Raph Uwachue is not just another Igboman who doesn't know what he's saying, the former ambassador is even the President of Ohaneze Ndigbo. His latest comment about the unsuccessful Biafran attempt to seperate from Nigeria, and Ojukwu's role are surely going to add a new dimension for historians of that era. All said and done, nobody should be surprised that Igbo leaders do challange each other, because at the end of the day, Igbo ama eze


[size=38pt]Uwechue’s bomb on Biafra[/size]
• [size=18pt]The making of sensational civil war revelation[/size]
By ONUOHA UKEH
Saturday, October 24, 2009

Elder statesman and President-General of the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization, Chief Raph Uwechue, has sensationally revealed, in a book, how ego and quest for absolute control by Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu ruined Biafra.

He said, in the book, Reflections on the Nigerian Civil War – Facing the Future, that Ojukwu adopted a maximum ruler posture, shunned advice as well as believed in his won judgment, factor, which he said, caused the failure of the break away of the Eastern Nigeria.

He said: “By keeping Ojukwu constantly enveloped in an atmosphere of superiority, it made him, as a matter of habit, distrustful and disdainful of other people’s judgment, impatient with their opinions and finally simply authoritarian.”

Uwechue had visited the corporate headquarters of The Sun sometime ago and while fielding questions from a team of senior editors, he spoke about pre-independence Nigeria, the politics after independence, civil war and the country after the war. He had promised to send to The Sun copies of his book: Reflections on the Nigerian Civil War – Facing the Future, a revised and expanded edition of his previous book, Reflection on the Nigerian Civil War – A Call for Realism. The book was reprinted in 2004. True to his promise, the elder statesman sent copies of the book, which turned out to be expository.

Indeed, the 199-page book told the story of the first military coup in the country, the second military coup, the crisis after the second coup, the meetings to forestall a war, the secession of the eastern part of the country and the efforts to end the war. The book also has two epilogues, where the author analysed the fall of Biafra, in the topic: The Genesis of Failure and also there is the examination of government structure, in the topic: An Elastic Federal Union.

Reading Chief Uwechue’s book, we found The Genesis of Failure very interesting and, therefore, decided to reproduce it. The chapter talked about the things, in the author’s opinion, caused the failure of the Biafra Republic. He pointedly laid the blamed on Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who led Biafra. He said that Ojukwu lacked tact, never took advice, suffered what could pass for inferiority complex and was power drunk. In the opening paragraph of that chapter, Uwechue said: “It is a sad but instructive irony that Lt. Col Odumegwu Ojukwu, one of Africa’s one-time most brilliant political promises, was the man that led his own people with such a lack of ingenuity into what was clearly a foreseeable disaster.” He said that the personality of Ojukwu robbed off negatively on Biafra, adding: “It can be said for the Nigerian Civil War that the personality of Odumegwu Ojukwu more than any other single factor determined much of the course and certainly the character of the end of the Biafran adventure.”

The elder statesman said, in the book, that Ojukwu was ambitious and, therefore, paid attention only to the “politics of the war” instead of the security of the people he led. He said that owing to Ojukwu’s interest, two wars were fought with the territory of Biafra then: “The first was for the survival of the Ibos as a race. The second was for the survival of Ojukwu’s leadership.” He said that Ojukwu was more interested in the survival of his leadership at that time, which, he said: “Proved fatal for the Ibos” during the war.

The Ohanaeze chieftain said that if Ojukwu were smart enough to understand the politics of alliances in the country, Biafra could have survived. According to him, there was an opportunity for Ojukwu to align with the Western Region then, but he did not see the necessity for that. He said that this opportunity came when the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was released from prison by General Yakubu Gowon and he declared: If “the Eastern Region was pushed out of the federation, Western Nigeria would quit the federation as well.” According to him, Ojukwu should have taken that declaration as a cue and wooed the Western Region.

Uwechue said that another opportunity also came the way of Ojukwu to forge an East-West alliance when Awolowo visited Enugu, as Gowon’s emissary. According to him, what Ojukwu needed was to bring Awolowo to his side, but he did not utilize the opportunity and ended up describing the meeting as “ill-conceived child.”
He had revealed: “When on 7th May 1967 the Yoruba leader (Awolowo) came to Enugu at the head of a reconciliation committee, Ojukwu had a handsome opportunity to play his card. He missed. Dr. Michael Okpara, who still enjoyed popular support in Eastern Nigeria and whose friendship with Chief Awolowo had sustained the UPGA alliances, was not even invited to meet Chief Awolowo. After a hurried reception, Chief Awolowo’s delegation left Eastern Nigeria.”

