Ojukwu: My Hero

I only have one thing to say on this thread then I'll just keep my comments to myself. If only 25%of us Igbos today have just half the heart and bravery Ojukwu had, Igbos would not be part of Nigeria today. Folks for crying out loud Ojukwu was only in his early 30's when he stood up to a Nigerian Army that was backed by the British. I can only pray to God I'll be have the man Ojukwu was when I'm in my 30's

God bless Biafra and all our heroes.

So you are now an Igbo, I think we are getting somewhere.

If that war was so necessary, then why did Ndi Igbo go into it so unprepared?


Sorry, it was the Mexicans.


You forgot the little fact that Biafra was backed by France. Count von Rossen actually flew missions over Nigeria on Biafra's behalf. It is easy for people to whimper that Biafra was abandoned by the world. She was not. Nigeria and Portugal didn't have normal diplomatic relations for years after the war because Portugal actively supported Biafra.

Now if Ojukwu is such a hero, then why did he have his best military commanders either shot or sidelined because they took some of the limelight from him? Why did he deceive people as to his true intentions before and after that shameful flight of 9 January 1970? FYI, he told the people that he was going to negotiate more support from the Ivoirians and French when Obasanjo's 3 Marine Commando was knocking at the Uli Airstrip. Even after Effiong ha surrendered, he still made a speech urging Ndi Igbo to continue fighting (Savimbi anyone?) while he was in safety in Abidjan. . .

Don't worry, we will educate you on the war, its preview, and its aftermath. When we have more time. I promise you that, I believe I owe y'all that much.


Mamaput, don't worry, 925 has this habit of accusing people who don't see things with his Biafran sunshades of not being Igbo. I've been there before. It would have been worse if Bialegend still cruised around these parts, but I guess we've seen the back of that illiterate for good.

don't be a 'smarty pants' and a monday morning quarterback!!

I find it so funny that most people here are not even in Nigeria.
If a new war break out they will not go back to fight.They will even see that they can bring all their people here.
And the ones that are very loud, Go and ask your Mothers what they think about you going to war. Come back and let us know the answer.


@ 9 to 5  I hate carrying load from one Trend to another. so please go and look for a statement were i said am not igbo  , open a new topic and we can face each other there.
PS
Any statement i make about me being mixed is not a denial.




so is mine i will also like to know what that means.

Thanks for the clarification.

Now, Babyosisi, I'm not good at Americanisms, but going by the definitions presented above by ZN, I want you to point out exactly where I behaved like an ITK in this entire thread. Sometimes I'm baffled by the sheer level of ignorance some of you put on display here.

Someone started a thread praising a historical figure, some of you jumped on the bandwagon to praise the man, while some of us begged to differ. As you must have noticed, my activity here on Nairaland in the last few weeks has been sporadic, but I received an email with this link, and as is usual, I came in to air my views. This is an open forum so what is so ITK about what I did?

As to the implication that I don't know shit, I beg to differ, and very strongly. On the contrary, you haven't the slightest clue about what went down in Eastern Nigeria between May 30, 1967 and January 15, 1970 which is why you stay at a distance and keep spewing tribal bullshit out of that uneducated mind of yours.

You haven't the slightest fucking idea of what true leaders of causes go through on account of what they believe in. Name one (yes I challenge you to name just one) heroic leader in the entire course of written history spanning some 5000 plus years who abandoned his people in their most desperate hour, and then came back a mere 12 years later to ride on the blood of those who died for his wasted dream, and turn around to insult their collective memories by later accepting and contesting in the same country which he led them to lose their lives fighting against.

Alternatively, name one leader that instead of taking the path of honour and disappearing from the stage when his grandeur failed, ran away in the face of defeat. I have two answers for that question: Odumegwu Ojukwu and Saddam Hussein.

The ball is in your court, or else mechie onu oge ndi di ngi n'uso ne kwu okwu. Silly child.

Okay, so let us take Mochafella's own definition of the term Monday Morning Quarterback as truth.

That would make me, one who is analyzing Ojukwu's mistakes (not mine) after they've been made, and let me add this: the man would make the same mistakes over and over again because of his sheer arrogance. Hilary Njoku can bear me out on that one. So, besides the 'heroism' of folklore, what really makes him a hero of the Igbo people?

