While I have been on this forum I have earnestly tried my best not to get involved in the ridiculous daily jingoistic tribal wars fought on this forum. Though a vociferous political animal, I have tried so hard to subdue my inherent prejudice that it recently resulted into me being declared an Igbo man by our favourite Alhaji of all tribes lol. But recently my attention has been captured by the unnecessary Revisionist propaganda perpetuated by our wannabe Biafran Warriors* (mainly of the diaspora) trying to malign IMO, the greatest political speech of Nigeria’s 50 something wasteful year history. I wanted to title this “Awo’s speech for dummies”- but I have come to realise that though I love this speech so much as it captures everything I have loved and continue to love about Baba, it is not that easy to understand for those not familiar with his writings or the legal profession with which he belonged too. Anyway here’s me doing my part- Awo’s speech explained.

The aim of a leader should be the welfare of the people whom he leads. I have used 'welfare' to denote the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the people. With this aim fixed unflinchingly and unchangeably before my eyes I consider it my duty to Yoruba people in particular and to Nigerians in general, to place four imperatives before you this morning.

Self explanatory

Two of them are categorical*.........

Definition: categorical- unambiguously explicit and direct
Simple English- clear

.........and two are conditional*.

Definition: subject to one or more conditions being met. A conditional clause or conjuction
Simple English- uncertain, unless something happens.

(Remember he said 4 imperatives (directions/instructions) and he goes on to name them)

1.Only a peaceful solution must be found to arrest the present worsening stalemate and restore normalcy.
2.The Eastern Region must be encouraged to remain part of the Federation.
3.If the Eastern Region is allowed by acts of omission or commission to secede from or opt out of Nigeria, then the Western Region and Lagos must also stay out of the Federation.
4.The people of Western Nigeria and Lagos should participate in the ad hoc committee or any similar body only on the basis of absolute equality with the other regions of the Federation.

Now he goes on to explain/ give more info on each instruction in his own words, but before we get onto that lets deal with point 3, the main point of contention by wept over modern day adolescent Biafrans.

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

Definition: an act of omission is a failure to do something
Definiton: an act of commission is doing something
Simple English: If Eastern Nigeria is allowed to leave Nigeria, because of something that was done or not done, then the Western Region and Lagos must also be allowed to leave Nigeria and do what we want.

I would like to comment briefly on these four imperatives.

I said this was coming. He now comments on each one of them in his own words. Here you can better appreciate the meaning of his 4 imperatives.

