Duduknight:

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.

Nchara:

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?

The question is can u really trust an average yoruba person?

bawomolo:

no those snakes can't be trusted. Yorubas are evil and uncivilized.

those wicked yoruba's

Onlytruth:

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.

naijaking1:

I got your point, but my point is that there is very thin line between being diplomatic and being an opportunistic back-stabber.

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. 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.

Dede1:


Ojukwu did not need to seek alliance with Yoruba because the faith meted to easterners in the northern region was the same handed to westerners. For the westerners, it was the repeat of Ibadan debacle when the son of soil was killed. As the case remains today with Islamic riots in northern region, one group chose to fight back others decided to have their tails in between their legs.

You will make yourself believe anything. The Yorubas had an internal problem - Awo's group versus Akintola's group. How is that analogous to the progroms in 1966 and 1967? You will make conjectures just to prove an erroneous point. Which group had their tails between their legs? You just clearly have a hatred for Yoruba people; that is your problem anyway. Anyone who carries hate around is likely to be bogged down by it.

Anybody that refers the offensive Biafrans undertook through mid-west and onto western region as unfortunate is merely clutching straw. The major element of any war is the moment of surprise. Nigeria in 1966 was as Nigeria today, a colonial contraption, and every part of the country remains an open season for attack in outbreak of a war.

Think about this for a second. How large was Banjo's unit? Even if they got past Ore, they would have been isolated from the remaining Biafran units. They simply would have been trapped between Murtala's unit and the units in Lagos.

By the way, during the said offensive, the Nigerian army had not been constituted into divisions. The Nigerian army was still structured in Brigades, Battalions, Garrisons and Squadrons.

This is also inaccurate. What was Murtala's unit called? Was it not called the 2nd division? Was Shuwa's unit not called the 1st division? What was Adekunle's unit called? It was called the 3rd division and Adekunle changed it to 3rd Marine commando. Please get your facts right. Do not be in a hurry to refute everything I type.

Surely, the act of constituting himself as the only policy-making body in Biafra was a strategic error Chief Uwachue pointed out his book.           

Duduknight:

What event are you referring to? When you make a statement like this, you should provide a reference. Then we can debate about it.

naijaking1:

You were trying to portray the Yoruba people as an all-knowing group that was adept at differentiating "taking a hard stand on issues vs being diplomatic"
In life, there're times to stand up and be counted, and there're times to pretend otherwise. Armed the advantages of hindsight, I can tell you that if Yorubas had faced the same pogrom experienced by Igbos, the majority of Igbo people would want the right thing to be done, whether by taking a hard stand, or being diplomatic.
Yorubas joining Hausa people to "almost eliminate" Igbos, their worst rival might have yielded some short term benefit, but its long term effect has since become obvious.

Duduknight:

Ok I understand you now. Let us look at a few facts:
1. The loss of life is always regrettable, whether it is one or 10,000.
2. The igbos joined the Hausas and formed a government in 1960. That led to the AG asking Awolowo to become the leader of the opposition in the House culminating in his Deputy becoming the Premier. This in itself led to the problems in the west in 1964. Awolowo went to prison for this.

3. A group with a core of Igbo officers organised a coup and wiped out core northern political and military elite
4. The leader of the group was Ifeajuna. The fact that Nzeogwu was the one who completed his task did not make him the leader. In fact, Nzeogwu joined the group late. I say this because some people argue that Nzeogwu was a mid-western (never mind his antecedents) and that he was the leader of the group.
5. Ademulegun, second to Ironsi in the army was killed; Shodeinde (Nzeogwu's boss) and his pregnant wife were murdred. Akintola, the western premier was also killed.
6. Ifeajuna warned his cousin, Azikiwe, about the coup. Azikiwe went on holiday to the carribean claiming he went for medical reasons. The eastern premier was not killed.
7. Ironsi was not killed, Ademulegun, his next in command was killed.
8. The northerners had a counter-coup
When a man has a fight with his wife, do you expect the other woman he could have married, to come to the aid of the wife? Igbos chose to go with the hausas, why should the Yoruba's get involved if the marriage between the Igbos and hausa's break down? Moreso, when that arrangement led to problems in the west. Also, you are forgetting the fact that Senior Yourbas were killed in the January 66 coup. Why are you not suggesting that the Yoruba's take a stand on the fact that their leaders were also killed? Instead, you accuse the Yoruba's of back-stabbing the Igbos because the Yoruba's decided to take a softly softly approach.

