After the Nigerian Civil War, Igboland had been severely devastated. Many hospitals, schools, and homes had been completely destroyed in the brutal war. The Federal government of Nigeria denied the Igbo people access to all the hard currencies such as pound sterling they had saved in Nigeria banks before the civil war, and only allowed them a minuscule compensation of £20 per adult bank account holder. For example, a man who had over £450,000.00 savings in one or several bank accounts could only receive £20.00 following this policy.

In addition to the loss of their savings, many Igbo people found themselves discriminated against by other ethnic groups and the new non-Igbo federal government. Due to the discrimination of employers, many Igbos had trouble finding employment, and the Igbos became one of the poorest ethnic groups in Nigeria during the early 1970s. As an even greater insult, in Port Harcourt, their control was handed over to their Ijaw neighbours and the Ikwerre (an Igbo subgroup who have separated and claimed no Igbo origin). Igboland was gradually rebuilt over a period of twenty years and the economy was again prospering due to the rise of the Niger Delta petroleum industry, which led to new factories being set up in southern Nigeria. This recovery, from the depths of the Biafran War, is an example of the uncanny resilience and resourcefulness of the Igbo. Many Igbos eventually regained government positions.

The Igbo, however, also face many problems and challenges today. Even today, Igbo people have sometimes continued to face discrimination from other ethnic groups. Igboland towns, such as Enugu, Onitsha and Owerri, lack sufficient resources and good infrastructure for their inhabitants. Also, because the traditional Igbo homeland was becoming too small for its growing population, many Igbo have emigrated out of Igboland.

Truely speaking the Igbo's have been highly marginalize.

For instance, no federal govt agency have it headquarters in igbo land

No multinational company have it headquarter in igbo land.

For igbo man to access any headquarter he must travel to another mans land.

Its quit unbearable.

They force igbo man to scatter all over Nigeria in search of fed. Govt presence.

hisgrace090:
Truely speaking the Igbo's have been highly marginalize.

For instance, no federal govt agency have it headquarters in igbo land

No multinational company have it headquarter in igbo land.

For igbo man to access any headquarter he must travel to another mans land.

Its quit unbearable.

They force igbo man to scatter all over Nigeria in search of fed. Govt presence.

true talk.
Nigeria a country where the oppressor is telling the oppressed one Nigeria.
I dont trust any good thing to come out of this country so am steering my future to the right lane,i dont want my children to suffer an avoidable hardships

Ndi Igbo amaka

Awolowo is not part of igbo mess , stop ridicule our great hero .

abimbolayekeen:
Awolowo is not part of igbo mess , stop ridicule our great hero .

If only you can ask God for sense that will enable you to know that Awo was the one behind the £20 robbery.

abimbolayekeen:
Awolowo is not part of igbo mess , stop ridicule our great hero .

This is the concluding part of Odia Ofeimun’s treatise on the Awolowo?Achebe civil war controversy.
He makes useful suggestions to his Igbo brothers and sisters as well as other Nigerians on how to dump the self-righteous mentality of ‘WE AGAINST THEM”.
What is interesting in this regard is that well known acts perpetrated by other leaders during the war are actually now being credited to Awolowo by postwar propagandists and are being made to stick beyond lines of collective responsibility while actual performances that he made are smudged out of acknowledgement.
For a man who could be said to have done more than any other single individual to have garnered the out-of-the-war-front intelligence to keep Nigeria as one country, it is actually a surprise to see how little Federal cover has been given to Awolowo by Federal agencies and establishments.
Generals who were worried that Awolowo might convert his proficiency in the management of the country’s finances and general affairs into political power certainly preferred that the war story be told against him. For ex-Biafrans who believe that Awolowo disabled their war efforts through his many ploys, including the change of the currency, the refusal to devalue the Naira, and the ordering of a stop to food corridors, Awolowo deserves to be sent to the International court even post-humously.


After the war, there was clearly more than a silver lining which ought to be acknowledged even in the face of the harsh circumstances that existed. It is in the fact declared by SG Ikoku, the Commissioner for Economic Development in East Central State in the Daily Times of May 22, 1971 that “the Federal Government had made available 21.505 million pounds grant and 10.620 million as advances and loans. It was part of the accumulated amounts saved for the East Central State during the war by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Commissioner for Finance and Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council, on the basis of population distribution of revenue. No one, these days, is ever allowed to know this little matter even if the point is to show how well those who wanted the Biafrans dead followed the financial regulations that guided the Federation and so kept what was due to the East in reserve for them till they returned to the fold.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/11/awolowo-and-the-forgotten-documents-of-the-civil-war4/

DontForceUnity:



If only you can ask God for sense that will enable you to know that Awo was the one behind the £20 robbery.

how can a zombie know that

Nonsense!

TundeHashim:
Nonsense!

we will appreciate it if you will kindly explain the nonsense in this historic fact

[[s]quote author=Arda1000 post=62348740] After the Nigerian Civil War, Igboland had been severely devastated. Many hospitals, schools, and homes had been completely destroyed in the brutal war. The Federal government of Nigeria denied the Igbo people access to all the hard currencies such as pound sterling they had saved in Nigeria banks before the civil war, and only allowed them a minuscule compensation of £20 per adult bank account holder. For example, a man who had over £450,000.00 savings in one or several bank accounts could only receive £20.00 following this policy.

