ndu_chucks:

I'm glad you do not disagree with my statement. Let me also point out that I have not ignored the issues you raised.  One thing to note however is that, in the scenario you mentioned above where you allege that the Northern elite has been able to frustrate the ambitions of genuine leaders, there have always been elites from West/East/ and South who assisted and enabled the frustration of the said ambitions. The Northern elite has never been able to carryout any "political coup" without the active participation of their non Northern counterparts.

I also fully agree with you that there are several imbalances in the nation that need to be addressed very urgently. The point I was making is that to see Northerners, Easterners, Westerners, or Southerners as the sole cause of our problems is quite naive and myopic.

Finally I'll rephrase your statement above as follows: "The day that a majority of the [b]Nigerians become educated, enlightened, and independent like their Southern counterparts, Nigeria will be the better for it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe that the majority of any region in Nigeria is educated.[/b]

I stand corrected but a greater percentage of Southerners are educated as compared with Northerners. Also, enlightenment is not the same as education. Whilst Nigerians generally are educated, they tend to be unenlightened.


With regards to the first section in bold, I mentioned this in my initial reply to your post. See below

Katsumoto:

Ndu_Chuks

However, the Northern elite has been able to frustrate the ambitions of genuine leaders from the south by continually keeping the Northern people uneducated so as to use them as pawns in various uprisings and engaging non-progressive people from the South.

Katsumoto:

I stand corrected but a greater percentage of Southerners are educated as compared with Northerners. Also, enlightenment is not the same as education. Whilst Nigerians generally are educated, they tend to be unenlightened.


With regards to the first section in bold, I mentioned this in my initial reply to your post. See below

Apologies, I don't know how I missed that.

What do you think is responsible for the said unenlightenment of educated Nigerians?

ndu_chucks:

Apologies, I don't know how I missed that.

What do you think is responsible for the said unenlightenment of educated Nigerians?

Copycat syndrome
Laziness
Focusing on vocations that only bring financial rewards - Everyone wants to be a lawyer, doctor, engineer, banker, etc.
Vacationing in mainly anglo-saxon nations (UK, US). Nigerians go on holiday just to shop. While you will see many Nigerians on Oxford street in London or on 5th Avenue in New York, you will rarely find them in the Louvre or the Antonin Dvorak Museum in Prague. When you find Nigerians in other parts of the world, they are there for economic reasons (buying merchandise or economic migrants).

One dimensional recreation (having multiple girlfriends and children) - Europeans, Aussies, etc travel the world backpacking, learning about other cultures, and also volunteering. Our selfish mind-set stops us from exploring the world. I know people who can not leave Nigeria for more than 3 days because they will be cheated by others in business transactions, etc. What kind of a life is that?

Take a look at Eastern europeans who are bilingual, appreciate art and classical music but are not so wealthy.
By focusing only on money and its concommitant ability to make us stand out in society results in generations who are rich but unenlightened.
Not being charitable.

There are many other reasons but the above easily come to mind. When we change our mindset as a people, our country will be better.

Katsumoto:

Copycat syndrome
Laziness
Focusing on vocations that only bring financial rewards - Everyone wants to be a lawyer, doctor, engineer, banker, etc.
Vacationing in mainly anglo-saxon nations (UK, US). Nigerians go on holiday just to shop. While you will see many Nigerians on Oxford street in London or on 5th Avenue in New York, you will rarely find them in the Louvre or the Antonin Dvorak Museum in Prague. When you find Nigerians in other parts of the world, they are there for economic reasons (buying merchandise or economic migrants).

One dimensional recreation (having multiple girlfriends and children) - Europeans, Aussies, etc travel the world backpacking, learning about other cultures, and also volunteering. Our selfish mind-set stops us from exploring the world. I know people who can not leave Nigeria for more than 3 days because they will be cheated by others in business transactions, etc. What kind of a life is that?

Take a look at Eastern europeans who are bilingual, appreciate art and classical music but are not so wealthy.
By focusing only on money and its concommitant ability to make us stand out in society results in generations who are rich but unenlightened.
Not being charitable.