He said that Gowon, understanding the way alliances worked in the country, had wooed Western Nigeria, first by releasing Awolowo from prison and second, by not only offering him an appointment, but also making him the highest civilian in the government as the vice president of the Federal Executive Council. According to him, by this appointment, there was an “unspoken understanding that Nigeria was his (Awolowo’s) as soon as the war was over and the army withdrew.” He said that this cemented the relation between the Northern Region and Western Region and, therefore, left the east in the lurch.

Uwechue said that within Biafra, Ojukwu alienated talented Igbo, using iron hand to establish his authority. Towards this end, he said that Dr. Okpara, former premier of Eastern Nigeria, was jailed as well as others. “These political figures were to remain out of favour and far from the corridor of power, except for their occasional utility as window dressing, such as posing for photographs with General Ojukwu or flanking him on ceremonial occasions,” he wrote.

He said that the same thing happened in the army, as Ojukwu suppressed officers and, therefore, had a “timid army tamed to unquestionable obedience.”

The elder statesman said that Ojukwu had the opportunity of using the diplomatic front to sell Biafra, but that instead of doing this he shunned advice, especially on the need for compromise. He said that when the war dragged, many eminent Igbo advised Ojukwu to asked for a confederal nation, which would keep Biafra within Nigeria and also give it adequate local autonomy, but this was not only rejected but also those who suggested it were witch-hunted.

He said: “The climax came on 7th of September 1968, just before the OAU summit meeting in Algiers. A number of anxious Ibos, including Dr. Azikiwe, former president of Nigeria, Dr. Michael Okpara, former premier of Eastern Nigeria (Biafra), Dr. K. O. Dike, former rector of Ibadan University and myself made a formal recommendation in which we told General Ojukwu that as Africa was sympathetic to the Ibo cause, but at the same time opposed to secession, he should use the opportunity of the Algiers meeting to seek OAU guarantee for a confederal arrangement, such as was agreed at Aburi (Ghana). General Ojukwu not only rejected this advice outright but also asked some of us to recant or resign. Dr. Azikiwe left Paris in disgust and went to London in voluntary exile. I myself chose to resign.”

Uwechue said that Ojukwu saw himself as a supremo during the war and only trusted his own judgment. In trying to explain why this could have been so, he said: “To this special development of his ego and the feeling of self-sufficiency was added the confidence acquired from an Oxford University milieu and from the fact of his father’s great wealth. Back to Nigeria, Ojukwu soon joined the army, where, as an officer, he got more accustomed to giving orders and receiving prompt obedience than meeting opposition and arguments.” He said that Ojukwu found himself always at the “giving end” rather than at the “receiving end,” adding: “By keeping Ojukwu constantly enveloped in an atmosphere of superiority, it made him, as a matter of habit, distrustful and disdainful of other people’s judgment, impatient with their opinions and finally simply authoritarian.”

The elder statesman concluded that owing to Ojukwu’s attitude, Biafra failed. He said that the failure was mainly a “political one,” which, according to him, “was, in turn, the failure of the leadership, which firstly, made a wrong tactical choice – outright secession – instead of maneouvring appropriately for vital political alliances within Nigeria and exploiting in that context the numerous weaknesses of its opponents.” He said that by breaking out of the country, “the Biafran leadership abandoned the Nigerian field to those who had then only recently wrenched federal control from the Ironsi government, thus uniting various shades of political opinions in the country behind the new federal authorities, as had never been the case before in Nigeria’s political history, in defence of Nigerian unity.”

http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html

I can see how some people might misunderstand Uwachue's position to mean disloyalty to Igbos. While I believe that the ambassador is ony'igbo to the core, his disagreement with Ojukwu's approach should be viewed from the perspective of the republican nature of the Igbo society.

naijaking1:

I can see how some people might misunderstand Uwachue's position to mean disloyalty to Igbos. While I believe that the ambassador is ony'igbo to the core, his disagreement with Ojukwu's approach should be viewed from the perspective of the republican nature of the Igbo society.

Ralph Uwechue should do us a favour and resign.