1.Only a peaceful solution must be found to arrest the present worsening stalemate and restore normalcy.
There has, of late, been a good deal of sabre rattling in some parts of the country. Those who advocate the use force for the settlement of our present problems should stop a little and reflect. I can see no vital and abiding principle involved in any war between the North and the East. If the East attacked the North, it would be for purpose of revenge pure and simple. Any claim to the contrary would be untenable. If it is claimed that such a war is being waged for the purpose of recovering the real and personal properties left behind in the North by Easterners two insuperable points are obvious. Firstly, the personal effects left behind by Easterners have been wholly looted or destroyed, and can no longer be physically recovered. Secondly, since the real properties are immovable in case of recovery of them can only be by means of forcible military occupation of those parts of the North in which these properties are situated. On the other hand, if the North attacked the East, it could only be for the purpose of further strengthening and entrenching its position of dominance in the country.
If it is claimed that an attack on the East is going to be launched by the Federal Government and not by the North as such and that it is designed to ensure the unity and integrity of the Federation, two other insuperable points also become obvious. First, if a war against the East becomes a necessity it must be agreed to unanimously by the remaining units of the Federation. In this connection, the West, Mid- West and Lagos have declared their implacable* (overwhelming/unquestionable) opposition to the use of force in solving the present problem. In the face of such declarations by three out of remaining four territories of Nigeria, a war against the East could only be a war favoured by the North alone. Second, if the true purpose of such a war is to preserve the unity and integrity of the Federation, then these ends can be achieved by the very simple devices of implementing the recommendation of the committee which met on August 9 1966, as reaffirmed by a decision of the military leaders at Aburi on January 5 1967 as well as by accepting such of the demands of the East, West, Mid-West and Lagos as are manifestly reasonable, and essential for assuring harmonious relationships and peaceful co-existence between them and their brothers and sisters in the North.
Some knowledgeable persons have likened an attack on the East to Lincoln's war against the southern states in America. Two vital factors distinguish Lincoln's campaign from the one now being contemplated in Nigeria. The first is that the American civil war was aimed at the abolition of slavery - that is the liberation of millions of Negroes who were then still being used as chattels and worse than domestic animals. The second factor is that Lincoln and others in the northern states were English-speaking people waging a war of good conscience and humanity against their fellow nationals who were also English speaking. A war against the East in which Northern soldiers are predominant, will only unite the Easterners or the Ibos against their attackers, strengthen them in their belief that they are not wanted by the majority of their fellow-Nigerians, and finally push them out of the Federation.
We have been told that an act of secession on the part of the East would be a signal, in the first instance, for the creation of the COR state by decree, which would be backed, if need be, by the use of force. With great respect, I have some dissenting observations to make on this declaration. There are 11 national or linguistic groups in the COR areas with a total population of 5.3 millions. These national groups are as distinct from one another as the Ibos are distinct from them or from the Yorubas or Hausas. Of the 11, the Efik/Ibibio/Annang national group are 3.2 million strong as against the Ijaws who are only about 700,000 strong. Ostensibly, the remaining nine national group number 1.4 millions. But when you have subtracted the Ibo inhabitants from among them, what is left ranges from the Ngennis who number only 8,000 to the Ogonis who are 220,000 strong. A decree creating a COR state without a plebiscite to ascertain the wishes of the peoples in the area, would only amount to subordinating the minority national groups in the state to the dominance of the Efik/Ibibio/Annang national group. It would be perfectly in order to create a Calabar state or a Rivers state by decree, and without a plebiscite. Each is a homogeneous national unit. But before you lump distinct and diverse national units together in one state, the consent of each of them is indispensable. Otherwise, the seed of social disequilibrium in the new state would have been sown.
On the other hand, if the COR State is created by decree after the Eastern Region shall have made its severance from Nigeria effective, we should then be waging an unjust war against a foreign state. It would be an unjust war, because the purpose of it would be to remove 10 minorities in the East from the dominance of the Ibos only to subordinate them to the dominance of the Efik/Ibibio/Annang national group. I think I have said enough to demonstrate that any war against the East[u], or vice versa,[/u] on any count whatsoever, would be an unholy crusade, for which it would be most unjustifiable to shed a drop of Nigerian blood.

It’s funny how our NL Biafran soldiers love to quote this part but never deal with the vice versa part.
Definiton: with the main items in the preceding statement the other way round.
Simple English: “I think I have said enough to say that any war againt Nigeria (obviously by Biafra or any of it’s allies), on any count whatsoever, would be an unholy crusade, for which it would be unjustifiable to shed a dropo of Nigerian blood (Nigerian blood in both statements includes everyone).

Therefore, only a peaceful solution must be found, and quickly too to arrest the present rapidly deteriorating stalemate and restore normalcy.

2.The Eastern Region must be encouraged to remain part of the Federation.
With regard to the second categorical imperative, it is my considered view that whilst some of the demands of the East are excessive within the context of a Nigerian union, most of such demands are not only wellfounded, but are designed for smooth and steady association amongst the various national units of Nigeria.
The dependence of the Federal Government on financial contributions from the regions? These and other such like demands I do not support. Demands such as these, if accepted, will lead surely to the complete disintegration of the Federation which is not in the interest of our people. But I wholeheartedly support the following demands among others, which we consider reasonable and most of which are already embodied in our memoranda to the Ad Hoc Committee....
That revenue should be allocated strictly on the basis of derivation; that is to say after the Federal Government has deducted its own share for its own services the rest should be allocated to the regions to which they are attributable.
That the existing public debt of the Federation should become the responsibility of the regions on the basis of the location of the projects in respect of each debt whether internal or external.

That each region should have and control its own militia and police force.

That, with immediate effect, all military personnel should be posted to their regions of origin....

