The man dies in him who keeps silent in the face of tyranny (as well as evil and injustice), says Wole Soyinka. Following the recent death of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, I have heard comments in the media, internet and at discussions that Ojukwu caused the Nigerian Civil War. I believe that such comments are made either in ignorance or out of mischief, bigotry or hatred. Ojukwu DID NOT cause the civil war. Gowon and the massacre of Igbos, especially in the North, as well as the open or tacit endorsement by other parts of Nigeria of the pogrom against the Igbos caused the war. Igbos did not leave Nigeria. Nigerians chased Igbos out by killing them in their thousands, an act that said in clear terms that they were not wanted in Nigeria.

Firstly, between 50,000 and 100,000 Igbos were massacred in cold blood in 1966 without Gowon and his lieutenants doing any serious thing to protect the Igbos or to stop the carnage. Other Nigerians, with the exception of few men like Soyinka and co, said it served the Igbos right, meaning that cockroaches, rather than human beings, were being killed.

Secondly, even though Gowon and his lieutenants, who killed Ironsi and co, said it was not a coup but a military change in leadership, yet he perpetrated the military indiscipline of assuming power above Brig Ogundipe, who was next in rank to Ironsi.

Thirdly and most importantly, after signing an agreement as soldiers, whose words were supposed to be their bond, in Aburi, before Ghana’s head of state, Gowon reneged on the accord, which was an act of bad faith.

I admit that the North, especially, had every right to be angry that mainly Igbo soldiers killed their top men in the January 1966 coup, but if they had retaliated by killing Ironsi and other Igbo men in power, Igbos would have seen it as purely a military affair and moved on with their lives. But going beyond that and moving from house to house, smoking out children, women and defenceless men, who had been their neighbours and friends, and butchering them with glee, with other parts of Nigeria keeping quiet or justifying it, was the unkindest cut of all. Soldiers don't consult civilians when planning coups. When Buka Suka Dimka or Gideon Orkar executed bloody coups against Murtala Mohammed and Ibrahim Babangida in 1976 and 1990 respectively, the North did not go from house to house to kill Middlebelters.

Ojukwu, as the son of the richest Nigerian whose investments were almost 100% outside Igboland, was accused by Igbos of delaying the declaration of the Republic of Biafra, because he seemed to be concerned about not jeopardizing his father's investments. It took almost one year of negotiations and pressure before he finally did so. If you are the son of billionaires Aliko Dangote or Mike Adenuga, you can't be eager to lead a secession in Nigeria - for one to take such an action, something grievous must push one to do so. Any other person who was the Governor of Eastern region at that time would have declared the Republic of Biafra or resigned or removed.

It was because those who murdered the defenceless visitors in their midst in 1966 were not brought to book, that is why till today such ugly incidents continue to happen almost every year in Nigeria, including the carnage that took place after the presidential elections of 2011. Such actions are usually blamed on the almajiris, as if the almajiris are ghosts that fly in the air, unseen and untouchable. Even when a Danish man made a cartoon in far-away Denmark, Igbos were killed in the North. And one wonders if the Danish are descendants of Igbos or vice versa, or if the cartoonist was Danish-Igbo. Those who murdered Jews in cold blood in Europe 70 years ago are still being tried and jailed. Those who murdered Muslim-Croats in Srebrenica 20 years ago are still being tried and jailed. But those who repeatedly murder their innocent and defenceless compatriots are treated with kid gloves and allowed to plan the next carnage.

Any time injustice is done and we keep quiet, we make ourselves accomplices and future victims. It does not matter whether the victim is our enemy. When Ken Saro-Wiwa was protesting and later hanged, some of my Igbo brethren said, “that served him right,” because he supported Nigeria against Biafra, but I said: no, the man had a right to fight against the injustice meted out to his people, and his hanging was despicable. When MKO Abiola was denied his mandate, jailed, and died in prison, some people gloated that the Yorubas were witnessing the injustice the Igbos complained about, but I said no. It is unjust and wicked to steal a man's mandate, put him in prison, kill his wife and kinsmen and watch him die under mysterious circumstances in custody. The same thing goes for the daily or weekly carnage going on in Jos. Evil is evil, no matter to whom it is meted out. Injustice is injustice anywhere in the world. If you keep quiet today because your enemy is the victim, when it will be your turn, nobody will be available to speak for you. Martin Niemöller said:
“First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

