Attention to all lovers of History

From the political Archives of Nigeria political history*

A must read piece to the end.
Igbo political leaders and their past misadventures resulting in current national political problems*
Do you know that when Tafawa Balewa was Prime Minister of Nigeria;
Chief of Army Staff was from SE
Chief of Naval Staff was from SE
IG of Police was from SE
Chief of Defence staff was fron SE
Internal Affairs Minister SE
External Affairs Minister SE
Education Minister South SE
Many other key ministries to SE
Parliament President SE
Unilag VC from SE
University of Ibadan VC from SE
North resisted same at ABU!
Still there was dissatisfaction by easterners; the officers from the region killed this same Balewa!
Out of all the most senior officers in Nigeria, SE has 37, none was killed. 8 from the north, all of them were killed. 10 from the west, 2 were killed.
Then Ironsi imposed a unitary system of government on the country so that everything can belong to a region who snatched it!
We must know our history so that when we want to make corrections, we will not end up concealing the truth. This has nothing to do with tribalism but everything to do with the truth.....at times when lies litter the streets. There is the tendency to think those are truths and facts.
What follows are documented facts that can be cross checked for authenticity!
Thou shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
Prof. Ben Nwabueze was the man who drafted the constitution that took away powers from regions and handed it to the central govt because his brother Aguiyi Ironsi was the head of state then. Today, he is shouting restructuring that he helped to destroy. We won’t forget.
Let those who have ears hear.
*What Biafrans will never tell you about the real cause of their woes in Nigeria today*
The Igbo man is known to enjoy blaming the Hausa-fulanis, Yorubas and indeed every other Nigerian tribe and Lord Luggard/Britain for their seeming claim of being in third class citizen status in Nigeria.
In their perpetual attempts to play the victim card, they recount the political events of Nigeria from 1914 to the present in a half-baked and highly selective manner which cleverly avoids the mention of the roles played by their elite who by all natural laws of judgement were actually responsible for the woes that befell not only the Igbo race but the entire Nigeria nation. The SE will do well to put a stop to the misrepresentation and consciously work on bringing up the next generation to know the truth. Germans, for instance, have not denied the Holocaust but quietly worked, through the years, on correctional measures to right the wrongs Adolf Hitler engineered. SE should do likewise.
The story told in the post above is one of such selective and distorted accounts of history which the average Igbo man is fond of narrating. However, the national archives have the complete and unedited history of Nigeria regarding the political events beginning way back from even before 1914.
I will therefore proceed to furnish my readers with the complete story for all to read and be endowed with enough facts so as to judge and act from an informed position.
Shortly after the 1914 Amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates, it started getting clear that the country was bound to fail as the amalgamation in question was done with colonial fiat without the consent and consensus of the different tribes which were over 300.
This prompted the political leaders to start asking for de-amalgamation so as to forestall the future danger which the forced amalgamation portended. To that end, Ahmadu Bello, speaking on behalf of the Northern protectorate in 1944 described the amalgamation as:
"The mistake of 1914 which if allowed to remain will ultimately lead to unstoppable bloodshed and a failed country".
Awolowo, speaking on behalf of the Yorubas and Western minorities, described Nigeria as a mere geographical expression not qualified to be called a country let alone a nation. Awolowo added that if the amalgamation could not be reversed, then Nigeria should be structured as a strictly federal state so as to enable each tribe enjoy autonomy this freedom from being dominated by any one single tribe.
But Nnamdi Azikiwe, speaking for the Igbos, denounced Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello, terming them ethnic champions. He accused them of nursing a sectional agenda against the unity of Nigeria, and he declared further that the Unity of Nigeria was non-negotiable.
After moving the motion for independece in 1953, Anthony Enahoro proposed that a secession clause should be incorporated into the future constitution of Nigeria so as to give legal backing for any tribe to peacefully exit the forced union if it feels marginalized in future.
According to Enahoro, such provision in our constitution would instill in all Nigeria's future leaders the fear of the consequences of misgovernance.
But Azikiwe, speaking on behalf of Igbos, rose against him in the parliament and labelled him an agent of disunity, and enemy of Nigeria.
At a later date, Awolowo too made a case for secession clause, but Azikiwe again resisted him and instigated the colonial authorities to threaten him and Enahoro with charges of treasonable felony if they didn't stop proposing secession clause for the future constitution.
While Azikiwe did all these, Igbos cheered and urged him on because they felt the future Nigeria was theirs to dominate and lord it over every other tribe
Before independece, Tafawa Balewa too had in a public speech described Nigeria as a British experiment and Nigeria's unity as a British intention which Nigerians themselves don't believe in.
But Azikiwe kicked and demonized him too. Had Azikiwe co-operated with Enahoro, Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa about the secession clause, Nigeria perhaps would not have been this misgoverned.
For those in doubt, here is a link of one of the numerous instances in which Nnamdi Azikiwe fought against the secession clause proposal for the future Nigeria constitution.
*https://www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2017/06/my-opposition-to-secession-zik/*
It should be noted that there were many Igbo members of the parliament in which Azikiwe fought against Awolowo's secession clause proposal in the link above, but not a single one of them rose against Azikiwe or condemned him.
Igbos initially never wanted to hear anything like secession in Nigeria because they so much believed, though falsely, that they were the most educated tribe. (The first Nigerian tribe to produce a university graduate is the Binis).
As an evidence of Igbo domination agenda hence their initial resistance to the idea of secession; here are some quotes:
"From all indications, the god of us Igbos have destined us to rule the whole of Africa"..... Nnamdi Azikiwe (1945).
"It is getting clearer each day that Igbo domination of Nigeria is just a question of time"... Oscar Onyeamma. (1949)
As at 1900, the whole of the present Benue State, Kogi East Senatorial District and some southern parts of Taraba State called Munchi District back then; were all in the Southern Protectorate.
Whoever doubts this should consult MacMillan Atlas for secondary schools in Nigeria.
With that situation the South had a higher population than the North hence always had an upper hand in any democratic bargain.
But as at the early fifties when the regions were being created, common sense dictated clearly that these areas should fall in the future Eastern Region.
But against common sense, the colonial masters decided to gerrymander them into the Northern Region.
While they did that, Azikiwe who was supposed to be in Enugu fighting against it as the leader of the East, was far away in Ibadan struggling with Awolowo to rule the Western Region and also playing the spoiler role against Awolowo's attempts to have Kwara and present Kogi Yorubas carved into the Western Region from the North which was already too large by landmass.
While he abandoned his burning house and was far away in Ibadan struggling against Awolowo for his own (Awolowo's) region, Igbos saw absolutely nothing wrong with that. Rather they applauded him as a nationalist. A nationalist whose house was burning yet busy chasing rats in a far away land.
When opinions became unanimous that Lord Luggard and his government must be forced out of Nigeria and indeed the whole of Africa, it was still the Igbos that frustrated the attempts.
Here is how:
In 1948, Anthony Enahoro organized an anti-colonization symposium in Lagos for which Azikiwe and some other Igbos had agreed to deliver the keynote address.
But when the D-day came, Azikiwe was nowhere to be found as he deliberately disappeared into thin air for fear of being arrested and dealt with by Lord Luggard.
Anthony Enahoro then quickly replaced Azikiwe with another person who did the job improptu but perfectly well as he lambasted and lampooned Lord Luggard and the British Government.
However, the British soldiers invaded the symposium venue, arrested the speaker and Enahoro and jailed them for treasonable felony.
Ironically, the next day Azikiwe came out of hiding and granted a radio interview in which he accused Enahoro and the other organizers of suffering from youthful exuberance.
On regaining his freedom few weeks later and being told of Azikiwe's radio interview, Enahoro resigned from his post as Editor of Azikiwe's newspaper - The West African Pilot.
Then he wrote a book titled "Nnamdi Azikiwe: Sinner of Saint".
After launching the book, Enahoro left Azikiwe's party - the NCNC, and moved over to Awolowo's Action Group.
The first military coup in Nigeria was carried out by majority of Igbo army officers.
That was the coup that truncated democracy just six years post Independence and led to a succession of coups which put the country on the reverse gear for 33 years.
Through that first coup, those Igbo army officers who accused the politicians and government of the day of monumental corruption, killed the political leaders of the Northern, Western and Midwestern Regions but allowed all Igbo political figures to escape by tipping them off prior to the D-Day.
In addition to the killing of political figures, they also killed a total of 27 innocent high ranking military officers from every region except their Eastern Region.
*In the end an Igbo man called Aguiyi Ironsi, who was supposed to have been killed alongside other military officers, ended up becoming the new military ruler of Nigeria*
*Rather than immediately arrest and punish the coup plotters, he kept them in detention where they were treated as heroes*
*This was actually what sowed the seed for the eventual Biafra War. On the 23rd of February 1966 (i.e. a month and 8 days after the first coup porpularly but wrongly known as Nzeogwu coup, an Ijaw born Army officer called Isaac Adaka Boro who hailed from Kaima town of present Bayelsa State, declared the secession of the Niger Delta Republic in an attempt to free his Ijaw people from the monumental marginalization they had been suffering under Igbos in the old Eastern Region*
*But Aguiyi Ironsi immediately ordered Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu to arrest him and hand him over to the military high command under him in Lagos. Ojukwu went all out against Isaac Adaka Boro with federal military might and within 12 fighting days killed 150 Isaac Boro's soldiers, arrested him, stripped him naked, and had him driven to Lagos and handed to Ironsi who immediately charged him to court and within two months secured against him a conviction of treasonable felony for which he was sentenced to death by hanging fixed for December that year by the Supreme Court*
*His 'crime' was that he declared secession of The Niger Delta Republic from Nigeria. Meanwhile the Igbo coupists who shed innocent blood of other tribes and even sprayed bullets into the bellies of the pregnant wives of Ahmadu Bello and Brigadier Shodeinde were not charged to court or arraigned before any military tribunal*
*Isaac Adaka Boro was in detention waiting for December to come for him to join his ancestors. But God so kind, a revenge coup happened on July 29 by Northern soldiers and Ironsi was overthrown and killed*
Gowon took over and released Isaac Adaka Boro unconditionally, reinstated him into the Army with his previous rank.
Then on May 30, 1967, Ojukwu too declared secession of Biafra Republic from Nigeria and without consulting or apologising to Isaac Boro, drew a Biafra map which included the very areas that made up Isaac Adaka Boro's earlier declared Niger Delta Republic for which he fought against him and killed his soldiers.
Seeing such level of arrogance in Ojukwu, Isaac Boro asked Gowon to provide arms for him to crush Biafra by fighting on the Nigerian side in vengeance for Ojukwu's frustration of his own secession declaration 15 months earlier.
Isaac Boro, as an Ijaw man conversant with the waterways, led the Nigeria Army through the coastal areas into Igboland to finish off thousands of Ojukwu's soldiers thus leading to the crushing defeat of Biafra.
But today, Igbos accuse Ijaws of betraying them in the war. But from the facts as above, who really betrayed the other in all honesty?
Be the judge.
Why Gowon fought against Ojukwu's declaration of Biafra was as follows:
After Ironsi and Ojukwu successfully crushed Isaac Boro's Niger Delta Republic declaration, Ironsi immediately proceeded to promulgate the Anti-secession Decree which made the mere mention of secession from Nigeria punishable with death by hanging.
Ojukwu openly supported and endorsed the decree despite disapproval of it by the general public. So when Ojukwu later declared Biafra secession, he was reminded of the Anti-secession Decree made by him and his brother Ironsi.
Deadly Truth: Igbos frequently reference Aburi Accord to create the impression that the rest Nigerian tribes don't honour agreements. This is a very dishonest narrative from Igbos.
First and foremost Aburi Accord was organized by soldiers and unelected civil servants who should not participate in political exercises like making laws due to the civil service anonymity principle.
Secondly, those civil servants and military men in attendance were not elected by their federal constituencies to the Aburi summit.
In the philosophy of democracy the only universally acceptable way of making laws is through duly elected representatives of the people. But in going to Aburi the peoples' representatives duly elected in the 1965 elections were all sidelined for soldiers to hijack the process.
Where on earth do soldiers make laws for the people? Rather, the civilian populace makes laws that guide the military.
Aburi Accord therefore had no seal of the people's sovereignty hence it was an illegality which shouldn't have been allowed to stand.
Thirdly, in 1957, Nigerians from all federal constituencies democratically elected representatives whom they sponsored to London, paid their flight tickets and hotel cc accommodation for the Independence constitutional conference.
Those representatives all resolved and agreed on federalism marked by regional autonomy and resource control in the Independence Constitution which they brought back home and everyone accepted it.
In that constitution, Nigerians all agreed that on no account shall the military take over power. It was also clearly stated in it that ammendments to it could be done by only democratically elected representatives.
That constitution was the first ever agreement between all Nigerians.
On the day of his inauguration as the Army GoC, Aguiyi Ironsi stood before the whole world and with his own mouth swore to protect and defend that sovereign Independence constitution regardless of the circumstances that may later arise.
But just six years after he manufactured an excuse to clinch power against the clear provisions of that constitution we all agreed to, unilaterally began to amend its provisions with his very offensive Decrees, and ended up dismantling the federalism and resource control therein, and ultimately subverted that constitution we all painstakingly sacrificed to draft.
That was the height of irresponsibility and the dishonoring of sacred agreement. That was how Igbos breached the first agreement, all Nigerians, ever all mutually consented to, thus laying the foundation for violation of future agreements.
So Aburi Accord was only treated exactly the same way Igbos treated the Independence constitution agreement.
To his eternal discredit Obasanjo removed history from the school curriculum hence the reason why many of what we do for a know of the eventualities in Biafra war were altered to suite their narratives.
With the Igbo’s in Yoruba land, “the hand shake has exceeded the wrist”. And as Chinua Achebe said in his book, “it has turned to a fight”