In addition to the loss of their savings, many Igbo people found themselves discriminated against by other ethnic groups and the new non-Igbo federal government. Due to the discrimination of employers, many Igbos had trouble finding employment, and the Igbos became one of the poorest ethnic groups in Nigeria during the early 1970s. As an even greater insult, in Port Harcourt, their control was handed over to their Ijaw neighbours and the Ikwerre (an Igbo subgroup who have separated and claimed no Igbo origin). Igboland was gradually rebuilt over a period of twenty years and the economy was again prospering due to the rise of the Niger Delta petroleum industry, which led to new factories being set up in southern Nigeria. This recovery, from the depths of the Biafran War, is an example of the uncanny resilience and resourcefulness of the Igbo. Many Igbos eventually regained government positions.

The Igbo, however, also face many problems and challenges today. Even today, Igbo people have sometimes continued to face discrimination from other ethnic groups. Igboland towns, such as Enugu, Onitsha and Owerri, lack sufficient resources and good infrastructure for their inhabitants. Also, because the traditional Igbo homeland was becoming too small for its growing population, many Igbo have emigrated out of Igboland.[/quote][/s]We are tired of this lies.

Gotze1:
[[s]quote author=Arda1000 post=62348740] After the Nigerian Civil War, Igboland had been severely devastated. Many hospitals, schools, and homes had been completely destroyed in the brutal war. The Federal government of Nigeria denied the Igbo people access to all the hard currencies such as pound sterling they had saved in Nigeria banks before the civil war, and only allowed them a minuscule compensation of £20 per adult bank account holder. For example, a man who had over £450,000.00 savings in one or several bank accounts could only receive £20.00 following this policy.

In addition to the loss of their savings, many Igbo people found themselves discriminated against by other ethnic groups and the new non-Igbo federal government. Due to the discrimination of employers, many Igbos had trouble finding employment, and the Igbos became one of the poorest ethnic groups in Nigeria during the early 1970s. As an even greater insult, in Port Harcourt, their control was handed over to their Ijaw neighbours and the Ikwerre (an Igbo subgroup who have separated and claimed no Igbo origin). Igboland was gradually rebuilt over a period of twenty years and the economy was again prospering due to the rise of the Niger Delta petroleum industry, which led to new factories being set up in southern Nigeria. This recovery, from the depths of the Biafran War, is an example of the uncanny resilience and resourcefulness of the Igbo. Many Igbos eventually regained government positions.

The Igbo, however, also face many problems and challenges today. Even today, Igbo people have sometimes continued to face discrimination from other ethnic groups. Igboland towns, such as Enugu, Onitsha and Owerri, lack sufficient resources and good infrastructure for their inhabitants. Also, because the traditional Igbo homeland was becoming too small for its growing population, many Igbo have emigrated out of Igboland.[/s]We are tired of this lies.

i dont know the angle ure coming from but all these things are fact you cant argue against,if nigeria has history u woudnt argue or think they are lies

Hmmm

Arda1000:
we will appreciate it if you will kindly explain the nonsense in this historic fact

in as much as I'll love to delve into descriptions, I'll be constrained by time and other engagements to just state briefly my points and if I do have time during the weekend, I'll go into the details.

First of all, there's this myth that the FG impoverished the South East by giving everyone £20 irrespective of the amount they had in the bank prior to war. The next argument u guys make is that those who own MORE than £20 (for example one million pounds!!!) would be turned into pauper by giving them just 20 pounds. What many of u guys FAIL to avert ur mind to is the fact that those who have LESS than 20 pounds in the bank, yet showed evidence they had money would still be entitled to £20!!! And most importantly, those who had less than 20 pounds were in the majority. besides, 20 pounds is large amount of money during those days.

Now with respect to infrastructural rebuilding, Gowon was emphatic on rebuilding the infrastructure of the SE. Although he did not do well in that area, but there's no evidence of deliberate neglect of the SE in infrastructure. Anything the SE complained of then equally affects the North, West and the likes.

Awolowo on his part did everything within human limits to make sure the properties of the Easterners were returned to them in the West and same can be said of in the South South...

so many things I'll like to add but I'll just stop here for now..

TundeHashim:


in as much as I'll love to delve into descriptions, I'll be constrained by time and other engagements to just state briefly my points and if I do have time during the weekend, I'll go into the details.

First of all, there's this myth that the FG impoverished the South East by giving everyone £20 irrespective of the amount they had in the bank prior to war. The next argument u guys make is that those who own MORE than £20 (for example one million pounds!!!) would be turned into pauper by giving them just 20 pounds. What many of u guys FAIL to avert ur mind to is the fact that those who have LESS than 20 pounds in the bank, yet showed evidence they had money would still be entitled to £20!!! And most importantly, those who had less than 20 pounds were in the majority. besides, 20 pounds is large amount of money during those days.

Now with respect to infrastructural rebuilding, Gowon was emphatic on rebuilding the infrastructure of the SE. Although he did not do well in that area, but there's no evidence of deliberate neglect of the SE in infrastructure. Anything the SE complained of then equally affects the North, West and the likes.

Awolowo on his part did everything within human limits to make sure the properties of the Easterners were returned to them in the West and same can be said of in the South South...

so many things I'll like to add but I'll just stop here for now..

bros there is no way a bank can give 20 pounds by just claiming unless ure banking with them