Two lies as Biafra turns 40 9/7/2007

BY SAM OMATSEYE

NATION

For those of us who were little in the early days of Biafra, the world suddenly robbed us of our innocence. Gunshots replaced a mother's soft lullaby at night, guns displaced toys, bloodshed spilled instead of a donut's sweet jelly. We wondered why people ran like clueless hens, scampering under cover while booms sounded from above. The plane should have been a mere contraption to toy with, but it scared everybody. So we too ran, sometimes too slow to catch up and sometimes some of us died and disappeared. Some of us died because we were unlucky to be cradled by a mother or father or even sympathetic stranger who ran into a rat-at-at of bullets or the poisonous shrapnel of bombs.
For those of us who were mature, we fought, unleashing bullets either on the side of Biafra or on the other side, skulking the enemy, afraid now, bold now. Or we were policy makers and strategists, or were just plain folk caught in the ominous politics of our leaders.

What of those who were not born, but heard of the woes of those years spun by parents. What of those like the new literary sensation, Ngozi Adichie, who had to suspend time and relive those moments as she did in her award-winning novel, Half of a yellow sun? People of her generation have to rely on the imagination, which is all they have. But it is sometimes eminently potent as she has demonstrated. Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge."

Forty years on, all three sets of people still focus on that big stain on our history, a period of pride and prejudice, intrigues and
turmoil, love and hate, fear and daredevilry, champagne and blood.

Yet, we cannot let that period go without a reflection on what went wrong and how they impact on today's Nigeria, especially the meaning
of federalism, the ethnic question, what with the remorseless rumbles in the Niger Delta. What focused my mind was the claim by
the Biafran leader, Odumegwu Ojukwu, whose views continue to remain dim. Hear him on the anniversary of that war:

"When you have death knocking at your door, you have only two alternatives, either you allow your head to be chopped off or you fight back. I am happy, proud of the fact that we (the Igbo) chose to fight back. That is what we did for as long as we could."

From Ojukwu's assertion, there is a presumption of Igbo innocence in that dark and fratricidal drama. In the same breath, other narratives tend to play up Hausa-Fulani heroism. All the other ethnic groups were just there for the ride. War and innocence are two alien ideas, although sometimes one thrives on the other. That was the point the Ikemba wanted to make. But I am not buying. There is no such thing as an inevitable war. Historians know this.

By Ojukwu's assertion, the Igbo woke up one morning, and the pogrom raged into being. Igbos fell to slaughter in the thousands everywhere, especially in the north. Historians know that the immediate cause of the war was the tendentious nature of the coup led by Nzeogwu that preserved Igbo leaders while northern and southwest leaders fell. Even after that, Gen. Ironsi who was never touched formed a unitary system, especially in the civil service resented for being under Igbo control.

This stirred more discontent, as the feeling was rife among many other ethnic groups that the Igbo saw this as an opportunity to dominate the country for good. That was the reason for the pogrom, which also led to the now familiar series of negotiations that precipitated the war. Ojukwu led his people to a failed and meaningless war when eminent Nigerians wanted a cessation of hostilities and reconciliation. Ojukwu saw his time. He wanted to lead a nation. He envied Gowon's position. That's the truth. He conflated his ambition with that of the Igbo people. The tragedy was that the Igbo people let him have his way.

The war was preventable. We deny this truth only if we want to be self-serving. The reaction to the fear of Igbo domination was puerile. It could have been addressed in other ways than the resort to the bloodshed that turned innocent Igbo citizens into carrion flesh. The killings exposed a deep resentment, especially among the Hausa-Fulani part of the country. They too sought the same kind of
dominance.

Even the execution of the war exposed Ojukwu and his Biafran forces. If all he wanted was to excise his people away from the persecuting
neighbours of Nigeria, why did he plot his way into Midwest, conniving with all the senior officers who were of the Igbo stock. When in the Midwest, they treated the locals like an underclass -rape, looting and rapine became the hallmark. The Midwesterners saw them as an army of occupation, hence an underground resistance reminiscent of the French example during the Second World War.

