CeterisXVII:


Proof has been posted in black and white on this forum that Gowon released Awolowo and NOT ojukwu. Google is your friend. Kindly stop the lies.

Cc : MasterChen, Jetleee

CeterisXVII:


Ojukwu never signed Awolowo's release papers. Gowon did. And you need to go back and read Awo's statement again. He said if the Igbos were forced out - but they were NOT forced out. Instead they were forced inwards to remain within Nigeria. Think man, think!

CeterisXVII:


Ojukwu DID NOT release Awolowo as the order for Awo's release came from Gowon which was why he joined Gowon's cabinet.

CeterisXVII:


Proof has been posted in black and white on this forum that Gowon released Awolowo and NOT ojukwu. Google is your friend. Kindly stop the lies.

Cc : MasterChen, Jetleee

lawani:
Ironsi Had 6 months to release Awo But he did not only for Gowon to release him in his maiden takeover speech. credit goes to Gowon. You People talk as if Ojukwu could have held up Awo, But for what? that is not possible he could not have held up Awo because Awo was imprisoned and later released by Lagos Nigeria. My Own late grandpa J O LAWANSON was also jailed and released in thesame way for thesame offense by the federal government

WetinConsignMe:

You don't need google for something black and white like this.
Why can't people ever THINK for themselves. Any paper can be manufactured by anybody. Use your God-given COMMON SENSE! Awo wrote Ironsi a long letter asking for.his release. These things take time. The SMC finally authorised his release just before Ironsi was killed. By the time Gowon came in his release was akready a fait accompli but couldn't have happened without Ojukwu's acquiescence.

THINK! How can you have a coup on July 29 and, amidst the evolving coup , by Aug 2nd have completed all the meetings and legwork needed to release a major someone imprisoned in the only part of the country where the coup did not.succeed?! THINK!


READ AGAIN:
Awolowo's letter is rather self-explanatory. Emissaries sent to him to Calabar arrived Calabar with a plane on July 27, 1966. The SMC wanted him in Lagos on July 29. In the early mornings of July 29, Ironsi and Fajuyi were murdered in Ibadan by a coup in which Gowon was very active. On the day that Ironsi was supposed to make the announcement publicly in the gala planned for his final day in Ibadan as a gesture of goodwill to the West, he was killed. The crucial point to note here from Awo's diary is that

(a) his release was already final. A plane had been sent to him to leave Calabar to Lagos. He did not leave because it was a one-engine plane and he just did not like the idea of traveling in that plane.

(b) Having been released, a second declaration of release was no longer necessary by Gowon because the papers releasing him had been signed and sealed and effected. The only person who could stop further action on that release document in the circumstance was the Eastern Regional governor (OJUKWU) whose authority was required to effect the wishes of the Federal government.
It is as simple as that. If Gowon issued an order in that regard, Emeka Ojukwu would have very clearly and deliberately ignored it to fully press the point that he was under no obligation to heed Gowon's authority and Chief Awolowo would not have been released. He would most likely have ended up in the East, like Banjo and co during the war all of whom were released by Ojukwu's orders.

... As at August 3 1966, with a coup in evolution which had not succeeded in the East, the laws of the federation ceased to exist in the East. The only laws that existed in areas under Ojukwu's command were the emergency laws that he assumed. No tributes, declarations or orders by any other authority outside of the East under any guise of law could be enforced in the East. Basically, Nigeria temporarily ceased to exist.

Dedetwo:


Are you a student of military tactics? How could he have been annihilated when Gowon would have been on the run to Kaduna? Remember there were Yari.ba who readied themselves to join the liberation force. Did you think that uprisings of the so-called cocoa famers were mere coincidence? If Lagos was securely under 101 Brigade, please tell how northern region and Gowon would have flooded Apapa Wharf with war materials? Both sides depended on the element of surprise and Banjo lost that key aspect for Biafra.

And which "Yoruba" were ready to support Ojukwu' liberation force? Was that before or after Ojukwu's biafran babes had dropped bombs in lagos killing the same "yaribas" in yaba and apapa area? Initially (August 9th 1967), Biafran plane dropped "warning bombs"-leaflets in ikeja and palmgrove areas “calling on the people to overthrow Gowon’s government and the Hausa imperialists.” However the following week,seeing that the people failed to his bait, Ojukwu dropped real bombs killing innocent "Yoruba" residents in yaba and its environs.