There are many other reasons but the above easily come to mind. When we change our mindset as a people, our country will be better.

Profound!

Since there is no massive social engineering program in the works, capable of reengineering the Nigerian mind, beginning with primary school children, should one assume that Nigerians are doomed.

ndu_chucks:

Profound!

Since there is no massive social engineering program in the works, capable of reengineering the Nigerian mind, beginning with primary school children, should one assume that Nigerians are doomed.

I am afraid so, for the above and for other reasons.

Katsumoto:

Copycat syndrome
Laziness
Focusing on vocations that only bring financial rewards - Everyone wants to be a lawyer, doctor, engineer, banker, etc.
Vacationing in mainly anglo-saxon nations (UK, US). Nigerians go on holiday just to shop. While you will see many Nigerians on Oxford street in London or on 5th Avenue in New York, you will rarely find them in the Louvre or the Antonin Dvorak Museum in Prague. When you find Nigerians in other parts of the world, they are there for economic reasons (buying merchandise or economic migrants).

One dimensional recreation (having multiple girlfriends and children) - Europeans, Aussies, etc travel the world backpacking, learning about other cultures, and also volunteering. Our selfish mind-set stops us from exploring the world. I know people who can not leave Nigeria for more than 3 days because they will be cheated by others in business transactions, etc. What kind of a life is that?

Take a look at Eastern europeans who are bilingual, appreciate art and classical music but are not so wealthy.
By focusing only on money and its concommitant ability to make us stand out in society results in generations who are rich but unenlightened.
Not being charitable.

There are many other reasons but the above easily come to mind. When we change our mindset as a people, our country will be better.

You have summarized what i have been thinking for sometime.A nigerian might a masters or even PHD holder but still remain unelightened and yes nigeria (apart from ethnicsm,corruption,indisipline and what not) is doomed with the kind of mindset we have.

ndu_chucks:

The most important thing to note is that the ignoramuses, as you put it, who benefitted from the looting of Nigeria are the real enemies and as I've told you countless of times, they hail from every geopolitical region of Nigeria.  They are not limited to one tribe or the other .  In my humble opinion, your statement about hausa happy hour, is too tribalistic and naive. Let's all hope the happy hour of the thieving elite who hail from all geopolitical regions, is over or will be over soon.

ndu chucks, this is what u wrote above, stating that the people who have been looting from nigeria are the enemies of nigeria and they are from every part of nigeria, true that, you also call them the thieving elite, but then again you contradict your self by your post below

ndu_chucks:

You are obsessed with the North and very quick to disown one of your own esteemed leaders, Danjuma, by calling him a traitor. I'm sure you will soon call Gowon and Gomwalk traitors once an old Biafran general informs us that your leaders and your people slaughtered defenseless Igbos while they were fleeing agression and returning to the East.  Let's see the next middle belter you'll call a traitor in the next few days.  olodo

now it seems, you have not made up, your mind  on who exactly are the thieving elites, of whom danjuma is one.
thieving elites= traitors.
 like eoyad called him, regardless of wether they are from  the same region.

but the inference from your quote above is that,  a leader from ones region is esteemed, wether he does right or wrong.  just like gomwalk is an esteemed leader to edoyad like you said, but was executed for taking part in a coup.
ibb abacha and the rest of  the thieving elites,  are  esteemed leaders to you, even after they have improverish nigerians to their knees.

you see how your mind works which i assume is the average mind of a hausa fulani, this is the re-education that kusamotu is trying to tell you to get, remove the slave mentality your leaders have put on you.  not how to read and write.

df2006:


ndu chucks, this is what u wrote above, stating that the people who have been looting from nigeria are the enemies of nigeria and they are from every part of nigeria, true that, you also call them the thieving elite, but then again you contradict your self by your post below

now it seems, you have not made up, your mind  on who exactly are the thieving elites, of whom danjuma is one.
thieving elites= traitors.
 like eoyad called him, regardless of wether they are from  the same region.

but the inference from your quote above is that,  a leader from ones region is esteemed, wether he does right or wrong.  just like gomwalk is an esteemed leader to edoyad like you said, but was executed for taking part in a coup.
ibb abacha and the rest of  the thieving elites,  are  esteemed leaders to you, even after they have improverish nigerians to their knees.

you see how your mind works which i assume is the average mind of a northerner, this is the re-education that kusamotu is trying to tell you to get, remove the slave mentality your leaders have put on you.  not how to read and write.