This blaming everybody (hausa and yoruba) for the issues in 1966 has gone on for too long. You have to accept the the Igbos threw the first punch, the hausas decided to retaliate while the yorubas didnt. You went and looked for trouble and when the other side fought back, you cry of being neglected.

"Men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance, but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate, so that the injury done to a man ought to be such that vengeance cannot be feared."
Niccolo Machiavelli

naijaking1:

NCNC joined with NPC to form a government, not Igbos joined Hausas, granted that most Igbos were NCNC, the party was made up of more than Igbos. So, you see, we can at least get the facts straight.
Even if NCNC joined NPC in a political alliance, does that equate to trying to eliminate a whole region? It would have been nice to watch the alliance vs opposition mature into a truely democratic culture in NIgeria, but when one is not a good sport, it seems that eliminating the opposition by any means is the best option.
Another correction is that Awolowo did not go to prision because of the alliance against him, records show and witnesses like his friend S.G Ikoku said they went to prison because of felony attempt to overthrow the governement. I beg keep the records straight.

This is yet another version of the 1966 coup. There were easterners, westerners, northerners in the coup group, no question there more Igbos. Hausas, Yorubas, and Igbos were killed by the plotters. What you and revisionists like Danjuma has been saying is that because of the sin of 4-5 Igbo officers, the rest of Igbo race should be punished. If you adopt this standard, then anytime a crime is committed by a group of Yoruba or Hausa youths, the we should massacre the whole tribe? You can't win this bigotry argument.
What else did the prince say about being loved or being respected? You want to have it both ways.

udezue:

"If you adopt this standard, then anytime a crime is committed by a group of Yoruba or Hausa youths, the we should massacre the whole tribe?"

I honestly believe our people should start dealing with them like that. Whats the use of fairness when Nigerians don't practice it?

Duduknight:

I guess we have to agree to disagree; our views and versions of events are not completely similar.

Another imbecilic comment; how do you propose to it? From the computer in your living room? Another cyber-warrior.

naijaking1:

I got your point, but my point is that there is thin line between being diplomatic and being an opportunistic back-stabber.

JProspero:

I always feel sad when this ethnic war between the Igbo and Yoruba over the unfortunate 1966-1970 events in Nigeria rage. The Yoruba and those who fought on the Nigerian saide felt that the "Igbo" got what they deserved for killing Northerners and other Nigerians in the Nzeogwu coup, as if there was an Igbo meeting where all Igbo sons and daughters decided to kill others in a coup. Ask any Yoruba or Hausa or Edo person and he will tell you that the civil war happened simply because Ojukwu was "ambitious." Case closed.

The Igbo on their own part believe that the Yoruba betrayed them, that Awo said if Igbo seceded, Yoruba would follow suit. Pls did Awo promise Igbo that if they seceded, that the Yoruba would follow them, or did he warn Gowon that if he allowed the Igbo to go, the Yoruba would also go? These are two diff statements.

I think the least the Yoruba would do is to ackowledge that the Igbo were unfairly treated in the pogrom of 1966. You don't start a systematic killing of members of a race in the name of retaliation for a coup. It was terrible and unjustifiable. I think it is also defeatist to always call Yoruba cowards and traitors. No Nigerian, dead or alive, has been as fearless, selfless and consistent like Gani Fawehinmi. (Not even Zik, Awo, Ojukwu, Sarduana or whoever). And you can point to Soyinka, Femi Falana etc as selfless fighters. Falana recently took it upon himself to fight for Nigerians, mainly Igbo in Libya, who were marked for executeion or deportation. You don't insult a whole race like that and hope to get anywhere with them.

