fayahsoul:


When u hear the average ijaw or yoruba folk talk about igbo, a novice to the nigerian situation will think that ndigbo are their worst enemies from adam. Why so? what is the justification? 'Minorities' seem to be okay with yoruba, hausa or ijaw domination but not igbo. . .why?

?

That's one of the surprises of the modern day Nigeria: that (some) Ijaws/Ogonis/even Ibibios would feel better aligned to the Hausa and Yoruba people than their Igbo neighbours. Despite all the unpardonable unforgetable instances of hate against Ndigbo, I beleive somebody has got to be the adult in the eastern Nigerian House.

fayahsoul:

And why do the ijaws and other groups in the ND and s/s still assume that the new biafran movement has a replicate structure as that in 1967? Do u not know that the arrangment made with S/S representatives in netherlands has provisions to address your fears of an igbo domination? and even a new name for the republic was negotiated. There was an agreement to allow the ND 'minority' groups to produce the presidency for the first 30yrs and the first igbo speaking president of this new republic will come from delta.
.

This quite an interesting news to me.
We all know that Biafra lost the war, Igbos lost their lives and properties, but Ijaws and other "minorities" that joined in killing Igbos are the real loosers of the battle.
We have to move on

fayahsoul:

[size=11pt] [color=#990000]And why do the ijaws and other groups in the ND and s/s still assume that the new biafran movement has a replicate structure as that in 1967? Do u not know that the arrangment made with S/S representatives in netherlands has provisions to address your fears of an igbo domination? and even a new name for the republic was negotiated. There was an agreement to allow the ND 'minority' groups to produce the presidency for the first 30yrs and the first igbo speaking president of this new republic will come from delta.

The group I belong would never co-sign to this blackmail. Ndigbo have the means and wherewithal to sustain an independent nation. The one important aspect of disintegration of the cesspit called Nigeria every Igbo person should understand is the fratricidal war of expansionism that will follow. Boundaries must be determined by the fiercest battles that shall come along with war of attrition if cool head fails to prevail. Ndigbo should be absolutely ready to go it alone but would have open mind to accommodate the Ibibio, Annag, Ogoni, Atama, Efik and Ijo (eastern) depending the situation on the ground.

While Ndigbo must guard against a repeat of occurance of 1967 among some people of the former eastern Nigeria, someone gotta be the adult in the house. Being the adult doesn't mean turning the other cheek everytime, it means giving natural allies and neighbours an opportunity to redeem themselves.

This is getting a bit far fetched, who are these ND 'minorities' that hate Ndigbo so much? Can you guys at least list them? I'm an ND 'minority' who grew up in ND and am just learning about all this hatred. Is there something funny going on?

Beaf:

This is getting a bit far fetched, who are these ND 'minorities' that hate Ndigbo so much? Can you guys at least list them? I'm an ND 'minority' who grew up in ND and am just learning about all this hatred. Is there something funny going on?

You remember when Enahoro was minister of communications i the 1960s? He used his office to instigate the federal government against the Igbos, because "they were just having too many Igbo union meetings all over the country" He warned the government about allowing such meetings, well today, not only that the 19 northern governors regularly meet while the southerners can't, every town, tribe, or association have type of regular meetings where they discuss their affairs.
No, not for Igbos, if they meet, they would simply start planning bad things for the federal government.
My brother, the list goes on, but please don't deny that many bad things happened(on both sides): that's the only way to prevent a re-occurance.

Look, this debate is really good for everybody from the old Eastern Nigeria. I said in one my posts that what is evil is the attempt to hush up these types of discussions. Why is this good? It is good because you may wake up to discover that the person you thought was your oppressor is actually your victim. The politicians and leaders from the 60s era were not perfect. They had their flaws. However, it is also a fact that some of them were more right than others. Some of those who were wrong have changed their positions (for instance Enahoro and Saro wiwa before his death). Others have refused to do so out of wickedness and unnecessary hatred. The Eastern region (Biafra) was more culturally homogeneous and cohesive than some make it out. I just (last week) gave out my niece in marriage to a guy from Akwa Ibom.  She is the third member of my family to marry someone from the minorities of the east. I know for a fact that the Igbo would not have allowed (or even be in a position to allow) the current environmental degradation of the delta (among other evils). Don't forget that the minorities could balance out the Igbos population-wise; there was no way resource control agitation would arise.
Let every former easterner approach this debate fearlessly. Let's be fully honest about how we feel. Everyone should keep his/her eyes open! I don't want a repeat of 1967 ever again. Ndigbo have paid enough dues for Nigeria! So, it is okay to love or hate Ndigbo. Just let us know on time! I don't want to wake up one day to discover that I have been sleeping with an enemy. I don't want to wake up dead!