Abeg o, na Katsumoto. No bi Kusamotu. Please don't associate me with one of those thieves.

Katsumoto:

Achuzia saying that Biafra was not defeated does not change the facts. He was not defeated yet he was incarcerated for 7 years.

Biafra lost the war, that is a known fact. The question is HOW? This interview threw more light on the HOW, and I now know -like I have always suspected- that the war was abandoned (irresponsibly I must add ).

There were many poorly thought out things that happened in the war. I am adding the abandonment to
the list of things done wrong.
Achuzia was in detention because he never really believed that the war should be stopped and probably could have gone back to the bush as Nigeria continued an idiotic pattern of national leadership after the war. Gowon was overthrown by Murtala Muhammed in 1975(just five years after the war); that means that Nigeria was already going down the road of infamy. I could understand why many Biafran fighters like Achuzia would feel like going back to the war, since according to him, they were NOT defeated by the Nigerian military (he says the Nigerians knew this fact, hence his incarceration).

Everything he says makes common sense. A guerrilla warfare could have lasted well into the 80s or even 90s provided we got what we were fighting for. Biafra was not the only rebellion on the African continent. But, only Biafra stopped fighting.
I really think that this information is for the Igbo and other easterners to digest.

Onlytruth:

Biafra lost the war, that is a known fact. The question is HOW? This interview threw more light on the HOW, and I now know -like I have always suspected- that the war was abandoned (irresponsibly I must add ).

There were many poorly thought out things that happened in the war. I am adding the abandonment to
the list of things done wrong.
Achuzia was in detention because he never really believed that the war should be stopped and probably could have gone back to the bush as Nigeria continued an idiotic pattern of national leadership after the war. Gowon was overthrown by Murtala Muhammed in 1975(just five years after the war); that means that Nigeria was already going down the road of infamy. I could understand why many Biafran fighters like Achuzia would feel like going back to the war, since according to him, they were NOT defeated by the Nigerian military (he says the Nigerians knew this fact, hence his incarceration).

Everything he says makes common sense. A guerrilla warfare could have lasted well into the 80s or even 90s provided we got what we were fighting for. Biafra was not the only rebellion on the African continent. But, only Biafra stopped fighting.
I really think that this information is for the Igbo and other easterners to digest. 

Achuzia and others might have felt that they physically could carry on fighting but you can not fight a war without resources (human and equipment). With every war, there are those who never want to stop fighting until death. See below

At the same time 1 Infantry Division advanced on Umuahia. The 3 Marine Commando was by now advancing on three fronts: Oguta - Owerinta - Ulli airstrip - Umuahia axis; Portharcourt - Aba - Owerri - Umuahia axis; and Calabar - Uyo - Umuahia axis. The plan was a link up with 1 Infantry Division at Umuahia in order to envelop the rebels and either force them to surrender or to destroy their fighting spirit. his plan, the final offensive, was successfully implemented. Biafra tried unsuccessfully to hold the NA onslaught using guerrilla tactics.

On the 10th January 1970, Lt. Col. Ojukwu, the self proclaimed Head of State of Biafra, on realizing the total chaotic and hopelessness of the situation, handed over to the Commander Biafran Army Maj. Gen. Phillip Effiong, the administration of Biafra and flew out of the enclave with his immediate family members in search of peace. Maj. Gen. Effiong consulted with the Biafra Strategic Committee on the situation and they decided that enough was enough and that the only honorable way out was to surrender. In his surrender announcement to the people of Biafra on Radio Biafra, part of Maj. Gen. Effiong address said:

Fellow Countrymen,

As you know I was asked to be the officer administering the government of this republIc on the 10th of January, 1970. Since then I know some of you have been waiting to hear a statement from me. Throughout history, injured people have had to result to arms in their self defense where peaceful negotiation have failed. We are no exception. We took up arms because of the sense of insecurity generated in our people by the events of 1966. We have fought in defense of that cause. I am now convinced that a stop must be put to the bloodshed which is going on as a result of the war. I am also convinced that the suffering of our people must be brought to an end. Our people are now disillusioned and those elements of the old regime who have made negotiations and reconciliation impossible have voluntarily removed themselves from our midst. I have, therefore, instructed an orderly disengagement of troops.

http://www.africamasterweb.com/BiafranWarCauses.html

With increased British support, the Nigerian federal forces launched their final offensive against the Biafrans once again on 23 December 1969 with a major thrust by the 3rd Marine Commando Division (the division was commanded by Col. Obasanjo, who later became president twice) which succeeded in splitting the Biafran enclave into two by the end of the year. The final Nigerian offensive, named "Operation Tail-Wind", was launched on 7 January 1970 with the 3rd Marine Commando Division attacking, and supported by the 1st Infantry division to the north and the 2nd Infantry division to the south. The Biafran town of Owerri fell on 9 January, and Uli fell on 11 January. Only a few days earlier, Ojukwu fled into exile by flying by plane to the republic of Côte d'Ivoire, leaving his deputy Philip Effiong to handle the details of the surrender to Yakubu Gowon of the federal army on January 12 1970. The war finally ended with the Nigerian forces advancing in the remaining Biafran held territories.

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

df2006:


ndu chucks, this is what u wrote above, stating that the people who have been looting from nigeria are the enemies of nigeria and they are from every part of nigeria, true that, you also call them the thieving elite, but then again you contradict your self by your post below





now it seems, you have not made up, your mind on who exactly are the thieving elites, of whom danjuma is one.
thieving elites= traitors.
like eoyad called him, regardless of wether they are from the same region.

but the inference from your quote above is that, a leader from ones region is esteemed, wether he does right or wrong. just like gomwalk is an esteemed leader to edoyad like you said, but was executed for taking part in a coup.
ibb abacha and the rest of the thieving elites, are esteemed leaders to you, even after they have improverish nigerians to their knees.

you see how your mind works which I assume is the average mind of a hausa fulani, this is the re-education that kusamotu is trying to tell you to get, remove the slave mentality your leaders have put on you. not how to read and write.

df2006, Its a complete waste of time to have a logical discussion with a dimwit that cannot distinguish between sarcasms and other forms of expression. Same is true for those who take statements out of context and attempt to use them to make cheap points. I will therefore give you the best answer for a fool in this instance.

df2006, crawl back into the hole from which you came out. olodo

ndu_chucks:

df2006, Its a complete waste of time to have a logical discussion with a dimwit that cannot distinguish between sarcasms and other forms of expression. Same is true for those who take statements out of context and attempt to use them to make cheap points. I will therefore give you the best answer for a fool in this instance.

df2006, crawl back into the hole from which you came out. olodo

I'm really disappointed that you have to resort to these cheap insults to df2006 valid points. He called you out on your points and when caught in a corner, you can only respond with an insult. That was very childish!

Avenir:

I'm really disappointed that you have to resort to these cheap insults to df2006 valid points. He called you out on your points and when caught in a corner, you can only respond with an insult. That was very childish!

I typically do not respond that way to most posters. There is a history that I will not bore you with, that is responsible for my reaction.

His point is not valid as you seem to believe, he inserted a quote from another thread leaving out the context and ignoring the intended sarcasm in the quote, to make a cheap and invalid point. His cheap points deserved the cheap insults.

I apologize if it offends you, no vex. dat df2006, na trouble making biafran tribal bigot wey dey hound me all over the forum.

ndu_chucks:



His point is not valid as you seem to believe, he inserted a quote from another thread leaving out the context and ignoring the intended sarcasm in the quote, to make a cheap and  invalid point.  His cheap points deserved the cheap insults. 

  dat df2006, na trouble making biafran tribal bigot wey dey hound me all over the forum.

either your memory is failing you or you are simply just a liar, scroll up the thread and see for your self what you wrote, trying as much as i can, i see no sarcasm there. out of the abundance of the heart the fingers typeth.
as much as i try to be civil with you, you leave me no choice than to conclude that you are weak.
i am not biafran, even as much as i wished it succeeded.
i wonder who is living in a hole?