It is true that we encourage people within our midst to say exactly what they think, but how does an attack on Ojukwu's person further the course of Ndigbo at this time? Ralph Uwechue is entitled to his opinion but when you are the Ohaneze leader you should watch what you say.
If he wants to continue having the luxury of speaking his mind like everyone else in Igboland then he should resign.

mikeansy:

Ralph Uwechue should do us a favour and resign.

It is true that we encourage people within our midst to say exactly what they think, but how does an attack on Ojukwu's person further the course of Ndigbo at this time? Ralph Uwechue is entitled to his opinion but when you are the Ohaneze leader you should watch what you say.
If he wants to continue having the luxury of speaking his mind like everyone else in Igboland then he should resign.

While I agree that there maybe a tendency to confuse his personal and official opinions, I don't think he should resign. The truth is that quite a few Igbo leaders have been noted to have strongly criticized Ojukwu in the past.

the truth remains, OJUKWU MADE AND UNMADE BIAFRA.

chidichris:

the truth remains, OJUKWU MADE AND UNMADE BIAFRA.

Thank you.

chidichris:

the truth remains, OJUKWU MADE AND UNMADE BIAFRA.

So why the hell does he get the kind of the praise beffited to him - If the man was only protecting his interests.

maybe its just ignorance on the part of many igbo's

Ralph Uwechue needs to be commended for taking such a courageous stance, this should not be seen as a betrayal of ndigbo but instead as respect to the millions who lost their lives during the war.
So many of us have made the same points, here on NL, but have wrongly been labelled igbo haters.
'No man is an island'
It is instructive for us  to learn from the mistakes of the past instead of blindly progressing defective strategies.

Let us put his presentation in the right perspective- that of an insider and participant.
The lessons are obvious. We should not follow our leaders blindly. This is an eye opener
for all those who fought and are still fighting for certain ideals, which , with these revelations
were/are bound to fail. Let us put our differences behind us and use some of the strategies
espoused by Chief Uwechue ,that were abandoned on the altar of self aggrandizement and fear.
I hope all the cyberwarrriors and separaists are listening.

Ojukwu was just 33 years old then. He made some costly mistakes, but that nothwithstanding, he is a hero.  The president-general has said things from his personal perspective and you may agree or disagree.
If Nigeria produces a president of Igbo origin, we the Igbo will attack him if he does wrong, but will not deny him. It is the Igbo nature.

Andre Uweh:

Ojukwu was just 33 years old then. He made some costly mistakes, but that nothwithstanding, he is a hero. The president-general has said things from his personal perspective and you may agree or disagree.
If Nigeria produces a president of Igbo origin, we the Igbo will attack him if he does wrong, but will not deny him. It is the Igbo nature.

Good point.

SapeleGuy:

Ralph Uwechue needs to be commended for taking such a courageous stance, this should not be seen as a betrayal of ndigbo but instead as respect to the millions who lost their lives during the war.
So many of us have made the same points, here on NL, but have wrongly been labelled igbo haters.
'No man is an island'
It is instructive for us to learn from the mistakes of the past instead of blindly progressing defective strategties.

Uwachue has legitimacy to critics, because he suffered like all Igbos, older than most of you guys here, and means well.

This is the Nigeria-Biafra War as documented by BBC.

Please do watch and judge for yourself.

The below is video 1 out of 7

To watch video #1 click on "Watch in Youtube"

[flash=425,345]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3ReFoFp0Gs&color1[/flash]

PS: Dont forget to watch all seven videos - an emotional documentary

  [flash=600,500]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQkIQuK7A50&hl[/flash]

"No matter what political reasons are given for war, the underlying reason is always economic."
A. J. P. Taylor

"He was what I often think is a dangerous thing for a statesman to be - a student of history; and like most of those who study history, he learned from the mistakes of the past how to make new ones."
A. J. P. Taylor

"The great armies, accumulated to provide security and preserve the peace, carried the nations to war by their own weight."
A. J. P. Taylor

These quotes were true for other wars and equally so for the nigerian civil war. I don't think any sane person will condone the attrocities of war.