A plot to railroad its way into the southwest was foiled by Banjo's cold feet and federal troops on the rebound. So the expired warlord
should be careful about painting the innocence of Biafra. He will do well to snuggle with Bianca. Some historians have asserted that Ironsi's declaration of a unitary system was not an act of bigotry but naivety. He wanted to unify the country, they claim. That was a
naïve step taken too far. It cost us peace and many innocent lives.

The story of Hausa-Fulani heroism is often overplayed. Some of the great war heroes of the battle were not from the north. In fact, the
idea that isolated and flushed out Biafra, as noted in a coming book, came from Daniel Omoigui, a helmsman in the Dapartment of
Federal Survey. That was the idea that led to the brave steps of such soldiers of Murtala Muhammed and Benjamen Adekunle, none of
them Hausa-Fulani. Olusegun Obasanjo stepped in as always to receive the flag of surrender as he has always reaped where he did not sow.
This is not to discount the roles of such soldiers as Buhari, Shuwa, etc,. We should realize this was a collective victory. The Western
narrative of the Second World War often paints the colour of an American victory over Germany as though the Soviet Union, which took
charge of the eastern battlefront with huge casualties and high- level soldiery did not matter. But for today, we can see the
reverberations of the Civil War. In the Owu chief's years as president, it is said that the nation did not focus on ethnic
loyalties and chauvinism. This may be true. But the prejudice was merely repressed, not stamped out. The reason is that the historic
forces that created such loyalties, like even distribution of resources, the handling of infrastructure and poverty remained. The
Owu chief supplanted the idol of the tribe with the cult of Babaism, which is now gradually fizzling out.

The Arewa meeting recently served notice that the north is on the rebound to reclaim their position of old at the top of Nigerian politics. Part of it is against the brutal presence of the Owu chief in the thick of Nigerian politics, especially in the National Assembly polls, his roles in ousting Anenih and taking charge of the PDP as well as doctoring the ministers' list.

The northern rebirth may give birth to its counterweights in the southwest with Yoruba and the southeast with the Igbo, those agitations are resound everywhere. But this may not take the power of old when Awo took the west, Zik the east and Ahmadu Bello took the north. So, we shall see how far this Arewa resurgence will go with the present sultan at the head.

But this move, I think, will make the so-called Kaduna mafia happy if it pulls off its sole achievement to ease out the Owu chief from
meddling in Abuja.

So, at 40, a grown adult, Biafra is with us, if in a different guise.
==================================================================================

To me i am still searching for what to call Ojukwu but i believe Igbos marginalization today is caused by their greedy Ohaneze and leaders of taught from that region just like the Niger Delta problem lies on their leaders past and present. the war ojukwu called fro was for his personal intrest and not that of the igbo region.

Interesting! I dont know how to comment on this. Have u read the book 'The Biafra Story' by Fredrick Forsythe? I found it quite intriguing

If the book was not writen by a Nigerian who was in the war front like war heroes of those time then it is not a must read. Still how do i get a copy i will like to digest it please help me out

Forsythe was a vet and a journalist. He fought the Biafran war up to a point

The story of the war is more complex than the writer presented. Anybody that would tie the biafran war to ojukwu's ego is guilty of reductionism, and anybody who rules out ojukwu's ambition from the war is a tad too naive. The igbos needed an ojukwu as much as ojukwu needed the igbos. But ojukwu's quest was bound to fail. It's the nature of such stories. As scot fitzgerald said, "show me a hero and i would write you a tragedy."

What is the source of this article? You cannot just copy someone's hard work like this. It's not allowed.

.

try amazon

There's one Mohadana individual on another thread spinning the Third Lie. That MASSOB would do worse than MEND if given the chance.

But then I wonder, what chance were MEND given before they unleashed their own civil war on Nigeria? What provocation?

It seems it is now fashionable for people to make sometimes ridiculous attempts to rewrite history.