@Katsumoto

What you posted is the official version of the story which we have been inundated with from 1970. We have never heard the Biafran side (for obvious reasons now that Achuzia has spoken). There is also the Biafran side of the story which frankly no one had bothered to get (in the true spirit of reconcilliation), afterall, the war is over and all should be well and dandy, right? . I also won't swallow Wikipedia stuff hook line and sinker (you should know that ).
I, and many easterners never knew these new things Achuzia said, though personally I have always suspected a gap of sorts in the information.

What I think Achuzia was saying is that the Biafrans could have continued fighting and all you need to do is think about it for a while. Throughout the war, Biafra was using standard British formations of regular forces which deals with "fronts", "territories" "capitals" "headquaters" and all that sort. A full guerrilla insurgency never makes use of those. Guerrillas simply ignore the "brigades" divisions" and the lot and aim to fight for long.

In fact a full guerrilla force could have moved way into Nigerian territories because they will not be defending territories per se. They are FREE to move. Again they are not always engaging the regular forces. They choose their fights and win most. That is what all guerrilla movements do. That is what MEND is using successfully even in today's Nigeria with better trained and better armed military.

So, don't tell me that Achuzia didn't know these things,which is why he goes on record to say that Biafra was NOT defeated but simply abandoned the war. And I believe him.

df2006:


either your memory is failing you or you are simply just a liar, scroll up the thread and see for your self what you wrote, trying as much as i can, i see no sarcasm there. out of the abundance of the heart the fingers typeth.
as much as i try to be civil with you, you leave me no choice than to conclude that you are weak.
i am not biafran, even as much as i wished it succeeded.
i wonder who is living in a hole?

If you can't detect the sarcasm in my tongue-in-cheek statement to edoyad, wherein I said Danjuma was very quick to disown one of his own [b]esteemed le[/b]aders, Danjuma, by calling him a traitor, then I can't help you.

It suffices to sat that Danjuma is indeed an esteemed leader to most middle-belters, while edoyad does not consider him as such. Hope the sarcasm is obvious to you now, I will not go into further detail. Now you know where to crawl back to.

ndu_chucks:

If you can't detect the sarcasm in my tongue-in-cheek statement to edoyad, wherein I said Danjuma was very quick to disown one of his own [b]esteemed le[/b]aders, Danjuma, by calling him a traitor, then I can't help you.

It suffices to sat that Danjuma is indeed an esteemed leader to most middle-belters, while edoyad does not consider him as such. Hope the sarcasm is obvious to you now, I will not go into further detail. Now you know where to crawl back to.

you are trying very hard but you still make no sense. next time think before you type.

As Achuzia said it, I remembered it vividly, on the night of January 13th, my commanding officer major Ephraim Henshaw, a very amiable man, from James town-Atabong in present crossriver state if I am right (I was reliably informed now that his town Atabong is now part of Cameroon as part of the Bakassi outrageous hand over by OBJ and Nigeria)told us that we should lay down our arms to the surprise of everybody as our unit were still very strong and with few casualties.

Then we asked Major Henshaw what happens with our weapons, he said: go home with it, dump it or do whatever you want with it. My self and five others around, dig a ground after few days in the bush negotiating home and buried it. Many went home with theirs and that to me is the genesis of armed robbery in the seventies as guys that went home with their guns sold them after war, just to eat as no one had any money left, especially in Lagos.

This is very interesting.

Onlytruth:

@Katsumoto

What you posted is the official version of the story which we have been inundated with from 1970. We have never heard the Biafran side (for obvious reasons now that Achuzia has spoken). There is also the Biafran side of the story which frankly no one had bothered to get (in the true spirit of reconcilliation), afterall, the war is over and all should be well and dandy, right? . I also won't swallow Wikipedia stuff hook line and sinker (you should know that ).
I, and many easterners never knew these new things Achuzia said, though personally I have always suspected a gap of sorts in the information.

