Shortly before the 1983 presidential election, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo fielded questions from a panel of journalists at a town hall meeting in Abeokuta. During the session, which was aired live on Ogun Radio, Awolowo defended his actions during the civil war, countering allegations similar to the one Chinua Achebe levelled against him recently.

Question: Chief Awolowo, your stand on the civil war, however unpopular it may have been to the Biafran, helped to shorten the war. Today, you’re being cast as the sole enemy of the Ibo people because of that stand, by among others, some of the people who as members of the federal military government at that time, were party to that decision and are today, in some cases, inheritors of power in one Nigeria which that decision of yours helped to save. How do you feel being cast in this role, and what steps are you taking to endear yourself once again to that large chunk of Nigerians who feels embittered.

Awolowo: As far as I know, the Ibo masses are friendly to me, towards me. In fact, whenever I visit Iboland, either Anambra or Imo, and there’s no campaigning for elections on, the Ibo people receive me warmly and affectionately. But there are some elements in Iboland who believe that they can maintain their popularity only by denigrating me, and so they keep on telling lies against me. Ojukwu is one of them. I don’t want to mention the names of the others because they are still redeemable, but ….Ojukwu is irredeemable so I mention his name, and my attitude to these lies is one of indifference, I must confess to you. I’ve learnt to rely completely on the providence and vindication of Almighty God in some of these things.

I’ve tried to explain myself in the past, but these liars persist. Ojukwu had only recently told the same lie against me. What’s the point in correcting lies when people are determined to persist in telling lies against you, what’s the point? I know that someday the Ibos, the masses of the Ibo people will realise who their friends are, and who their real enemies are.

And the day that happens woe betide those enemies. The Ibos will deal with them very roughly. That has happened in my life. I have a nickname now, if you see my letterhead you’ll find something on top, you’ll find a fish done on the letterhead. Some people put Lion on theirs, some people put Tiger, but mine is Fish. And Fish represents my zodiac sign, those of you who read the stars and so on in the newspapers; you’ll find out that there’s a zodiac sign known as pieces, in Latin pieces mean fish.

So I put pieces on top, that’s my zodiac sign being born on the 6th of March,….er well, the year doesn’t matter, it’s the day that matter. And then on top of it I write Eebudola. All of you know the meaning of that. You know I don’t want to tell a long story but……………… Awolowo school, omo Awolowo, … started in Urobo land, in mid-west in those days.

They were ridiculing my schools, I was building schools –brick and cement, to dpc level, block to dpc level and mud thereafter. And so the big shots in the place..”ah what kind of school is this? is this Awolowo school? Useless school” and when they saw the children..”ah this Awolowo children, they can’t read and write, Awolowo children” that’s how it started, with ridicule, and it became blessing, and now they say “Awolowo children, they are good people” no more ridicule about it, that’s how it started, so the Eebu becomes honor, the abuse became honor.

And so when I look back to all my life, treasonable felony, jail, all the abuses that were heaped on me, to Coker Inquiry, all sorts, and I see what has happened to the people who led, who led all these denigration campaign, where a re they today? Those that are alive are what I call Homo Mortuus- dead living, oku eniyan, that’s what they are, those that their lives have gone. So when I look back, I come to the conclusion that all these abuses which have been heaped on me all my life for doing nothing, for doing good, they have become honor, and so Eebudola is one of my nicknames.

So I’ve cultivated an attitude of indifference, I’ve done no evil to the Ibos. During the war I saw to it that the revenue which was due to the Iboland – South Eastern State they call it, at that time..East Central State, I kept it, I saved the money for them. And when they …. were librated I handed over the money to them- millions. If I’d decided to do so, I could have kept the money away from them and then when they took over I saw to it that subvention was given to them at the rate of 990,000 pounds every month.