fayahsoul:


look, ndigbo are very progressive and in as much as we seek individual success there's still this overstanding that the wider community has to evolve and develop together before true progress can be made. One is nothing without his/her community. We do learn from our mistakes and try to rectify were possible. So the misplaced hate of the ND 'minorities' is just unfortunate and self-desructive. . But that won't hold us back becos we are forever ready to restrategize. Trust!

Let us work together and achieve something meaningfull. Whether ND wants "true federalism" or secession is not the point. The point is we have similar goals, enemies and struggles hence it will be wise to cooperate and consolidate for the betterment of all involved.

Stop the pettiness it will lead you no where.

Sadly most people have not come to the understanding that they have similar goals and enemies as Ndigbo so they have allowed themselves to be "divided and conquered." How sad.

When you guys mention Enahoro as the ND 'minorities' . Are you actually saying that Edo people hate Igbo's?
Don't you think this is becoming a bit weird? Or when you say ND 'minorities', do you really mean individuals (little or nothing can be done about that).

Beaf:

When you guys mention Enahoro as the ND 'minorities' . Are you actually saying that Edo people hate Igbo's?
Don't you think this is becoming a bit weird? Or when you say ND 'minorities', do you really mean individuals (little or nothing can be done about that).

I wish it was just limited to individual actions, but the truth is that sometimes governmental muscle was also flexed to knock the Igbos down. Enahoro's position in the 1967 mirrored those of Ijaw leaders such as J.P Clark and so on, and you could understand how any gathering of Igbos, such as a naming ceremony was interpreted as an attempt to overthrow the FMG.
Another example was the River state govt of Diette Spiff that enacted and codified the forceful usurption of Igbos properties in PH, so it's not only individual actions.

On the Biafran side: while I have heard so much about how Ojukwu "disrespected" minority elders and so on, I have not seen or heard any publicly formulated law meant to dehumanize or disrespect the minorities of eastern Nigeria.

An example of what I mean is the old US law that equated a black man to 3/5 of a person. I don't hear, see, or believe that there were sign posts in any part of eastern Nigeria saying "Only Igbos welcome", or Ijaws use the back entrance, or Ogonis can't be promoted beyond grade level 08, etc.

Were there personal and ancedotal incidents of hostility, tribalism, or even criminality?---I would say yes, but did it rise to a reason not to join your regions war effort, I would say no.

naijaking1:

Another example was the River state govt of Diette Spiff that enacted and codified the forceful usurption of Igbos properties in PH, so it's not only individual actions.

Hmmmmmm , Oga , oga u don start again o. Proof please.

na_so:

Hmmmmmm , Oga , oga u don start again o. Proof please.

Can someone please provide concrete details of the "Abandoned Property" law? A lot of folks here don't know what really happened. Information is power.

naijaking1:

An example of what I mean is the old US law that equated a black man to 3/5 of a person. I don't hear, see, or believe that there were sign posts in any part of eastern Nigeria saying "Only Igbos welcome", or Ijaws use the back entrance, or Ogonis can't be promoted beyond grade level 08, etc.

You believe because an action is not codified or in a constitution, therefore a convention can not achieve the discriminatory practices. Come on.

naijaking1:

Were there personal and ancedotal incidents of hostility, tribalism, or even criminality?---I would say yes, but did it rise to a reason not to join your regions war effort, I would say no.

"Isi Akwu Dara Na Ala Emetu Na Aja" Brothers and Sisters, we have to move on. There can be no justification for the genocide that took place in the barbaric war. Hatred and Bitterness will only hold you back.
We must have uniformity of purpose built on mutual respect. This can't happen amidst stone throwing.

@naijaking1
You seem to be suggesting some sort of conspiracy amongst the ND minorities (Enahoro is Ishan from Northern Edo state, JP Clark is Ijaw from Delta state). Thats far fetched.