What I think Achuzia was saying is that the Biafrans could have continued fighting and all you need to do is think about it for a while. Throughout the war, Biafra was using standard British formations of regular forces which deals with "fronts", "territories" "capitals" "headquaters" and all that sort. A full guerrilla insurgency never makes use of those. Guerrillas simply ignore the "brigades" divisions" and the lot and aim to fight for long.

In fact a full guerrilla force could have moved way into Nigerian territories because they will not be defending territories per se. They are FREE to move. Again they are not always engaging the regular forces. They choose their fights and win most. That is what all guerrilla movements do. That is what MEND is using successfully even in today's Nigeria with better trained and better armed military.

So, don't tell me that Achuzia didn't know these things,which is why he goes on record to say that Biafra was NOT defeated but simply abandoned the war. And I believe him.

Eziachi:

As Achuzia said it, I remembered it vividly, on the night of January 13th, my commanding officer major Ephraim Henshaw, a very amiable man, from James town-Atabong in present crossriver state  if I am right (I was reliably informed now that his town Atabong is now part of Cameroon as part of the Bakassi outrageous hand over by OBJ and Nigeria)told us that we should lay down our arms to the surprise of everybody as our unit were still very strong and with few casualties.

Then we asked Major Henshaw what happens with our weapons, he said: go home with it, dump it or do whatever you want with it. My self and five others around, dig a ground after few days in the bush negotiating home and buried it. Many went home with theirs and that to me is the genesis of armed robbery in the seventies as guys that went home with their guns sold them after war, just to eat as no one had any money left, especially in Lagos.

Your argument is that you should have fought to the end like the Tamil tigers. So instead of 2 million dying, it should have been more than 10 million, perhaps 20 million. Wars are not meant to end with the loss of everyone on one side. Not all germans were captured or killed in WW2. The Confederates had to surrender five times under five different generals until the American civil war ended.Whilst some combatants still feel strong enough to fight, generals surrender when defeat stares them in the face. Fighting on when it is obvious that you will eventually lose will only result in the senseless loss of more lives.

jumobi1:

I think Biafra lost because the people were suffering and so the leaders decided to make peace. Why do you think it was abandoned? I think Ojukwu didn't plan well enough to win. He should have thought about the west helping Nigeria. He should have thought about strength in numbers. It's not all about heart and desire.
Eritrea won their fight against Ethiopia and the west though.
The war does proves the Nigeria needs the east because if my wife wants to leave the house for good, why would I fight to keep her unless she is of more value to me than I am to her.

I know and understand what you are saying, but the idea that Ojukwu or Biafra didn’t plan was like saying that Germany lost WW2 because they did not plan. In war, you can plan all you like but unforeseen events will only determine the out come. We did not foresee the role foreign powers played and the extent they went, neither the role Western Nigeria played, it was in fact the biggest shock during the time.
Remember that we did not declare or plan any war against anybody, we fought to defend our self and made a huge mistake by assuming that our western Nigeria brothers will follow suit and declare independent of their own, but we got it totally wrong.

Looking back now, It was a miracle and beyond believe that Biafra lasted more than three years with the Soviet, British, Egypt not only financing the Nigerian side but physically fighting for them and Ahmadu Ahidjo the then Cameroon president who is from Adamawa and loyal to the Lamido of Adamawa blocking us from the sea and they rewarded him with Bakassi they gave away as a thank you gift.

Just like Achuzia said, what Nigerians and their foreign allies fought for almost 4 years are civilians like myself who up till the war time, had never seen a gun let alone using one. My commanding officer too, Major Henshaw was a primary school teacher before the war started, but he is as brave as any soldier you can think of. I owe my life to him, he protected me like his own son, when he realised that I was only 18 years of age.  The real soldiers on the Biafran side were very few when I looke back now. Remember that many of them were murdered in their barracks across Nigeria along with their families in the counter coup.
So I don't think that Eritrea could have stand any chance if they are fighting against world powers instead of just Ethiopian forces. THINK ABOUT IT.