Without bothering to spend time on quite a load of rubbish put down by the writer one cannot dispute the following

1. That a yoruba man was among the 5 majors that spearheaded the coup
2. That Ironsi (being the most senior in the army) took over and locked up Nzeogwu and co
3. That Gowon led a counter coup 6 months later and proceeded to call himself the commander in chief
4. That a Brigadier General of yoruba extraction (Ogundipe) was the most senior surviving person in the army who should ordinarily take over government
5. That Ojukwu refused to see Gowon (a junior Col to him) as his CIC as that would mean retirement as his junior cannot be his CIC
6. That Ojukwu and the Eastern part of the nation maintained a position that even those who went to Aburi agreed upon for about a year before the war broke out
7. That Nigeria did not restrict its fighting of the war outside Eastern part of Nigeria so I wonder why someone in his right senses will question Biafra fighting outside Eastern part of the nation unless the writer's idea of war is for you to stay in your house and continue to defend while your enemy comes in with every type of amour

Put differently, Ojukwu insisted on equity and fairness and in reality fought a war that the yorubas would have fought if Ogundipe stood his ground as the most senior army officer in the Nigerian army then and not allow a junior Col (Gowon) to take over the mantle of leadership.

So, while I am not a fan of Ojukwu I dare say that as an Igbo man I am happy for the boldness he exhibited even though his family background meant he could have lived life to the fullest and lived a comfortable life.

Let the lies stop, let people stop trying to to rewrite histories because there is always a lesson for us to learn from past mistakes.

Copied from yahoo groups you know cant add the link that is why i just copied it and pasted it there

What am I supposed to believe here exactly?. . .That the Igbos killed up North deserved to die because of a military coup carried out by majority Igbo majors?. . .NONSENSE!

According to this retarded Omatseye, the Igbos cannot claim innocence because 4 out of over 9 million people carried out a coup, while 1 of the coup plotters was Yoruba.

To me i am still searching for what to call Ojukwu but i believe Igbos marginalization today is caused by their greedy Ohaneze and leaders of taught from that region just like the Niger Delta problem lies on their leaders past and present. the war ojukwu called fro was for his personal intrest and not that of the igbo region.

I agree with you,Ojukwu went to war for his own personal interests. It was not in the interest of Igbos for someone to do something about the killings up North, it was in Ojukwu's interest. Genuis, I  never thought of it that way.

@Afam

Good job!

@ Afam, good one. For once i agree with u. However, the war was avoidable, but we can only say that in retrospect.

@ seun the source was in the article - The Nation. C'mon u get too harsh for an administrator. Sure if u had ur way u'd be flogging members.

@initiator

well, I guess Seun should have read the reference. However, I am among those advocating for some kind of cyber "koboko" or "e-koboko" because if you see the kind of plagiarism in some parts of Nairaland, afraid go grip you.

Afam:

It seems it is now fashionable for people to make sometimes ridiculous attempts to rewrite history.

Without bothering to spend time on quite a load of rubbish put down by the writer one cannot dispute the following

1. That a yoruba man was among the 5 majors that spearheaded the coup
2. That Ironsi (being the most senior in the army) took over and locked up Nzeogwu and co
3. That Gowon led a counter coup 6 months later and proceeded to call himself the commander in chief
4. That a Brigadier General of yoruba extraction (Ogundipe) was the most senior surviving person in the army who should ordinarily take over government
5. That Ojukwu refused to see Gowon (a junior Col to him) as his CIC as that would mean retirement as his junior cannot be his CIC
6. That Ojukwu and the Eastern part of the nation maintained a position that even those who went to Aburi agreed upon for about a year before the war broke out
7. That Nigeria did not restrict its fighting of the war outside Eastern part of Nigeria so I wonder why someone in his right senses will question Biafra fighting outside Eastern part of the nation unless the writer's idea of war is for you to stay in your house and continue to defend while your enemy comes in with every type of amour

Put differently, Ojukwu insisted on equity and fairness and in reality fought a war that the yorubas would have fought if Ogundipe stood his ground as the most senior army officer in the Nigerian army then and not allow a junior Col (Gowon) to take over the mantle of leadership.

