Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? - Politics (6) - Nairaland
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| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by T9ksy(m): 10:58am On Oct 07, 2012 |
solomon111: I actually understand when yaribas say the war should be forgotten,as they are ashamed of their history and the roles their sadistic leaders played. Abegi my ibo brother please don't let bygones be bygones o. Keep remembering the war from your clueless leaders POV. We too lost loved ones in that stupid war stage-managed by your arrogant spoilt brat you all dubbed "Ikemba". Meanwhile, most of you ibos are all over our land making a comfortable living, unharrased and left to your own devices. I will advise you guys not to wake up a sleeping lion. Don't take our kindness/hospitality for weakness Am sure none of you guys would dare make such disparaging and fallacious assertion about, say the late sardunna as you well know that will enough to unleash another pogrom against you ibos in the country, especially in the north. Why do ibos alwyas go looking for trouble? And when you get it, you starts whining "oh they hate us, they are envious" etc Why would anyone likes you if all you do is make slanderous claims that can't be buttressed against your generous hosts? 7 Likes |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Nobody: 11:24am On Oct 07, 2012 |
politician: That Achebe( a distinguished citizen) had made a similar remarks 30yrs ago and now reiterating it in his memoir shows it is his personal opinion on that issue. You were making sense from the first few comments however, you derailed immediately you started writing pidgin ....make your points or get los...... |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Dainfamous: 11:34am On Oct 07, 2012 |
Prof. Chinua Achebe has finally blown open the lid...people that have always been too scared to hear and accept the truth are now trying to suppress it. Until we acknowledge the truths of our past, we can't move forward successfully... |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by pinkrex(m): 12:31pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
pinkrex: Those who shoot bullets should accept responsibility of the failed bullet from their failed fingers #pinkrexp |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Paentera(m): 12:49pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
Igbo Ronu! |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Impulse80(m): 12:59pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
All this bickering. To what end? If u luk at every person fighting on this thread u'll see that they have something in common; POVERTY AND JOBLESSNESS! |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Desola(f): 1:26pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
Just as ojuiku led the ibos to a war which got millions of them killed, Achebe is in the process of repeating history. I really hope this development heats up the Yorubas and for them to look around and wake up from their effing slumber! Enough of this stupid so called 'hospitality' we need to start cutting down some branches!! 1 Like |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by ichidodo: 1:47pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
Desola: Just as ojuiku led the ibos to a war which got millions of them killed, Achebe is in the process of repeating history.WHICH HOSPITALITY DID WE BEG URE FATHERS FOR HOSPITALITY?. YIRIBAS R ALWAYS LAZY AND COWARDS, C HOW D IGBOS R COLONISIN LAGOS IN FRONT OF YIRIBAS. BEGIN TO CUT BRANCH NAH?WE WIL USE THAT EXCUSE TO CORRECT SOME 'CIVIL WAR' WRONGS.'ACHEBE HAS AGAIN WRITTEN A MASTER-PIECE DAT NOBODY CAN SUPPRESS, TAKIN AWOL-OLE TO D CLEANERS, I DARE SOYINKA TO REFUTE THE MEMOIRS.THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS BITTER. ALSO, IN AS MUCH AS AWOL-OLE DOING HIS WORSE, WHAT REMAINS IS DAT THE IGBOS ARE BACK RICHER,WISER, STRONGER AND ANGRIER. THE YIRIBA FU**CKERS SHULD PLS WATCH THEIR BACKS. |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Nobody: 1:54pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
I am sure 99% of the Nairalanders do not have access to the Book by Achebe. Until I have a copy, I will not speculate. But the most salient question is 'What Achebe wrote' IS IT TRUE ? |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Dainfamous: 1:57pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
My views on the Yoruba political leadership have been thoroughly articulated in some of my writings, prime among which was " Afenifere: Syllabus of Errors" published by This Day (The Sunday Newspaper) on Sept 27, 1998. There was also an earlier publication in the weekly Trust entitled " The Igbo, the Yoruba and History" (Aug. 21, 1998). In sum, the Yoruba political leadership, as mentioned by Balarabe Musa, has shown itself over the years to be incapable of rising above narrow tribal interests and reciprocating goodwill from other sections of the country by treating other groups with respect. Practically every crisis inNigeria since independence has its roots in this attitude. The Yoruba elite were the first, in 1962, to attempt a violent overthrow of an elected government in this country. In 1966, it was the violence in the West which provided an avenue for the putsch of 15th January. After Chief Awolowo lost to Shagari in 1983 elections, it was the