One thing that can be said about The Yoruba is that they are liberal and broadminded. They believe God is on their side largely because they see themselves as givers who will NEVER lack.

It’s about time other Nigerian ethnic nationalities and their intelligentsia go to work and see how we can relate with and equitably accommodate the Igbos without undermining their own interests. Yes, Nigeria is a nation but the Igbo people will not allow a fraction of what the Yoruba - for instance- tolerate in Lagos in Ochanja (Onitsha), Aba, Enugu and the likes.

Let’s agree to live together.

Una no dey tire?

wow!! Thank you for this OP

Most things written here are nothing but the truth....

Let me chill here for the hot arguments.

greatdeal1408:


wow!!
Thank you for this OP

Thanks to you! I’m in the hope that it’ll make front page. My aim is to enlighten all so Nigeria can maximise her potential!

nepapole:
Let me chill here for the hot arguments.

There is little in the piece under consideration that is subjective to warrant hot arguments. I’ll be surprised if hot arguments show up here!

Is that the justification of Apc led government nepotism

Everyday SE this SE that.. please can you just let us be for christ sake,,aren't you tired of all these long epistles everyday? please lets forget all this political nonsense and move on..even with or without any political seat,we will still survive,, Sen Ekweremmadu had been the DSP for 12yrs with absolutely nothing to show for,,,why won't you guys just let the sleeping dog be..

This are all lies... I can even dissect them one by one

Biafra is merely a money making franchise.

Uteghe:
Biafra is merely a money making franchise.

You must be confusing Biafra (for which your 'one Nigeria' has murdered it's agitators in cold blood) with Nigeria that's set up and sustained to this day for nothing more than exploitative and economic interests!

Look at the cra'p the useless OP woke up this early mor-mor to post.....he probably couldn't sleep over Igbo matter! Now is this type of duplicitous snake someone i'd like to share the same country with? Hell, no!