So, while I am not a fan of Ojukwu I dare say that as an Igbo man I am happy for the boldness he exhibited even though his family background meant he could have lived life to the fullest and lived a comfortable life.

Let the lies stop, let people stop trying to to rewrite histories because there is always a lesson for us to learn from past mistakes.

I must give you a hand for your post Afam. Good job my brother.

,

My brother Afam,thank you very much for your post it simply goes to show people like Sam Omatseye and his ilk that regardless of the lies perpetuated by government and their collaborators in the media every true igbo youth  knows the truth, we see it every day as events confirm all that our fathers told us and no amount of Igbo bashing,blackmail,threats,violence and outright lies can capture or defeat the Igbo spirit.
To Mr Omatseye I can only say, I pity you ,for a man who has a family and can willing tell such bare faced lies while at the same time expecting honesty from his children I do not envy you.
Only a foolish man rejoices at the injustice  done to his neighbour for he knows not that he has become weaker
The Igbos have been out of reckoning for 40yrs and yet the country has not made any meaningful progress if people like Mr Omatseye who are said to be educated do not recognise that  the perenial Igbo bashing is diversionary then there is no hope for this country

I have said it before and I will say it again - War is nothing, but the absence of wisdom.

Let's hope all those involved have learnt their lessons. What did the Biafra war achieve? I still can't get a good answer to this question. Another question that bothers me, is how come the Hausa, Fulani, Edo & Yoruba politicians were killed in that 1966 coup, and all the Igbo politicians escaped? Answers, anyone?? 

That war affected people in different ways, so it is only to be expected that when people tell their own stories about the war, they will tell it from their own perspective. I have met a lot of people who were resident in the old Mid-Western region, who have sad tales to tell about that war. They were badly treated by armed troops on either side.

All am going to say is, let's respect the memory of the dead. Those who paid with their lives on either side deserve to be remembered with touching prayers, for their souls to rest in peace.

May that kind of war never visit this nation, again.

Posted by: laudate
Insert Quote
I have said it before and I will say it again - War is nothing, but the absence of wisdom.

Let's hope all those involved have learnt their lessons. What did the Biafra war achieve? I still can't get a good answer to this question. Another question that bothers me, is how come the Hausa, Fulani, Edo & Yoruba politicians were killed in that 1966 coup, and all the Igbo politicians escaped? Answers, anyone??

That war affected people in different

This one think say e fit shout all man down

no be the same local control of resources we still dey quarell for?

Abeg make we hear word

Well said Afam.

Who amongst you, except cowards would not fight back when pushed to the wall?

People deliberately try to turn history upside down. What happened to people of eastern extraction in the North after their northern counterparts had been given a safe passage back to the north? The easterners were slaughtered in their thousands in their homes and train stations.

Have you guys conveniently forgotten about the massacre of Igbo officers and passengers at Kano airport? Did Gowon do enough to protect the Igbos? No, Hell No!

Yes, the war was avoidable if the ABURI accord was followed and if the one sided ethnic cleansing was nipped in the bud.

Some of you guys come under the guise that no politician of Igbo extraction was killed in the 1966 coup carried out by majority Igbo officers, therefore Igbo civilians deserved to be killed by the northerners. Was any northern civilian killed in the east? Hell No! It is the penchant to blame Igbos for everything under the sun that makes people slaughter innocent Igbos at the slightest provocation, if not why would a normal human being kill innocent Igbos over a cartoon in Denmark ?  Stop making Igbos your scapegoats.

The war was avoidable, but if the situation should play out exactly the same, Igbos will fight the war again. The war was the outcome of self defence. We lost a lot during and after the war, but freedom comes at a price.

We lost the war but not in shame. We have taken our defeat on the chin and have since moved on with our lives despite the marginalisation orchestrated against the Igbos in all aspects of life in Nigeria. The rest of Nigeria should also move on from the war and avoid reopening already healed wounds. We have provided our selves with basic amenities where neither the state nor fed govts provided any. Today, through the joint efforts of Igbos at home and Diaspora, almost all villages in Igbo land have electric poles and transformers (now inherited by Power Holding) and have electricity as much as NEPA allows.