If we are to live in harmony one with another as Nigerians it is imperative that these demands and others which are not related, should be met without further delay by those who have hitherto resisted them. To those who may argue that the acceptance of these demands will amount to transforming Nigeria into a federation with a weak central government, my comment is that any link however tenuous, which keeps the East in the Nigerian union, is better in my view than no link at all. (This is from a man who supposedly hates the Igbos with Hitleric passion, may God forgive )

3.If the Eastern Region is allowed by acts of omission or commission to secede from or opt out of Nigeria, then the Western Region and Lagos must also stay out of the Federation.
Before the Western delegates went to Lagos to attend the meetings of the ad hoc committee, they were given a clear mandate that if any region should opt out of the Federation of Nigeria, then the Federation! should be considered to be at an end, and that the Western Region and Lagos should also opt out of it. It would then be up to Western Nigeria and Lagos as an independent sovereign state to enter into association with any of the Nigerian units of its own choosing, and on terms mutually acceptable to them. I see no reason for departing from this mandate. If any region in Nigeria considers itself strong enough to compel us to enter into association with it on its own terms, I would only wish such a region luck. But such luck, I must warn, will, in the long run be no better than that which has attended the doings of all colonial powers down the ages. This much I must say in addition, on this point. We have neither military might nor the overwhelming advantage of numbers here in Western Nigeria and Lagos. But we have justice of a noble and imperishable cause on our side, namely: the right of a people to unfettered self-determination. If this is so, then God is on our side, and if God is with us then we have nothing whatsoever in this world to fear.

4.The people of Western Nigeria and Lagos should participate in the ad hoc committee or any similar body only on the basis of absolute equality with the other regions of the Federation.
The fourth imperative, and the second conditional one has been fully dealt with in my recent letter to the Military Governor of Western Nigeria, Col. Robert Adebayo, and in the representation which your deputation made last year to the head of the Federal Military Government, Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon. As a matter of fact, as far back as November last year a smaller meeting of leaders of thought in this Region decided that unless certain things were done, we would no longer participate in the meeting of the ad hoc committee. But since then, not even one of our legitimate requests has been granted. I q, therefore, take no more of your time in making further comments on a point with which you are well familiar. As soon as our humble and earnest requests are met, I shall be ready to take my place on the ad hoc committee. But certainly, not before.

And finally

In closing, I have this piece of advice to give. In order to resolve amiably and in the best interests of all Nigerians certain attributes are required on the part of Nigerian leaders, military as well as non-military leaders alike, namely: vision, realism and unselfishness. [i](all things you showed Baba, God will continue to bless your memory)[/i]But above all , what will keep Nigerian leaders in the North and East unwaveringly in the path of wisdom, realism and moderation is courage and steadfastness on the part of Yoruba people in the course of what they sincerely believe to be right, equitable and just. In the past five years we in the West and Lagos have shown that we possess these qualities in a large measure. If we demonstrate them again as we did in the past, calmly and heroically, we will save Nigeria from further bloodshed and imminent wreck and, at the same time, preserve our freedom and self-respect into the bargain.

May God rule and guide our deliberations here, and endow all the Nigerian leaders with the vision, realism, and unselfishness as well as courage and steadfastness in the course of truth, which the present circumstances demand. "

Maybe we might need to get it translated into etnic languages or pidgin for peace to reign.

The usual ranting of Rat poison loving people . . . . . . . . . . . . .


@Poster, can u also kindly explain what your Sage Adekunle was trying to say in the quote below:-


. . . . "Personally, now and for some times i feel so ashamed to have killed people to sustain the unity of niGERia. I feel so SAD to have shed blood for the unity of niGERia. While some of us were dying in the battle field for the restoration of niGERia as one country, some people have their eagle eyes on one particular subject OIL, the live wire of the economy, the new fulcrum or pendulum of power. While we fought for the country, some people have been reaping where they didnt not sow. They have been reaping bogus population figures fashioned to suit their selfish purpose......''

^^^Wat does your post hav to do wit wat the OP pointed out?

Awo was the best president, Nigeria never had. A very unassuming,eagle eyed and intelligent leader. He scored 10/10 in the leadership domain. He was also not impulsive, a trait many past/present leaders do not have.

I agree Awo was very talented and even more realistic than his contemporaries, you know who.
However, my question to the Op is: why do you think you have the intellectual wherewithall to interpret Awo to us. It would be nice if could post a link to something like "Awo's explanation to his own statements" If you can't, I don't see any need to read Awo to us.

naijaking1: I agree Awo was very talented and even more realistic than his contemporaries, you know who.
However, my question to the Op is: why do you think you have the intellectual wherewithall to interpret Awo to us. It would be nice if could post a link to something like "Awo's explanation to his own statements" If you can't, I don't see any need to read Awo to us.

This is the link where he explained himself - the audio is on the right-hand side of the webpage.