discontent and bad publicity in the South-West which led to the Buhari intervention. When Buhari jailed UPN governors like Ige and Onabanjo, the South-Western press castigated that good government and provided the right mood for IBB to take over power. As soon as IBB cleared UPN governors of charges against them in a politically motivated retrial, he became the darling of the South-West. When IBB annulled the primaries in which Adamu Ciroma and Shehu Yar Adua emerged as presidential candidates in the NRC and SDP, he was hailed by the South-West. When the same man annulled the June 12, 1993 elections in which Abiola was the front-runner, the South-West now became defenders of democracy. When it seemed Sani Abacha was sympathetic to Abiola, the South-West supported his take-over. He was in fact invited by a prominent NADECO member to take over in a published letter shortly before the event. Even though Abiola had won the elections in the North, the North was blamed for its annulment. When Abdulsalam Abubakar started his transition, the Yoruba political leadership through NADECO presented a memorandum on a Government of National Unity that showed complete disrespect for the intelligence and liberties of other Nigerians. Subsequently, they formed a tribal party which failed to meet minimum requirements for registration, but was registered all the same to avoid the violence that was bound to follow non-registration, given the area-boy mentality of South-West politicians. Having rejected an Obasanjo candidacy and challenged the election as a fraud in court, we now find a leading member of the AD in the government, a daughter of an Afenifere leader as Minister of State, and Awolowo´s daughter as Ambassador, all appointed by a man who won the election through fraud. Meanwhile, nothing has been negotiated for the children of Abiola, the focus of Yoruba political activity. In return for these favours, the AD solidly voted for Evan Enwerem as Senate President. This is a man who participated in the two-million- man March for Abacha´s self-succession. He also is reputed to have hosted a meeting of governors during IBB´s transition, demanding that June 12 elections should never be de-annulled and threatening that the East would go to war if this was done. When Ibrahim Salisu Buhari was accused of swearing to a false affidavit, the Yoruba political elite correctly took up the gauntlet for his resignation. When an AD governor, Bola Tinubu, swears to a false affidavit that he attended an Ivy League University which he did not attend, we hear excuses. For so many years, the Yoruba have inundated this country with stories of being marginalised and of a civil service dominated by northerners through quota system. The Federal Character Commission has recently released a report which shows that the South-West accounts for 27.8% of civil servants in the range GL08 to GL14 and a full 29.5% of GL 15 and above. One zone out of six zones controls a full 30% of the civil service leaving the other five zones to share the remaining 70%. We find the same story in the economy, in academia, in parastatals. Yet in spite of being so dominant, the Yoruba complained and complained of marginalization. Of recent, in recognition of the trauma which hit the South-West after June 12, the rest of the country forced everyone out of the race to ensure that a South-Westerner emerged, often against the best advice of political activists. Instead of leading a path of reconciliation and strong appreciation, the Yoruba have embarked on short-sighted triumphalism, threatening other "nationalities" that they ( who after all lost the election) will protect Obasanjo ( who was forced on them). No less a person than Bola Ige has made such utterances. To further show that they were in charge, they led a cult into the Hausa area of Sagamu, murdered a Hausa woman and nothing happened. In the violence that followed, they killed several Hausa residents, with Yoruba leaders like Segun Osoba, reminding Nigerians of the need to respect the culture of their host communities. This would have continued were it not for the people of Kano who showed that they could also create their own Oro who would only be appeased through the shedding of innocent Yoruba blood. I say all this, to support Balarabe Musa´s statement, that the greatest problem to nation-building in Nigeria are the Yoruba Bourgeoisie. I say this also to underscore my point that until they change this attitude, no conference can solve the problems of Nigeria. We cannot move forward if the leadership of one of the largest ethnic groups continues to operate, not like statesmen, but like common area boys. accept your fault and let everybody get along a lot of Nigerians need education on human right because 70% lack it,and as u can see i was not the person that wrote it has been proofed from the news and videos we see coming from hell hole Nigeria.Genocide suicide homicide murder we see being brought up in the new daily in Nigeria if continues,just a matter of time nigeria will be no more |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Lamasta(m): 2:32pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