I didn’t go to the Executive Council to ask for support, or for approval because I knew if I went to the Executive Council at that time the subvention would not be approved because there were more enemies in the Executive Council for the Ibos than friends. And since I wasn’t going to take a percentage from what I was going to give them, and I knew I was doing what was right, I wanted the states to survive, I kept on giving the subvention – 990,000 almost a million, every month, and I did that for other states of course – South Eastern State, North Central State, Kwara and so on. But I did that for the Ibos, and when the war was over, I saw to it that the ACB got three and a half million pounds to start with.

This was distributed immediately and I gave another sum of money. The attitude of the experts, officials at the time of the ACB was that ACB should be closed down, and I held the view you couldn’t close the ACB down because that is the bank that gives finance to the Ibo traders, and if you close it down they’ll find it difficult to revive or to survive. So it was given. I did the same thing for the Cooperative Bank of Eastern Nigeria, to rehabilitate all these places, and I saw to it as commissioner for finance that no obstacle was placed in the way of the ministry of economic planning in planning for rehabilitation of the war affected areas.

Twenty pounds policy

That’s what I did, and the case of the money they said was not given back to them, you know during the war all the pounds were looted, they printed Biafran currency notes, which they circulated, at the close of the war some people wanted their Biafran notes to be exchanged for them.

Of course I couldn’t do that, if I did that the whole country would be bankrupt. We didn’t know about Biafran notes and we didn’t know on what basis they have printed them, so we refused the Biafran note, but I laid down the principle that all those who had savings in the banks on the eve of the declaration of the Biafran war or Biafra, will get their money back if they could satisfy us that they had the savings there, or the money there. Unfortunately, all the banks’s books had been burnt, and many of the people who had savings there didn’t have their saving books or their last statement of account, so a panel had to be set up.

I didn’t take part in setting up the panel, it was done by the Central Bank and the pertinent officials of the ministry of finance, to look into the matter, and they went carefully into the matter, they took some months to do so, and then make some recommendation which I approved. Go to the archives, all I did was approve, I didn’t write anything more than that, I don’t even remember the name of any of them who took part.

So I did everything in this world to assist our Ibo brothers and sisters during and after the war. And anyone who goes back to look at my broadcast in August 1967, which dealt with post-war reconstruction would see what I said there.

Starvation policy

Then, but above all, the ending of the war itself that I’m accused of, accused of starving the Ibos, I did nothing of the sort. You know, shortly after the liberation of these places, Calabar, Enugu and Port Harcort, I decided to pay a visit.

There are certain things which I knew which you don’t know, which I don’t want to say here now, when I write my reminisces in the future I will do so. Some of the soldiers were not truthful with us, they didn’t tell us correct stories and so on.

I wanted to be there and see things for myself, bear in mind that Gowon himself did not go there at that time, it was after the war was over that he dorn himself up in various military dresses- Air force dress, Army dress and so on, and went to the war torn areas. But I went and some people tried to frighten me out of my goal by saying that Adekunle was my enemy and he was going to see to it that I never return from the place, so I went.

But when I went what did I see? I saw the kwashiorkor victims. If you see a kwashiorkor victim you’ll never like war to be waged. Terrible sight, in Enugu, in Port Harcourt, not many in Calabar, but mainly in Enugu and Port Harcourt.

Then I enquired what happened to the food we are sending to the civilians. We were sending food through the Red cross, and CARITAS to them, but what happen was that the vehicles carrying the food were always ambushed by the soldiers. That’s what I discovered, and the food would then be taken to the soldiers to feed them, and so they were able to continue to fight. And I said that was a very dangerous policy, we didn’t intend the food for soldiers. But who will go behind the line to stop the soldiers from ambushing the vehicles that were carrying the food? And as long as soldiers were fed, the war will continue, and who’ll continue to suffer? and those who didn’t go to the place to see things as I did, you remember that all the big guns, all the soldiers in the Biafran army looked all well fed after the war, its only the mass of the people that suffered kwashiorkor.