I think Ojukwu meant well for the Igbos but he made several errors. He was an intelligent man but he made several strategic mistakes:
1. He should have sought alliances with the Yorubas. Most people with half a brain would have predicted the end result. It was always going to be a question of when.
2. He knew Britain was going to support the Nigerian forces. With the US engaged in a deadly war in Vietnam, the other super power, USSR, was idle. Before committing to war, he should have sought strategic military support from USSR and France. France would later help Biafra in the war but it was very little help because the French decided to help without being asked.
3. Authorising the offensive through the Mid-west to Ore. If that offensive ever got to Lagos, they would have been cut off from the East by another Division (probably Murtala's 2nd division). While the objective was to reduce the offensive from the 1st Division under Shuwa and it succeeded but it also brought other elements which contributed to the fall of Biafra - Two Divisions were formed (2nd and 3rd Marine Commando) which would then allow Nigeria to attack Biafra from three angles and the use of Yoruba and mid-western troups who had otherwise acted neutral.
4. Making Enugu the capital when it was too close to the North, the capture of Nigeria would have two effects - sapping morale of the Biafran people and retreating from Enugu would result in loss of resources and people.
5. He also seemed to act alone, which was somewhat curious, considering that the system of government in the East was Communal.


Ojukwu did, however, win the Propanganda war. This is just my opinion from information gleaned over the years and nothing more.

@dudukniht

He won the propaganda war and it is now an albatross for his folk and everyone else. They still continue with the
victim and oppressed mentality, only when it suits their purpose such that they do notknow when
to change their pose. The war is over, and today, the major actors are fading away. The problems are
nit our creation and it is our duty to clean up the mess and put up structures and institutions that will
ensure that these unfortunate events do not occur again. This is what we owe our children.

Duduknight:

I think Ojukwu meant well for the Igbos but he made several errors. He was an intelligent man but he made several strategic mistakes:
1. He should have sought alliances with the Yorubas.

The question is can u really trust an average yoruba person? cos he is either here nor there (no insult intended to those who are above board). Immediately Awo was released from prison and offered a mouth watering appointment by Gowon, he backed out of the alliance he has promised to Easterners.

I pray God permits him to look down from the 'land of no return' to see the hardship his wrong caculation has brought to nation( Not just the Easterners but also the Westerners and southerners).

chosen04:

The question is can u really trust an average yoruba person? cos he is either here nor there (no insult intended to those who are above board). Immediately Awo was released from prison and offered a mouth watering appointment by Gowon, he backed out of the alliance he has promised to Easterners.

I pray God permits him to look down from the 'land of no return' to see the hardship his wrong caculation has brought to nation( Not just the Easterners but also the Westerners and southerners).

Questions for you chosen04:
Awolowo was in Prison in Calabar?
Did Ojukwu visit Awolowo in Calabar?
How could Awolowo have aligned with Ojukwu while he was in Prison?
Who should Awolowo have aligned with? Ojukwu who did not visit him or Gowon who released him from prison?
If NCNC (Zik) aligned with NPC for the elections in 1958-59 to form a government and that government subsequently failed leading to bad blood between the Igbos and Hausa/Fulani what do you really expect from the Yorubas?

Now to your assertion about not being able to trust the average Yoruba person. Yorubas always know where to stand but they do not always take a hard stance. Because taking a hard stance sometimes leads to humiliating situations. So they try to be diplomatic and negotiate. That is not equal to being 'neither here nor there'

Tell me, what did the following NIGERIANS stand for: Gani Fawehinmi, Fela Ransome-Kuti, Beko Ransome-kuti, Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana, Michael Ajasin, Herbert Macaulay?
A lot of people arrive at conjectures based on what was passed down to them from older generations without necessarily trying to analyse the situation for themselves. Hence, they form notions as expressed by yourself.

chosen04:

The question is can u really trust an average yoruba person? cos he is either here nor there (no insult intended to those who are above board). Immediately Awo was released from prison and offered a mouth watering appointment by Gowon, he backed out of the alliance he has promised to Easterners.

I pray God permits him to look down from the 'land of no return' to see the hardship his wrong caculation has brought to nation( Not just the Easterners but also the Westerners and southerners).

When  are we going to get rid of ethnic stereotyping?
No ethnicity has a monopoly on good or bad.

You may care to note, that it was this same 'Yoruba people that you can't trust ' who worked for a [b]peaceful and democratic solution [/b]with the leaders of mid west to create the region, despite it being against their best financial interests.

At the time, federal allocation was divided accordingly:

(a)to Northern Nigeria, 40 ninety-fifths;
(b)to Western Nigeria, 24 ninety-fifths;
(c) to Eastern Nigeria, 31 ninety-fifths.

You can see how the creation of mid west state would have taken a sizeable chunk from their revenue.

