Three years ago, when General Godwin Alabi-Isama turned 70; he came to Nigeria from the US to celebrate his birthday. His close friend, General Alani Akinrinade who attended the ceremony, gave him two copies of General Olusegun Obasanjo's My Command. By that time Alabi-Isama had heard about the book but had never read it. Akinrinade had told his friend that the book would turn his belly. It surely did. General Alabi-Isama discovered that there were so many distortions of fact in the book, and he immediately dismissed it as a tapestry of inaccuracies. As he read it, he marked out not less than eighty two passages in My Command where General Obasanjo simply told outright lies to massage his ego and damage the reputation of his colleagues. Alabi-Isama then thought that since he was still a moving encyclopaedia on the three Marine Commando Division, it was time to tear the painted mask of Obasanjo's lies.

In My Command, the achievements of gallant officers like Benjamin Adekunle (The Black Scorpion), Alani Akinrinade, Godwin Ally, Ayo Ariyo, Ola Oni, Isaac Adaka Boro, Ahmadu Aliyu, Roland Omowa, Sani Bello, SS Tomoye, Yemi Alabi, Philemon Shande, Musa Wamba, Mac Isemede, Sunny Tuoyo, Audu Jalingo, Ignatius Obeya, and their informants like Ndidi Okereke - Onyiuke, Margaret Eyo, Florence Ita-Giwa and many other women who made the 3 Marine Commando Division such a formidable force, are tainted and belittled. Blessed with very good memory, General Alabi-Isama, in Tragedy of Victory, offers a ferocious and damning critique of General Olusegun Obasanjo's vainglorious claims of his gallantry. He sets the mangled records straight with absolute passion, precision and indignation. To him, history matters because it is meant to inspire and instruct posterity.

He shares George Santayana's view that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. And because Nigerians have been made cynical by many decades of lies, all claims that Alabi-Isama makes he supports with abundant evidence. If this book is a 671-page to me it is in part because the memoirist illustrates his story with 450 pictures, 36 maps and 20 documents. It is also partly because the author meanders. He repeats himself many times.

By and large, his responses to General Obasanjo's claims show that he was a more competent soldier, military strategist and theorist than OBJ, who tends to mistake good luck for profound gift and talent. Alabi-Isama simply did his duty and left politics in the army for all the crafty war profiteers who have been described by Wole Soyinka in Jero's metamorphosis as DGS - Desk Generals. As Chief of Staff of 3 Marine Commando Division, he was very demanding of everyone - he was hard on his men and women without ever losing tenderness. Deep knowledge was central to his strategy and tactics, so he sought for it everywhere. Indeed, one very important duty of the 3 Marine Commando women was collecting vast data about Biafran soldiers and their operational orders.

-Ajibade, Executive Editor of The News, read this review on July 18 at the public presentation ofThe Tragedy of Victory at the NIIA, Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island, Lagos.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/a-combatants-chronicle-of-the-nigeria-biafra-war-2

Four days after he resumed duty, Obasanjo's first battle experience as a commander of 3 Marine Commando Division was a disaster. In what Alabi-Isama describes as a complete disregard of the sound advice of his sector commanders, he ordered Godwin Ally to attack Ohoba, a town 40 kilometres south of Owerri. The Division lost over 1,000 troops. This loss still enrages Alabi-Isama, who suggests that in a saner society, Obasanjo should have lost his commission on account of that tragedy. Why would he be bothered? Did the high command in Lagos ever sanction Murtala Mohammed of 2 Division for ordering an Asaba - River Niger crossing, against the advice of Akinrinade in which about 2,000 troops died by drowning and bullet wounds in the River Niger? Alabi-Isama reminds us many times that Obasanjo, the blundering Commander of 3 Marine Commando Division "had no battle experience and had never fought at any of the three fronts of the war. He had never commanded a battalion or a brigade, now he had to command a division in battle. That was why his military administration and logistics placing was that of a cadet".

It was because of his tactical error as a commander that he was almost killed in an ambush when he visited Col. Iluyomade's unit. He had to flee from the ambush and got shot in the bottom. Alabi-Isama's take on that is that true generals do get shot in the chest, not bottom. Before Obasanjo was posted to 3 Marine Commando Division, Alabi-Isama, in consultation with Adekunle and other officers, had three plans - Pincer 1, 2 and 3, strategies and tactics which their division knew would win the war. Pincer 1 would be a monstrous operation that was meant to level many towns in Biafra. As if to impress those who doubted his ability, Obasanjo wanted his troops to settle for that. If the 3 Marine Commando had used that plan, Alabi-Isama argues, the charge of genocide that Chinua Achebe raises in his book, There Was a Country would have been justified. Thankfully, reasons prevailed. The commander finally listened to his officers. Pincer 2 was used. And it took only 23 days for the 3 Marine Commando Division to put an end to the Nigeria-Biafra War. Biafra surrendered, not to Obasanjo, who was not at the war front, but to Alani Akinrinade, who was very much there.