You wont hear of a single lawyer, a single doctor, a single architect, who suffered from kwashiorkor? None of their children either, so they waylaid the foods, they ambush the vehicles and took the foods to their friends and to their collaborators and to their children and the masses were suffering.

So I decided to stop sending the food there. In the process the civilians would suffer, but the soldiers will suffer most.

Change of currency

And it is on record that Ojukwu admitted that two things defeated him in this war, that’s as at the day he left Biafra. He said one, the change of currency, he said that was the first thing that defeated him, and we did that to prevent Ojukwu taking the money which his soldiers has stolen from our Central bank for sale abroad to buy arms.

We discovered he looted our Central bank in Benin, he looted the one in Port Harcourt, looted the one in Calabar and he was taking the currency notes abroad to sell to earn foreign exchange to buy arms. So I decided to change the currency, and for your benefit, it can now be told the whole world, only Gowon knew the day before, the day before the change took place.

I decided, only three of us knew before then- Isong , Attah and myself. It was a closely guarded secret, if any commissioner at the time say that he knew about it, he’s only boosting his own ego. Because once you tell someone, he’ll tell another person.

So we refused to tell them and we changed the currency notes. So Ojukwu said the change in currency defeated him, and starvation of his soldiers also defeated him.

These were the two things that defeated Ojukwu. And, he reminds me, when you saw Ojukwu’s picture after the war, did he look like someone who’s not well fed? But he has been taking the food which we send to civilians, and so we stopped the food.

Abandoned property

And then finally, I saw to it that the houses owned by the Ibos in Lagos and on this side, were kept for them. I had an estate agent friend who told me that one of them collected half a million pounds rent which has been kept for him.

All his rent were collected, but since we didn’t seize their houses, he came back and collected half a million pounds. So that is the position.

I’m a friend of the Ibos and the mass of the Ibos are my friends, but there are certain elements who want to continue to deceive the Ibos by telling lies against me, and one day, they’ll discover and then that day will be terrible for those who have been telling the lies.

http://www.punchng.com/news/for-the-record/my-role-in-the-civil-war-awolowo/
smell lies

Rest In Peace Baba

maka adi amama

I've read Achebe's memoir and some other account of the civil war from different authors. One thing i can deduce is that the major players in the war all made several mistakes. If Awolowo claims that he stopped the passage of food to biafran civilians because of its hijack by soldiers, what then will he say about the Red cross plane that was shot down en route biafra?

wicked soul... may he rest in pieces.

All is fair during the war.
I like all what Pa Awolowo did during the civil war.
If I have my way, I will do the same thing to the same people.
I am thinking of how we will stop giving them food and land in Yorubaland.
These people are ingrate.

chiefinalowo:
All is fair during the war.
I like all what Pa Awolowo did during the civil war.
If I have my way, I will do the same thing to the same people.
I am thinking of how we will stop giving them food and land in Yorubaland.
These people are ingrate.

Why not think of ways you can have your yorubas only country. ..cowards

Yoruba don't beat chest....it is all emptiness...action and brain power is enough.....to finish off iiboes. see how Yoruba finished dem at ore with 179 soldiers against the entire biafran army.....see how Adekunle finished them at war front......see how obasanjo collected surrender from effiong..... ...after the great coward agbari Ojukwu ran away.....see how baba awolowo used simple change of currency and food blockage to complete the job...... ......see how Tinubu turn one party state into federal power and removed the biggest political party in africa without a single shot.....

Yoruba....we too much....ogbono feli feli....... ...no gragra...no noise.....just finish the chest beaters and flaaatheads.... .......they are welcome to try again.... ...we too much...

Eshinwaju:
Yoruba don't beat chest....it is all emptiness...action and brain power is enough.....to finish off iiboes. see how Yoruba finished dem at ore with 179 soldiers against the entire biafran army.....see how Adekunle finished them at war front......see how obasanjo collected surrender from effiong..... ...after the great coward agbari Ojukwu ran away.....see how baba awolowo used simple change of currency and food blockage to complete the job...... ......see how Tinubu turn one party state into federal power and removed the biggest political party in africa without a single shot.....