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/newsflash/exclusive-chief-obafemi-awolowo-on-biafra-in-his-own-words.html

My daughter who has never known any tribalism in this world as she is so young once saw a photo of awolowo and said: "frog man".
I laughed and told her that she is very insightful as she is looking at the closest link between a reptile and a human being.
Awolowo was a snake. Talking and analysing, and making promises. When the time came to act what did he do? Took up finance minister job and started a policy of starvation of one third of what he called his fellow country men.
But karma has a way of doing things.
Our people are better than his people today.
His fulani masters made him drink rat poison.
Yorubaland is still more underdeveloped than before anytime in living memory.
His people are begging for oil subsidy.
His people can't survive without us.

^^^
Are you for real?

I am sure that was a rhetorical question. They are never for real.

chosen04: The usual ranting of Rat poison loving people . . . . . . . . . . . . .


@Poster, can u also kindly explain what your Sage Adekunle was trying to say in the quote below:-


. . . . "Personally, now and for some times i feel so ashamed to have killed people to sustain the unity of niGERia. I feel so SAD to have shed blood for the unity of niGERia. While some of us were dying in the battle field for the restoration of niGERia as one country, some people have their eagle eyes on one particular subject OIL, the live wire of the economy, the new fulcrum or pendulum of power. While we fought for the country, some people have been reaping where they didnt not sow. They have been reaping bogus population figures fashioned to suit their selfish purpose......''

I pity your husband.

~Bluetooth:


I pity your husband.

That is her husband was an Yoruba.

Logic Mind:

That is her husband was an Yoruba.

No yoruba will go near her,so she better hang on to okoro that will smash her head later.

you had to explain what he meant because evil men never speak in clear terms , they speak in such away that they can twist what they said or deny it and put another meaning to it later when it no longet suits them, what?? did someone say its in yoruba DNA

chosen04: The usual ranting of Rat poison loving people . . . . . . . . . . . . .


@Poster, can u also kindly explain what your Sage Adekunle was trying to say in the quote below:-


. . . . "Personally, now and for some times i feel so ashamed to have killed people to sustain the unity of niGERia. I feel so SAD to have shed blood for the unity of niGERia. While some of us were dying in the battle field for the restoration of niGERia as one country, some people have their eagle eyes on one particular subject OIL, the live wire of the economy, the new fulcrum or pendulum of power. While we fought for the country, some people have been reaping where they didnt not sow. They have been reaping bogus population figures fashioned to suit their selfish purpose......''

@OP, since you enjoy resurrecting topics that had been thrashed before and as you seem to have a 'better understanding' of things, kindly explain the above quote from sage Adekunle in simple English please. Thanks

According to Ojukwu's MEn



Consequently, a war that was initially planned to last for 24-hours dragged for three years from May 1967 to January 1970. As the Biafrans resisted to the surprise of the federal government, the then Minister of Finance, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, came up with a strategy. The strategy was hunger and starvation that would weaken the beleaguered Easterners.


According to Awo, starvation was a weapon of war. The best way to deal with Biafra, he thought, was to impose total blockade on the encircled territory and prevent foods and other material supplies from getting in. With empty stomach, he thought, the soldiers would be weak to fight and would surrender.


How ever according to AWO:


STARVATION POLICY

Then, but above all, the ending of the war itself that I’m accused of, accused of starving the Ibos, I did nothing of the sort. You know, shortly after the liberation of these places, Calabar, Enugu and Port Harcort, I decided to pay a visit. There are certain things which I knew which you don’t know, which I don’t want to say here now, when I write my reminisces in the future I will do so. Some of the soldiers were not truthful with us, they didn’t tell us correct stories and so on.

I wanted to be there and see things for myself, bear in mind that Gowon himself did not go there at that time, it was after the war was over that he dorn himself up in various military dresses- Air force dress, Army dress and so on, and went to the war torn areas. But I went and some people tried to frighten me out of my goal by saying that Adekunle was my enemy and he was going to see to it that I never return from the place, so I went.

But when I went what did I see? I saw the kwashiorkor victims. If you see a kwashiorkor victim you’ll never like war to be waged. Terrible sight, in Enugu, in Port Harcourt, not many in Calabar, but mainly in Enugu and Port Harcourt. Then I enquired what happened to the food we are sending to the civilians. We were sending food through the Red cross, and CARITAS to them, but what happen was that the vehicles carrying the food were always ambushed by the soldiers. That’s what I discovered, and the food would then be taken to the soldiers to feed them, and so they were able to continue to fight. And I said that was a very dangerous policy, we didn’t intend the food for soldiers. But who will go behind the line to stop the soldiers from ambushing the vehicles that were carrying the food? And as long as soldiers were fed, the war will continue, and who’ll continue to suffer? and those who didn’t go to the place to see things as I did, you remember that all the big guns, all the soldiers in the Biafran army looked all well fed after the war, its only the mass of the people that suffered kwashiorkor.