NOTHING!

Haters?

Now you disappoint me.

Since you so believe in this Ojukwu fellow, why don't you come out and defend him constructively and let us deconstruct whatever lame arguments y'all can muster.

Sometimes this thing gets boring, the whole myopic Igbo this, Igbo that parade that goes on in Nairaland that is. And instead of facing issues, you members of the Biafra brigade find it so easy to resort to name calling. . .

Boring, boring. . .

"Biafra Brigade" so there is a Biafrian Brigade on NL and I wasn't told. Oh my God 9to5, babyyosisi and all my Igbo brothers and sisters on NL I'm so not happy with you guys right now

I told you he was a smart alec!!

let ndi mmuo pursue you in that your sleep angels give you sweet dreams.
lol.

@Bhola

I second that motion. This thread has been very enlightening.

There is really nothing to argue about. It's either you see the guy as a hero or you don't, I think most of us already know what he did and did not do. The guy's planning was horrible though, I demand an explanation as to why he made many Igbos lose their wealth? He approved a currency that wasn't backed up by Gold, Silver or even another currency for that matter.

nutter too late. d guy don swear say I'm no dey come here again. i for like see this one sha.

@Nutter

Are you nuts? What are you talking about? It is simple macroeconomics policy in 1967 to back up your currency with something. Do you know of how many people lost their wealth due to Ojukwu's poor planning? People converted their pound shilling or whatever to Biafran pounds and ended up not getting anything back in return because the currency was not recognized by anybody. Why did your hero follow such a path? I believe he used people's money to further his own personal goals. He deceived us, he played on people's lack of knowledge on how currency works. Why does this guy who hates Nigeria so much then now want to run for president? There are lots of issues I have with this guy and what he did with people's money is on top of the priority list. My grandma has Biafran coins and notes laying around and it's worth nothing. She can't sell it to the museums because they already have more than they can handle.


If your hero was so clever, why did he issue a currency that wasn't worth anything outside of Eastern Nigeria?

Donzman,

I told you to do a Forest Gump but you seem to be confident in your ability to use badly-told stories of the war as alternatives to truth. OK, then. Let’s chop-up your entry.


Errm, yes. The clue is in my username. You used it one line up.


Historical facts. You?


Biafra had oil.


Fallacy! The people that lost their wealth (and there were many) lost them to the Gowon government. They also lost their houses, lands etc. Perhaps your history teacher also told you all these can be found in Ojukwu’s pocket.


Fallacy! The currency was recognized – even by your Nigerian government which paid only £20 to each Biafran – regardless of how much their accounts held – out of spite. Awolowo was in charge of this process.


Asked and answered.

Such as? What were those personal goals? Speak freely.


This really doesn’t deserve a response but I shall indulge you. Are you trying to say that all the Easterners at the time were fools? Er? Do you think Ojukwu was the cleverest Easterner at the time? There were those who fashioned telecoms systems from nothing. Those who built missles. Those who refined petroleum in their back gardens. If you had a proper lesson on Biafrans, you would be aware of the educational heights they reached. This further proves that a lot of what you know comes from a very disconnected place. It cannot be my Biafran people you speak of.


At the end of the war, Gowon said there was no victor and no vanquished. Gowon said there would be rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation. Gowon said the Easterners should return to the Nigerian table where they would then take their rightful place as equals. The Easterners agreed to give it another go. How then is this out of sync with Ojukwu’s actions?


Tell us what he did. The suspense is killing me.


Another fallacy! One Biafran Pound currently exchanges for 270 Naira. Tell Grandma to head for the major eastern markets or the border towns in Benin Republic, Togo, Ivory Coast etc – whichever is closest. 


Another made-up fact. You need to brush up a lot more.


Asked and answered.

Is this the best you can do, Donzman? Your response is disappointing.




Nwanne, I dey. Doing a lot of traveling for work but should be back in London next week. Then I’ll be more regular around these parts – perhaps. I hope you are doing alright yourself.



That’s not my understanding but we go see.