We should stop this ego masturbation and tribal blame and bashing and move on. Our future is being stolen by politicians and we are busy fighting one another.

Duduknight:


Ojukwu did not need to seek alliance with Yoruba because the faith meted to easterners in the northern region was the same handed to westerners. For the westerners, it was the repeat of Ibadan debacle when the son of soil was killed. As the case remains today with Islamic riots in northern region, one group chose to fight back others decided to have their tails in between their legs.

You will make yourself believe anything. The Yorubas had an internal problem - Awo's group versus Akintola's group. How is that analogous to the progroms in 1966 and 1967? You will make conjectures just to prove an erroneous point. Which group had their tails between their legs? You just clearly have a hatred for Yoruba people; that is your problem anyway. Anyone who carries hate around is likely to be bogged down by it.

Anybody that refers the offensive Biafrans undertook through mid-west and onto western region as unfortunate is merely clutching straw. The major element of any war is the moment of surprise. Nigeria in 1966 was as Nigeria today, a colonial contraption, and every part of the country remains an open season for attack in outbreak of a war.

Think about this for a second. How large was Banjo's unit? Even if they got past Ore, they would have been isolated from the remaining Biafran units. They simply would have been trapped between Murtala's unit and the units in Lagos.

By the way, during the said offensive, the Nigerian army had not been constituted into divisions. The Nigerian army was still structured in Brigades, Battalions, Garrisons and Squadrons.

This is also inaccurate. What was Murtala's unit called? Was it not called the 2nd division? Was Shuwa's unit not called the 1st division? What was Adekunle's unit called? It was called the 3rd division and Adekunle changed it to 3rd Marine commando. Please get your facts right. Do not be in a hurry to refute everything I type.

Surely, the act of constituting himself as the only policy-making body in Biafra was a strategic error Chief Uwachue pointed out his book.           

JProspero:

Can someone look at this perspective in this issue?

Why has the Sun been running stories that portray Ojukwu as an ineffective leader? Two Saturdays ago, the Sun ran the interview of Mobolaji Johnson portraying Ojukwu in bad light on Aburi accord and other war issues. Last Saturday the Sun ran a cover story where Uwechue said that Ojukwu was the reason Biafra failed.

Now look at these coincidences. The Sun is owned by Orji Uzor Kalu. Kalu has been portraying himself as the new leader/spokesman of the Igbo, esp the youths/traders. Ojukwu has been the greatest threat to Kalu's ambition because the Igbo still see Ojukwu as a hero/legend, while they are never sure of where Kalu stands, whether he is serious or just playing to the gallery.

It seems (it may not be) that these stories in the Sun newspapers are meant to demystify Ojukwu in the eyes of the Igbo, thereby creating a void in their minds as regards someone to call the authentic Igbo leader. I smell a rat in this - my hunches never go wrong.

Dede1:


Anybody that refers the offensive Biafrans undertook through mid-west and onto western region as unfortunate is merely clutching straw. The major element of any war is the moment of surprise. Nigeria in 1966 was as Nigeria today, a colonial contraption, and every part of the country remains an open season for attack in outbreak of a war.
By the way, during the said offensive, the Nigerian army had not been constituted into divisions. The Nigerian army was still structured in Brigades, Battalions, Garrisons and Squadrons.

Dede1:


Nigerian army formation into divisions came as a result of the civil war. There were two Brigades, 1st Brigade was headquartered in kaduna to oversea the northern part of the country while 2nd Brigade was headquartered in Lagos to oversea southern part of the country. Before Gowon and Nigeria declared war against Biafra, the army formation was denoted into 1st Area Command and 2nd Area Command. Within the 2nd Area Command was the Lagos Garrison Organization.

The Nigerian army divisional formation came after 3 battalions under 1st Area Command attacked Biafra on July 6, 1967 and on August 8, 1967 the Biafran 101 division launched an attack on Nigeria through mid-western region and western region in attempt to reach Lagos. The two factors that stopped the 101 from reaching Lagos were Col Banjo and 8th Battalion of Nigerian army under the command of Major Ochefu.