It was a triumphant and self-centered Obasanjo, who rushed to Lagos with Effiong and some of the Biafran officers. And the real heroes of that war were then forgotten. But Alabi-Isama was not only forgotten he was later persecuted and dismissed from the army by General Olusegun Obasanjo who was then the head of state. Alabi-Isama was accused of stealing money which he did not know anything about. He was even accused of being part of the Dimka coup. The two officers who refused to implicate him suddenly died mysteriously. But as James Frederick Green would say their organised slaughter did not settle the dispute; it merely silenced an argument which The Tragedy of Victory has now brought to the front burner. Before his unjustified persecution, General Alabi-Isama was the likeable Principal General Staff Officer of the Nigerian Army. He was a well-decorated officer. He gave the Nigerian Army his best shot. And he was a role model. It is important to remember that our history is full of this kind of bad behaviour.

Last week, in the presence of other generals, a new book was launched by a participant and witness. The book, titled The Tragedy of Victory, shot to attention through a series of interviews the author, General Alabi Isama, granted this newspaper.

At the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, the book, My Command, was ambushed, tackled, shot and killed. It was also buried without fanfare. The command was led by Isama, with a book as counter-narrative. The pictures and maps served as artilleries, the memories and other documents as bullets. But the witnesses who materialised on stage at the launch starred as the bombs. The grenadiers include the urbane General Alani Akinrinade, the fiery General Theophilus Danjuma, the genteel General Yakubu Gowon as well as General Mobolaji Johnson, General Sunday Tuoyo, Col. Oyinlade Iluyomade, aka Hitler, Major Salau. We also had the female testimonies from Mrs. Utuk and Senator Ita-Giwa.

The witnesses came one after the other to attest to the testimony of Isama. Two truths cannot inhabit one room, since one represents light and the other darkness. With the blast of illumination from Isama's book, Obasanjo's My Command slid into an obituary. So My Command, aged 32, was buried in a ceremony of witnesses. Kunle Ajibade, a master book reviewer, brought the book alive for the audience. For irony, a lady named Taiwo Obasanjo, the creator's ex-wife, said the closing prayers.

When generals tell war stories they owe us truths. It is a point of view but it ought to be faithful to facts. Hence other generals have written stories like the legendary but brash George Patton who titled his memoirs War As I Knew It.

My Command told basic stories. One, that he was the true hero of the 3 Marine Commando. Two, all the other generals and subordinates stumbled. Three, that he crafted the strategy that ended the war. That the 3 Marine Commando women operated mainly as flesh comforts for the soldiers. Maps also told the stories. Isama called Obasanjo a blundering general. Obasanjo denied the claims. At the launch, he painted a picture of a fleeing Obasanjo in battle who suffered a bullet in the buttocks.

Isama's account made better sense to me because of the authority of the pictures and maps and the consistency of the narrative. Nothing helped this position than the corroboration from Akinrinade and the others.

Isama's book told important stories. One, that General Benjamin Adekunle, who commanded the division before Obasanjo took over, gave a good account of himself until the latter part of the hostilities when he became paranoid. According to Isama, and confirmed by Akinrinade, Adekunle plotted an ambush and murder of the two gentlemen. Adekunle, through his son, backed Isama's accounts. The book also unveils the interconnectedness of the war, Igbo fighting for Nigeria and Nigerians fighting for Biafra. Isama shows pictures of Igbo caught in battle but they signed up to fight for Nigeria. It depicted the war as a meaningless bloodshed of brothers.

shymexx: The man wrote a letter and asked a lot of questions many "Nigerians" are asking. However, rather than provide answers, you lot have resulted to cheap gimmicks and character assassination.

The whole thing just shows that those in-charge of Nigeria are the dumbest people ever. These people shouldn't even be allowed to lord over a horse barn/stable or a fish pond. And the fact that these people are in-charge of the biggest black country in the world, just shows how messed up we're as a people. SMFDH!

wesley80:
When a man like Obj that his nation and people have been extremely kind and generous to writes the kind of letter riddled with lies, misrepresentation of facts and pettiness like he did, it becomes expedient for his character to be examined with a microscope. Obasanjo was no hero, isnt one now and is not about to save Nigeria by writing a dubious letter that attempts to sabotage someone else's administration.

shymexx:

Who cares if he is/was a hero or not? The crux of the matter is that GEJ is the president of Nigeria and he owes every Nigerian out there an explanation on how he's managing the affairs of the country and the oath he swore to. And OBJ, as a Nigerian citizen, has a right to ask questions.