But as SapeleGuy says, lets move on.

na_so:

Hmmmmmm , Oga , oga u don start again o. Proof please.

Are you for real? That you don't know about the Abandoned Properties edict of the Diette-Spiff government? Please ask Ibime, or any other person, or even go see it in any library.

92% of all the landed properties in Port Harcourt were owned by Igbos before the war, after the war, Igbos who had fled the cities returned, but the government refused to let them have their own houses back-----they called them Abandoned Properties.

These houses were controlled by the so-called Abandoned Properties Implementation commission, headed by then Maj. David Mark of the Nigerian Army. The River State government released about 1000 properties back to their Igbo owners, but the majority, the rest were confiscated and given to Ijaws, Ogonis, etc that claim ownership of the city, however some are still pending in court as we speak.

I beg do some research on this issue.

SapeleGuy:

You believe because an action is not codified or in a constitution, therefore a convention can not achieve the discriminatory practices. Come on.

Even if Igbos made up 100% of eastern Nigerian government, you still can't directly blame every Igbo person for the actions of the government. Yet that's what we have had. If there is any sort of government whitepaper or edict(the way Diette-Spiff codified forceful acquisition of Igbo properties as "Abandoned Properties" that the Ojukwu or Okpara governments made to subjugate minoriteis, then it would make sense to refer to it, if not all other stories are either personal, untrue, or simply an after-thought justification of an "unbrotherly" action.

"Isi Akwu Dara Na Ala Emetu Na Aja" Brothers and Sisters, we have to move on. There can be no justification for the genocide that took place in the barbaric war. Hatred and Bitterness will only hold you back.
We must have uniformity of purpose built on mutual respect. This can't happen amidst stone throwing.

Beautiful!
I agree, we need to move on.

Beaf:

@naijaking1
You seem to be suggesting some sort of conspiracy amongst the ND minorities (Enahoro is Ishan from Northern Edo state, JP Clark is Ijaw from Delta state). Thats far fetched.

But as SapeleGuy says, lets move on.

My example of Enahoro was just to show that minorities in general had also done bad things to Igbos, sometimes knowingly, and sometimes unknowingly.
The Clarks from Delta and the Clarks from Rivers are all the same Ijaws,

Biko what is adaka in Ijaw language
Adaka means chimpanzee in Igbo,doesn't it?

Monkey is Enwe
Gorilla is Ozodimgba
I think Adaka is Chimpanzee

Adaka means "Baboon" in Igbo. There was a joke aimed at delinquents who never flinched no matter how hard the Headmaster flogged them. They were called the boys who crack palm kernel with their buttocks or "Okpu Adaka" (Baboon's butt)

Chimpanzee is usually mixed up with Gorilla (Ozodimgba)

grafikdon:

Adaka means "Baboon" in Igbo. There was a joke aimed at delinquents who never flinched no matter how hard the Headmaster flogged them. They were called the boys who crack palm kernel with their buttocks or "Okpu Adaka" (Baboon's butt)

Chimpanzee is usually mixed up with Gorilla (Ozodimgba)

Thanks for that Igbo lesson.

naijaking1:

Are you for real? That you don't know about the Abandoned Properties edict of the Diette-Spiff government? Please ask Ibime, or any other person, or even go see it in any library.

92% of all the landed properties in Port Harcourt were owned by Igbos before the war, after the war, Igbos who had fled the cities returned, but the government refused to let them have their own houses back-----they called them Abandoned Properties.

These houses were controlled by the so-called Abandoned Properties Implementation commission, headed by then Maj. David Mark of the Nigerian Army. The River State government released about 1000 properties back to their Igbo owners, but the majority, the rest were confiscated and given to Ijaws, Ogonis, etc that claim ownership of the city, however some are still pending in court as we speak.

I beg do some research on this issue.

Was the edict a rivers state government issue, or an FG arragement ? My point is that it was more of an FG idea than a river state government idea.

$osisi:

Biko what is adaka in Ijaw language
Adaka means chimpanzee in Igbo,doesn't it?

Monkey is Enwe
Gorilla is Ozodimgba
I think Adaka is Chimpanzee

I am surprised this thread has degenarated to this level.

na_so:

Was the edict a rivers state government issue, or an FG arragement ? My point is that it was more of an FG idea than a river state government idea.