Cooked up lies to justify nepotism. its not only the south east that are sidelined in this country. The whole of the south are sidelined eventhough the large chunk of the resources and money used in this country comes from the south.
Keep lying to justify what is bad.

Transparent truth we all know.

lastmessenger:
Cooked up lies to justify nepotism. its not only the south east that are sidelined in this country. The whole of the south are sidelined eventhough the large chunk of the resources and money used in this country comes from the south.
Keep lying to justify what is bad.

Oga why not debunk it with fact. Or is your own defence through emotion?

Lets assume what u wrote is true ...now u have power why not change it ?

rusher14:

only a demon will hate this post.well-done my brother.

losky83:
only a demon will hate this post.well-done my brother.

Thanks to you!

Gabriel004:
Oga why not debunk it with fact. Or is your own defence through emotion?

I don't have time to debunk your lies. The narrative many of you are pushing is to justify the atrocities of president buhari.
With time people like you will also find away to rationalize the way and manner he is pampering his Fulani brothers who kill and rape innocent woman.

mrvitalis:
Lets assume what u wrote is true ...now u have power why not change it ?

Don't mind the devils. They are Muslims and they are told to tell lies to support their evil.
Igbo this Igbo that. I'm proudly Igbo and we are doing alright.

Xander85:


You must be confusing Biafra (for which your 'one Nigeria' has murdered it's agitators in cold blood) with Nigeria that's set up and sustained to this day for nothing more than exploitative and economic interests!

Look at the cra'p the useless OP woke up this early mor-mor to post.....he probably couldn't sleep over Igbo matter! Now is this type of duplicitous snake someone i'd like to share the same country with? Hell, no!

...where are you from?

Needs fact checking

zoedew:
Attention to all lovers of History

From the political Archives of Nigeria political history*

A must read piece to the end.
Igbo political leaders and their past misadventures resulting in current national political problems*
Do you know that when Tafawa Balewa was Prime Minister of Nigeria;
Chief of Army Staff was from SE

True, Aguiyi Ironsi was from present day Abia state

Chief of Naval Staff was from SE

False. Admiral Akinwale Wey was a Yoruba man

IG of Police was from SE

False. Edet was an Ibibio man

Chief of Defence staff was fron SE

False. There was nothing like 'Chief of defence staff's during Balewa's time.

[Internal Affairs Minister SE

False. There also was no such ministry during Balewa's time

External Affairs Minister SE

False. Although MT Mbu's name sounds Igbo, he was actually an Ogoja man

Education Minister South SE
Many other key ministries to SE
Parliament President SE
Unilag VC from SE
University of Ibadan VC from SE
North resisted same at ABU!

Cannot confirm any of the above

Still there was dissatisfaction by easterners; the officers from the region killed this same Balewa!
Out of all the most senior officers in Nigeria, SE has 37, none was killed. 8 from the north, all of them were killed. 10 from the west, 2 were killed.

Yorubas like Major Ademoyega, Captain Adeleke and Lt Oyewole participated in the coup. Northerners like Lt Atom Kpera, Captain Egbiko were participants. It was never exclusive to Igbos. Also, a very senior Igbo officer called Lt Colonel Unegbe was killed in Lagos during the coup

Then Ironsi imposed a unitary system of government on the country so that everything can belong to a region who snatched it!

False. Ironsi was the only Military head of state who kept the structure of Nigeria as close its 1960 constitution as possible. Ironsi kept the 4 Regions, maintained resource control and fiscal discipline. The person who actually introduced unitary rule was Yakubu Gowon when he abolished the 4 Regions and created 12 states.

We must know our history so that when we want to make corrections, we will not end up concealing the truth. This has nothing to do with tribalism but everything to do with the truth.....at times when lies litter the streets. There is the tendency to think those are truths and facts.
What follows are documented facts that can be cross checked for authenticity!
Thou shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
Prof. Ben Nwabueze was the man who drafted the constitution that took away powers from regions and handed it to the central govt because his brother Aguiyi Ironsi was the head of state then. Today, he is shouting restructuring that he helped to destroy. We won’t forget.
Let those who have ears hear.

Whatever you think Nwabueze wrote, it still does not take away from the fact that in the 6 months of Ironsi's regime, the 4 Region remained, had resource control and fiscal responsibility. Those seeking restructuring today can only dream of such. All the military leaders who came after Ironsi did far worse than Ironsi

What Biafrans will never tell you about the real cause of their woes in Nigeria today*
The Igbo man is known to enjoy blaming the Hausa-fulanis, Yorubas and indeed every other Nigerian tribe and Lord Luggard/Britain for their seeming claim of being in third class citizen status in Nigeria.
In their perpetual attempts to play the victim card, they recount the political events of Nigeria from 1914 to the present in a half-baked and highly selective manner which cleverly avoids the mention of the roles played by their elite who by all natural laws of judgement were actually responsible for the woes that befell not only the Igbo race but the entire Nigeria nation. The SE will do well to put a stop to the misrepresentation and consciously work on bringing up the next generation to know the truth. Germans, for instance, have not denied the Holocaust but quietly worked, through the years, on correctional measures to right the wrongs Adolf Hitler engineered. SE should do likewise.
The story told in the post above is one of such selective and distorted accounts of history which the average Igbo man is fond of narrating. However, the national archives have the complete and unedited history of Nigeria regarding the political events beginning way back from even before 1914.
I will therefore proceed to furnish my readers with the complete story for all to read and be endowed with enough facts so as to judge and act from an informed position.
Shortly after the 1914 Amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates, it started getting clear that the country was bound to fail as the amalgamation in question was done with colonial fiat without the consent and consensus of the different tribes which were over 300.
This prompted the political leaders to start asking for de-amalgamation so as to forestall the future danger which the forced amalgamation portended. To that end, Ahmadu Bello, speaking on behalf of the Northern protectorate in 1944 described the amalgamation as:
"The mistake of 1914 which if allowed to remain will ultimately lead to unstoppable bloodshed and a failed country".
Awolowo, speaking on behalf of the Yorubas and Western minorities, described Nigeria as a mere geographical expression not qualified to be called a country let alone a nation. Awolowo added that if the amalgamation could not be reversed, then Nigeria should be structured as a strictly federal state so as to enable each tribe enjoy autonomy this freedom from being dominated by any one single tribe.
But Nnamdi Azikiwe, speaking for the Igbos, denounced Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello, terming them ethnic champions. He accused them of nursing a sectional agenda against the unity of Nigeria, and he declared further that the Unity of Nigeria was non-negotiable.
After moving the motion for independece in 1953, Anthony Enahoro proposed that a secession clause should be incorporated into the future constitution of Nigeria so as to give legal backing for any tribe to peacefully exit the forced union if it feels marginalized in future.
According to Enahoro, such provision in our constitution would instill in all Nigeria's future leaders the fear of the consequences of misgovernance.
But Azikiwe, speaking on behalf of Igbos, rose against him in the parliament and labelled him an agent of disunity, and enemy of Nigeria.
At a later date, Awolowo too made a case for secession clause, but Azikiwe again resisted him and instigated the colonial authorities to threaten him and Enahoro with charges of treasonable felony if they didn't stop proposing secession clause for the future constitution.
While Azikiwe did all these, Igbos cheered and urged him on because they felt the future Nigeria was theirs to dominate and lord it over every other tribe
Before independece, Tafawa Balewa too had in a public speech described Nigeria as a British experiment and Nigeria's unity as a British intention which Nigerians themselves don't believe in.
But Azikiwe kicked and demonized him too. Had Azikiwe co-operated with Enahoro, Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa about the secession clause, Nigeria perhaps would not have been this misgoverned.
For those in doubt, here is a link of one of the numerous instances in which Nnamdi Azikiwe fought against the secession clause proposal for the future Nigeria constitution.
*https://www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2017/06/my-opposition-to-secession-zik/*
It should be noted that there were many Igbo members of the parliament in which Azikiwe fought against Awolowo's secession clause proposal in the link above, but not a single one of them rose against Azikiwe or condemned him.
Igbos initially never wanted to hear anything like secession in Nigeria because they so much believed, though falsely, that they were the most educated tribe. (The first Nigerian tribe to produce a university graduate is the Binis).
As an evidence of Igbo domination agenda hence their initial resistance to the idea of secession; here are some quotes:
"From all indications, the god of us Igbos have destined us to rule the whole of Africa"..... Nnamdi Azikiwe (1945).
"It is getting clearer each day that Igbo domination of Nigeria is just a question of time"... Oscar Onyeamma. (1949)
As at 1900, the whole of the present Benue State, Kogi East Senatorial District and some southern parts of Taraba State called Munchi District back then; were all in the Southern Protectorate.
Whoever doubts this should consult MacMillan Atlas for secondary schools in Nigeria.
With that situation the South had a higher population than the North hence always had an upper hand in any democratic bargain.