All these cries of victim, oppressed , untrustworthy, illiterate,and other labels is just to put the other side on
the defensive and portrany meanness. Those accused of such stereotypical behavior virtually off the
scene now. Whatever they infiltrated into us have in one way or the other been proved wrong by one on one contacts
and real life experiences in life.

Honestly I always wonder what education and enlightenment is all about it cannot be used to shape impressions
dispassionately. Do we have to go by anyones experience in days gone by to determine how we should relate. Do
we have to live history at the expense of tomorrow? Why don't we let our today determine our tomorrow?

Ok let's get Ojukwu, tie him to the stoke and shoot him, (T-I-C). I wonder why he is not commenting. A mere look at Ojukwu whould simply confirm that he is an ambitious person, but who in Nigeria is not?

citizenY:

All these cries of victim, oppressed , untrustworthy, illiterate,and other labels is just to put the other side on
the defensive and portrany meanness. Those accused of such stereotypical behavior virtually off the
scene now. Whatever they infiltrated into us have in one way or the other been proved wrong by one on one contacts
and real life experiences in life.

Honestly I always wonder what education and enlightenment is all about it cannot be used to shape impressions
dispassionately. Do we have to go by anyones experience in days gone by to determine how we should relate. Do
we have to live history at the expense of tomorrow? Why don't we let our today determine our tomorrow?

My sentiments exactly but articulated excellently by you.

SapeleGuy:

When  are we going to get rid of ethnic stereotyping?
No ethnicity has a monopoly on good or bad.

You may care to note, that it was this same 'Yoruba people that you can't trust ' who worked for a [b]peaceful and democratic solution [/b]with the leaders of mid west to create the region, despite it being against their best financial interests.

At the time, federal allocation was divided accordingly:

(a)to Northern Nigeria, 40 ninety-fifths;
(b)to Western Nigeria, 24 ninety-fifths;
(c) to Eastern Nigeria, 31 ninety-fifths.

You can see how the creation of mid west state would have taken a sizeable chunk from their revenue.

Thank you for your comment; I always find your comments insightful and unbiased.

The essay that is currently making wave on nairaland and accredited to Chief Raph Uwechue had stranglehold on some of factors that contributed to the failure of Biafra but I think the statesman had it wrong on the issue of Gowon, Awolowo and release from Calabar Prisons. I had personally brought up some of the issues with Ojukwu and the abler statesman wished there was second round.

There is no doubt about Gowon’s intention of politicking when he announced Awoloow’s release from Calaber Prision while for intents and practical purposes Gowon’s authority did not fly in eastern region of Nigeria. As in this case, the Gowon’s announcement of the release did not affect Awolowo’s walk from prison until Ojukwu said so.

The Nigeria/Biafra civil war was winnable to either sides of the army if the common factor to the victory was observed, thus, surprise. Ojukwu’s tactical military naïveté denied the Biafra the sure victory or at least the alliance of an unwilling western region of Nigeria.

Those rejoicing on the woes of Biafra and pointing to the so-called inversion of Mid-western and western regions of Nigeria were deadbeats looking for a straw to clutch. Facts remain that Nigeria was a nation state and any part of the country was an open season.

Did Uwechue say anything new? I really don't think so! And I wonder what the whole hullabaloo is about. The new thing is the method Uwechue chose to communicate his feelings. I am disappointed with Uwechue and here's why: Uwechue spoke as if those problems of Ndigbo in Nigeria have been finally resolved, and therefore he is at liberty to peddle his opinions about our past leader. For heavens sake he is the Ohanaeze President and didn't need to educate the whole world about Ojukwu's faults as a leader. He has the ears of all Igbo chieftains and all Igbo. His Job is to work to unite Ndigbo in all parts of Nigeria. He is not doing that.
If he thinks that the tendency to repeat the past mistakes still exist (which I strongly doubt), pray whose job is it to fix it? Is he fixing it by launching attacks on the one individual that strikes fear in the enemy of Ndigbo? So he should communicate those things through the channels of Ime-Obi or Aka Ikenga. He is free to speak as an Igbo person after he resigned his position. It was irresponsible of him to make those statements concerning Ojukwu's personality. Igbo people say that "E Ji egbe mgbo di na nke mgbo adighi we chupu onye iro" (You use both loaded and unloaded guns to drive out the enemy!) Afterall only you know which of your guns are loaded! I'm disappointed in these statements. I am far younger than the Ohanaeze chieftain but I wouldn't make those statements! Uwechue should wait until his term is over before making any similar statements.