You wont hear of a single lawyer, a single doctor, a single architect, who suffered from kwashiorkor? None of their children either, so they waylaid the foods, they ambush the vehicles and took the foods to their friends and to their collaborators and to their children and the masses were suffering. So I decided to stop sending the food there. In the process the civilians would suffer, but the soldiers will suffer most.



I dont know whom to believe again. But the Nigerian Army can not use food as a weapon of war wihout getting clearance from presidency , either the president of his vice who doubled as a minister for finance.

kettykin:


So I decided to stop sending the food there. In the process the civilians would suffer, but the soldiers will suffer most.



I dont know whom to believe again. But the Nigerian Army can not use food as a weapon of war wihout getting clearance from presidency , either the president of his vice who doubled as a minister for finance.

He just told you and you are still asking who to believe.

[/quote][quote]

However, one factor that has stood out most frequently in history is when an army or unit has its supply chain cut or threatened. This is precisely what befell the beleaguered 16th Brigade under the valiant Lt. Col. E. A. Etuk of the 3rd Marine Commando Division under Colonel Benjamin A.M. Adekunle of the Nigerian Army at Owerri from January to April 1969 during the civil war. More than any other, this single disastrous development directly led to the change of command of the 3rd Marine Commando. An Army HQ Operational Order to this effect was dated on May 9, 1969. It was then publicly announced on May 12, 1969 that Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo had replaced Colonel Benjamin Adekunle as GOC 3 Marine Commando. On May 16, 1969, Obasanjo physically took over the Division.

Crack Biafran troops of the 60th, 52nd, and 63rd Brigades, along with the 68th Commando Battalion detachment of the "S" Division, all under the 14 Infantry Division, led by Colonel Ogbugo Kalu carried out the Owerri pincer operation – which proved to be a huge boost to Biafran morale. However, remnants of the badly mauled 16 Brigade of 3MCDO later miraculously slipped out of encirclement under the brilliant command and leadership in crisis of Col. Etuk – widely regarded by former Biafran commanders as the best Nigerian field commander of the war. It was at Owerri that Major Ted Hamman, Etuk’s second-in-command, lost his life.


But even more startling, in planning for offensives after May 1969, the AHQ projected a minimum of about 15 million rounds of 7.62-mm rifle ammunition for each division, supplemented by another 15 million rounds held in reserve in Lagos. All of this was to be purchased from the USSR, Spain and the UK. In other words, enough ammunition to kill the entire 60 million strong population of the country at that time! This does not include Mortar and Artillery shells, etc. This “ammunition mentality” was amplified by reassurances that Biafran soldiers were unarmed or poorly armed. But as federal casualties mounted and it became apparent that Biafran soldiers could also be well armed (albeit only from time to time), federal soldiers became increasingly reluctant to take risks on patrol – unless numerical and firepower advantage were overwhelming.

It seems from the above post that Ltcol E.A Etuk did the fighting while Adekunle did the talking , please any body has any contrary viewwith facts

[/quote][quote]. In the last two weeks of September, for example, Colonel Adekunle, in an effort to get there before Colonel Shuwa’s 1st Division, and at the same time present Major General Gowon with an Independence day present, made a disastrous effort to capture Umuahia. He lost the equivalent of four or more battalions in the process, trapped and destroyed as a result of insecure lines of communication and supply.

Adekunle was an inefficient and incompetent army commander who was retained in the filed for political reasons.

By mid-October advance Biafran units were within five miles of Aba, probing along the Umuahia-Aba road. This was when the proposal to change Colonel Adekunle as GOC, 3MCDO and/or split the division into two was first broached with Major General Gowon, who initially refused the recommendation of AHQ partly for political reasons. Thus, Adekunle felt vindicated and made no efforts to adjust his tactics in light of the terrible experience at Umuahia. The stage was thus set for the Owerri disaster.