Prof Corruption: Let the thread continues! The old racist bitter English professor who should be working to unite the nation but has found it a worthwhile effort to pull it apart is responsible for whatever happens to Igbo lot.My brother this small pen has caused many problems leading to war, destabilization, corruption and so on... I think Achebe has overstepped his boundary this time around by pointing accusing finger to Our dear Awolowo a Man that made the ordinary man from the West to know the value of Education if not for him the Yoruba would have been silent in Nigeria thereby allowing those Abokis to completely turn this Nation to Federal Republic Of Almajiri 1 Like |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by livewire77: 2:49pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
van bonattel:  just like their uncles and aunties tot they could walk thru the ocean back to Africa. Enu pa yin ku joor. |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Iskra: 2:50pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
However much anyone might want to be quick to critisize Achebe. It is good he is speaking out and saying these things. Should he be quiet for any reason...I think no. The best way to heal is to say all especially when you are not saying this for selfish reasons or to score cheap points. Not all our heroes are worth the glories heaped on them and not all the villainous ones deserve all the bile they get. For history to be fairly written as it should be (not just by the victors) but also by the "purpoted" vanquished, we must hear all sides. Achebe has spoken well, you can decide to not acknowledge it and go into self denial.But history remains what it is. I am pleased by his coming out with his memoirs, definitely going to make a good read. This is why I love writers especially those ones who treat reality and not fiction. Long after the so called political actors are gone especially of the ilk we have in Nigerias past, Achebe, Soyinka and the other greats will shine for as long as mankind remains. |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by oobim(m): 3:42pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
lowgeorge: if chance is given, i would like to drive every ibo genes away from my fatherland, if by war or annihilation cos im getting to hate them the more, They are Quick to error, slow to rational constructive thinking, bad leadership among themselves, stupefied ways of making ends meet, bastardizing any legality in due process, trying t gain cheap popularity, I hate them cos they are the best friends i would never make. They reek of backstabbing,and ingenuity. They cling to any post give to them be it shops, houses, political post, properties. they even try to kill the owner of the property if care is not taken. I hatttttttttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeee youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.You are a dead yorober fo.ol.You are unknown,u dnt feed any igbo wo/man and u can never be as hardworking as an igbo man.meaning,u ar as hopeless as awo. |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by oobim(m): 3:54pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
Desola: Just as ojuiku led the ibos to a war which got millions of them killed, Achebe is in the process of repeating history.Hahahaha.yorober and chest beating!U are gona prostrate flat,begging for peace wen d war starts.Lazy coward,which branches u wana cut down?Disgusting tribe!I spit on y'al. |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Nobody: 4:12pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
Its a really big shame dat a lot of youths re involving demselves in all dis hatred 4 one anoda, dis was a war dat was fought even b4 u were born which begs d question wat re u gona gain frm all dis wen d problem starts? Prof. Achebe who is starting dis hate blame, did he participate in d war, hw come he knows so much abt it; wats his purpose of coming out nw @ dis time in our nations history, is he trying 2 create more hatred or he actaually wnts d secession of biafra or hes jst trying 2 make sales of his book as I can see d book bcoming a best seller nw? So much questions All I ll jst say is am a Nigeria n I don't hate any Nigeria weda Hausa (even dou I despise dia violence), nor Ibo nor any Yoruba, I consider all my brodas n I wish all Nigeria youths can try 2 move frm d mistakes of our forefathers cos dey re only trying 2 destroy dis country 4 us jst as dey've been doing all dia life. Nigeria is nt d only country in d world dat has diverse cultures yet dey re prospering n we re here busy killing/hating ourselves. What a shame. Who is 2 say dat even wen we break by tribal lines we won't have d same problem with d minorities among us. We better b wise or we ll make d same mistake as dos nw sporsoring d spirit of hate among us youths. No matter hw bad Nigeria is, God has given us d power 2 make smtin better out of it. GOD BLESS NIGERIA. 1 Like |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Tinyemeka(m): 4:58pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
safarigirl: Achebe has said his thoughts, Ken Saro-Wiwa did same, of all the Yoruba authors, how many have wrtten their own version of the war? Hmm... I've never told anyone this before: I Love You Babe. |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Dede1(m): 5:05pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
Achebe did not make a scratch on the Awolowo’s tribal and demonic demeanors talk less of going to far. |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Nobody: 5:10pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