Nigeria will never make any progress if we continue to see each other as enemies that should be easily butchered at the lightest disagreement, or if we continue to condone or justify injustice and discrimination. The more we murder one another because of differences in ethnicity or religion, the more we destroy the people’s belief in Nigeria and make Nigerians view each other with suspicion. The more we wallow in bigotry and hatred, the more we destroy Nigeria and continue to make it a potential giant, but never a real giant. Nigeria has bled for too long and we need to stop its wounds now.

Right on point! I have made these arguments on NL time and time again!

Some NL posters jest at these issues but have the audacity to complain about other ethnicities, or the State of accountability in the State and Economy, but little do they know that you can't build a solid functional house on shakey foundations. Nigeria is the Devil's lair, there is something inherently evil about this artificially created Nation State of ours.

In the words of Edmund Burke, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing".

I thought this ppl want Nigeria to divide? More of them just keeps speaking against it?

What are they afraid of?

Simplest way to prevent civil war? : Start with corruption. Then Federalism.

Ileke-Idi, Dayokanu, Bluetooth, Alj_Harem, Lagcity, seante02 please take note.

Oh the Akwuna 1 of NL has already posted above me

Forget about another war! Let's channel our energy to combating corruption and reducing same to minimum level.

I admit that the North, especially, had every right to be angry that mainly Igbo soldiers killed their top men in the January 1966 coup, but if they had retaliated by killing Ironsi and other Igbo men in power, Igbos would have seen it as purely a military affair and moved on with their lives. But going beyond that and moving from house to house, smoking out children, women and defenceless men, who had been their neighbours and friends, and butchering them with glee, with other parts of Nigeria keeping quiet or justifying it, was the unkindest cut of all. Soldiers don't consult civilians when planning coups. When Buka Suka Dimka or Gideon Orkar executed bloody coups against Murtala Mohammed and Ibrahim Babangida in 1976 and 1990 respectively, the North did not go from house to house to kill Middlebelters.

Next time. . . .tell them not to look for trouble.
Iraq had to pay for 9-11 remember?. . .even where majority of the 'bombers' were from Saudi Arabia.
Ojukwu did not help matters. He may not have started the war. . . BUT HE PROLONGED IT!
At the end of it all, what did he accomplish? NOTHING!!!!
He made things worse for Igbo people and Nigeria as a whole.
HE PUT A WEDGE BETWEEN THE ANIOMAS AND THE ACROSS THE NIGER IGBOS(THEY CAN NEVER BE ONE LAI LAI. . . . .AND FOR GOOD REASON)
After setting fire to the whole place with his bushy-bearded ambition. . . the coward ran to Abijan to cool off till. . . . .GOD bless the Northerners for granting him freedom from exile!

He did not assist Nzeogwu to make sure Igbo generals were killed during the 1966 coup out of IGBOTIC envy of Nzeogwu.
Then wanted the assistance of others to be a one-man-gang and hero.
Die he not betray his other Igbo brothers? How did Zik flee?
The man don die go. . . GOOOOOOD RIDDDDANCE TO BAD UGLY RUBBISH!!!!!
OJUKWU WAS A COWARD AND A TRAITOR!!!! His legacy to the Igbos we STILL SEE IN MOST OF THEM TODAY. . . anywhere the wind blows. NO PRINCIPLES!
All about MONEY-MONE-MONEY!

Gone are those days.
Nigeria has learned a grave lesson.
Cowards have learned to blow up their own home states.

MEND cannot go to Northern Nigeria.
Boko Haram cannot go to Southern Nigeria.

Who go fight the war?

Siddon-look Nigerians?
Abeg make we hia sointin.

ShiiiiiYOOOOOR!

Can you be more specific about your "other parts of Nigeria" as that is a broad brush.

Ojukwu did not start the war, war was brought to him by sociopaths hell bent on evil. But in the same way you say Eastern civilians were not consulted by Nzeowu and Co, you need to be more specific about your "other Nigerians".