As for the agbekoya uprisings- that had nothing whatsoever to do with Ojukwu's BLF. Among other issues they rebelled against, the high fixed tax rate of $8 in western region of nigeria was their main grouse with officials of that region in particular and nothing to do with the federal govt of gowon (hence the slogan "oke mefa laosan-We are only paying 30 shillings!" and which Awo was able to quell with some negotiation. Your usual obfuscation tactic, am afraid will not work here, oga dede.

The bottom line is that Ojukwu sent Banjo (as a Trojan horse) on a "mission impossible" to wrought havoc on his ancestral land which Banjo must have taken cognizance of, hence his attempt to seek safe passage through yorubaland which necessitate the delay. Ojukwu simply had the man killed 'cause his gamble failed and he needed a fall guy for his gross military incompetence. There was no way Ojukwu ill-equipped rag-tag liberation front could have taken lagos and hang on to it when even his rear axis -the mid-west region was still been harangued by ogbemudia's resistance force.

In fact, the whole excursion was a futile attempt by ojukwu and a sheer waste of vital human resources.

T9ksy:

And which "Yoruba" were ready to support Ojukwu' liberation force? Was that before or after Ojukwu's biafran babes had dropped bombs in lagos killing the same "yaribas" in yaba and apapa area? Initially (August 9th 1967), Biafran plane dropped "warning bombs"-leaflets in ikeja and palmgrove areas “calling on the people to overthrow Gowon’s government and the Hausa imperialists.” However the following week,seeing that the people failed to his bait, Ojukwu dropped real bombs killing innocent "Yoruba" residents in yaba and its environs.

As for the agbekoya uprisings- that had nothing whatsoever to do with Ojukwu's BLF. Among other issues they rebelled against, the high fixed tax rate of $8 in western region of nigeria was their main grouse with officials of that region in particular and nothing to do with the federal govt of gowon (hence the slogan "oke mefa laosan-We are only paying 30 shillings!" and which Awo was able to quell with some negotiation. Your usual obfuscation tactic, am afraid will not work here, oga dede.

The bottom line is that Ojukwu sent Banjo (as a Trojan horse) on a "mission impossible" to wrought havoc on his ancestral land which Banjo must have taken cognizance of, hence his attempt to seek safe passage through yorubaland which necessitate the delay. Ojukwu simply had the man killed 'cause his gamble failed and he needed a fall guy for his gross military incompetence. There was no way Ojukwu ill-equipped rag-tag liberation front could have taken lagos and hang on to it when even his rear axis -the mid-west region was still been harangued by ogbemudia's resistance force.

In fact, the whole excursion was a futile attempt by ojukwu and a sheer waste of vital human resources.

WetinConsignMe:


Did u read what I wrote? Awo promised Ojukwu to pull Yorubas out if Igbos were forced out in front of witnesses who have collaborated the story. I never said Yorubas agreed to join the liberation force.

T9ksy:

Oga historian, please can you point to the place where awo pointedly promised Ojukwu that if igbos were forced out bla bla bla.................and who were the witnesses?

WetinConsignMe:

Who ever said.Ojukwu signed Awo's release papers. Ironsi's SMC ordered Awo's release. The vote was almost unanimous (Katsina voted no). Ojukwu allowed it to be effected, which he didnt have to.
Semantics. You know exactly what "forced out" meant in this instace.

Vivere:


The Igbo were never even forced out. They were forced inwards - forced to remain within Nigeria, so even if Awo made that promise, it was rendered invalid by the subsequent events that unfolded. That is the truth they do not want to hear.

Vivere:


The Igbo were NOT forced out. So kindly stop the semantics. You know very well that pressure was put on Ojukwu to drop his secessionist plans. If they wanted to force the Igbo out, Ojukwu would have been allowed to go away without any form of hindrance. And yes, Gowon still released Awolowo. Evidence abounds to that effect, unless you can post a screenshot or relevant documents showing minutes of the meeting that Ironsi had with the SMC where the decision to release Awo was made. Hearsay doesn't work anymore. Sorry.

WetinConsignMe:

(3). If the Eastern Region is allowed by acts of omission or commission to secede from or opt of Nigeria, then Western Region and Lagos must also stay out of the Federation.