The Ohanaeze chieftain may not know it, but Igbo have since learned all the lessons necessary from our war experience, which is why Igbo approach to Nigeria and Biafra today is markedly different than what happened in the past.

The truth is that if Ojukwu was 100% wrong and driven by greed and selfish interest then Nigeria should have been better for it.

The fact that nearly 40years since the last gun shut was fired the issues that led to mistrust then still reveberate amongst us Nigerians simply means the so called Ojukwu was driven by greed talk is simply childish lies.
Nothing has changed, those who would like to think they came out on top have driven this country into the sorry state that it is now.

Ojukwu is an old man who has lived his life, I think our generation will do ourself more good if we decide our own destiny and make our future rather than trying to re-write Ojukwu's history.

This quote from Julius Nyerere on the Nigeria/ Biafra war captures the whole truth of the situation then and even today:

“I still believe that they (Nigerian officials) are capable of recognizing the tragedy which has caused one part of the federation to break away, and of acknowledging that very different tactics are necessary if the old Nigeria is ever to be recreated. For surely they could decide to leave the Biafrans to go their own way and, by the kind of Nigeria which they create, to show the Biafrans what they are losing by remaining separated from their brethren. For if the other peoples of Nigeria decide to work together, they will continue to be a strong and powerful force in Africa; they really have the opportunity to build a good nation of which every Nigerian –indeed every African – can be proud. Then it may be that at some time in the future the Biafrans will wish to rejoin the peoples from whom they now wish to part; if this happens, it will be the accession of a free people to a large and free political will.”

I have great respect for Nyerere, and the above quote tells me that the Ex-Tanzanian leader and statesman understood Nigeria and her problems far more than the so-called Nigerian statesmen.

Monday morning quarter-backing is a natural part of any event, especially a civil war. People tend to look back, make judgements on situations they wouldn't even have done better themselves. In the US, stories about how the confederates lost the war because of Jefferson Davies mistakes, ego, and personal ambitions sounds very much like things said about Ojukwu.
I agree that Uwachue should not try to sell his book or point of view using his present office as the president of Ohanaeze to make the pitch.

chosen04:

The question is can u really trust an average yoruba person? cos he is either here nor there (no insult intended to those who are above board). Immediately Awo was released from prison and offered a mouth watering appointment by Gowon, he backed out of the alliance he has promised to Easterners.

I pray God permits him to look down from the 'land of no return' to see the hardship his wrong caculation has brought to nation( Not just the Easterners but also the Westerners and southerners).

Very unnecessary and myopic statement. Not properly thought through. . . .we should desist from such comments if we hope to make progress  in life. Imagine if someone mde any of the following statements :

The average black man(in America)is irresponsible

The average Latino is a  drug dealer

The average  white man is a racist

The average  igbo man is an uneducated trader 

How does that sound 

Citizeny summarises it succintly:

citizenY:

All these cries of victim, oppressed , untrustworthy, illiterate,and other labels is just to put the other side on
the defensive and portray meanness. Those accused of such stereotypical behavior virtually off the
scene now. Whatever they infiltrated into us have in one way or the other been proved wrong by one on one contacts
and real life experiences in life.

Honestly I always wonder what education and enlightenment is all about it cannot be used to shape impressions
dispassionately. Do we have to go by anyones experience in days gone by to determine how we should relate. Do
we have to live history at the expense of tomorrow? Why don't we let our today determine our tomorrow?

naijaking1:

Monday morning quarter-backing is a natural part of any event, especially a civil war. [b]People tend to look back, make judgements on situations they wouldn't even have done better themselves. In the US, stories about how the confederates lost the war because of Jefferson Davies mistakes, ego, and personal ambitions sounds very much like things said about Ojukwu.[/b]I agree that Uwachue should not try to sell his book or point of view using his present office as the president of Ohanaeze to make the pitch.

Spot on!!
But the truth is that there is never a war devoid of tactical mistakes:errors are synonymous with human actions.
However, the past and present Igbos still see Ojukwu as a hero because of his bold and courageous moves. . . . even the present state of Nigeria is proving Ojukwu's critics wrong.

Another cost of loosing any war is bearing blames from both within and without.

Duduknight:

Because taking a hard stance sometimes leads to humiliating situations. So they try to be diplomatic and negotiate.

You should always stand with what you believe in, no matter the consequences. . . .