^^^^this makes a lot of sense, never under estimate the power of the mind, once it is willing it can make a man be anything, a soldier, a warrior. it is a honor to actually hear from some one who was a participant in that war. eziachi i salute you.

This article shows how brave Nigerians used to be in the past.Like Eyodad said we need to mobilize and fight again but this time our enemies are the political parties and politicians.We do not need to fight a full scale war ,we just need to fight a covert war like the Mossad of Isreal.

Assasinations is the ANSWER.

Shoot2Kill:

This article shows how brave Nigerians used to be in the past.Like Eyodad said we need to mobilize and fight again but this time our enemies are the political parties and politicians.We do not need to fight a full scale war ,we just need to fight a covert war like the Mossad of Isreal.

Assasinations is the ANSWER.

You have just hit the nail on the head, careful and secret elimination of these elites is the way to go now. From the local government chairman, to the governors and ministers they should just be simply eliminated in the mossad way.

@Eziachi It is really good to hear from a participant like you and i really salute you.

Eziachi:


In war, you can plan all you like but unforeseen events will only determine the out come. We did not foresee the role foreign powers played and the extent they went, neither the role Western Nigeria played, it was in fact the biggest shock during the time.

we fought to defend our self and made a huge mistake by assuming that our western Nigeria brothers will follow suit and declare independent of their own, but we got it totally wrong.

The bolded text above shows the lack of preparedness and gross incompetence of your leaders that led you on a senseless war, whose success depended on an assumption that Western Nigerians will declare independence of their own. If this was a critical success factor, your leaders should have had the assurance from Western Nigeria than they will also declare their own independence. This stupidity was a major factor in the loss of lives of millions of people. Quite sad.

ndu_chucks:

The bolded text above shows the lack of preparedness and gross incompetence of your leaders that led you on a senseless war, whose success depended on an assumption that Western Nigerians will declare independence of their own.  If this was a critical success factor, your leaders should have had the assurance from Western Nigeria than they will also declare their own independence. This stupidity was a major factor in the loss of lives of millions of people.   Quite sad. 

You will be right to say that if we had declared war on anyone. A woman will practise childbirth techniques if she is expecting. War was visited upon us and you do not sit around and say; wait a second to someone with intent to kill you, so that we can plan well. You do not tell a robber at your front door banging on the door to get inside to wait until you can plan how you will defend yourself and your family. So it is very easy for someone to come out later with all the benefit of hindsight and say, you should have done this or shouldn’t have done that. If you have seen a real war, not a Chuck Norris kind of war movies, you shouldn’t have been saying, lack of preparedness or incompetence. I don't think it is right to call self defense silly, just because one failed. I will be grateful to a father who tried but failed than sitting and doing nothing against his a person coming with intent to kill his own family. Maybe our mentality is different.

Please tell me any sort of awar plan that is not based on assumption or a possible scenario of sort, because you can‘t be totally sure? Unless you have a concrete intelligence of your opponent which exist little or never in wars. Therefore, according to you, Churchill/the British assumption that America will join them initially against Germany  in 1939 is their lack of preparedness and incompetence just because America refused to join or help, which was against their original assumptions that they will?

Few months before I joined the Biafra army, I was planning to go to University, no inclination whatsoever that I will be in an all out war at that point. I did not wait until I planned it. If you know anything about warfare, you should know that the decider of every conflict is the unforeseen events and not how much you planned, especially when you do not have privilege of time on your side.

When American and their allies were going into Iraq, their assumption was that once they have overthrown Saddam that the Iraqis will welcome them with rose flowers, but they got it completely wrong as they did not foresaw the level of insurgency from both the Sunnis and the Shiites militants, neither the Al Qaeda elements nor suicide bombing. Their plan was based on their assumption that turned out to be wrong.
But I respect your opinion all the same.

ndu_chucks:

The bolded text above shows the lack of preparedness and gross incompetence of your leaders that led you on a senseless war, whose success depended on an assumption that Western Nigerians will declare independence of their own.  If this was a critical success factor, your leaders should have had the assurance from Western Nigeria than they will also declare their own independence. This stupidity was a major factor in the loss of lives of millions of people.   Quite sad.  