Igbos have displayed that they eager to participate in nation building. Others should regard Igbos as equal partners in nation building. There is strength in diversity as long as there is equity. Let the sleeping dog lie.

initiator:

@ Afam, good one. For once i agree with u. However, the war was avoidable, but we can only say that in retrospect.

Why do you agree with me on this? Did I protect your interest here?

All my posts have certain things in common, fair play, honesty, justice, peace, truth, fact and racial and religous tolerance.

So if you agree with this post and disagree with others then you may be too subjective and in my world, subjectivity takes back seat.

I do not agree that lies, misinformation, misrepresentation etc will achieve anything so why waste time on them?

Truth shall always prevail over lies and from Iraq to this thread where the writer criminally attempted to rewrite history without any iota of shame it is evident.

Enjoy!

Afam,
But it is also true:

1. That Ironsi (of blessed memory) did not show any sign of seriousness, while he was CIC, at prosecuting the soldiers who executed the assasination acts on January 15, 1966, that took the lives of several senior government officials at the time, including the late Sardauna of Sokoto, and Prime Minister of Nigeria, Late Alhaji Sir, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. The thinking in most circles at the time was that Ironsi did not want to prosecute these people because they were from his ethnic group.

2. That this singular act, led to the bloody counter-coup, championed by the angry northern military elements in July 29, 1966, that led to the death of General Aguiyi Ironsi, his aides and other senior military officials at Lalupon, Ibadan, at the time, and led to the emergence of Lt. Col Yakubu Gowon as military head of state and CIC.

3. That at the time, the people of the Niger Delta were sorely displeased at the high handed way the majority Igbos, in the then Eastern Region of Nigeria administered the region from Enugu.

4. That there were reported cases of uprisings in the northern part of the country. Cases of what can be termed genocide today, were reported. The ethnic groups in the north were up in arms against the Igbos in particular, and other ethnic groups in general in the Northern cities of Kano, Kaduna, Zaria and Sokoto. Many people lost their lives in the ensuing violence, including Igbos, Yorubas, Hausas and other ethnic groups. No doubt, the Igbos were hard hit because of the ''political mood'' at the time in the Northern parts of the country.

5. That Ojukwu, leader of the secessionist group carved up the Niger Delta as part of the breakaway republic of Biafra, to seize federal powers in the Eastern region for himself, the most consequential of which was his decision to take control of all Federal Statutary Corporations in the region and to retain all revenues collected for his own government - including oil revenues from the non-Igbo Niger delta region, which while not yet great in scale, were expected to increase in the coming years, huge reserves having been discovered in the area in the mid-1960s.

6. That Isaac Adaka Boro fought on the Federal troops sides largely to unite the country, and contribute his bit at reducing the influence of the Igbos on the people of the Niger Delta.

7. That as soon as the oil rich areas of the SE region were secured by the Nigerian troops, access to food, water, and other munitions that would have helped Ojukwu and his armies was terminated. The bloody game was up.

The Biafran War was was largely an Oil War People with interests in controlling the oil deposits of the delta were at each others throat.

Facts don't lie and like the author of the rubbish called article you have introduced yours and I will make them clear.

ono:

Afam,
But it is also true:

1. That Ironsi (of blessed memory) did not show any sign of seriousness, while he was CIC, at prosecuting the soldiers who executed the assasination acts on January 15, 1966, that took the lives of several senior government officials at the time, including the late Sardauna of Sokoto, and Prime Minister of Nigeria, Late Alhaji Sir, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. The thinking in most circles at the time was that Ironsi did not want to prosecute these people because they were from his ethnic group.

I did not know that the Yoruba Major (1 out of the 5) was from Ironsi's tribe, please educate me on this fallacy.

ono:

2. That this singular act, led to the bloody counter-coup, championed by the angry northern military elements in July 29, 1966, that led to the death of General Aguiyi Ironsi, his aides and other senior military officials at Lalupon, Ibadan, at the time, and led to the emergence of Lt. Col Yakubu Gowon as military head of state and CIC.