The questions have been asked - how about tell GEJ to provide answers? Whatever OBJ does/did/has-done/is-doing is none of my business. He's his own man and he isn't a public official anymore.

Stop this inane character assassination and focus on the real issue - which is the letter. Go provide answers to that!

seanet02: I cannot wesley is backing up his gibberish with a reference from the nation?
is the nation now credible?

wesley80: The nation covered a speech at a book launch. That's credible enough for me.

seanet02:
but not credible enough when they criticized Jonathan for looking the other way when Odua bought 2 armoured cars with 250m?
Can you please change your handle to HYPOCRITE?

shymexx: The man wrote a letter and asked a lot of questions many "Nigerians" are asking. However, rather than provide answers, you lot have resulted to cheap gimmicks and character assassination.

The whole thing just shows that those in-charge of Nigeria are the dumbest people ever. These people shouldn't even be allowed to lord over a horse barn/stable or a fish pond. And the fact that these people are in-charge of the biggest black country in the world, just shows how messed up we're as a people. SMFDH!

wesley80: What speech were they covering then?

shymexx: The man wrote a letter and asked a lot of questions many "Nigerians" are asking. However, rather than provide answers, you lot have resulted to cheap gimmicks and character assassination.

The whole thing just shows that those in-charge of Nigeria are the dumbest people ever. These people shouldn't even be allowed to lord over a horse barn/stable or a fish pond. And the fact that these people are in-charge of the biggest black country in the world, just shows how messed up we're as a people. SMFDH!

southsouthman: . The problem is the motive for leaking a private letter to the public and making unconfirmed stories as issues. If he meant well for the country, he would have done it differently. To call people at the helm of affairs dumbest tells u r not an objective person. This will distort ur analysis of issues.

wesley80: And what part of my post gave you the impression that I give a flying fork about what Shymmex cares? The man is a two faced lying General that will do anything and all things to achieve his goal including distorting facts as people know and witnessed. His antecedents are enough to throw whatever he wrote into the garbage bin. Your 'bumbling General' has zero credibility except in the eyes of his ethnic and political followers. Whatever he wrote is only fit for the garbage bin, no sentiments. Dump 'em all!

Knowing what happens around you most of which you know of and condone or deny, this letter will provoke cacophony from hired and unhired attackers but I will maintain my serenity because by this letter, I have done my duty to you as I have always done, to your government, to the Party, PDP, and to our country, Nigeria.

Please, Mr. President, be very wary of assistants, aides and collaborators who look for enemies for you. I have seen them with you and some were around me when I was in your position. I knew how not to allow them create enemies for me. If you allow them, everybody except them will be your enemy. They are more dangerous than identified adversaries. May God save leaders from sycophants. They know what you want to hear to hear and they fee you with it essentially for their own selfish interest. As far as you and Nigeria are concerned, they are wreckers.

jmaine: I did like OBJ to go further and provide cogent proofs about some of the baseless accusations he made in his purported self serving letter.

We know why OBJ did that and we are not surprised.

Let the political games continue . . . .

Pukkah:

Are you serious about this request?

You still want Obasanjo to provide more evidence on the one term, his previous letters, water project for Port Harcourt, polarization of the country along ethnic and religious lines, insecurity, division of the Governors' Forum, Buruji Kashamu, politicization of the Police, inability to tame corruption, Bola Tinubu's visit to Jonathan, heavy oil theft, support for non-PDP candidates, kidnapping and armed robbery, increasing unemployment, threat of war by ethnic champions, the Olokola and Brass LNG, withholding of investment by IOCs, allegation of $7b, etc
Did you read the letter at all?

Some of the issues that Obasanjo was cautious to talk about are training of snipers, people under political watch list, etc.

Short of telling him to come and run the government, Obasanjo has done his bit. The ball is now in Jonathan's court.

As a piece of advice, these are testy times for the Presidency. It is better to keep quiet than come up with some watery, silly and hollow responses to Obasanjo's letter.

So far, some of the inane and foolish responses to the letter have come from Reuben Abati, Tukur and APGA.

Ignore the letter if you've got nothing of value to say.

jmaine:

I consider it absolute stupidity to advise me to ignore OBJ letter simply because you feel you have something better to say.

Since you are OBJ mouth piece on this issue, i did like you to furnish us with tenable proofs about the following accusations OBJ made below.

1) Can you provide proof that GEJ with the indulgence of Al Mustafa is training an Abacha-esque Killer squad somewhere.

2) Also provide proof that GEJ decision to allow the electoral process reflect the wishes of the people in Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Edo and Anambra is largely due to an under hand deal between the Presidency and those politicians who won their elections.

3) The so called deal between Tinubu and GEJ that induced me and millions of other South westerners to thumb print for GEJ.

I need straight point and point blank answers than the usual chatter folks like you deploy for simple queries.