T9ksy:



@ Bolded....................but Awo did not make any promise (to anyone, let alone Ojukwu and his people) rather he was just making a statement of FACT to his own people- the yorubas...... that if the ibos were forced out then logically, the yorubas too would leave the federation. How he intends to accomplish that objective, he left in the air but it's quite errornous and mischievous for some people to arrogate the right to predict what Awo had in mind or that he intends to support them in their offensive struggle when evidently the situation in the two regions, differs.

The country was basically built on a tripod, that is, Hausa/fulanis, yorubas and the ibos (no umbrage or slight intended on the minorities therein) so it stands to reason that once any part (of the country) leaves, the whole union would crumble. The western region and Lagos were at no point (in the past) interested in forming a union with the northerners.

At any rate, ojukwu was not truly fighting for biafra but actually he was using it as a ruse to subjugate the whole southern nigeria.

logica:
It appears English is not your forte. You now posted the very same point people like Vivere have been trying to explain to you.

It is quite unbelievable that this is the statement made by Awolowo, that in the mind of a so called Oxford educated man somehow morphed into "if Biafra secedes, so will the South West" (in support of Biafra).

I now can understand how English can lead to wars. The lesson is, before you start jumping and making unwise decisions, ensure you understand what you read/heard.

WetinConsignMe:


My friend everybody understood it to mean just that -"if Biafra secedes, so will the South West" . Everybody except your mumu self after the fact.
The statement definitely does not mean "If Biafra secedes I will join Gowon administration and fight them"
Ojukwu and peoople in the East were encouraged to secede.
Notice the writer was trying to explain why Awo broke his promise not if he made a promise

WetinConsignMe:

My friend everybody understood it to mean just that -"if Biafra secedes, so will the South West" . Everybody except your mumu self after the fact.
The statement definitely does not mean "If Biafra secedes I will join Gowon administration and fight them"
Ojukwu and peoople in the East were encouraged to secede.
Notice the writer was trying to explain why Awo broke his promise not if he made a promise

WetinConsignMe:


Awolowo said, if the East left the federation, the Yoruba would have to leave the federation. ...

logica:
Aha. The stubborn mumu himself. I can't blame you because it's obviously in the blood - inability to comprehend English will soon land you inside lagoon. Continue.

Vivere:


Stop reciting this propaganda for goodness sake. It is making you look ridiculous by the second. The same Aluko also quoted Awo as saying that Ojukwu shouldn't secede, not so? And was Ojukwu's secession completed?? No!

WetinConsignMe:

People in the know started the following statement with "why" not me. The unwritten completion.of the statement is:
"Why Awo did not make West to Secede, as he promised"

Use your head, mumu, everything is not literal.

Why Awo did not make West to Secede
VANGUARD
26 SEP 2017
By Eric Teniola

Vivere:


No need for long story. The facts are in public domain. No matter how much you try to peddle false info. Oga, the paper of release was signed by Gowon. Why do you like repeating and rehashing propaganda so much?

Vivere:

You have not made any sense.

Vivere:

You have not made any sense.

logica:
My man, this is an exercise in futility. I found out that "detribalization" does not include the necessary DNA modification. Get it?

WetinConsignMe:


Mumu, papers do not release people from jail. Papers can be manufactured anytime. Whoever has physical custody of a person is the only person that can release him from jail physically. There is no argument as to who had physical custody of Awo.
Close your eyes and.visualise: Gowon, two days after his still-evolving partially successful coup, comming to the East where he had no power or say whatsoever to physically release Awo, whom nobody could even go to see without Ojukwu's permission.

See how stupid u look?

WetinConsignMe:


"Detribalization" as defined by Danites means you do not hate other tribes, do not make tribalistic or bigoted remarks or posts, and do not want separation from other tribes.

(3). If the Eastern Region is allowed by acts of omission or commission to secede from or opt of Nigeria, then Western Region and Lagos must also stay out of the Federation.

WetinConsignMe:

Which part did not make sense to u, mumu?
The headline that said:
"Why Awo did not make West to Secede, as he promised" ?

logica:
OK. Let me humor you.

