‘Achebe Has Brought The Genocide Committed Against Igbos Into Global Discourse With His New Book’
Saturday, 13 October 2012 00:00 ONYEDIKA AGBEDO Saturday Magazine - Saturday Magazine
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Emma Okocha, author of Blood On The Niger, an account of the Nigerian civil war, joins the debate on Chinua Achebe’s new book, There Was A Country. He spoke with ONYEDIKA AGBEDO.

WHAT is your take on the ongoing debate about Chinua Achebe’s latest book, There Was A Country?

I am totally concerned with the latest debate following Chinua Achebe’s new book, There Was A Country. I am interested in looking at Achebe not only as a writer but also as a prophet. At a stage in writing, you attain more than the normal height of just being a writer. Being a novelist of global recognition, Achebe’s latest work has propelled him to the summit because in novel writing you create out of nothing; you imagine out of nothing; you use elements of imagery to create something that may be accepted as certainty. But in non-fiction writing, you are more serious and that is what Achebe did. So, for some Nigerians to get mad and react to Achebe’s perspective understanding or recorded actions of the former premier of the western Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, during the civil war is understandable.

This was a leader that never did evil in their eyes. This was a leader that really acceptably performed in the Nigerian scene especially when we have leadership that has no compass these days. But at the same time, let us enjoy the debate on the literality platform. The debate should be based on intellectual give and take. It is not a question of the man has damaged the legacies of our leader; politicians should not come in. Let the literality, if they have read the book, critique it.

I have not seen the book. But as a genocide crusader, I welcome the idea that the greatest African writer has added his voice to the calamity that happened to our people, especially the western Igbos who were not Biafrans but Nigerians. Like my father and elder brother that were part of the over 1000 youths that were killed on October 7, 1967, in Asaba, most of them were members of the Action Group (AG). The people that believed in the NCNC at that time left for the east. My father who worked in Enugu, Nsukka, Uzuakoli and Kafanchan as a civil servant could have gone to the east. But he believed in that war. He was an apostle of the Awo ideas–free education and free medical services. In fact, the Asaba General Hospital that is now a Specialist Hospital was brought to us by the AG led by Nduka Eze, another AG hardliner who left the Zikist Movement to join Awolowo. But Nduka Eze’s wife was killed by the federal troop under the command of Murtala Mohammed because she refused to be touched because they were defiling women at random when they came in.

The genocide against the Igbos has been proved beyond reasonable doubt by the apology made to Asaba people by General Gowon when he came there after the release of the Blood On The Niger. The genocide against the Igbos was proved beyond reasonable doubt at the Oputa panel which the federal government has up till now refused to publish the findings. Bishop Desmond Tutu chaired the Truth and Justice tribunal in South Africa to find out what happened in South Africa during the apartheid period. It was accepted by both sides and just look at the peace that has prevailed there since then. Why would Nigeria not publish the findings of the Oputa Panel where it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that pilots were throwing bombs at random into market places in Uzuakoli, Uzuitem and Nsukka, where bottles and implements were also used against women during the war.

History is an account of the actions of actors in a community or in a state recorded that made impacts during their time. Awolowo was a great leader; great politician and great performer in government but his activities during the civil war were negative. If you are a writer, you cannot defend his position that starvation is an instrument of warfare. Starvation cannot be an instrument of warfare when you are fighting a civil war. I have read the review of There Was A Country and Achebe mentioned that the small firearms used against the Biafrans were more than the totality of what was used in World War II. Can you imagine that comparison?

But has the author any evidence to back up that claim?

If he couldn’t prove that he wouldn’t put it down. Nigeria was being supplied arms from all countries. For the first time there was an unholy alliance between the Soviet Union and the West. It had never happened before. Any place that there was a war of revolution, the USSR is always taking the place of the revolutionary. How come that the USSR for the first time allied with the West against Biafra? So, let somebody go and disprove Achebe; that is what we want to see not that somebody did not commit genocide. Genocide has been proved to be committed. If there were no genocide, the World Council of Churches, the Caritas wouldn’t have come in droves. If genocide was not committed, why did Biafra lose two million casualties, most of them civilians and children? And if people are not apologising to Igbos, why should they now come out to talk because one man has been put to where he belongs in history. He was the principal protagonist of using starvation as an instrument of warfare against his fellow citizens. Remember that Nigeria was fighting a war of unity. They were not as desperate as the other camp that was fighting a war of secession. So, in international convention Geneva included, you don’t use starvation against civilians, you don’t use firearms against civilians and you don’t use bombs. Are they saying they didn’t bomb civilians during the war? The Nigerian Air Force was very pronounced in its use of bombs on civilians and their targets were churches, market places and hospitals. These were recorded by missionaries and foreign journalists. So, who is denying what?

Awolowo was the Minister of Finance under Gowon. He was the de facto prime minister of Nigeria during the war and he performed. I don’t grudge him for winning the war for Nigeria; for changing the currency. He can win the war by all means but the fact that he prevented massive aid from coming is genocidal.