Dede1: Achebe did not make a scratch on the Awolowo’s tribal and demonic demeanors talk less of going to far. And what is his crippled ars.e going to do about it? 1 Like |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Tinyemeka(m): 5:18pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
Billyonaire: I am sure 99% of the Nairalanders do not have access to the Book by Achebe. Until I have a copy, I will not speculate. But the most salient question is 'What Achebe wrote' IS IT TRUE ? The book was published late Sept in London and will be released to the US market October 11th at roughly $19 per copy. It is expected in the Nigerian market later. You can place your order at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1594204829/ref=mp_s_a_1?pi=SL75&qid=1349616654&sr=8-1 @ Billyonaire, as to your question, see a review of the book by the highly talented writer Chimamanda Adichie in the London Review of Books. www.lrb.co.uk/v34/n19/chimamanda-adichie/things-left-unsaid |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by dayokanu(m): 5:31pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
Achebe just displayed the cowardly nature of Igbos 1 Like |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by jcross19: 8:59pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
racism is part of our life we can't do without it even in all books of religion contains racism characters , so where there are more than 100 tongues i think peace will never reign in that environment , sentimental apart the igbos are brave and wise but the northern were married to westerns to steal the gift of our nation that was the reason why the western never recognized the igbos where are as in ussr they were splitted into more than 20 countries without chaos while we black never think when ever a nation want stand on their own they was always a battle the western will interfere why , we should think , i know now that the northern are crying to break up because the power is not o their hand any more why? ANY ONE IS ENTITLE TO SAY HIS OR HER OWN VIEW . I LOVE ACHEBE, ONLY THE CORRUPT NIGERIAN WILL BE ALURRING FOR THE NATIONAL HONOR . nigeria national honor is made only for thieves like them |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by delvinmaya(m): 8:59pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
As always, Nigerians will never cease to amaze me with their egocentric mindset. Most people here did not even witness the war, so why all these hate? You peoples dissing on Awolowo should get a life and stop blaming him for your apparent woes in Life. Lemme address those who are blaming him for the death of over two million lives, i just read in the review of this very book causing wahala that the lives lost were one million, though am not saying its right,but get your facts right,secondly, why bother fighting a war when you know you are not ready for it. Before you start screaming like fools, please do read Alexander madiebo's book "The Nigerian Revolution and the Biafran War". Atleast he would not lie, he was the second biafran army commander. When i get my hands on my dad's copy again, i will scan and put on this forum certain pages for y'all to read. But as for now, i will recount what i read, i do remember with disgust a part in which Alex wrote that Ojukwu gathered over a thousand youths and armed them with cutlasses to face the invading Nigerian army. Do you now want to blame Awolowo for this backward thinking?, oooo and if you have the time do read this write-ip http://www.dawodu.com/omoigui33.htm,. Even amongst themselves, the Biafrans were already accusing themselves of sabotage and killing themselves alreadym, so why would this 2 simple policies not work. There are accounts fraught with stories of corruption and other vices within the biafran society(seems like it is pervalent everywhere ), so i do believe nobody should just openly criticize Awolowo for the failure of an ill conceived war. This said, lets look at those screaming war crimes, if you really stop to think before talking, you will realise that war is worn by all means necessary, if you scream murder over starvation, what do you expect the Japanese(Hiroshima and Nagasaki) to do? Commit suicide, dudes, they were bombed with a nuclear weapon if you catch my drift. Thousands of people dead instantly, those who did not die immediately died from radiation. For a long time children who knew nothing about the war or the bomb still suffered from its effect, as they were born with defects, and yet they have moved on to become a great nation, while you are all still weeping and feeding yourselves and your future generations with vile. One bad thing about that is you are so per-occupied with feeding your vile, that you don't realize the world has left you behind. Its pathetic. And those insulting we the yorubas, i laugh at your stupidity, you call us cowards, and yet the only significant battle you ever won was won for you by a yoruba man(Victor Banjo). Enough on that for now unless you people are still going to dispute me on this, then i will show you why there is a saying about the wind and the anus of a fowl 2 Likes |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by LBT: 11:17pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
