruba Man to IBO or Niger-Delta Man.
I asked why??, he said  for the Yorubas any thing goes, as long as "pepper Red". That the Hausas  also know that Yorubas only make Verbal and Bogus treats write articles and that's the end.

But the Ibos and the Niger-Deltas are hard nuts to crack. If they become President the Hausa elites will lose their Oil Blocks, and the power to always become President or King makers will vanish

The Yorubas though in the South,  have supported the Hausas to remain  in power as long as they get some gooddy-goodies. They will never want war, or ask for revolution. They depend on the Yorubas to sabotage the ibos and the Niger-Delta Movement  for separation of 9aa any day.

That is correct. This Hausa big man once told me this when I was in London when we discussing Nigeria. They consider the Yoruba as house boys. Even though they do not trust them, they know that the Yoruba would never rise up against them, because the Yoruba remember how the Hausa crushed their precious Oyo Empire.

ndu_chucks:

I did not leave out the fear factor in reaching my conclusions.  Fear cannot be said to be the factor that caused Ojukwu and his commanders to decide to surrender only after over 1.5 million women and children had died of starvation instead of surrendering much sooner to avoid the disaster.  To say Ojukwu had fear in him when the decision was made is, in a way, an insult to the man. Ojukwu was a brave man!

The only people that had fear in them were the women and children who were starving to death. All the other excuses you provided to explain why it was difficult for Ojukwu and his commanders to surrender much sooner than they did, are quite weak, in my opinion. 

A more plausible explanation for the actions of Ojukwu and his commanders, is the propaganda factor and the attempt at winning the world's sympathy as mentioned in the time magazine article provided by the OP.

In the end we may have to simply agree to disagree on this issue.  I submit to you that, it is better to surrender and save the lives of over 1million women and children, than to make a foo.lish decision to continue fighting, keeping the available food for soldiers while allowing 1.5million women and children to die. To make matters worse, after these women and children died, Ojukwu and some of his commanders fled.  God dey.

You missed my point.

I agree with your conclusion that Ojukwu was a brave man, however, the fear I alluded to was not fear for himself but fear for the safety of his people. Given the actions of the Nigerian government before and during the war, it made sense to avoid certain death (the Nigerian side was out for genocide) than probable death (hunger/starvation). At the end of the day, and since we're talking numbers, the Igbo population remains at an all-time high!

Given the circumstances, it is my opinion that Ojukwu's actions during and after the war were necessary to ensure the survival of Ndi-Igbo. Furthermore, the fact that Ndi-Igbo are doing very well within and outside Nigeria is a testimony to Ojukwu's wisdom.

Also, your figures of 1.5 million civilian casualty is not credible. Do you have any citation(s)?

@Richyblack.

Something just doesn't seem right with your earlier submission.

If Ojukwu knew he was the obstacle to the Federal forces accepting
some sort of surrender, should he not have left sooner?

He was initially afraid of Igbo annihilation, so what changed his mind about
Federal intentions when he did leave?

doyin13:

@Richyblack.

Something just doesn't seem right with your earlier submission.

If Ojukwu knew he was the obstacle to the Federal forces accepting
some sort of surrender, should he not have left sooner?

He was initially afraid of Igbo annihilation, so what changed his mind about
Federal intentions when he did leave?

Good observation.

I don't think he had any form of certainty about the true intentions of the federal side. There was a propaganda battle which made things seem murkier than they were. So, it's not like Gowon made an announcement of Nigeria's intention.

There are two possible extremes on this issue once the war started:
1. Surrender after the first civilian casualties.
2. Never surrender.

Ojukwu did neither but chose a middle ground.

doyin13:

If Ojukwu knew he was the obstacle to the Federal forces accepting
some sort of surrender, should he not have left sooner?

So, the question goes back to you: How soon should he have surrendered to meet your criteria for "sooner"? After the first shots were fired or after the first bombs were dropped?

@ ndu chucks n all
Even though U r frm d north, U ve decided 2 ve a username dat dcivs pple on NL n uve almost suceeded in balkanizing d southerners in dis forum which is wat d north is realy known 4.
Now if Gowon had obeyed d points raised @ Aburi confrence, do u think d eastern assembly wud ve askd Ojukwu 2declare an independent nation.
Y didnt Gowon n his team challenge Ojukwu( d only one who represented Biafra) at Aburi if they knew dey werent going 2heed 2d points raised in Aburi.
I nid answers all.

henry101:

@ ndu chucks n all
Even though U r frm d north, U ve decided 2 ve a username dat dcivs pple on NL n uve almost suceeded in balkanizing d southerners in dis forum which is wat d north is realy known 4.
Now if Gowon had obeyed d points raised @ Aburi confrence, do u think d eastern assembly wud ve askd Ojukwu 2declare an independent nation.
Y didnt Gowon n his team challenge Ojukwu( d only one who represented Biafra) at Aburi if they knew dey werent going 2heed 2d points raised in Aburi.
I nid answers all.

henry101, If you can prove that I'm not an Igboman from what you've read on NL, then I can prove that you are a pigmy from the bushes of Zimbabwe. olodo

henry101:

@ ndu chucks n all
Even though U r frm d north, U ve decided 2 ve a username dat dcivs pple on NL n uve almost suceeded in balkanizing d southerners in dis forum which is wat d north is realy known 4.
Now if Gowon had obeyed d points raised @ Aburi confrence, do u think d eastern assembly wud ve askd Ojukwu 2declare an independent nation.
Y didnt Gowon n his team challenge Ojukwu( d only one who represented Biafra) at Aburi if they knew dey werent going 2heed 2d points raised in Aburi.
I nid answers all.