Zik may have been against a secession clause in the constitution, but that is not why a secession clause did not enter the constitution. The reason the clause did not enter the constitution is because majority of Nigerians did not want it. Zik was just one man with one vote. If majority of Nigerians had wanted a secession clause in the constitution, one single man would not have been able to stand against it.

But as at the early fifties when the regions were being created, common sense dictated clearly that these areas should fall in the future Eastern Region.
But against common sense, the colonial masters decided to gerrymander them into the Northern Region.
While they did that, Azikiwe who was supposed to be in Enugu fighting against it as the leader of the East, was far away in Ibadan struggling with Awolowo to rule the Western Region and also playing the spoiler role against Awolowo's attempts to have Kwara and present Kogi Yorubas carved into the Western Region from the North which was already too large by landmass.
While he abandoned his burning house and was far away in Ibadan struggling against Awolowo for his own (Awolowo's) region, Igbos saw absolutely nothing wrong with that. Rather they applauded him as a nationalist. A nationalist whose house was burning yet busy chasing rats in a far away land.[quote]

Your timeline is wrong the 3 Regions(later 4 Regions) were created long before Ziks party fought elections in the west, so there no 'burning house' in the East. It was also Ziks democractic and constitutional right to seek elections anywhere in Nigeria including the Western Nigeria so all you said here is nonsense.

[When opinions became unanimous that Lord Luggard and his government must be forced out of Nigeria and indeed the whole of Africa, it was still the Igbos that frustrated the attempts.
Here is how:
In 1948, Anthony Enahoro organized an anti-colonization symposium in Lagos for which Azikiwe and some other Igbos had agreed to deliver the keynote address.
But when the D-day came, Azikiwe was nowhere to be found as he deliberately disappeared into thin air for fear of being arrested and dealt with by Lord Luggard.
Anthony Enahoro then quickly replaced Azikiwe with another person who did the job improptu but perfectly well as he lambasted and lampooned Lord Luggard and the British Government.
However, the British soldiers invaded the symposium venue, arrested the speaker and Enahoro and jailed them for treasonable felony.
Ironically, the next day Azikiwe came out of hiding and granted a radio interview in which he accused Enahoro and the other organizers of suffering from youthful exuberance.
On regaining his freedom few weeks later and being told of Azikiwe's radio interview, Enahoro resigned from his post as Editor of Azikiwe's newspaper - The West African Pilot.
Then he wrote a book titled "Nnamdi Azikiwe: Sinner of Saint".
After launching the book, Enahoro left Azikiwe's party - the NCNC, and moved over to Awolowo's Action Group.[quote]

So Zik frustrated the independence movement by not attending a particular rally? Are you crazy? Do you know that it was Ziks own news paper, the west African pilot, that literally started the independence movement? Do you know how many rallies Zik led where the colonial authorities shot at him and tear gassed him? Your worry is that he did not attend this particular meeting organised by Ehahoro?

The first military coup in Nigeria was carried out by majority of Igbo army officers.
That was the coup that truncated democracy just six years post Independence and led to a succession of coups which put the country on the reverse gear for 33 years.
Through that first coup, those Igbo army officers who accused the politicians and government of the day of monumental corruption, killed the political leaders of the Northern, Western and Midwestern Regions but allowed all Igbo political figures to escape by tipping them off prior to the D-Day.
In addition to the killing of political figures, they also killed a total of 27 innocent high ranking military officers from every region except their Eastern Region.
*In the end an Igbo man called Aguiyi Ironsi, who was supposed to have been killed alongside other military officers, ended up becoming the new military ruler of Nigeria*
*Rather than immediately arrest and punish the coup plotters, he kept them in detention where they were treated as heroes*
*This was actually what sowed the seed for the eventual Biafra War.

You said Ironsi did not arrest the coupists but that he detained them? How can you detain someone without arresting them? Then you said that Ironsi did not immediately punish them. Ironsi is not supposed to immediately punish them, he was supposed to put them up for trial and let the courts decide their fate. The fact that this did not happen in the 6 months Ironsi was in office is not a landmark event.

On the 23rd of February 1966 (i.e. a month and 8 days after the first coup porpularly but wrongly known as Nzeogwu coup, an Ijaw born Army officer called Isaac Adaka Boro who hailed from Kaima town of present Bayelsa State, declared the secession of the Niger Delta Republic in an attempt to free his Ijaw people from the monumental marginalization they had been suffering under Igbos in the old Eastern Region*
*But Aguiyi Ironsi immediately ordered Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu to arrest him and hand him over to the military high command under him in Lagos. Ojukwu went all out against Isaac Adaka Boro with federal military might and within 12 fighting days killed 150 Isaac Boro's soldiers, arrested him, stripped him naked, and had him driven to Lagos and handed to Ironsi who immediately charged him to court and within two months secured against him a conviction of treasonable felony for which he was sentenced to death by hanging fixed for December that year by the Supreme Court*
*His 'crime' was that he declared secession of The Niger Delta Republic from Nigeria. Meanwhile the Igbo coupists who shed innocent blood of other tribes and even sprayed bullets into the bellies of the pregnant wives of Ahmadu Bello and Brigadier Shodeinde were not charged to court or arraigned before any military tribunal*
*Isaac Adaka Boro was in detention waiting for December to come for him to join his ancestors. But God so kind, a revenge coup happened on July 29 by Northern soldiers and Ironsi was overthrown and killed*
Gowon took over and released Isaac Adaka Boro unconditionally, reinstated him into the Army with his previous rank.

For some reason, the writer sees nothing wrong with what Isaac Boro did but sees everything wrong with what Ojukwu did. Isaac Boro declared secession, the federal government came for him. Ojukwu declared secession and the same happened. So where is the argument here? Adaka Boro was fighting that Igbos were marginalising his fellow Ijaws only for him to be released and he died fighting so that the Northerners can marginalise his fellow Ijaws. Boro was a fool