Lt. Col. M. Mohammed never commanded any unit in the army until Gowon made him the GOC of 2nd Division. Murtula was inspector of signal.

Duduknight:

It appears that you will debate with yourself issues that were not raised. Can you point to anywhere in this thread where Murtala's role before the war was discussed?You are arguing on points that nobody was debating with you. I have only been discussing about the Nigerian Army divisions during the war.

I said Murtala was commander of the 2nd division and you have agreed with me. What is the point of talking about Murtala's role before the war?

With the statement in bold, you state that by the time of the offensive, the army had not been constituted into divisions and then you contradict yourself with the statement below

First you say there were no divisions at the time of the offensive and then you say the army became divisions at the time of the war. Which is it? Was the offensive before the war. It is not every point that must be debated. What exactly did you prove? Nothing.

Onlytruth:

I really wonder why people are mischieviously accusing Ojukwu of dictatorship during the war. Can anyone show me any country that fought a war of survival (I mean fighting against invading forces) without declaring marshal law? Even the most democratic countries declare marshal law and suspend the constitution to enable the state mobilize resources quickly enough to fend off the invaders. So why should Biafra be different? There is no democracy when fighting off invading forces, period! This is part of why I'm disappointed in Uwechues public repremand of Ojukwu.

Does anyone think that Gowon would have remained charitable if Biafran forces made serious inroads into Nigeria? We can only speculate now, but I wouldn't be shocked if Gowon turned more dictatorial than Ojkwu in the event that Biafran forces captured key cities in Nigeria. Like I said in earlier post, Ojukwu had his faults. He did his best and meant well for Biafra (which is why Nigeria hasn't faired any better 40 years after the war). For that he will remain our hero, not matter what revisionists say!

Ndigbo and our Eastern neighbors are learning the real lessons of the war. If you don't try out an idea, how can you know which is bad and which is good? In trying, we discovered the wrong way to secede from Nigeria. We won't repeat that wrong way!

Duduknight:

Ok I understand you now. Let us look at a few facts:
1. The loss of life is always regrettable, whether it is one or 10,000.
2. The igbos joined the Hausas and formed a government in 1960. That led to the AG asking Awolowo to become the leader of the opposition in the House culminating in his Deputy becoming the Premier. This in itself led to the problems in the west in 1964. Awolowo went to prison for this.3. A group with a core of Igbo officers organised a coup and wiped out core northern political and military elite
4. The leader of the group was Ifeajuna. The fact that Nzeogwu was the one who completed his task did not make him the leader. In fact, Nzeogwu joined the group late. I say this because some people argue that Nzeogwu was a mid-western (never mind his antecedents) and that he was the leader of the group.
5. Ademulegun, second to Ironsi in the army was killed; Shodeinde (Nzeogwu's boss) and his pregnant wife were murdred. Akintola, the western premier was also killed.
6. Ifeajuna warned his cousin, Azikiwe, about the coup. Azikiwe went on holiday to the carribean claiming he went for medical reasons. The eastern premier was not killed.
7. Ironsi was not killed, Ademulegun, his next in command was killed.
8. The northerners had a counter-coup

When a man has a fight with his wife, do you expect the other woman he could have married, to come to the aid of the wife? Igbos chose to go with the hausas, why should the Yoruba's get involved if the marriage between the Igbos and hausa's break down? Moreso, when that arrangement led to problems in the west. Also, you are forgetting the fact that Senior Yourbas were killed in the January 66 coup. Why are you not suggesting that the Yoruba's take a stand on the fact that their leaders were also killed? Instead, you accuse the Yoruba's of back-stabbing the Igbos because the Yoruba's decided to take a softly softly approach.

This blaming everybody (hausa and yoruba) for the issues in 1966 has gone on for too long. You have to accept the the Igbos threw the first punch, the hausas decided to retaliate while the yorubas didnt. You went and looked for trouble and when the other side fought back, you cry of being neglected.

"Men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance, but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate, so that the injury done to a man ought to be such that vengeance cannot be feared."
Niccolo Machiavelli