You igbos always turn history upside down, go ask the ijaws what the yorubas did to them in ondo state and how the yoruba took the fight to their ijaw villages turning their rivers to blood, also how did you igbos think the ishekiris were able to defeat the ijaws and irobos that ganged up against them? Its simple, the ishekiris are cousin of the yorubas and so the yorubas fought on their side in delta and prevailed;we dealt with the hausas in lagos,sagamu etc please go ask them who the hausas fear must and the will tell you the yorubas: what they did to you cowards in the 60s they can not do to us; we yorubas have been warriors since days of old if you doubt it go ask the hausa/fulani what we did to them during the ekiti parapo war which was before the british came. The yoruba are the most accomodating tribe in Nigeria we accommodate you all in ways you igbo cannot accommodate other tribes. we are not animals like you igbo cannibals: we are reasonable people. If you igbos want to settle any score abeg attack us and we we know who the real cowards are ass holes. We do not attack people but when attacked we respond in such a way that is unimaginable or unpredictable. Na only mouth na dey get, start another an see what happens to you idiots. 3 Likes |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by LBT: 11:29pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
Victor Banjo a yoruba man fought for you igbos and won but Ojukwu killed him because he thought banjo was getting too popular. You igbos have always been betrayals cos ojukwu did it to awolowo. Why did you igbos attack ore ondo state a yoruba state killing innocent yorubas, that what made the yorubas to join the military and they fought you people to the end: that was the deciding factor of the war. when the yorubas have been neutral? Ojukwu's reply was that he was coming to liberate the yorubas! Who told him the yorubas are in captivity? 1 Like |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by olaheavy: 11:36pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
The Igbo human eaters call us cowards and betrayers. Okay, here we go: who is a coward? Is it a fluke who ran away to Ivory Coast in a female regalia (Ojukwu) or a very brave civilian who was frequently seen on the warfront inspecting the atrocities of some renegade soldiers (Awolowo)? Who is a betrayer? Is it Awolowo who stood by his promise to keep the Yoruba out of the war unless either of the two enemies (Hausa and Igbo cannibals) ventured into Yorubaland or the lying bastard, Ojukwu who promised not to touch the West, but actually went off by bombing Lagos and invading Yorubaland through Ore? Who's is a coward? Is it the Yoruba who performed so honorably and gallantly in the battlefield or the Igbo savages who were plagued by marasmus and kwashiokor and eventually forced to eat the rotten remains of their fallen Igbo compatriots before their oloju rangandan leader, Ojukwu, fled the war? Who is a coward? Is it the Yoruba who are always steadfast, calculating and tactical or the Igbo scavengers who always flee both the North (Pogrom and Boko Haram) and West (June 12 riots) in buses and trucks anytime there is a chaotic situation? And the Igbos are like goats - they always go back to where they were once driven out. After the chaos subsides the Igbos (goats) will always go back to Yorubaland and the North even though they know they're hated with a passion by the Hausas and Yoruba! Pathetic he-goats and she-goats, who love to eat human beings, Igbos are the basest of the peoples of the world!. 1 Like |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Ngodigha1(m): 11:37pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
LBT: Victor Banjo a yoruba man fought for you igbos and won but Ojukwu killed him because he thought banjo was getting too popular. You igbos have always been betrayals cos ojukwu did it to awolowo. Why did you igbos attack ore ondo state a yoruba state killing innocent yorubas, that what made the yorubas to join the military and they fought you people to the end: that was the deciding factor of the war. when the yorubas have been neutral? Ojukwu's reply was that he was coming to liberate the yorubas! Who told him the yorubas are in captivity?If Biafra wanted to Attack the Yorubas, Banjo would not have been appointed the commander of that batallion. The east meant well for the west but you guys don't see it that way. If I had been in charge of that command, I would have turned those mud houses and rotten brown roofs upside down. Dahomey would have been filled up with refugees. |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by olson(m): 11:55pm On Oct 07, 2012 |
politician: That Achebe( a distinguished citizen) had made a similar remarks 30yrs ago and now reiterating it in his memoir shows it is his personal opinion on that issue. guy i gbadun u no be smal. leave d oyel tribe alone. i wil like to refer dem to a buk by Elechi Amadi titled: sunset @ biafran. |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Sirnokiopee(m): 1:33am On Oct 08, 2012 |
i wonder why there are so much noise about this book and the author ... All this nah strategy to see more copies IGBOMAN SENSE. note,what ever he wrote will remain in his book, can not be use as evidence at any court of law...Watch out for my own fashion , even thou i no dey dere Title : AND ACHEBE LIED by Sir Nokio Pee |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by nwzaion: 7:27am On Oct 08, 2012 |