Since this was a military uprising any soldier (let alone a higher officer) has the option to fight against the uprising or become part of it. Ojukwu chose to fight because he was not part of the coup and the coup was targeted at the Igbos so what's your point?

ono:

3. That at the time, the people of the Niger Delta were sorely displeased at the high handed way the majority Igbos, in the then Eastern Region of Nigeria administered the region from Enugu.

I am sure not every Igbo speaking part of the Eastern region was happy about the administration and by the way oil wasn't the main stay then, so get your facts right or are you referring to palm oil?

ono:

4. That there were reported cases of uprisings in the northern part of the country. Cases of what can be termed genocide today, were reported. The ethnic groups in the north were up in arms against the Igbos in particular, and other ethnic groups in general in the Northern cities of Kano, Kaduna, Zaria and Sokoto. Many people lost their lives in the ensuing violence, including Igbos, Yorubas, Hausas and other ethnic groups. No doubt, the Igbos were hard hit because of the ''political mood'' at the time in the Northern parts of the country.

As some other posters have queried - so the innocent Igbos living in the North had to die for what 4 out of 5 Majors did in the army?

ono:

5. That Ojukwu, leader of the secessionist group carved up the Niger Delta as part of the breakaway republic of Biafra, to seize federal powers in the Eastern region for himself, the most consequential of which was his decision to take control of all Federal Statutary Corporations in the region and to retain all revenues collected for his own government - including oil revenues from the non-Igbo Niger delta region, which while not yet great in scale, were expected to increase in the coming years, huge reserves having been discovered in the area in the mid-1960s.

You surely don't know the facts. Ojukwu was in charge of the Eastern region and that included the present Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom states. Your analysis about crude oil story is not based on the reality on ground then abeg.

ono:

6. That Isaac Adaka Boro fought on the Federal troops sides largely to unite the country, and contribute his bit at reducing the influence of the Igbos on the people of the Niger Delta.

Thanks for the information. At least he achieved that task and we know better today.

ono:

7. That as soon as the oil rich areas of the SE region were secured by the Nigerian troops, access to food, water, and other munitions that would have helped Ojukwu and his armies was terminated. The bloody game was up.

The Biafran War was was largely an Oil War People with interests in controlling the oil deposits of the delta were at each others throat.

Put differently, the Igbos fought a noble war but Nigeria fought to secure the oil rich areas, little wonder a lot of Niger deltans today are shouting resource control.

Hear this - LOVE THE IGBOS OR HATE THEM, YOU CANNOT CERTAINLY IGNORE THEM

,

My dear Afam,
I quite understand why you respond like this. We're talking about something that affects your ethnic group. It's only normal for you to stand up in defence of your people, and look like a hero. But the truth must be told - as it is. And from the mouth of two or three witnesses, the truth will be established.

I did not know that the Yoruba Major (1 out of the 5) was from Ironsi's tribe, please educate me on this fallacy

1.0 When 5 people (4 Igbos, 1 Yoruba) exterminate a sitting government, in order to restore sanity in the system, sanity that has never seen the light of the day up to today as we discuss, what would you do to persuade me to believe that even the lone Yoruba man does not have some Igbo blood flowing through his veins? or he's even married to one Mbaise woman from present day Imo state? or he was mistaken to be a Yoruba man, when in reality, he was Igbo. In times like we have way back in 1966, where one Kaduna Ezeogwu, who speaks Hausa fluently but he's actually Igbo, can pool resources together and unseat a democratically elected government, I tell you anyone could have been mistaken for anybody.

And one can safely say that the Igbo military group organised that coup, looking at the number of participants - for majority normally carry the day. So, stop pointing accusing fingers at the lone ''Yoruba'' Major. Let him rest in peace.

Since this was a military uprising any soldier (let alone a higher officer) has the option to fight against the uprising or become part of it. Ojukwu chose to fight because he was not part of the coup and the coup was targeted at the Igbos so what's your point?