Don't forget how we started comparing established government policy vs. heresay/ rumors.

The River state government of Diette-Spiff enacted the Abandoned Property edict that forcefully took away Igbo people's houses in PH--------- A fact.

Eastern Nigerian government(even if ran 100% by Igbos) disrespect Ijaws and other minorities------- heresay, lies, no governmental paper to show that, never.

Did Igbos, Ijaws, Efiks, Qua-Ibos, Ibibios and other tribes in the region have political, cultural, and even economic clashes------- most likely.

Despite a likely nudging by the Gowon federal government, the FMG then turned around and set up the Abandoned properties implementation commission to "resolve" the dispute between Igbos and the River state governement that had just stolen their houses in the name of abandoned property.

What a clever way to sow the seeds of discord between Rivers people and Igbos--- and the argument made all around the World has been "Why didn't the River State govt. know it was a cheap trick to brake their natural relationship with Igbos for ever.?"

Note that after the war, Igbo houses in Lagos, Kaduna, Jos, etc were gladily returned to their rightful owners.

Onlytruth:


Ibime you are beginning to lose my respect here, and believe me you don't want to do that! No matter how deltans see Biafra or Aburi Accord, they were DELIBERATE [/b]actions of the [b]EASTERN NIGERIAN [/b]government. I still believe that the Accord could have served Nigeria veritably if not for the selfish and myopic leadership of other majority tribes (and some minority ones like Clark, Enahoro and Saro wiwa). The war broke out because the Federal government decided by its own caprices not to implement the Accord. The war or Nigeria's years in the wilderness were all avoidable. Today everyone is clamoring for a [b]SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE (whatever that means!). Clarify yourself or lose my respect for good.

Aburi Accord proposals are not in any way similar to the objectives of today call for sovereign national conference. Here are the reasons:

1. Were the resolutions at Aburi truly in harmony with the true federalism/resource control which Ironsi and Ojukwu dismantled against genuine national interest, and which Nigerians like the ones you mentioned above were expecting the Aburi Summit was going to bring back?

2. Before Ironsi's misadventure into politics, all Nigerian tribes and peoples had in the 1957 constitutional conference in London mutually consented to Federalism as the system Nigeria was going to practise permanently. But Ironsi came six years later to unilaterally alter that agreement without consulting those who made it and sealed it after exhaustive debates which took them weeks of sleeplessness. Why did Ironsi believe he alone knew better than hundreds of persons among whom the least educated was more educated than him who never stepped foot on any tertiary institution?
3. The Aburi Summit was in principle a legislative business. But Ojukwu and Gowon who were soldiers arrogate to themselves the power to legislate on behalf of civilians in a supposed democracy to the exclusion of the politicians whom the people themselves had with their power of sovereignty earlier chosen to represent them in all future legislative businesses. To that end it becomes pertinent to ask why Enahoro, Awolowo, Azikiwe, Okpara and Dipcharima were not allowed to participate in the summit? How sensible would it therefore have been on their part to accept an Accord which they were not only schemed out of but also brought back confederalism against the pre Ironsi status quo ante of federalism they were already used to and were rightly expecting?
4. The Accord made no proposal on return to civil rule, no date for election, nothing! It was all about how soldiers were going to share power across the regions thereafter. Which normal civilian or political leader do you expect not to reject such accord or advice Gowon to honour it?

Deadlytruth:


Aburi Accord proposals are not in any way similar to the objectives of today call for sovereign national conference. Here are the reasons:

1. Were the resolutions at Aburi truly in harmony with the true federalism/resource control which Ironsi and Ojukwu dismantled against genuine national interest, and which Nigerians like the ones you mentioned above were expecting the Aburi Summit was going to bring back?