Yoruba....we too much....ogbono feli feli....... ...no gragra...no noise.....just finish the chest beaters and flaaatheads.... .......they are welcome to try again.... ...we too much...

You've said it all!

Let everyone read this, mods

Demmzy15:

You've said it all!

da truth is bitter.....that is y we also let them make usual noise.....when become becomes become, ....we know what to do.....

This dead terrorist awolowo deserves a big slap in the face

The feud between Awo and Zik arrested the development of this country. Sad. Just sad. Every bad blood between Igbos and Yorubas could arguably be traced to these men.

This issue again?

Zonacom:
I've read Achebe's memoir and some other account of the civil war from different authors. One thing i can deduce is that the major players in the war all made several mistakes. If Awolowo claims that he stopped the passage of food to biafran civilians because of its hijack by soldiers, what then will he say about the Red cross plane that was shot down en route biafra?

humn... Good point you made here...

If actually Awo is the one that said all these things then i have to join those that claimed he died of suicide.

Why give the people you re killing food? Why did the government of this ZOO at that time sell Bakassi to Ahmadu Ahidjo of Cameroun? Is it not to stop the french government & ivory coast from sending aids to the land of Biafra.

I grew up in Cameroun, i read my civil account in cameroun & i heard things from camerounians what you will never hear in Nigeria about the civil war. If you cross over to cameroun, you will hear the attrocities committed by the government of this ZOO and how hausa solidarity made ahidjo to steal aids that were meant for the Biafrans.

What i know is that Gowon is alive & have been working hard trying to attone for his crimes against innocent Biafrans. But until he comes to the land of BIAFRA & plead for forgiveness, he might never find the peace he has been searching for through organising prayer conferences here & there.

In this interview, Awo claimed that only 3 of them knew about currency change. This is sounding funny. So the money was not minted by a minting company?

He tlked about a committee or panel set up under his ministry without him making any contribution nor appointing any of its member.... Another funny lie. How can anything happen in a ministry without the federal commissioner being a part?

It is truely obvious that this man Killed himself, only GOD KNOWS why...

chiefinalowo:
All is fair during the war.
I like all what Pa Awolowo did during the civil war.
If I have my way, I will do the same thing to the same people.
I am thinking of how we will stop giving them food and land in Yorubaland.
These people are ingrate.

soon you will die the way he died. Ndi Igbo do not need to be given food or money, what we NEED is FREEDOM.

We are tiered of this ZOO. BIAFRA WANTS FREEDOM & not food.

If Awo actually said all these things OP posted. Then am glad he died a very bad DEATH.

Chigold101:
soon you will die the way he died. Ndi Igbo do not need to be given food or money, what we NEED is FREEDOM.

We are tiered of this ZOO. BIAFRA WANTS FREEDOM & not food.

If Awo actually said all these things OP posted. Then am glad he died a very bad DEATH.

See another son of agabri ojuku.

It is in the history that hunger is the albatross of ibos.
Take food from their table and watch them acting like a kwashiorkored .......

Eshinwaju:


da truth is bitter.....that is y we also let them make usual noise.....when become becomes become, ....we know what to do.....

we beat our chest yet we beat u guys in everything.tell me were we have nt beaten u guys?business?nollywood?education?sport?wat is dat dat we have nt beaten u guys on?just mention

Volksfuhrer:
The feud between Awo and Zik arrested the development of this country. Sad. Just sad. Every bad blood between Igbos and Yorubas could arguably be traced to these men.

lolzzzz... Keep Zik out of this story here.

If ZIK has been an Igbo the way he has been a Nigerian, BIAFRA might have been a success.

Our fathers were fighting for freedom but Zik was busy preaching ONE NIGERIA.

