[size=14pt]Anybody in Ojukwu's shoes in 1966 would've acted the same way -Shagaya[/size]

Written by Jude Owuamanam


Brig.-Gen. John Shagaya, who commanded the ECOWAS Monitoring Group in Liberia as well as served as the Minister of Internal Affairs during the Gen. Sani Abacha regime, in this interview with JUDE OWUAMANAM, bares his mind on the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu




[img]http://odili.net/news/source/2011/nov/29/punch/images/6dd00e13b3a89ec53141b1898d97d892_M[1].jpg[/img]
Brig.-Gen. John Shagaya










What type of soldier did you see in Ojukwu?




Ojukwu was a rebel with a cause who very much believed in a cause he was fighting. I will miss him. I have visited him on a number of occasions in Enugu and I saw in him a man of courage and perseverance. I can only describe him as a soldiers’ soldier. Ojukwu demonstrated sterling qualities, especially to the cause of Igbo emancipation. Ojukwu was a soldiers’ soldier and just like Gen. Yakubu Gowon, he took a tremendous risk. I respect him for his cause and his magnanimity in accepting the end of the war. I also admire him for his belief in one Nigeria




How would you describe his action during those troubled days, especially his decision to pull the South-East out of Nigeria?


Given Ojukwu’s position and disposition during the troubled days of the First Republic, anyone would have done what he did. Any soldier worth his salt would have acted the same way as the Ikemba did in 1966 when he ceded Biafra from Nigeria. Nobody in that position would stand aside and watch his people being killed because the situation in 1966 would have pushed anybody to do what he did, especially after the retaliatory coup of July 1966. Not many people would have had the courage to do the things that he did. He was a source of inspiration to many of us during those turbulent years.




What leadership qualities did you find in him?


Ojukwu demonstrated sterling leadership qualities so much so that he was admired by many. I very much value his Queens English and the way he comported himself. He was also quick to accept to surrender and since then his belief in one Nigeria remained unshaken till his death. I will miss him a lot because as a young officer just passing out of military school, I saw in him a model in the military. I admired his courage, tenacity of purpose and unalloyed commitment to the cause of his people.




You can see many sides of him depending on where you stand, but I can tell you that the circumstances he found himself in 1966 dictated that he could not have done otherwise. It could have been me. Like a doctor, the first thing was to give people comfort. Most of the young officers who fought the war did not actually understood why they were fighting, especially on the federal side. They were made to believe that they were quashing a rebellion. And they fought with that impression.

How close were you to him?

We worked closely, especially in setting up the war museum in Umuahia and I have collaborated with him on many projects as regards the war. As I told you, I have visited him on many occasions in Enugu and I found him an amiable person. I respect him for his cause.




No great quality of leadership could be more than that. His quality of leadership would amount to people following you and dying with you. Only a few demonstrated it like Adolf Hitler did. I enjoyed his cooperation when we were collecting artefacts for the war museum during the Buhari/Idiagbon regime. I was the chairman of that project and he cooperated. Without his cooperation, we would not have recovered such artefacts like Ogbunigwe, the Biafran Baby and the war ship that was captured by Biafran troops during the war. He was even present at the Concorde Hotel in Owerri when the inauguration and that showed his belief in one Nigeria.




What lesson can we learn from the civil war?


The civil war should teach us that there is dignity in dialogue, but unfortunately we have not learnt from that. What is happening in Nigeria today is far greater than what happened before the civil war. I think we should try to avoid a repeat of that unfortunate incident because what is happening in Nigeria today could be worse than what Ojukwu saw in Nigeria of 1966

http://www.punchng.com/

Anybody except Yorubas in Ojukwu's shoes in 1966 would've acted the same way -Shagaya


This is coming from a northerner while our southern Yoruba neighbours are here yanning opata all over the place. We are already laughing last.