Simple answer: the government of the Nigerian side, just like the Nigeria of today, had no respect for premeditated deliberations and signed documents of agreement.

That culture of disregarding written agreements, documents of importance, treaties, etc. (even the constitution is not spared) remains a hallmark of Nigeria today.

EzeUche:

That is correct. This Hausa big man once told me this when I was in London when we discussing Nigeria. They consider the Yoruba as house boys. Even though they do not trust them, they know that the Yoruba would never rise up against them, because the Yoruba remember how the Hausa crushed their precious Oyo Empire.

Part knowledge is a dangerous thing. Did the Fulani defeat the Oyo empire to take Ilorin? Ilorin ended up under Fulani control because Afonja rebelled against Alaafin Aole and invited Alimi, a muslim scholar, to Ilorin in 1817. After Alimi died in 1823, his successor, Abdusalam betrayed Afonja and invited the Caliphate flag from Sokoto and Ilorin became part of the Caliphate.

What was crucial about Afonja's betrayal was that it gave impetus to other provisional Yoruba rulers to revolt against the Oyo empire. The Kingdom of Dahomey also rebelled against the Oyo empire and with the internal rivalries in the empire, the end came for the empire. But the end of Oyo dominance led to the start of the Ibadan empire. The Ibadan empire defeated the Fulani jihadists by 1865.

Try to gain some knowledge before disingenuously distorting history.

Katsumoto:

Part knowledge is a dangerous thing. Did the Fulani defeat the Oyo empire to take Ilorin? Ilorin ended up under Fulani control because Afonja rebelled against Alaafin Aole and invited Alimi, a muslim scholar, to Ilorin in 1817. After Alimi died in 1823, his successor, Abdusalam betrayed Afonja and invited the Caliphate flag from Sokoto and Ilorin became part of the Caliphate.

What was crucial about Afonja's betrayal was that it gave impetus to other provisional Yoruba rulers to revolt against the Oyo empire. The Kingdom of Dahomey also rebelled against the Oyo empire and with the internal rivalries in the empire, the end came for the empire. But the end of Oyo dominance led to the start of the Ibadan empire. The Ibadan empire defeated the Fulani jihadists by 1865.

Try to gain some knowledge before disingenuously distorting history.

Katsumoto,

Thanks for posting this; I've learnt something.

We need more insightful and educative posts to disabuse the minds of the many ignorant commentators on NL Politics.

ndu_chucks:

are you an animal or a baboon to be describing yourself as being part of a food chain? Apologies to my Abriba brothers, abi you dey eat people ni?  Ngwuanu post ya picture in your profile now now

Excellent, please join the rest of us in building a great ONE NIGERIA.

You are the animal no doubt but I'll leave that for another day.

Yes, we should build a great ONE NIGERIA because there are some people to deal with in Nigeria. How can we deal with those people if we leave? It doesn't make sense. I am 1000% sure that we will gain the upper hand eventually in Nigeria and bring those people to account. This should be obvious to anyone with half a human brain, not idiots like the one making this statement below:

akigbemaru:

Lol, I bet you he doesn't mean it that way, moochers want to secede but scared of overcrowding or possible famine on that 27,000 square kilometers of land that belongs to Biafrans.

If you still want to remain in Nigeria, tell your cowards and traitors among you guys to shut the "F" up.

He will wake up one day to sweep my compound in Ibadan   If he tries any idiocy, I will then show him that I am a survivor of his father's plot to exterminate me and make him pay.

I tell my people again, we OWN Nigeria's future. Just keep being yourselves and be STRONG as always. We own the future of Nigeria.  

RichyBlacK:

Simple answer: the government of the Nigerian side, just like the Nigeria of today, had no respect for premeditated deliberations and signed documents of agreement.

That culture of disregarding written agreements, documents of importance, treaties, etc. (even the constitution is not spared) remains a hallmark of Nigeria today.

Although I agree in principle with the agreements at Aburi; the problems I have with the Aburi agreement are two-fold:
1. Representatives on both sides were not qualified to make those pertinent decisions. Most of the attendants were young military officers who were not schooled adequately in politics, let alone the fragile Nigerian politics of that time.
2. The agreement did not adequately address the issue which led to the conference in the first place and that is, the murder of Nigerian citizens of Igbo origins.

The agreement at Aburi would have simply ensured that Nigerian citizens would only be guaranteed safety and security in the regions of their origin.