2. Before Ironsi's misadventure into politics, all Nigerian tribes and peoples had in the 1957 constitutional conference in London mutually consented to Federalism as the system Nigeria was going to practise permanently. But Ironsi came six years later to unilaterally alter that agreement without consulting those who made it and sealed it after exhaustive debates which took them weeks of sleeplessness. Why did Ironsi believe he alone knew better than hundreds of persons among whom the least educated was more educated than him who never stepped foot on any tertiary institution?
3. The Aburi Summit was in principle a legislative business. But Ojukwu and Gowon who were soldiers arrogate to themselves the power to legislate on behalf of civilians in a supposed democracy to the exclusion of the politicians whom the people themselves had with their power of sovereignty earlier chosen to represent them in all future legislative businesses. To that end it becomes pertinent to ask why Enahoro, Awolowo, Azikiwe, Okpara and Dipcharima were not allowed to participate in the summit? How sensible would it therefore have been on their part to accept an Accord which they were not only schemed out of but also brought back confederalism against the pre Ironsi status quo ante of federalism they were already used to and were rightly expecting?
4. The Accord made no proposal on return to civil rule, no date for election, nothing! It was all about how soldiers were going to share power across the regions thereafter. Which normal civilian or political leader do you expect not to reject such accord or advice Gowon to honour it?

There some things to take note of

1) There is nothing like "true federalism" in military rule. When Nzeogwu and co toppled the government, the 1963 constitution went up in smoke.

2) while it is true that Ironsi changed the workings of the Federation with decree 34, the blame of why Nigeria still practices the unitary system is the fault of Gowon who cut up the 4 existing Regions into 12 states.

3) The Aburi agreement was a meeting to resolve the crises in the country. Military leaders met and agreed on certain issues. They signed and shook hands over only for Gowon to reneg on the agreement he signed.

gidgiddy:


There some things to take note of

1) There is nothing like "true federalism" in military rule. When Nzeogwu and co toppled the government, the 1963 constitution went up in smoke.

2) while it is true that Ironsi changed the workings of the Federation with decree 34, the blame of why Nigeria still practices the unitary system is the fault of Gowon who cut up the 4 existing Regions into 12 states.

3) The Aburi agreement was a meeting to resolve the crises in the country. Military leaders met and agreed on certain issues. They signed and shook hands over only for Gowon to reneg on the agreement he signed.

It was actually Ironsi's taking over of power that led to the evaporation of the 1963 constitution. The coup of Nzeogwu and Ifeajuna was a military mutiny which Ironsi could have punished them for with court-martial according to military code of ethics, and thereafter proceeded to uphold the constitution by simply replacing the slain premiers with their deputies and swearing in Dipcharima to complete Balewa's new tenure, and then exiting the stage as a professional apolitical soldier amidst cheers and international accolades and possible international awards of Nobel Peace prize in subsequent times. With such action, peace and confidence would have returned to the military as an unbiased arbiter hence the military would not have become this politicized and unprofessional, thus the tragic Civil War would have been avoided.

As per the bolded, there was nothing really wrong with Gowon's creation of 12 states as agitation for more regions had already been on before the military ever came. After the creation of the Midwest, COR and Middle Belt were to follow under the civilians. So the action of Gowon's, being from a minority himself, was actually a positive response to the minorities' age long quest to secure their own autonomy and insulation from the three dominant tribes. What really mattered therefore was not the number of states or regions created but the degree to which they were autonomous. Had Ironsi never tampered with the structure, the pre-military era true federalism would have trickled down to as many states or regions as would have later being definitely created. That is why even though we are now 36 states we still correctly believe that resource control for the states, and not a return to the four regional structure, is all we genuinely need put an end to Nigeria's failure.

The crisis which Aburi Summit was aimed at resolving was actually a direct fall out of Ironsi's pioneership in the mutilation of the "we the people" constitution we started with. Logic therefore dictated that the only resolutions that everyone back at home would have welcomed gladly and wholeheartedly was the restoration of the independence constitution exactly as it was mutually accented to in the 1957 conference by all stakeholders before Ironsi vandalised it. Had the political leaders of the regions been allowed to attend the summit Ojukwu definitely wouldn't have had his way so easily as to get the less educated Northern attendees to sign his confederalism proposals blindly without having a deep knowledge of what it implied.
It is however an irony that the same Ojukwu who rejoiced at and justified Ironsi's dismantling of federalism and imposition of unitary system - the centripetal structure, later within few months became an Aburi advocate of confederalism - the centrifugal structure. That was inconsistency built on an afterthought. So Ojukwu was as inconsistent as Gowon in the whole exercise of seeking the right structure for the country.