Ndi Igbo LEST WE FORGET... THE GENOCIDE OF ASABA October 7 will continue to be a date in Nigeria’s history; for the good cause, it was the day the first indigenous university in Africa, University of Nigeria Nsukka, opened its gates “to restore the dignity of man” in 1960. Exactly on October 7, 1967, the federal troops under the command of Lt Col Murtala Ramat Mohammed committed the greatest genocide in Africa’s history. In a broadcast at Benin to signal what was to happen at Asaba on September 21, 1967, Lt Col Mohammed thundered, “I have already dispatched my forces to deal with the rebels around Agbor and Asaba”. Little wonder why Igbo women were raped, children maimed, pregnant women raped and their pregnancies disemboweled from Benin, Agbor, Ibusa, Ogwashi-Uku with the grand finale been the butchering of over 2000 defenseless men and male children who had rolled out their drums to rejoice with the federal troops for recapturing Asaba from Biafran forces at St Patrick’s College area of Asaba by Lt Col Mohammed’s troop for alleged “Biafra sympathy”. All these happened in total disregard to the Geneva Convention and federal directive issued by the then Nigeria’s HOS, Major-General Yakubu Gowon. In the words of 58 years old eye witness, Ifeanyi Uraih, who was a resident of Asaba then with his nine siblings and parents, “I cannot tell this story without tears in my eyes, but I have no bitterness in my heart… They ordered everyone to come out to the town square… They were honest with us. They told us they were going to kill us. They took us to the mounted machine guns. Then it dawned on us that it was true. I was standing with my older brother at the edge of the crowd. He was holding my hand. He had always taken care of me. We shared the same bed. He was the first to be dragged away by the soldiers. He let go of my hand and pushed me into the crowd. He was shot in the back. I could see the blood gushing from his back. He was the first victim of the massacre. Then all hell let loose. I lost count of time. To this day, I live with the smell of the blood of my brethren that night. Even the heavens wept for the victims of this holocaust. Finally the bullets stopped.” Luckily Uraih made it alive because the bodies of the people who were killed fell and buffered him. It is indeed 45 years today but the wound is still fresh. According to Chinelo Egwuatu, another survivor of the Murtala’s genocide, “We can forgive but we should never, ever forget… There is no way you can bring the people back, but you can at least acknowledge that it happened.” Special thanks to the University of Florida Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and its team of researchers ably led by Erin H. Kimmerle, Professors Elizabeth Si Bird and Fraser Ottanelli who have elected to “break the silence, honour the dead, develop a historic record of the event and secure funding to build the permanent memorial” for the victims of the genocide. For us, we must take up the mantle and bring to the fore-burner of international discourse, the atrocities of the 1967-70 genocide of the Nigerian state against ndigbo; today, Awolowo’s starvation policy is the centre stage of our national debate courtesy of Prof Chinua Achebe; how about the Oguta blood bazaar superintended by Olusegun Obasanjo? Have we forgotten about the Onitsha 300 burnt in the Apostolic by Murtala and the activities of Benjamin Adekunle, Shehu Yar’Adua, Ibrahim Taiwo, Jalo, Sani Abacha, etc during the genocide the government of Nigeria continues to call “civil war?” On the part of the Federal Government, it is time we put this ugly part of our history permanently behind us by giving the dead a deserving state burial and proper apologies rendered to the surviving families of these great Nigerians, whose blood were wasted by bloodlust and hate-mongering soldiers. Anything less is begging the question and it behooves us all as Nigerians to seek justice for the dead. BY Okafor C. Udoka ====================== SHARE & TAG! LIKE us@ www.facebook.com/Ndi.Igbo[b][/b] |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by truth4meal(m): 8:38am On Oct 08, 2012 |
9ja_I_hail: The question you should ask is, did Awolowo commit the crime achebe accused him of? How do you justify the act of blocking the means the Biafrans are getting aids from other countries? out of desperation they were quick to reach agreement with Cameroon to hand over oil rich bakassi peninsular to them if they can block Biafra from getting aids from France and other countries who was against the injustice the UK and Nigeria Govt melted to Biafrans.Finally they won the war but as everyone can see Bakassi people are about to take up arms against Nigerian Govt for ceding them to Cameroon without their consent or referendum.I pity the morons liking dis ur lies and deceits...check the 1914 map of Nigeria which constitute part of the evidence tendered by Cameroon you will see that Bakassi is never part of Nigeria. Cameroun was hold in trust by Nigeria and when they decided to leave the souther cameroon left but the Northern Cameroon melted into present day Nigeria. Get ur facts right - start from who is to blame for the genocide during the civil war - Ojukwu or his soldiers? 1 Like |
| Re: Achebe On Awolowo: Has He Gone Too Far? by Wislet(f): 8:44am On Oct 08, 2012 |
ANY MORE NOISE ON THIS THREAD, AND I'LL LOCK ALL OF YOU UP. So talk like civilized beings. |
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