2.0 Well, Major General Aguiyi Ironsi is late now. We all would have loved to ask him why he did not fish out the perpetrators of the January 1966 coup that led to his own enthronment as CIC. From what I gathered, he had all the time in the world to prosecute the offending Majors or officers. But he choose to keep calm in the face of tyranny. Anyone, including myself, will quickly conclude that the Igbos are at work, trying to take control of the country. So, why are you complaining about the Northern Military elements' acts to restore normalcy and take vengeance on those who killed their leaders?. Sometimes silence can be misconstrued to mean accent to an act.

Beside, until Ironsi decided to keep mute, there was nothing like military uprising in the Nigerian Army at the time. His silence led to the uprising and his untimely death.

I am sure not every Igbo speaking part of the Eastern region was happy about the administration and by the way oil wasn't the main stay then, so get your facts right or are you referring to palm oil?

3.0 Well, like I used to say here on Nairaland, when a thief goes to other places to steal, the way to go after the operation is home So, if your people were complaining at the time, I bet theirs couldn't have been as loud as the ones from the Niger Delta, with varying dialect, and languages Igbos do not understand.

As some other posters have queried -  so the innocent Igbos living in the North had to die for what 4 out of 5 Majors did in the army?

4.0 The country was in chaos. Everywhere you go, there was confusion, and up North I don't know how the Igbos living there could have survived being in the presence of those who want them dead. No doubt, it was an unfortunate incident. And Gowon has said ''no victor, no vanquished''. What else would you have him do? Stab himself and other people for the Igbos mistakes?

You surely don't know the facts. Ojukwu was in charge of the Eastern region and that included the present Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom states. Your analysis about crude oil story is not based on the reality on ground then abeg

5.0 Ojukwu was one of the best trained soldiers at the time. A Sandhurst trained soldier. He is a bright chap from what I gathered. He couldn't have denied ever looking ahead into the future of Biafra with a juicy Niger Delta under his command And even if he denies it, of what effect would that make when we all know that at the time, the Delta oil resources were largely untapped, ripe, and waiting to be sucked up? I mean, who would not like to fight for such things? Abeg spare me about analysing the oil stuff on ground at the time.


6.0 True, Isaac Boro is dead. He's done his bit to better our lot. His legacy lives on. Today, even the Igbos are enjoying the dividends of what he fought for - well at least, the thing is being shared all over the place now and they're receiving a fair enough share, abi?

Put differently, the Igbos fought a noble war but Nigeria fought to secure the oil rich areas, little wonder a lot of Niger deltans today are shouting resource control.
Hear this - LOVE THE IGBOS OR HATE THEM, YOU CANNOT CERTAINLY IGNORE THEM

7.0 I do not hate anybody or tribal group. If anyone should be angry in present day Nigeria, it's the Delta people, of which I'm one - a bonafide one with both paternal and maternal links to several millions of cubic feet of untapped gas resources, billions of barrels of crude oil underground and other resources too numerous to mention. It is I who should be angry at the three major ethnic groups in this country hell bent on killing us and taking our lands. But I will be quiet, for a while, until I can smile once again!

McKren:

Afam

Some posts don't need to be dignified with a reply.

Some of us honestly need to go and research who make up the today Niger-Delta.

There are 9 States in Niger-Delta Development Commision (NDDC), Imo, Abia, Rivers, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Bayelsa and Ondo.

The first 2 are total Igbo States, in the next 4 there are apreciable amount of Igbos. That is 6/9 and someone will come here asking why the then Map of Biafra reflected parts of Niger-Delta.

Ono better don't start what you can't finish. You are the only person I have had confrontations with in Nairaland and I will not hessitate to do it again. Better don't start what you can't finish.

At this point I can safely sit back and watch the show as it unfolds. I know that discerning minds are reading and thinking. I have thrown spanners in the works. Let the action starts.

@Mckren,

Unfortunately, the onus lies on us to dispel the lies these Igbo haters keep spreading everywhere since there is a high probability that people will end up believing lies if they are told over and over again.