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It was actually Ironsi's taking over of power that led to the evaporation of the 1963 constitution. The coup of Nzeogwu and Ifeajuna was a military mutiny which Ironsi could have punished them for with court-martial according to military code of ethics, and thereafter proceeded to uphold the constitution by simply replacing the slain premiers with their deputies and swearing in Dipcharima to complete Balewa's new tenure, and then exiting the stage as a professional apolitical soldier amidst cheers and international accolades and possible international awards of Nobel Peace prize in subsequent times. With such action, peace and confidence would have returned to the military as an unbiased arbiter hence the military would not have become this politicized and unprofessional, thus the tragic Civil War would have been avoided.


This is what WOULD have happened, but didn't happen. A hypothetical conflagration and extrapolation of some sorts.

Same way someone would argue that having eliminated Ironsi and won the war, Gowon had the chance to revert back to regional system, re install the premiers and the civilian government and WOULD have left the scene with ovation highest as the hero who returned the country back to normalcy.
Instead he perpetuated power, divided and maintained the abominations he called states, and clung unto power until he was swept off again by a military coup.

So, we can all speak of what WOULD have happened, or we can all talk about what WAS. Which is the the fact that Civilian rule and constitution went up in flames, the moment Nzeogwu and his boys struck.

[b]The crisis which Aburi Summit was aimed at resolving was actually a direct fall out of Ironsi's pioneership in the mutilation of the "we the people" constitution we started with. Logic therefore dictated that the only resolutions that everyone back at home would have welcomed gladly and wholeheartedly was the restoration of the independence constitution exactly as it was mutually accented to in the 1957 conference by all stakeholders before Ironsi vandalised it. Had the political leaders of the regions been allowed to attend the summit Ojukwu definitely wouldn't have had his way so easily as to get the less educated Northern attendees to sign his confederalism proposals blindly without having a deep knowledge of what it implied.
It is however an irony that the same Ojukwu who rejoiced at and justified Ironsi's dismantling of federalism and imposition of unitary system - the centripetal structure, later within few months became an Aburi advocate of confederalism - the centrifugal structure. That was inconsistency built on an afterthought. So Ojukwu was as inconsistent as Gowon in the whole exercise of seeking the right structure for the country.[/b]

And did Ojukwu stop the political leaders from other regions from attending?

Was Gowon and his boys proposing the relinquishing of power by himself and all the military boys to civilian government, Ojukwu inclusive, and Ojukwu declined? Or was Gowon trying to legitimize his coup and his standing as the numero uno by force and by whatever means?

Do you blame Ojukwu for the Northern attendants inferior intellectual ability?
Does it not speak ill of the Nigerians that they came to such an important discussion with inferior brains? Isn't this a proof that the discussions meant nothing to them?

Whatever opinion Ojukwu held before Aburi was not an agreement reached with anyone, so he is not bound to stick to them or not change them.
But whatever agreement both parties reached at Aburi should be binding, and Gowon had no moral right to change them unilaterally when he got home. If you are not going to honor an agreement, why bother showing up for talks? Perhaps Nigeria already have plans of not honoring the agreement, which explains why the presented intellectual Lilliputians to engage Ojukwu, it was all mere formality to them?

So, no Ojukwu wasn't inconsistent with established agreement.

Gowon did not meet any democracy in place or civilians in power to warrant the accusation that he could have safeguarded it by restoring power to the civilians. I can't be accused of not preserving a property I never inherited. However, Gowon had begun to reverse Ironsi's unilateral Decrees like the Unification and Anti-seccession Decrees. He had also restored the region's autonomies back to status quo ante within his first 11 months in office as that was actually what they killed Ironsi for. But unfortunately when Ojukwu began insisting on Aburi Accord against the well thought out advice by the politicians back home to Gowon to to dump it due to its offensive departure from the exact previous federalism they were expecting, the only means available to Gowon to reign Ojukwu in was to start retracing his precious re-federalization steps. Had Ojukwu seen reason why the Aburi Accord was no longer tenable due to its lack of the people's sovereign approval, Gowon would not have had the cause to halt his re-federalization process.
With the above, it is obvious that Gowon actually and sincerely attempted to correct the mess caused by his predecessor and the coupists but had to soft-pedal in the national interest of crushing the threat to the corporate existence of the country which Ojukwu's posturing represented.
What genuine national interest could be said to have inspired Ironsi's own action? What impediment was on his way to just leaving the constitution as he met it? ABSOLUTELY NONE!