Then on May 30, 1967, Ojukwu too declared secession of Biafra Republic from Nigeria and without consulting or apologising to Isaac Boro, drew a Biafra map which included the very areas that made up Isaac Adaka Boro's earlier declared Niger Delta Republic for which he fought against him and killed his soldiers.
Seeing such level of arrogance in Ojukwu, Isaac Boro asked Gowon to provide arms for him to crush Biafra by fighting on the Nigerian side in vengeance for Ojukwu's frustration of his own secession declaration 15 months earlier.
Isaac Boro, as an Ijaw man conversant with the waterways, led the Nigeria Army through the coastal areas into Igboland to finish off thousands of Ojukwu's soldiers thus leading to the crushing defeat of Biafra.
But today, Igbos accuse Ijaws of betraying them in the war. But from the facts as above, who really betrayed the other in all honesty?
Be the judge.
Why Gowon fought against Ojukwu's declaration of Biafra was as follows:
After Ironsi and Ojukwu successfully crushed Isaac Boro's Niger Delta Republic declaration, Ironsi immediately proceeded to promulgate the Anti-secession Decree which made the mere mention of secession from Nigeria punishable with death by hanging.
Ojukwu openly supported and endorsed the decree despite disapproval of it by the general public. So when Ojukwu later declared Biafra secession, he was reminded of the Anti-secession Decree made by him and his brother Ironsi.
Deadly Truth: Igbos frequently reference Aburi Accord to create the impression that the rest Nigerian tribes don't honour agreements. This is a very dishonest narrative from Igbos.
First and foremost Aburi Accord was organized by soldiers and unelected civil servants who should not participate in political exercises like making laws due to the civil service anonymity principle.
Secondly, those civil servants and military men in attendance were not elected by their federal constituencies to the Aburi summit.
In the philosophy of democracy the only universally acceptable way of making laws is through duly elected representatives of the people. But in going to Aburi the peoples' representatives duly elected in the 1965 elections were all sidelined for soldiers to hijack the process.
Where on earth do soldiers make laws for the people? Rather, the civilian populace makes laws that guide the military.
Aburi Accord therefore had no seal of the people's sovereignty hence it was an illegality which shouldn't have been allowed to stand.
Thirdly, in 1957, Nigerians from all federal constituencies democratically elected representatives whom they sponsored to London, paid their flight tickets and hotel cc accommodation for the Independence constitutional conference.
Those representatives all resolved and agreed on federalism marked by regional autonomy and resource control in the Independence Constitution which they brought back home and everyone accepted it.
In that constitution, Nigerians all agreed that on no account shall the military take over power. It was also clearly stated in it that ammendments to it could be done by only democratically elected representatives.
That constitution was the first ever agreement between all Nigerians.
On the day of his inauguration as the Army GoC, Aguiyi Ironsi stood before the whole world and with his own mouth swore to protect and defend that sovereign Independence constitution regardless of the circumstances that may later arise.
But just six years after he manufactured an excuse to clinch power against the clear provisions of that constitution we all agreed to, unilaterally began to amend its provisions with his very offensive Decrees, and ended up dismantling the federalism and resource control therein, and ultimately subverted that constitution we all painstakingly sacrificed to draft.
That was the height of irresponsibility and the dishonoring of sacred agreement. That was how Igbos breached the first agreement, all Nigerians, ever all mutually consented to, thus laying the foundation for violation of future agreements.
So Aburi Accord was only treated exactly the same way Igbos treated the Independence constitution agreement.
To his eternal discredit Obasanjo removed history from the school curriculum hence the reason why many of what we do for a know of the eventualities in Biafra war were altered to suite their narratives.
With the Igbo’s in Yoruba land, “the hand shake has exceeded the wrist”. And as Chinua Achebe said in his book, “it has turned to a fight”

One thing that can be said about The Yoruba is that they are liberal and broadminded. They believe God is on their side largely because they see themselves as givers who will NEVER lack.

It’s about time other Nigerian ethnic nationalities and their intelligentsia go to work and see how we can relate with and equitably accommodate the Igbos without undermining their own interests. Yes, Nigeria is a nation but the Igbo people will not allow a fraction of what the Yoruba - for instance- tolerate in Lagos in Ochanja (Onitsha), Aba, Enugu and the likes.

Let’s agree to live together.

The above clearly shows that the writer doesn't know Nigerian history. He does even know that Adaka Boro died early into the war. He I'd making excuse for Boro that Ijaws in the old Eastern Region as reason for session but sees nothing wrong that thousands of Igbos were being murdered in Nigeria as the excuse for Ojukwu to secede. He is now dismissing the Aburi agreement that Soldiers had no right to make laws for civilians forgetting that Nigeria has been ruled by military decree for many years until 1999. He only remembers that the military shouldn't make laws or decrees when it comes to Aburi

The write up was complete nonsense from start to finish.

This is so so revealing.
Greedy and shameless people.

kingzizzy:




The above clearly shows that the writer doesn't know Nigerian history. He does even know that Adaka Boro died early into the war. He I'd making excuse for Boro that Ijaws in the old Eastern Region as reason for session but sees nothing wrong that thousands of Igbos were being murdered in Nigeria as the excuse for Ojukwu to secede. He is now dismissing the Aburi agreement that Soldiers had no right to make laws for civilians forgetting that Nigeria has been ruled by military decree for many years until 1999. He only remembers that the military shouldn't make laws or decrees when it comes to Aburi

The write up was complete nonsense from start to finish.

Was Azikiwe the champion of "one Nigeria"?
Did Ibo officers killed Northern and Western leaders sparing their own?

Even the 1999 constitution (which is still enforced) was IMPOSED by the military. That's how backward the country is, but the arrogant slave won't notice it.

kingzizzy:




The above clearly shows that the writer doesn't know Nigerian history. He does even know that Adaka Boro died early into the war. He I'd making excuse for Boro that Ijaws in the old Eastern Region as reason for session but sees nothing wrong that thousands of Igbos were being murdered in Nigeria as the excuse for Ojukwu to secede. He is now dismissing the Aburi agreement that Soldiers had no right to make laws for civilians forgetting that Nigeria has been ruled by military decree for many years until 1999. He only remembers that the military shouldn't make laws or decrees when it comes to Aburi

The write up was complete nonsense from start to finish.