There was an inhuman instance. There was an incident where a Red Cross plane coming with medication and food was blown off the sky for the beleaguered people of Biafra. Even after the war, what was the purpose of denying Igbos their primary source of protein–stockfish? How can you defend the policy of giving people who have lost everything only 20 Pounds? If there is anybody that should have been given more, the returning war battered people of Biafra should have received more.

The Igbos have always accepted Awolowo as a great leader but his activities during the civil war shocked them. By the objective of the January 15 coup, as quoted by Odia Ofeimun, the poet, the boys believed he was the greatest leader. Ifeajuna, Anuforo and Nzeogwu, the leaders of the coup, were to make Chief Awolowo the prime minister of Nigeria. These coup leaders didn’t go for Azikiwe or Balewa. They wanted Chief Awolowo as quoted by Odia in a 1999 edition of The Guardian. Awolowo was supposed to be released by the Nzeogwu coup, which didn’t have its assumed ending; it was aborted half way. It was Nzeogwu’s colleague, Major Nzegwu that was supposed to pick him from Calabar prison and release him. So, I’m proving to you that the Igbo literality have always accepted Awo as one of the best and great leaders the country has ever produced but his activities during the war did not only shock them but betrayed the trust they had in.

During the whole peace conferences from Niamey to Kinshasha, Awolowo, Enahoro and Alison Ayida, who was a permanent secretary, always took a hawkish stand. That was why in the Niamey conference of 1968 Alison Ayida quoted Awo exactly that starvation is an instrument of warfare. This was at a time when millions of Biafran children were dying off. And death by starvation is not an ordinary death. It is for you to experience it. It was horror and the photographs are there but Awolowo and his henchmen never batted an eyelid even after the war. That is why we glorify other great literality like Wole Soyinka who told us in his book A Man Died that extermination was committed in Asaba. He was the first courageous soul in Nigeria that told the world about the Asaba massacre.

Some of Achebe’s critics have accused him of hating Awolowo, hence his remarks on him in the book?

Achebe, because of his obdurate style, doesn’t swim with the tide. Remember that he used only one sentence, that ‘Awolowo was a tribalist’, to convince the military government under Babangida against giving him a national burial and the Yorubas never forgave him for that. But the facts are there.

From 1957 when Zik won election in western Nigeria, it was Awo that organised the ‘coup’ that made NCNC members to cross carpet. That was the first time members of the parliament crossed carpet in Nigerian history. A writer of Achebe’s stature does not have to be afraid of the truth. Awo is guilty of genocide because of that policy of starvation.

What do you expect from those condemning Achebe for his comments on Awo?

There is a cacophony of noise, which I hope will settle down when the book comes in. Nigerians should read the book, critique it and then defend the author or attack him on the text. Eventually, nobody will stop Black Africa’s greatest writer from reaching his audience. His writing a non-fiction at this time on this subject shows that the genocide committed against our people, hidden under the carpet for over four decades, is now into the world market place of discourse. I commend the book.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101418:achebe-has-brought-the-genocide-committed-against-igbos-into-global-discourse-with-his-new-book&catid=105:saturday-magazine&Itemid=566

I am in great disregard for Yoruba politicians
I am in great disregard for Yoruba Nairalanders
I am greatly interested to hear what Wole Soyinka has to say
I am greatly interested to hear what Yoruba religious leaders (at least religious leaders are supposed to have some conscience)have to say. This includes Adeboye and the rest of the pack.

^
so u soyinka or religious leaders support the igbos ... u can then say they are good and intelligent ....but if they are against igbos, they are bad and have no conscience ....nawa

Red-Light:
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so u soyinka or religious leaders support the igbos ... u can then say they are good and intelligent ....but if they are against igbos, they are bad and have no conscience ....nawa

Let's hear what they have to say first. If they live up to their billings, they won't be supporting anyone, they will be supporting the truth.

Good from Emma Okocha.
Obafemi Awolowo was a complete War Criminal that escape Justice, Thank God Awo is Roasting in Hell Fire. ALLELUJAH

not again. All this whinin and bitterness to all Nigerians. What a terrible way to leave. Esp considerin the fact that those you see as enemies are progressin and rulin you

[quote author=Akshow]not again. All this whinin and bitterness to all Nigerians. What a terrible way to leave. Esp considerin the fact that those you see as enemies are progressin and rulin you[/quote

Progressing and ruling, right? Care to expanding on those? Who is progressing and who is ruling who?

Akshow: not again. All this whinin and bitterness to all Nigerians. What a terrible way to leave. Esp considerin the fact that those you see as enemies are progressin and rulin you

Do you know the meaning of progressing?

9ja_I_hail:

Do you know the meaning of progressing?

I have just finished whipping his illiterate and ignorant arse in another thread