Deadlytruth:
Gowon did not meet any democracy in place or civilians in power to warrant the accusation that he could have safeguarded it by restoring power to the civilians. I can't be accused of not preserving a property I never inherited. However, Gowon had begun to reverse Ironsi's unilateral Decrees like the Unification and Anti-seccession Decrees. He had also restored the region's autonomies back to status quo ante within his first 11 months in office as that was actually what they killed Ironsi for. But unfortunately when Ojukwu began insisting on Aburi Accord which the politicians back home had advised Gowon to renege on due to its offensive departure from the exact previous federalism they were expecting, the only means available to Gowon to resign Ojukwu in was to start retracing his precious re-federalization steps. Had Ojukwu seen reason why the Aburi Accord was no longer tenable due to its lack of the people's sovereign approval, Gowon would not have had the cause to halt his re-federalization process.
With the above, it is obvious that Gowon actually attempted to correct the mess caused by his predecessor and the coupists. What genuine national interest could be said to have inspired Ironsi's own action? ABSOLUTELY NONE!

Ironsi met no civilians on ground as well.
Nzeogwu boys had ransacked and toppled the government before Ironsi stepped in.
So what's your point?

Gowon toppled Ironsi because it was believed Ironsi didn't do a good job, No?

So, did Gowon do a good job?

Did he hand over to civilian government and undid all Ironsi did by restoring order as it was before Nzeogwu and his boys struck?

What national interest inspired Gowon demanding for numero uno power from Ojukwu, when he could have won the times Man of the year by relinquishing power to civilian government, insisting Ojukwu does same, and re establishing the constitution?

Instead he fought a war trying to claim numero uno authoritarian power for himself, and when he won the war, clung tenaciously to it, bastardizing the regional structures by perpetuating abominations called states, and had to be booted out of seat!

Where was Gowon nationalism?

pazienza:


Ironsi met no civilians on ground as well.
Nzeogwu boys had ransacked and toppled the government before Ironsi stepped in.
So what's your point?

Gowon toppled Ironsi because it was believed Ironsi didn't do a good job, No?

So, did Gowon do a good job?

Did he hand over to civilian government and undid all Ironsi did by restoring order as it was before Nzeogwu and his boys struck?

What national interest inspired Gowon demanding for numero uno power from Ojukwu, when he could have won the times Man of the year by relinquishing power to civilian government, insisting Ojukwu does same, and re establishing the constitution?

Instead he fought a war trying to claim numero uno authoritarian power for himself, and when he won the war, clung tenaciously to it, bastardizing the regional structures by perpetuating abominations called states, and had to be booted out of seat!

Where is Gowon nationalism?

Wrong! Ironsi met civilians on ground and even had audience with them according to the account given by Richard Akinjide and corroborated by Maitama Sule. The civilians threw up Dipcharima to replace the slain prime minister so the country's affairs would continue being run peacefully while putting the past behind. But Ironsi refused and threatened them into unwilling submission. That heightened the perception of a hidden agenda on Ironsi's part on behalf of his kinsmen thus inspiring the counter coup through which Gowon rose to power. A counter coup plotted by Northerners aimed at crushing in the bud a perceived domination agenda by Igbos and abrogating offensive centripetal decrees put in place by Igbos to entrench Igbo hegemony could never have been allowed to throw up Ojukwu, an Igbo man, as the ultimate beneficiary in the name of following seniority order.
At that moment the military had become polarized along ethnic lines and thus lost professionalism which seniority considerations are a hallmark of. So seniority rule went away with the loss of professionalism to tribalism.
Moreover, before then, Ojukwu's silence on Ironsi's refusal to punish the coup plotters who murdered their superiors in cold blood had made nonsense of the seniority case Ojukwu was trying to make.

Ojukwu's refusal to let reason prevail over emotions was what kept Gowon in power longer than necessary. How could Gowon have continued with his re-federalization steps to the point of handing power back to civilians when Ojukwu was no longer ready for anything other than war? Could Gowon have conducted elections to return power to the civilians thus restoring federalism in the country including the Eastern Region where Ojukwu was saying "confederalism or war"?