I'm so convinced that Biafra was a BAGGAGE, and we had to carry even our enemies along. It's like running a 100 meters dash with a 50kg iron tied to your leg! It was brought on by necessity. Now that we have survived that, we must free ourselves from it completely. We must also prepare to work with any forces on this earth to ensure Nigeria stays ONE. That is our destiny.  It is a bright one. We have paid in blood. We must inherit it.

RichyBlacK:

Katsumoto,

Thanks for posting this; I've learnt something.

We need more insightful and educative posts to disabuse the minds of the many ignorant commentators on NL Politics.

No sweat
Eventually, ignorant posters will either finally get an 'education' or they will leave this section for other sections such as the jokes, romance, etc.

RichyBlacK:

You missed my point.

I agree with your conclusion that Ojukwu was a brave man, however, the fear I alluded to was not fear for himself but fear for the safety of his people. Given the actions of the Nigerian government before and during the war, it made sense to avoid certain death (the Nigerian side was out for genocide) than probable death (hunger/starvation). At the end of the day, and since we're talking numbers, the Igbo population remains at an all-time high!

Given the circumstances, it is my opinion that Ojukwu's actions during and after the war were necessary to ensure the survival of Ndi-Igbo. Furthermore, the fact that Ndi-Igbo are doing very well within and outside Nigeria is a testimony to Ojukwu's wisdom.

Also, your figures of 1.5 million civilian casualty is not credible. Do you have any citation(s)?

As I said earlier, we must agree to strongly disagree on this issue.  If the 1.5million civilian casualties, is not credible, then some people have been spreading lies on Igbo based websites. Here is a sample entry form kwenu.com,  a google search will reveal other similar claims.  How many women and children do you believe died of starvation if you disagree with the 1.5million number?

“Mounting secessionist pressures from his fellow Igbo finally compelled Ojukwu on May 30, 1967, to declare the Eastern region an independent state under the name of the Republic of Biafra. Federal troops soon afterward invaded Biafra, and civil war broke out in July 1967.The resulting Nigerian Civil war that raged between secessionist Biafra and Nigeria from July1967 to January 1970, resulted in 100,000 military casualties, and between 2 and 3 million Biafran civilian deaths from starvation and disease.”

Find the complete article here: http://www.kwenu.com/publications/okoye/2008/generals_general.htm

So my fellow Igbos, let us think past Biafra, and please before any of you comment on this topic, please spend some time to read all the previous posts. That was what I did before posting here. It is disingenuous to just jump into these topics without reading the background of the topic and what others have posted.
The issue is a matter of life and death for our children in Nigeria. Thanks.  

Onlytruth:

You are the animal no doubt but I'll leave that for another day.

Yes, we should build a great ONE NIGERIA because there are some people to deal with in Nigeria. How can we deal with those people if we leave? It doesn't make sense. I am 1000% sure that we will gain the upper hand eventually in Nigeria and bring those people to account. This should be obvious to anyone with half a human brain, not idiots like the one making this statement below:

He will wake up one day to sweep my compound in Ibadan   If he tries any idiocy, I will then show him that I am a survivor of his father's plot to exterminate me and make him pay.

I tell my people again, we OWN Nigeria's future. Just keep being yourselves and be STRONG as always. We own the future of Nigeria.  

Onlytruth, my good friend, your skin is getting softer o. no be you first talk about Nigerians in terms of food chain? OK, no vex.

Why are you so bent on revenge na? Cool down biko.

ndu_chucks:

Onlytruth, my good friend, your skin is getting softer o. no be you first talk about Nigerians in terms of food chain? OK, no vex.

Why are you so bent on revenge na? Cool down biko.

Let me tell you my good friend ndu_chucks, the Jews are still hunting for the Germans who committed genocide during the holocaust (65 years after the fact). Israel today is prepared to erase any country threatening it today -all for the same reasons. You don't survive planned extermination and remain the same, unless you are a fool and I know Ndigbo are not fools.

I have really thought about it and seen that all our setbacks in Nigeria today are from that Biafran war and even folks we fought for have become our internal enemies. We don't need that. We must plan to survive.  Remember -no paddy for jungle!

ndu_chucks:

As I said earlier, we must agree to strongly disagree on this issue.  If the 1.5million civilian casualties, is not credible, then some people have been spreading lies on Igbo based websites. Here is a sample entry form kwenu.com,  a google search will reveal other similar claims.  How many women and children do you believe died of starvation if you disagree with the 1.5million number?
 
Find the complete article here: http://www.kwenu.com/publications/okoye/2008/generals_general.htm

I understand the point that you are trying to make but you seem to have forgotten the issues which led to the war. Gowon was head of state but he did nothing to prevent or stop the murder of Igbo citizens in the North. As Head of State, he should have afforded protection to all Nigerians. How was Ojukwu to know what would have happened to his people if he had surrendered early?

The war lasted three years and by the end, most combatants were tired. We don't know whether some of the soldiers would have still being blood-thirsty and gone on a killing rampage if Ojukwu had surrendered after one year. What if instead of 1.5m children and women starving to death, they were massacred by Nigerian soldiers. We all know what Murtala did at Asaba.

I am not saying he should or shouldn't have surrendered, I am only playing devil's advocate.