zoedew:
Attention to all lovers of History

From the political Archives of Nigeria political history*

A must read piece to the end.
Igbo political leaders and their past misadventures resulting in current national political problems*
Do you know that when Tafawa Balewa was Prime Minister of Nigeria;
Chief of Army Staff was from SE
Chief of Naval Staff was from SE
IG of Police was from SE
Chief of Defence staff was fron SE
Internal Affairs Minister SE
External Affairs Minister SE
Education Minister South SE
Many other key ministries to SE
Parliament President SE
Unilag VC from SE
University of Ibadan VC from SE
North resisted same at ABU!
Still there was dissatisfaction by easterners; the officers from the region killed this same Balewa!
Out of all the most senior officers in Nigeria, SE has 37, none was killed. 8 from the north, all of them were killed. 10 from the west, 2 were killed.
Then Ironsi imposed a unitary system of government on the country so that everything can belong to a region who snatched it!
We must know our history so that when we want to make corrections, we will not end up concealing the truth. This has nothing to do with tribalism but everything to do with the truth.....at times when lies litter the streets. There is the tendency to think those are truths and facts.
What follows are documented facts that can be cross checked for authenticity!
Thou shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
Prof. Ben Nwabueze was the man who drafted the constitution that took away powers from regions and handed it to the central govt because his brother Aguiyi Ironsi was the head of state then. Today, he is shouting restructuring that he helped to destroy. We won’t forget.
Let those who have ears hear.
*What Biafrans will never tell you about the real cause of their woes in Nigeria today*
The Igbo man is known to enjoy blaming the Hausa-fulanis, Yorubas and indeed every other Nigerian tribe and Lord Luggard/Britain for their seeming claim of being in third class citizen status in Nigeria.
In their perpetual attempts to play the victim card, they recount the political events of Nigeria from 1914 to the present in a half-baked and highly selective manner which cleverly avoids the mention of the roles played by their elite who by all natural laws of judgement were actually responsible for the woes that befell not only the Igbo race but the entire Nigeria nation. The SE will do well to put a stop to the misrepresentation and consciously work on bringing up the next generation to know the truth. Germans, for instance, have not denied the Holocaust but quietly worked, through the years, on correctional measures to right the wrongs Adolf Hitler engineered. SE should do likewise.
The story told in the post above is one of such selective and distorted accounts of history which the average Igbo man is fond of narrating. However, the national archives have the complete and unedited history of Nigeria regarding the political events beginning way back from even before 1914.
I will therefore proceed to furnish my readers with the complete story for all to read and be endowed with enough facts so as to judge and act from an informed position.
Shortly after the 1914 Amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates, it started getting clear that the country was bound to fail as the amalgamation in question was done with colonial fiat without the consent and consensus of the different tribes which were over 300.
This prompted the political leaders to start asking for de-amalgamation so as to forestall the future danger which the forced amalgamation portended. To that end, Ahmadu Bello, speaking on behalf of the Northern protectorate in 1944 described the amalgamation as:
"The mistake of 1914 which if allowed to remain will ultimately lead to unstoppable bloodshed and a failed country".
Awolowo, speaking on behalf of the Yorubas and Western minorities, described Nigeria as a mere geographical expression not qualified to be called a country let alone a nation. Awolowo added that if the amalgamation could not be reversed, then Nigeria should be structured as a strictly federal state so as to enable each tribe enjoy autonomy this freedom from being dominated by any one single tribe.
But Nnamdi Azikiwe, speaking for the Igbos, denounced Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello, terming them ethnic champions. He accused them of nursing a sectional agenda against the unity of Nigeria, and he declared further that the Unity of Nigeria was non-negotiable.
After moving the motion for independece in 1953, Anthony Enahoro proposed that a secession clause should be incorporated into the future constitution of Nigeria so as to give legal backing for any tribe to peacefully exit the forced union if it feels marginalized in future.
According to Enahoro, such provision in our constitution would instill in all Nigeria's future leaders the fear of the consequences of misgovernance.
But Azikiwe, speaking on behalf of Igbos, rose against him in the parliament and labelled him an agent of disunity, and enemy of Nigeria.
At a later date, Awolowo too made a case for secession clause, but Azikiwe again resisted him and instigated the colonial authorities to threaten him and Enahoro with charges of treasonable felony if they didn't stop proposing secession clause for the future constitution.
While Azikiwe did all these, Igbos cheered and urged him on because they felt the future Nigeria was theirs to dominate and lord it over every other tribe
Before independece, Tafawa Balewa too had in a public speech described Nigeria as a British experiment and Nigeria's unity as a British intention which Nigerians themselves don't believe in.
But Azikiwe kicked and demonized him too. Had Azikiwe co-operated with Enahoro, Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa about the secession clause, Nigeria perhaps would not have been this misgoverned.
For those in doubt, here is a link of one of the numerous instances in which Nnamdi Azikiwe fought against the secession clause proposal for the future Nigeria constitution.
*https://www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2017/06/my-opposition-to-secession-zik/*
It should be noted that there were many Igbo members of the parliament in which Azikiwe fought against Awolowo's secession clause proposal in the link above, but not a single one of them rose against Azikiwe or condemned him.
Igbos initially never wanted to hear anything like secession in Nigeria because they so much believed, though falsely, that they were the most educated tribe. (The first Nigerian tribe to produce a university graduate is the Binis).
As an evidence of Igbo domination agenda hence their initial resistance to the idea of secession; here are some quotes:
"From all indications, the god of us Igbos have destined us to rule the whole of Africa"..... Nnamdi Azikiwe (1945).
"It is getting clearer each day that Igbo domination of Nigeria is just a question of time"... Oscar Onyeamma. (1949)
As at 1900, the whole of the present Benue State, Kogi East Senatorial District and some southern parts of Taraba State called Munchi District back then; were all in the Southern Protectorate.
Whoever doubts this should consult MacMillan Atlas for secondary schools in Nigeria.
With that situation the South had a higher population than the North hence always had an upper hand in any democratic bargain.
But as at the early fifties when the regions were being created, common sense dictated clearly that these areas should fall in the future Eastern Region.
But against common sense, the colonial masters decided to gerrymander them into the Northern Region.
While they did that, Azikiwe who was supposed to be in Enugu fighting against it as the leader of the East, was far away in Ibadan struggling with Awolowo to rule the Western Region and also playing the spoiler role against Awolowo's attempts to have Kwara and present Kogi Yorubas carved into the Western Region from the North which was already too large by landmass.
While he abandoned his burning house and was far away in Ibadan struggling against Awolowo for his own (Awolowo's) region, Igbos saw absolutely nothing wrong with that. Rather they applauded him as a nationalist. A nationalist whose house was burning yet busy chasing rats in a far away land.
When opinions became unanimous that Lord Luggard and his government must be forced out of Nigeria and indeed the whole of Africa, it was still the Igbos that frustrated the attempts.
Here is how:
In 1948, Anthony Enahoro organized an anti-colonization symposium in Lagos for which Azikiwe and some other Igbos had agreed to deliver the keynote address.
But when the D-day came, Azikiwe was nowhere to be found as he deliberately disappeared into thin air for fear of being arrested and dealt with by Lord Luggard.
Anthony Enahoro then quickly replaced Azikiwe with another person who did the job improptu but perfectly well as he lambasted and lampooned Lord Luggard and the British Government.
However, the British soldiers invaded the symposium venue, arrested the speaker and Enahoro and jailed them for treasonable felony.
Ironically, the next day Azikiwe came out of hiding and granted a radio interview in which he accused Enahoro and the other organizers of suffering from youthful exuberance.
On regaining his freedom few weeks later and being told of Azikiwe's radio interview, Enahoro resigned from his post as Editor of Azikiwe's newspaper - The West African Pilot.
Then he wrote a book titled "Nnamdi Azikiwe: Sinner of Saint".
After launching the book, Enahoro left Azikiwe's party - the NCNC, and moved over to Awolowo's Action Group.
The first military coup in Nigeria was carried out by majority of Igbo army officers.
That was the coup that truncated democracy just six years post Independence and led to a succession of coups which put the country on the reverse gear for 33 years.
Through that first coup, those Igbo army officers who accused the politicians and government of the day of monumental corruption, killed the political leaders of the Northern, Western and Midwestern Regions but allowed all Igbo political figures to escape by tipping them off prior to the D-Day.
In addition to the killing of political figures, they also killed a total of 27 innocent high ranking military officers from every region except their Eastern Region.
*In the end an Igbo man called Aguiyi Ironsi, who was supposed to have been killed alongside other military officers, ended up becoming the new military ruler of Nigeria*
*Rather than immediately arrest and punish the coup plotters, he kept them in detention where they were treated as heroes*
*This was actually what sowed the seed for the eventual Biafra War. On the 23rd of February 1966 (i.e. a month and 8 days after the first coup porpularly but wrongly known as Nzeogwu coup, an Ijaw born Army officer called Isaac Adaka Boro who hailed from Kaima town of present Bayelsa State, declared the secession of the Niger Delta Republic in an attempt to free his Ijaw people from the monumental marginalization they had been suffering under Igbos in the old Eastern Region*
*But Aguiyi Ironsi immediately ordered Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu to arrest him and hand him over to the military high command under him in Lagos. Ojukwu went all out against Isaac Adaka Boro with federal military might and within 12 fighting days killed 150 Isaac Boro's soldiers, arrested him, stripped him naked, and had him driven to Lagos and handed to Ironsi who immediately charged him to court and within two months secured against him a conviction of treasonable felony for which he was sentenced to death by hanging fixed for December that year by the Supreme Court*
*His 'crime' was that he declared secession of The Niger Delta Republic from Nigeria. Meanwhile the Igbo coupists who shed innocent blood of other tribes and even sprayed bullets into the bellies of the pregnant wives of Ahmadu Bello and Brigadier Shodeinde were not charged to court or arraigned before any military tribunal*
*Isaac Adaka Boro was in detention waiting for December to come for him to join his ancestors. But God so kind, a revenge coup happened on July 29 by Northern soldiers and Ironsi was overthrown and killed*
Gowon took over and released Isaac Adaka Boro unconditionally, reinstated him into the Army with his previous rank.
Then on May 30, 1967, Ojukwu too declared secession of Biafra Republic from Nigeria and without consulting or apologising to Isaac Boro, drew a Biafra map which included the very areas that made up Isaac Adaka Boro's earlier declared Niger Delta Republic for which he fought against him and killed his soldiers.
Seeing such level of arrogance in Ojukwu, Isaac Boro asked Gowon to provide arms for him to crush Biafra by fighting on the Nigerian side in vengeance for Ojukwu's frustration of his own secession declaration 15 months earlier.
Isaac Boro, as an Ijaw man conversant with the waterways, led the Nigeria Army through the coastal areas into Igboland to finish off thousands of Ojukwu's soldiers thus leading to the crushing defeat of Biafra.
But today, Igbos accuse Ijaws of betraying them in the war. But from the facts as above, who really betrayed the other in all honesty?
Be the judge.