Thanks.

@ono,

You cannot even hide the hatred, it is stinking to high heavens.

Meanwhile, this forum cannot be used to fully educate you on what you seem not to understand ranging from military issues then to the spread of crude oil in the Niger Delta including majority of core Igbo states not to talk about the abundance of coal and other mineral resources.

Over 40% of electricity generated in the US comes from coal so that should tell you that left alone the Igbos will guarantee steady power supply in no time while making money from crude oil in Abia and Imo States.

Huge gas reserves in Anambra is another untapped resource and I hope you understand that gas reserves are more viable than crude oil reserves (try to understand this before you start challenging it, just get the facts right and everything will be just fine).

So stop blaming the 3 ethnic groups for any problems there. Having lived and worked in places like PH, Bonny Island, Eket and Warri I believe I have a fair understanding of what happens in the Niger Delta.

Do take this post as my last post to you as I do not have time for people that spread hate ideologies while masking same.

@Ono,
You're most likely living in some delusion. Igbos have crude oil and gas, so please stop telling us about your maternal and paternal links to natural resources. Dependence on oil alone leads to nowhere - see Nigeria with oil and Japan with none.

Now, that the government is run from Abuja, how have things changed?

I detest the treatment of people in the Niger Delta (by criminal outfits like Shell and ChevronTexaco) and I morally support MEND, however, the outright stupidity of many of the leaders from the Niger-Delta, past and present, have contributed in no small measure to the present problems in that region today.

@Afam, solid posts, keep it up!

@FACE, strong yarns, keep the flag flying!

My people, we're talking about 1966, where and when the oil and gas resources of the Igbo speaking areas were yet to be discovered. You guys are talking about them now because they are recent discoveries.

Besides, we're not talking about the Niger Delta here, are we? What you need to prove wrong is the facts that led to the Biafran War and nothing more. You don't want to take me on the Niger Delta issues, please hold your peace.

@Ono,

I do not hate anybody or tribal group. If anyone should be angry in present day Nigeria, it's the Delta people, of which I'm one - a bonafide one with both paternal and maternal links to several millions of cubic feet of untapped gas resources, billions of barrels of crude oil underground and other resources too numerous to mention. It is I who should be angry at the three major ethnic groups in this country hell bent on killing us and taking our lands. But I will be quiet, for a while, until I can smile once again!

I thought your people supported wholehearted the onslaught agaisnt the igbo people before. during and after the war?. I do think that you people should be happy for stayig in "
one and united Nigeria".

What the hell?. . .Biafra was fought because of oil? We have people replying this retard!

ono:

My people, we're talking about 1966, where and when the oil and gas resources of the Igbo speaking areas were yet to be discovered. You guys are talking about them now because they are recent discoveries.

Besides, we're not talking about the Niger Delta here, are we? What you need to prove wrong is the facts that led to the Biafran War and nothing more. You don't want to take me on the Niger Delta issues, please hold your peace.

@Ono
You seem to place a lot of emphasis on crude oil, as if that's the holy grail of development. Look at this issue globally, Japan (not a crude oil heavy weight) has 13 times the GDP and 2.5 times the GDP per capita of Saudi Arabia (260.1 billion barrels of oil reserves - about 24% of the world's proven total petroleum reserves). Having crude oil does not guarantee that every child that falls sick will get adequate health care, or that the schools will be well funded, or that basic amenities like power, good roads, etc. will be available. Nigeria is a good case study; with all the crude oil we have, how has it made life better for the average Nigerian? Though natural resources played a role in the Biafran War, the main reason for the war was survival. I see the war as a statement of survival. War has ended, Igbos have learnt a lesson or two, and they are doing an excellent job in surviving.

Today, decades after the Biafran War, the people of the Niger Delta are (still) being dispossessed of the resources (that you attach inordinate value to). As far as I'm concerned this (the plundering) is atrocious, however, if the thinking of the present leaders of the Niger Delta is anything remotely close to yours (I make no claim on your background), then the problems of the ND region will only persist, unfortunately.