Also Nigeria would have lost to Biafra but for the intervention of Britain, Russia, Eastern European Countries, Arab world , Egypt, Cameroun,Niger, Chad

The fits and starts of French ordnance supply and inability to use captured but incompatible federal ammunition had compelled Madiebo to make changes in his original plans. He proceeded to carry out the second phase “with only one brigade fighting at a time, and as soon as its objectives were completely attained, the next brigade or formation would start”. In other words, a rolling choreographed offensive (like the first week of American attacks on Iraq during the 2nd Gulf War), rather than a decisive coordinated massive application of force exploiting the principle of momentum. Therefore, 60 Brigade began by once again assaulting Avu and Obinze while other units adopted a defensive posture. Each time, though, elements of the 16th Brigade would successfully counter-attack from Owerri, using armored personnel carriers, Ferrets and Saladin vehicles.

naijaking1: I agree Awo was very talented and even more realistic than his contemporaries, you know who.
However, my question to the Op is: why do you think you have the intellectual wherewithall to interpret Awo to us. It would be nice if could post a link to something like "Awo's explanation to his own statements" If you can't, I don't see any need to read Awo to us.

@ naijaking
I don't really understand your reply- is their anywhere in my OP where I exalted my intellectual credentials? Re-reading it all I can see is mentioning I am familiar with Awo's works and declaring myself an avid fan, is that wrong? I am no academic, in fact i have just noticed a grammatical flaw in my interpretation which I am going to correct; and I really didn't want to reduce such a great speech into flimsy footnotes in the first case- but who will be the voice for a man who devoted his life to being the voice for all of us for so long, certainly not him anymore and God forbid it be the Manchys or Onlytruths (who I know for certain knows better).

We all know all it takes is for good men to keep quiet for evil men to prosper- and I was really hoping a "good" Biafran would lead the charge in showing his comrades the error of their ways....oh well.

Anyway my footnotes are less than 5% of the material in that post, Baba eloquently interprets himself really.

My post is really just to make it clear that the illogical minds like Logic Mind have only ever had themselves to blame for breeding their children on lethal doses of hate and fairytales.

awolowo is irrelevant in our society

kettykin:


Adekunle was an inefficient and incompetent army commander who was retained in the filed for political reasons.

By mid-October advance Biafran units were within five miles of Aba, probing along the Umuahia-Aba road. This was when the proposal to change Colonel Adekunle as GOC, 3MCDO and/or split the division into two was first broached with Major General Gowon, who initially refused the recommendation of AHQ partly for political reasons. Thus, Adekunle felt vindicated and made no efforts to adjust his tactics in light of the terrible experience at Umuahia. The stage was thus set for the Owerri disaster.

Also Nigeria would have lost to Biafra but for the intervention of Britain, Russia, Eastern European Countries, Arab world , Egypt, Cameroun,Niger, Chad

The fits and starts of French ordnance supply and inability to use captured but incompatible federal ammunition had compelled Madiebo to make changes in his original plans. He proceeded to carry out the second phase “with only one brigade fighting at a time, and as soon as its objectives were completely attained, the next brigade or formation would start”. In other words, a rolling choreographed offensive (like the first week of American attacks on Iraq during the 2nd Gulf War), rather than a decisive coordinated massive application of force exploiting the principle of momentum. Therefore, 60 Brigade began by once again assaulting Avu and Obinze while other units adopted a defensive posture. Each time, though, elements of the 16th Brigade would successfully counter-attack from Owerri, using armored personnel carriers, Ferrets and Saladin vehicles.

If it were not for the Soviet Union to whom Nigeria sent delegates to Moscow headed by Anthony Enahoro signed the infamous "Cultural Agreement" Biafra would have seceded. When the British discovered that the Soviet Union has stepped in on the side of Nigeria thus tilting the balance of power in favor of Nigeria against Biafra that brought Britain on the side of Nigeria. At the early stages of the war British feared that taken position with Nigeria against Biafra would not work in her favour decided to tread cautiously defending her position with the statement that Nigeria and Biafra were children of the same mother. Do not forget that the period in question was the cold war era (east and west bloc détente) America claimed that Nigeria was in sphere of British influence and cannot interfere. Don’t forget the British and the united States belong to the Western bloc. Meanwhile France took a position with Biafra declaring the war as genocide on the Ibos. Ojukwu made a great mistake in the choice of countries as his gun-running point for the war thus limiting his supplies of ammo to the battle front. He used Gabon instead of Cameroun and Togo instead of Benin. The neighboring countries were all in good relationship with Gowon hence it was difficult to use them as gun-running stations which adversely affected his chance of winning the war

naijaking1: I agree Awo was very talented and even more realistic than his contemporaries, you know who.
However, my question to the Op is: why do you think you have the intellectual wherewithall to interpret Awo to us. It would be nice if could post a link to something like "Awo's explanation to his own statements" If you can't, I don't see any need to read Awo to us.