Zik has remained the ONLY Nigerians who never cared about HIS own people but about the whole Nigeria.

And he paid dearly for it. He died without becoming anybody in Nigeria. Though he is highly imortalised by the government of this ZOO. The truth is that aprt from street names and other things, ZIK means nothing to the avarage IGBO man. But Chukwuemeka Odumegwu is GREAT HERO... WELL RESPECTED EVEN AFTER HIS DEATH.

Chigold101:
lolzzzz... Keep Zik out of this story here.

If ZIK has been an Igbo the way he has been a Nigerian, BIAFRA might have been a success.

Our fathers were fighting for freedom but Zik was busy preaching ONE NIGERIA.

Zik has remained the ONLY Nigerians who never cared about HIS own people but about the whole Nigeria.

And he paid dearly for it. He died without becoming anybody in Nigeria. Though he is highly imortalised by the government of this ZOO. The truth is that aprt from street names and other things, ZIK means nothing to the avarage IGBO man. But Chukwuemeka Odumegwu is GREAT HERO... WELL RESPECTED EVEN AFTER HIS DEATH.

Who wrote Biafra's anthem? Was it not Zik? And yet your Zik cared more about Nigeria than for his people! How do we reconcile this?

Ezemust:
we beat our chest yet we beat u guys in everything.tell me were we have nt beaten u guys?business?nollywood?education?sport?wat is dat dat we have nt beaten u guys on?just mention

your post validates .......my point,........noise......even in those areas...u r wrong.... ..for example in business u cannot compare.....education.... Don't even make me laff....Nollywood

Eshinwaju:


your post validates .......my point,........noise......even in those areas...u r wrong.... ..for example in business u cannot compare.....education.... Don't even make me laff....Nollywood

lets post stats den?

This man is such a liar. All the bank books got burned by a mythical fire bah? The nerve of this man saying the soldiers took food that was meant for the masses, the planes nko that brought food?

It doesn't matter, he died a miserable death. Sucide by rat poison. A cowardly way to go, the bloodline of cowards. Used and dumped by the north, as many of his linage starting from akintola, abiola, adekunle. Have you seen the Igbos of recent, you'll turn in your grave

Ezemust:
lets post stats den?

u will onli embarrass ur self.....but you are very pretty.....let's exchange numbers first then.......post stats....

Eshinwaju:


u will onli embarrass ur self.....but you are very pretty.....let's exchange numbers first then.......post stats....

temitemi1 come see me con see gay oo.na (m)u see abi (f)?

Ezemust:
temitemi1 come see me con see gay oo.na (m)u see abi (f)?

ok.... ...if u be man......dash me the girl in your display profile.....and I will follow u abuse yoluba pipul...

Eshinwaju:


ok.... ...if u be man......dash me the girl in your display profile.....and I will follow u abuse yoluba pipul...

kneel down dat plce now.let me pray for u.devil is a liar

But nah lady picture I see na. Try make u signify ur sex abeg

Ezemust:
temitemi1 come see me con see gay oo.na (m)u see abi (f)?

What's the need of this thread now

Luke 14:31. consider your strength before going to war. if you considered that you cannot overpower your enemy, make peace. Having said that, I believe war is never the solution because of the civilian populace. I am sure pregnant women, the aged, the sick, children couldn't have been involved in the war. so for their sake, Chief Awolowo could have advised FG to let Igbos go without war. the ethnic minorities could have been given the chance whether to join Biafra or remain in Nigeria. But the prospect of a landlocked Biafra in a vast turbulent plain of Nigeria appears bleak. The cost of keeping Nigeria one was too much on the part of Igbos. unfortunately, paying this manner of cost has always been the rule all over the world.
N.B. Awo coming from prison may have felt obligated to keep Nigeria one afterall. If we stand here to condemn any of the actors without sharing blames across board we are guilty of the mistakes that we fail to rebuke.