Coming from a hypocrite. . .  .
As Achuzia pointed out, the balkanization of Nigeria was actually what led to the war, so in a way this war was even patriotic. The East fought because it feared present day Nigerian scenario. Eastern leaders feared that a balkanized East was a weakened East which could be easily abused and exploited. Isn't it ironic that the north that cherishes "one north" so much would fight so hard to balkanize the East? Today, there is trouble everywhere. Early Easterners understood that there is strength in numbers (and of course unity of purpose) and tried really hard to fight as one. Some tribes sold out, but others stood firm and fought.  History has since vindicated the just. All those who fought hard to defend Biafra have more peace at home that all those who fought against Biafra -even as we speak!

Onlytruth:

Coming from a hypocrite. . . .
As Achuzia pointed out, the balkanization of Nigeria was actually what led to the war, so in a way this war was even patriotic. The East fought because it feared present day Nigerian scenario. Eastern leaders feared that a balkanized East was a weakened East which could be easily abused and exploited. Isn't it ironic that the north that cherishes "one north" so much would fight so hard to balkanize the East? Today, there is trouble everywhere. Early Easterners understood that there is strength in numbers (and of course unity of purpose) and tried really hard to fight as one. Some tribes sold out, but others stood firm and fought. History has since vindicated the just. All those who fought hard to defend Biafra have more peace at home that all those who fought against Biafra -even as we speak!

I'm sorry your rants did not address the point I raised. silly you.

Eziachi:


Please tell me what is war plan that is not based assumption or possibility of a scenario because you can‘t be sure? Unless you have a concrete intelligence of your opponent which exist little in wars. Therefore, according to you, Churchill/the British assumption that America will join them initially against Germany in 1939 is their lack of preparedness and incompetence just because America refused to join or help, against their original assumptions.

Eziachi, first let me say that I believe that you were a soldier that fought with courage and you sacrifised for your cause. That is very admirable.

Many war plans as you mentioned are based on assumptions and uncertain scenarios.  You stated that a critical assumption was made by your leaders that Western Nigeria would declare independence and the fact that it didn't happen was one of the main reasons why biafra lost.  Your words:

we fought to defend our self and made a huge mistake by assuming that our western Nigeria brothers will follow suit and declare independent of their own, but we got it totally wrong.

My point that your leaders should have had enough intelligence or direct meetings with leaders of Western Nigeria before declaring independence, to ascertain that they will not be proceeding on a suicide mission, remains quite valid.

A joint declaration of independence would have worked like a charm. I maintain that this bad assumption by your leaders shows the lack of preparedness and gross incompetence that led you to a senseless war.

ndu_chucks:

I'm sorry your rants did not address the point I raised. silly you.

You should thank your stars that I was civil with you. Your type will keep looking for answers even if they are hung like a milestone around your neck. You are too dishonest to demand truth. Meanwhile go to Jos and join your brothers in the mayhem. That is if edoyad doesn't kill your stu'pi'd a's's.

Onlytruth:

You should thank your stars that I was civil with you. Your type will keep looking for answers even if they are hung like a milestone around your neck. You are too dishonest to demand truth. Meanwhile go to Jos and join your brothers in the mayhem.

Onlytruth, it is unfair to call an internet thug and warrior a murderer. What does edoyad have to do with the said incompetence and rascality of those who led the biafran war? olodo

ndu_chucks:

Onlytruth, it is unfair to call an internet thug and warrior a murderer. What does edoyad have to do with the said incompetence and rascality of those who led the biafran war? olodo

Just letting you know that your people lost too when they balkanized Nigeria. I know your leaders were too stu'pid not to see the future, so, butt off Biafran issues. If your people were not too evil minded and wicked, you would have continued dialogue like Achuzia pointed out. The war was YOUR fault and you are reaping it now.