Let’s agree to live together.

This article is riddled with false info in violation of Rule 8.

The lies are numerous and scattered all over but see a few lies like the defence chiefs all being Igbo. Admiral Joseph Akinwale Wey (Yoruba) was Chief of Naval staff, Louis Edet (Efik) was IG of Police and Kam Salem (fulani) succeeded him.

See a screenshot of the cabinet in Balewa's government for more info check Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Abubakar_Tafawa_Balewa

lastmessenger:
I don't have time to debunk your lies. The narrative many of you are pushing is to justify the atrocities of president buhari.
With time people like you will also find away to rationalize the way and manner he is pampering his Fulani brothers who kill and rape innocent woman.

You don't have time because you lack facts to debunk the lie.

Emotion won't help you. You can also call it lie the you igbos did not vote ojukwu or that ikpeazu did not share keg of kerosene since everything is lie to you.

zoedew:
Attention to all lovers of History

From the political Archives of Nigeria political history*

A must read piece to the end.
Igbo political leaders and their past misadventures resulting in current national political problems*
Do you know that when Tafawa Balewa was Prime Minister of Nigeria;
Chief of Army Staff was from SE
Chief of Naval Staff was from SE
IG of Police was from SE
Chief of Defence staff was fron SE
Internal Affairs Minister SE
External Affairs Minister SE
Education Minister South SE
Many other key ministries to SE
Parliament President SE
Unilag VC from SE
University of Ibadan VC from SE
North resisted same at ABU!
Still there was dissatisfaction by easterners; the officers from the region killed this same Balewa!
Out of all the most senior officers in Nigeria, SE has 37, none was killed. 8 from the north, all of them were killed. 10 from the west, 2 were killed.
Then Ironsi imposed a unitary system of government on the country so that everything can belong to a region who snatched it!
We must know our history so that when we want to make corrections, we will not end up concealing the truth. This has nothing to do with tribalism but everything to do with the truth.....at times when lies litter the streets. There is the tendency to think those are truths and facts.
What follows are documented facts that can be cross checked for authenticity!
Thou shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
Prof. Ben Nwabueze was the man who drafted the constitution that took away powers from regions and handed it to the central govt because his brother Aguiyi Ironsi was the head of state then. Today, he is shouting restructuring that he helped to destroy. We won’t forget.
Let those who have ears hear.
*What Biafrans will never tell you about the real cause of their woes in Nigeria today*
The Igbo man is known to enjoy blaming the Hausa-fulanis, Yorubas and indeed every other Nigerian tribe and Lord Luggard/Britain for their seeming claim of being in third class citizen status in Nigeria.
In their perpetual attempts to play the victim card, they recount the political events of Nigeria from 1914 to the present in a half-baked and highly selective manner which cleverly avoids the mention of the roles played by their elite who by all natural laws of judgement were actually responsible for the woes that befell not only the Igbo race but the entire Nigeria nation. The SE will do well to put a stop to the misrepresentation and consciously work on bringing up the next generation to know the truth. Germans, for instance, have not denied the Holocaust but quietly worked, through the years, on correctional measures to right the wrongs Adolf Hitler engineered. SE should do likewise.
The story told in the post above is one of such selective and distorted accounts of history which the average Igbo man is fond of narrating. However, the national archives have the complete and unedited history of Nigeria regarding the political events beginning way back from even before 1914.
I will therefore proceed to furnish my readers with the complete story for all to read and be endowed with enough facts so as to judge and act from an informed position.
Shortly after the 1914 Amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates, it started getting clear that the country was bound to fail as the amalgamation in question was done with colonial fiat without the consent and consensus of the different tribes which were over 300.
This prompted the political leaders to start asking for de-amalgamation so as to forestall the future danger which the forced amalgamation portended. To that end, Ahmadu Bello, speaking on behalf of the Northern protectorate in 1944 described the amalgamation as:
"The mistake of 1914 which if allowed to remain will ultimately lead to unstoppable bloodshed and a failed country".
Awolowo, speaking on behalf of the Yorubas and Western minorities, described Nigeria as a mere geographical expression not qualified to be called a country let alone a nation. Awolowo added that if the amalgamation could not be reversed, then Nigeria should be structured as a strictly federal state so as to enable each tribe enjoy autonomy this freedom from being dominated by any one single tribe.
But Nnamdi Azikiwe, speaking for the Igbos, denounced Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello, terming them ethnic champions. He accused them of nursing a sectional agenda against the unity of Nigeria, and he declared further that the Unity of Nigeria was non-negotiable.
After moving the motion for independece in 1953, Anthony Enahoro proposed that a secession clause should be incorporated into the future constitution of Nigeria so as to give legal backing for any tribe to peacefully exit the forced union if it feels marginalized in future.
According to Enahoro, such provision in our constitution would instill in all Nigeria's future leaders the fear of the consequences of misgovernance.
But Azikiwe, speaking on behalf of Igbos, rose against him in the parliament and labelled him an agent of disunity, and enemy of Nigeria.
At a later date, Awolowo too made a case for secession clause, but Azikiwe again resisted him and instigated the colonial authorities to threaten him and Enahoro with charges of treasonable felony if they didn't stop proposing secession clause for the future constitution.
While Azikiwe did all these, Igbos cheered and urged him on because they felt the future Nigeria was theirs to dominate and lord it over every other tribe
Before independece, Tafawa Balewa too had in a public speech described Nigeria as a British experiment and Nigeria's unity as a British intention which Nigerians themselves don't believe in.
But Azikiwe kicked and demonized him too. Had Azikiwe co-operated with Enahoro, Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa about the secession clause, Nigeria perhaps would not have been this misgoverned.
For those in doubt, here is a link of one of the numerous instances in which Nnamdi Azikiwe fought against the secession clause proposal for the future Nigeria constitution.
*https://www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2017/06/my-opposition-to-secession-zik/*
It should be noted that there were many Igbo members of the parliament in which Azikiwe fought against Awolowo's secession clause proposal in the link above, but not a single one of them rose against Azikiwe or condemned him.
Igbos initially never wanted to hear anything like secession in Nigeria because they so much believed, though falsely, that they were the most educated tribe. (The first Nigerian tribe to produce a university graduate is the Binis).
As an evidence of Igbo domination agenda hence their initial resistance to the idea of secession; here are some quotes:
"From all indications, the god of us Igbos have destined us to rule the whole of Africa"..... Nnamdi Azikiwe (1945).
"It is getting clearer each day that Igbo domination of Nigeria is just a question of time"... Oscar Onyeamma. (1949)
As at 1900, the whole of the present Benue State, Kogi East Senatorial District and some southern parts of Taraba State called Munchi District back then; were all in the Southern Protectorate.
Whoever doubts this should consult MacMillan Atlas for secondary schools in Nigeria.
With that situation the South had a higher population than the North hence always had an upper hand in any democratic bargain.
But as at the early fifties when the regions were being created, common sense dictated clearly that these areas should fall in the future Eastern Region.
But against common sense, the colonial masters decided to gerrymander them into the Northern Region.
While they did that, Azikiwe who was supposed to be in Enugu fighting against it as the leader of the East, was far away in Ibadan struggling with Awolowo to rule the Western Region and also playing the spoiler role against Awolowo's attempts to have Kwara and present Kogi Yorubas carved into the Western Region from the North which was already too large by landmass.
While he abandoned his burning house and was far away in Ibadan struggling against Awolowo for his own (Awolowo's) region, Igbos saw absolutely nothing wrong with that. Rather they applauded him as a nationalist. A nationalist whose house was burning yet busy chasing rats in a far away land.