I don't think you can fault Ojukwu for doubting Gowon's fidelity in implementing Aburi, as the sociopaths behind Gowon had already breached trust before. These sociopaths were: Muritala Mohammed, Danjuma, Musa YarAdua, Dimka, Abacha and Babangida.

This is a very well written article.

It baffles me that a good number of Nigerians do not know what led to the civil war. A lot of people just follow the silly ones to claim that "Ojukwu started the war because he wanted to be in control", and they do not bother to find out the real events that led to the war.

People ought to get their facts right before running their mouths.

Ojukwu, as the son of the richest Nigerian whose investments were almost 100% outside Igboland, [/b]was accused by Igbos of delaying the declaration of the Republic of Biafra, [b]because he seemed to be concerned about not jeopardizing his father's investments. It took almost one year of negotiations and pressure before he finally did so. [b]If you are the son of billionaires Aliko Dangote or Mike Adenuga, you can't be eager to lead a secession in Nigeria - for one to take such an action, [/b]something grievous must push one to do so. Any other person who was the Governor of Eastern region at that time would have declared the Republic of Biafra or resigned or removed.

Nigerians would NEVER acknowledge the difficulty Ojukwu faced in the decision to declare Biafra. The man put his people's interest ahead of his own personal interest. Declaring Biafra must have been the toughest decision he made in his life. But revisionists would rather make us believe that he was selfish and ambitious.
Frankly, I don't give a rats as55 what anyone thinks.

Onlytruth:

Nigerians would NEVER acknowledge the difficulty Ojukwu faced in the decision to declare Biafra. The man put his people's interest ahead of his own personal interest. Declaring Biafra must have been the toughest decision he made in his life. But revisionists would rather make us believe that he was selfish and ambitious.
[size=18pt]Frankly, I don't give a rats as55 what anyone thinks.
[/size]

Then stop hyperventilating on every thread.

Just ignore, aiight. Very easy, takes control.

It's hard not to care about something you love. It's harder to admit that you "give a rat azz".

Nice piece, But written by an igbo person, I smell a rat. I am from Akwa Ibom State and My parent taught me somethings. Number one is NEVER TRUST AN IGBO MAN. No need to remind about Col Effiong and many other Akwa Ibomites that fought during the war. I fear Igbo people but I cannot run. *just saying!

^^^you lie, you re not from akwa ibom

Smh at what some parents teach their kids. Later some people will be screaming "ONE NIGERIA".

I bet the mother dog has taught her pups never to trust anything that stands and walks on two legs, has xteristics of a mammal and a primate, and at the same time speaks a certain language like tĦey are speaking through their noses. I bet even mother dog says "Pups. . . Don't trust any one from -----------, as tĦey choose to devour 'anything' that comes their way".

. . . Just saying

@ Admin, this needs to make the home-page fast, given its nationalistic thrust. Excellent, detribalised piece! Award-winning piece from a heart filled with truth, integrity and nationalism. I learnt from childhood not to accept wholly stories handed down by parents, uncles and neighbours on national issues but to seek the opinions of other people thro books, newspapers etc. Most people who make funny comments about the Civil War, June 12, etc do so based on what they heard from other uninformed people.

I am glad for the response I am getting from this. I have just decided to let the house deal with this issue.

Thank God we have people of like minded. And many thanks to my friend and my Azuka Onwuka.

Cheers!

"Ojukwu, as the son of the richest Nigerian whose investments were almost 100% outside Igboland, was accused by Igbos of delaying the declaration of the Republic of Biafra, because he seemed to be concerned about not jeopardizing his father's investments. It took almost one year of negotiations and pressure before he finally did so. If you are the son of billionaires Aliko Dangote or Mike Adenuga, you can't be eager to lead a secession in Nigeria - for one to take such an action, something grievous must push one to do so. Any other person who was the Governor of Eastern region at that time would have declared the Republic of Biafra or resigned or removed."

What is Aliko Dangote's wealth when you have hundreds of billions potentially waiting for you in the swamps of Niger Delta. The support given by France and some other countries were not given because they love Biafrans more than any other Africans. It was because of oyel.
If he had succeeded, he probably would have become the richest African anyway.

The sooner we break up peacefully,d better for all of us.With the way things are going,another civil war is inevitable.Unity is not compulsory.