Exactly!

You captured my thought!

I couldn't have said it better.

The OP is a very PROUD person that considers most posters here(especially from Igbo flock), intellectually inferior.
Therefore there is a need to interpret it for us the way I interpret letters to my grandmother during my primary school days.

Really, I have problem dealing with proud folks.

kettykin:


I dont know whom to believe again. But the Nigerian Army can not use food as a weapon of war wihout getting clearance from presidency , either the president of his vice who doubled as a minister for finance.

Whose account sounds plausible?

kettykin:


I dont know whom to believe again. But the Nigerian Army can not use food as a weapon of war wihout getting clearance from presidency , either the president of his vice who doubled as a minister for finance.

Whose account sounds plausible?

Judging from Awo's past antecedent of reaching out to Zik and Ahmau Bello at the same time , with the same propositon , i dont think any other thing Awolowo said in any of his interviews about using hunger as a weapon of war , the 2 dollar policy and the Money Biafrans left in Nigerian Banks can be taken with a pinch of Salt.

How can a Man that declared Nigeria as a Geographic expression , A man that fought to have the right to seccede as a clause in the Nigerian Constitution, A man that was charged to prison for commiting a treasonable offence his only crime was contesting an election now turn around to preserve the existence of those Principles that worked againt him and even when his people went to Aburi they forgot about the clause to seccede.

kettykin:

Judging from Awo's past antecedent of reaching out to Zik and Ahmau Bello at the same time , with the same propositon , i dont think any other thing Awolowo said in any of his interviews about using hunger as a weapon of war , the 2 dollar policy and the Money Biafrans left in Nigerian Banks can be taken with a pinch of Salt.

How can a Man that declared Nigeria as a Geographic expression , A man that fought to have thr right to seccede as a clause in the Nigerian Constitution, A man that was charged to prison for commiting a treasonable offence for winning election now turn around to preserve the existence of the country and even when he went to Aburi forgot about the clause to seccede.

Awo is a deeply flawed man and one of the most heartless politician of his generation. He is everything I hate in Nigerian politicians put in one.

This is getting boring now!

All the actors in the Biafran war and first republic are DEAD! If you have a problem with them, you know here they were buried - take your beaf over there. Enough of this redundant topic. Let the erudite scholar R.I.P!

Let's get this thread on front page, and celebrate our heroes and heroines..

Please, post your Nigerian heroes and heroines here: https://www.nairaland.com/900756/notable-nigerian-heroes-we-all#10470998

Celebrate Chief Awolowo and my idol Christopher Okigbo on the link above!

whatever, easterners will not fight with anyone again! never!

shymmex: This is getting boring now!

All the actors in the Biafran war and first republic are DEAD! If you have a problem with them, you know here they were buried - take your beaf over there. Enough of this redundant topic. Let the erudite scholar R.I.P!

backwardness + colo mentality dey worry you.
So u want us to stop revisiting and discussing our history and learning from it?
tell america to stop teaching history of their civil war in schools.
infact come to think of it, why is biafra war not taught in school as part of our history instead of all the one nigeria fake love thy neighbour stupidity?

That is her husband was an Yoruba.[/quote]


Pls brosie biko are you hearing this Yoruba for the first time?? because I dont really understand what a hell is all about Yoruba, Yoruba of a thing. Add your contribution to the thread and stop Yoruba nonsense.

Speech or not speech. Biafra or No Biafra I kept asking why all these sort of Biafra nonsense talk everytime is this as a result of joblessness or what? This 2012 and we are still crying 1966 this is so sad indeed.

Everytime thread comes up as per Biafra, Ojukwu, Awolowo instead for us to contribute what will make sense and we all learn a lesson from it but we will twisted it to tribal war, name callings, abusive and so on this is unbelieveable.

Sorry to say this it is my own kinsmen who always started tribal abuse and name calling when Biafra issue is raised. Please no one can bully any one or any tribe for any reason I'm from the East but never a follower of CIVIL WAR or any sort of tribalism. Every tribe in this country can survive without other finely and successfully pls stop all these brags, big up, swollen heads, ego in absolute "nothing". No one should take it personal and if anyone choose to that is not my problem but this is the truth take it or burst it.