Awolowo was a "DANite" going by the actual content of his speech which had been turned around by people who do not have a firm grasp of English. Once again I quote:



Breakdown of this is, if Eastern Region is ALLOWED to leave, then there is nothing bonding the rest of Nigeria together so the rest should also go on their own. This statement was nothing but pressure from Awolowo on the Federal Government to ensure that Nigeria was not balkanized; and was not in anyway voicing support for Biafra; rather the opposite!

If you still do not get it, here is further background - The initial aim of the July 1966 coup was for the secession of Northern Nigeria (believe it or not) as planned by Murtala Mohammed until the British stepped in. Now, initially, the idea of the secession of Biafra did not sound like such a terrible idea to the Northerners. It was when it became clear that the West (and Lagos) would also go that they realized that "keeping Nigeria one was a task that must be done".

Vivere:


Stop these fake stories. Awolowo was released from prison on the 3rd of August 1966, five good days after the coup of July 29th . And it was done by Gowon. Google is your friend.

WetinConsignMe:

Mumu, if u can't think at least look at body language. Awo contradicted many things Ojukwu said, not once did he contradict him when.he said.he released him from prison.

EDITORIAL
Ojukwu Released Awolowo From Calabar Jail. QED

Mr. Okonkwo troubled by multiple argument fort and back, pointedly asked Ojukwu. Ojukwu's response was that, he indeed released Awolowo from Calabar Prison house.

Hear Ojukwu speak for himself:

“We’ve said this over and over again, so many times, and people don’t understand; they don’t want to actually. If you remember, I released Awolowo from jail. Even that, some people are beginning to contest as well. Awo was in jail in Calabar. Gowon knows and the whole of the federal establishment knows that at no point was Gowon in charge of the East. The East took orders from me. Now, how could Gowon have released Awolowo who was in Calabar?"

omonnakoda:

You have no shame. You lie like children
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/191679-why-i-released-awolowo-from-prison-gowon.html

A former Nigerian Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, on Thursday said his administration released the late Obafemi Awolowo from prison to end the political unrest in the South West and ensure peace across the country.

Mr. Gowon, who spoke to journalists after paying condolence visit to the Awolowos at Ikenne, also noted that he was privileged to have been used by God to ensure release of the late sage from prison.

The former head of state, who was at Ikenne on account of the death of HID Awowolo, disclosed that the late matriarch was the one who persuaded Mr. Awolowo to be part of his military government.

“’It was my fortune and I thank God that it was me that had the opportunity to release Papa from prison from Calabar to Lagos and certainly to be able to help us have peace in the West at that time and then we came,” Mr. Gowon recalled.

“Mama was very happy and very grateful for what has happened and I can assure you, that is what earned me the respect of Mama right throughout her life. But yes, what we did was alright.

“There was also a need to get papa involved and that would probably seal what we wanted to achieve, especially in the West, which was at the time pretty dicey.‎

“You’d remember Operation Wetie and then the coup and what not. So we had to seek mama’s support to see if we can get papa to come and join the government to help and of course, our hope was that when that happened we would be able to finish as quickly as possible so that we can return to democracy.

‘Yes, we really pleaded with mama; she was the one who encouraged papa to accept that invitation and so, for that, we ever remain grateful to her for what she did.‎

“You know what happened after then; we had government not totally military but with some political juggernauts as the saying goes and we were able to start in making a move towards returning to normalcy.”
‎
Mr. Gowon also shed light on the reasons his government delayed the return to civil rule, even when it was expected to have ruled for short time.

“Let me tell you this; it was not easy. When I became Head of State, I hoped that three months, six months the most, we would be done. But when you have problems in a nation, it is not easy to do them overnight. So, you’ve always got to give time and you’ve got to be patient for leaders to be able to get things in order,” he explained.

Mr. Gowon urged Nigerians to be patient and give Mr. Buhari more time for his administration to solve the problems of the country.‎

“Whenever any government comes in, give them time to be able to really put things right. Nigeria is not an easy place to govern,” he said.

“I can assure you there are as many problems as there are Nigerians in the world and everybody wants to do things in a particular way, in his own way and probably for his own interest. And you think of that, how are you going to get all that put together and put things right?

“I think we’ve got to be patient and then we’ve got to cooperate with the government to do the right thing. Always never be tired in telling the government what needed to be done in order to improve things.”

Mr. Gowon also noted that in paying tributes to the late matriarch it was impossible to mention Mr. Awolowo himself, who he said was instrumental to some of the successes recorded by his military