When opinions became unanimous that Lord Luggard and his government must be forced out of Nigeria and indeed the whole of Africa, it was still the Igbos that frustrated the attempts.
Here is how:
In 1948, Anthony Enahoro organized an anti-colonization symposium in Lagos for which Azikiwe and some other Igbos had agreed to deliver the keynote address.
But when the D-day came, Azikiwe was nowhere to be found as he deliberately disappeared into thin air for fear of being arrested and dealt with by Lord Luggard.
Anthony Enahoro then quickly replaced Azikiwe with another person who did the job improptu but perfectly well as he lambasted and lampooned Lord Luggard and the British Government.
However, the British soldiers invaded the symposium venue, arrested the speaker and Enahoro and jailed them for treasonable felony.
Ironically, the next day Azikiwe came out of hiding and granted a radio interview in which he accused Enahoro and the other organizers of suffering from youthful exuberance.
On regaining his freedom few weeks later and being told of Azikiwe's radio interview, Enahoro resigned from his post as Editor of Azikiwe's newspaper - The West African Pilot.
Then he wrote a book titled "Nnamdi Azikiwe: Sinner of Saint".
After launching the book, Enahoro left Azikiwe's party - the NCNC, and moved over to Awolowo's Action Group.
The first military coup in Nigeria was carried out by majority of Igbo army officers.
That was the coup that truncated democracy just six years post Independence and led to a succession of coups which put the country on the reverse gear for 33 years.
Through that first coup, those Igbo army officers who accused the politicians and government of the day of monumental corruption, killed the political leaders of the Northern, Western and Midwestern Regions but allowed all Igbo political figures to escape by tipping them off prior to the D-Day.
In addition to the killing of political figures, they also killed a total of 27 innocent high ranking military officers from every region except their Eastern Region.
*In the end an Igbo man called Aguiyi Ironsi, who was supposed to have been killed alongside other military officers, ended up becoming the new military ruler of Nigeria*
*Rather than immediately arrest and punish the coup plotters, he kept them in detention where they were treated as heroes*
*This was actually what sowed the seed for the eventual Biafra War. On the 23rd of February 1966 (i.e. a month and 8 days after the first coup porpularly but wrongly known as Nzeogwu coup, an Ijaw born Army officer called Isaac Adaka Boro who hailed from Kaima town of present Bayelsa State, declared the secession of the Niger Delta Republic in an attempt to free his Ijaw people from the monumental marginalization they had been suffering under Igbos in the old Eastern Region*
*But Aguiyi Ironsi immediately ordered Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu to arrest him and hand him over to the military high command under him in Lagos. Ojukwu went all out against Isaac Adaka Boro with federal military might and within 12 fighting days killed 150 Isaac Boro's soldiers, arrested him, stripped him naked, and had him driven to Lagos and handed to Ironsi who immediately charged him to court and within two months secured against him a conviction of treasonable felony for which he was sentenced to death by hanging fixed for December that year by the Supreme Court*
*His 'crime' was that he declared secession of The Niger Delta Republic from Nigeria. Meanwhile the Igbo coupists who shed innocent blood of other tribes and even sprayed bullets into the bellies of the pregnant wives of Ahmadu Bello and Brigadier Shodeinde were not charged to court or arraigned before any military tribunal*
*Isaac Adaka Boro was in detention waiting for December to come for him to join his ancestors. But God so kind, a revenge coup happened on July 29 by Northern soldiers and Ironsi was overthrown and killed*
Gowon took over and released Isaac Adaka Boro unconditionally, reinstated him into the Army with his previous rank.
Then on May 30, 1967, Ojukwu too declared secession of Biafra Republic from Nigeria and without consulting or apologising to Isaac Boro, drew a Biafra map which included the very areas that made up Isaac Adaka Boro's earlier declared Niger Delta Republic for which he fought against him and killed his soldiers.
Seeing such level of arrogance in Ojukwu, Isaac Boro asked Gowon to provide arms for him to crush Biafra by fighting on the Nigerian side in vengeance for Ojukwu's frustration of his own secession declaration 15 months earlier.
Isaac Boro, as an Ijaw man conversant with the waterways, led the Nigeria Army through the coastal areas into Igboland to finish off thousands of Ojukwu's soldiers thus leading to the crushing defeat of Biafra.
But today, Igbos accuse Ijaws of betraying them in the war. But from the facts as above, who really betrayed the other in all honesty?
Be the judge.
Why Gowon fought against Ojukwu's declaration of Biafra was as follows:
After Ironsi and Ojukwu successfully crushed Isaac Boro's Niger Delta Republic declaration, Ironsi immediately proceeded to promulgate the Anti-secession Decree which made the mere mention of secession from Nigeria punishable with death by hanging.
Ojukwu openly supported and endorsed the decree despite disapproval of it by the general public. So when Ojukwu later declared Biafra secession, he was reminded of the Anti-secession Decree made by him and his brother Ironsi.
Deadly Truth: Igbos frequently reference Aburi Accord to create the impression that the rest Nigerian tribes don't honour agreements. This is a very dishonest narrative from Igbos.
First and foremost Aburi Accord was organized by soldiers and unelected civil servants who should not participate in political exercises like making laws due to the civil service anonymity principle.
Secondly, those civil servants and military men in attendance were not elected by their federal constituencies to the Aburi summit.
In the philosophy of democracy the only universally acceptable way of making laws is through duly elected representatives of the people. But in going to Aburi the peoples' representatives duly elected in the 1965 elections were all sidelined for soldiers to hijack the process.
Where on earth do soldiers make laws for the people? Rather, the civilian populace makes laws that guide the military.
Aburi Accord therefore had no seal of the people's sovereignty hence it was an illegality which shouldn't have been allowed to stand.
Thirdly, in 1957, Nigerians from all federal constituencies democratically elected representatives whom they sponsored to London, paid their flight tickets and hotel cc accommodation for the Independence constitutional conference.
Those representatives all resolved and agreed on federalism marked by regional autonomy and resource control in the Independence Constitution which they brought back home and everyone accepted it.
In that constitution, Nigerians all agreed that on no account shall the military take over power. It was also clearly stated in it that ammendments to it could be done by only democratically elected representatives.
That constitution was the first ever agreement between all Nigerians.
On the day of his inauguration as the Army GoC, Aguiyi Ironsi stood before the whole world and with his own mouth swore to protect and defend that sovereign Independence constitution regardless of the circumstances that may later arise.
But just six years after he manufactured an excuse to clinch power against the clear provisions of that constitution we all agreed to, unilaterally began to amend its provisions with his very offensive Decrees, and ended up dismantling the federalism and resource control therein, and ultimately subverted that constitution we all painstakingly sacrificed to draft.
That was the height of irresponsibility and the dishonoring of sacred agreement. That was how Igbos breached the first agreement, all Nigerians, ever all mutually consented to, thus laying the foundation for violation of future agreements.
So Aburi Accord was only treated exactly the same way Igbos treated the Independence constitution agreement.
To his eternal discredit Obasanjo removed history from the school curriculum hence the reason why many of what we do for a know of the eventualities in Biafra war were altered to suite their narratives.
With the Igbo’s in Yoruba land, “the hand shake has exceeded the wrist”. And as Chinua Achebe said in his book, “it has turned to a fight”

One thing that can be said about The Yoruba is that they are liberal and broadminded. They believe God is on their side largely because they see themselves as givers who will NEVER lack.

It’s about time other Nigerian ethnic nationalities and their intelligentsia go to work and see how we can relate with and equitably accommodate the Igbos without undermining their own interests. Yes, Nigeria is a nation but the Igbo people will not allow a fraction of what the Yoruba - for instance- tolerate in Lagos in Ochanja (Onitsha), Aba, Enugu and the likes.

Let’s agree to live together.

Well, all I can say is that you lack proper education. People look at such bare lies and call we, the yorubas bad names. I'm a yoruba but a Christian. So I don't believe in all these kind lies.