Igbos, led by Ojukwu, fought back when they were being killed by fellow Nigerians
Ogundipe, typical Yoruba coward, laced his agbada and fled to the UK
Yorubas during the June 12 debacle crawled into caves in Benin Republic and escaped to England from there.
When Hausa looked the other way, they began crwling back slowly from the backyard. Only for them to say pim and Abacha put them back in the gulag
No do, no do Abiola died like a chicken, yet no rooster crowed. Instead Diya and Abdul Kareem, supposed Yoruba generals, went begging a mere major. What a bunch of cowards.

Yorubas were killed in Sagamu, they all ran to Lagos and almost emptied themselves in Lekki Lagoon in fright.


Ojukwu's body would be flown to different countries in a blaze of glory while Awo died like a rat and buried the same way, no autopsy done to cover the fact of suicide. Adekunle remains a midget holed up in some hamlet in Ogbomosho, unknown to modernity and consigned to history, unremembered, unsong.

Hahahaha! Igbos are laughing last. Gbam: message from Nigerien (nwa afo)

@ topic

well, maybe, maybe not.


sounds like the secession had been in the works for sometime, or how did it happen so fast after the pogroms.

would there still have been a secession without the pogrom?


there was some intense intrigue chess playing going on at that time which is yet to be figured out.

Most of the young officers who fought the war did not actually understood why they were fighting, especially on the federal side. They were made to believe that they were quashing a rebellion. And they fought with that impression.

Hahaha! Powerful summation there, Shagaya.

Bottomline is everyone is wishing they had gone apart. Nobody is to blame here because no one knew the North will evolve to modern day terrorists someday. As a matter of fact, if the US and UK knew, they wouldn't have supported Nigeria during the civil war.

Most of the young officers who fought the war did not actually understood why they were fighting, especially on the federal side. They were made to believe that they were quashing a rebellion. And they fought with that impression.

that goes to show you that it was Nigeria that launch a war on biafra.Ojukwu only pulled out of Nigeria but the federal side in a bid to capture the eastern side launch a war on the biafra and Ojukwu had to defend his people from the aggressors.


History always have a way of vindicating people.am sad,at the same time glad all these revelations are coming out now,also with the present realities of Nigeria which have beencome more of a nightmare than a blessing.Shame on Nigeria Especially the whole north except (Benue,kogi, kwara )they are out biggest problem.the earlier we recognize it the better for use.


NIGERIA MUST SPLIT IF WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD.MAKE ALL MAN BARE EM PAPA NAME.

manchy7531:
History always have a way of vindicating people.am sad,at the same time glad all these revelations are coming out now,also with the present realities of Nigeria which have beencome more of a nightmare than a blessing.Shame on Nigeria Especially the whole north except (Benue,kogi, kwara )they are out biggest problem.the earlier we recognize it the better for use.

NIGERIA MUST SPLIT IF WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD.MAKE ALL MAN BARE EM PAPA NAME.

Shame not only to Northerners, also Yorubas

Umunne mu biko enlighten me, is it true that Awaolowo committed suicide truly ??

aloy/emeka:

Bottomline is everyone is wishing they had gone apart. Nobody is to blame here because no one knew the North will evolve to modern day terrorists someday. As a matter of fact, if the US and UK knew, they wouldn't have supported Nigeria during the civil war.

This is an irresponsible attempt to copout in order to see off culpability as a result of political shortsightedness displayed by the participating principals in Nigeria/Biafra war except Ojukwu.

Visionary is not seeing things the way they are but the way they should have been. The bottom line is those who joined Nigeria to precipitate a war against Biafra were foolish, idiotic and politically blind.

Dede1:

The bottom line is those who joined Nigeria to precipitate a war against Biafra were foolish, idiotic and politically blind.

Err, Nigeria thrashed Biafra in the war and Biafra lost. Period. Don't attempt to rewrite history again buddy. Your commanders should have known that in a war, you use every means necessary to win, including assistance from friends. The tragedy here is that you people went to war unprepared, and did not surrender promptly.