Cekpo34:


Ojukwu is too controversial to be accorded that acumen. I would give it to Murtala Muhammed or leave it hanging

Lol if Delta people hear this from you eh, you go produce that thousands of Delta men he massacred.

Cekpo34:


I sympathize with you Bro! Your relative made his choice to join in the Defence of the nation - he became national asset henceforth. He died as a hero! Sadly, you are apportioning your virulence to the wrong source. Did Jonathan cause Boko Haram? Was he right or wrong to deploy troops? Was your relative serving Jonathan or Nigeria? See how we keep sticking to our ethnic groups than the national? With your mindset, Nigeria is in trouble.

i shouldn't have reply you but i shall just clear little of the contaminated air surrounding the matter and help u see this in my light since u couldn't see it from that angle.have you by any means pass through the walls of the military barracks ,or even had a formal millitary training or have families who are fully into the military sector ?if you dont then you dont have any grounds to reply me bros.how many military personnel's under the united states soil have been massacred by internally trained born and bred terrorists ?i hope you know what leadership entails,and you also have a full knowledge of the evil role your jonathan played? ,was he able to manage the situation ?or rather aggravate the matter by empowering few political individuals to worsen the situation?.bros abeg i.dont wanna say things here,mau be you are just a writer cum journalist who makes living out of writing ,you source for information right ?,but i am an informant my self and also every information you need .i just poured out my grief i am very much responsible for my actions,may your life never be ruled the way Jonathan ruled nigeria while he was in power

Okoyeebos:


You can only run from the truth, you can't hide from it. That coup was an Igbo Coup for 4 major reasons.

1. Majority of the Coupists were Igbos.

2. No single Igbo leader was killed in that coup. In fact, they hinted Azikiwe and allowed him run out of the country. This same Azikiwe that stole funds meant for the Eastern Region and used it to establish ACB bank.

3. After the northern leaders were killed, Igbos in the North were taunting the Hausas that their leaders were killed and dragged Kuje pigs in Lagos.

4. After the Coupists were arrested and handed over to Ironsi, he refused to try them and moved them to the Eastern Region where they were locked up for 5 months without any form of punishment.

I would advice you to read non biased accounts and reasons for staging the 1966 coup by the coupist and non direct coupist then come back and correct your faulty reasoning.
If after reading the OP's article and a number of unprejudiced accounts out there and you still give the coup an ethnic colouration then there is something fundamentally wrong with you and millions of Nigerians out there.
There was no talk of any ethnic coup when the coupist laid down the reasons for staging a coup which was well received by Nigerians regardless of ethnic origin.
The aggrieved Northern elites and the British media succeeded in giving it an ethnic undertone which escalated with the perceoved slow execution process and the promulgation of the unification decree
Ironsi and the Nigerian military council was in the process of executing the coup plotters in October of the same year he was murdered in a counter coup by northern officers who wanted to avenge the death of their elites.
The hostility between the North and the igbos existed between way before the coup,so the coup was a launch pad to massacre igbos. In addition,a good number of the coupist and minor participants were non igbos who supported and cheered Nzeogwu after the coup.
It was never an Igbo coup to bring any igbo into power.
The reasons for the coup are well specified.

@Cekpo34 :I was looking to see if I could find two other cogent matters - Col. V. Banjo and the three strike teams for four targets. Please add that there was one strike team each for Kaduna and Ibadan and a third strike team for both Lagos and Enugu. Lagos team drove all night to strike Enugu, leading to gory treatment of bodies along the way.
Where's V. Banjo in your write up?

I just pray Nigeria should never witness such again.

Cekpo34:
2018 Armed Forces Remembrance Day: The First Of The January 15s

Nigerians woke up on the dawn of Saturday January15, 1966 to behold the rear reality of the gory escapade by some hot-headed Majors who seek to impose reforms by exterminating every element that could hinder it – it was the first putsch in the most populous black nation on earth! This January 15, 1966 coup would culminate in a civil war that would end on another January 15, 1970.

Who were the Principal Actors?
The following Majors and Captains played preponderance roles in the organization and execution of the January 1966 coup:
• Maj. Christian Anuforo (General Staff Officer (Grade II), Army Headquarters, Lagos)
• Maj. Chukwuma K. Nzeogwu (Chief Instructor, NMTC, Kaduna)
• Maj. Donatus Okafor (Commanding Officer, Federal Guards, Lagos)
• Maj. Emmanuel Ifeajuna (Brigade Major, 2 Brigade, Lagos)
• Maj. Humphrey Chukwuka (Deputy Adjutant-General, Army Headquarters, Lagos)
• Maj. Timothy Onwuatuegwu (Instructor, NMTC, Kaduna)
• Maj. Adewale Ademoyega (NMTC (sub-unit), Abeokuta)
• Capt. Ben Gbulie (Commander, Army Engineers, Kaduna)
• Capt. Ogbonna Oji (Army Headquarters, Lagos)

What were the Alibis?
• A faulty and fragile structure bequeathed the country by Britain which created room for intense regional politics and perilous inter-ethnic diffidence. This was evidenced in the vituperations of the so-called national leaders, the Kano Riot of 1953, the Census Crisis of 1962/63, the handling of the Action Group Crisis of 1962, “Do or Die” politics as demonstrated by the handling of the 1964 Federal Elections, overt emasculation of opposition as evidenced in the 1965 Western Election, acute corruption, cronyism, nepotism, ominous ethnic chauvinism and other leadership malfeasances.

What were the Facilitating Factors?
• The premature “Nigerianisation” of the Nigerian Army in 1965 which saw the rapid promotion of Nigerians into the vacuum created by the exit of colonial experts who served in the Nigerian Army corps.
• The politicization of the army due to [1] the constant deployment of the army in political crises (e.g Tiv Crisis) [2] the commissioning into the army, of university graduates (with Marxist-Leninist inclinations) [3] the politicians’ insidious gimmicks in the army corps with regards to the introduction into the army of quota system, etc. Both Sani Abacha and Bukar Dimka were profiteers of this policy.

Were there Casualties?
The putsch was indeed a very gory one characterized by “high quality” killings. Some of the heavyweight victims include:
• Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto)
• Alhaji Sir Abubakar T. Balewa (Prime Minister)
• Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh (Federal Finance Minister)
• Chief Samuel Akintola (Premier of the Western Region)
• Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun
• Brigadier Zakari Maimalari
• Colonel Ralph Shodeinde
• Colonel Kur Mohammed
• Lt. Colonel Abogo Largema
• Lt. Colonel Yakubu Pam
• Lt. Colonel Arthur Unegbe

Evidence of Ethnic Colouration?
The January 15, 1966 coup is often adjudged some ethnic interpretation because:
• A plethora of the principal actors were of the Igbo ethnic group
• While the Premier of the North and the West were shot and killed, that of the East and Mid-West somehow escaped.
• While top ranked officers of the North and West suffered casualties, only one (Arthur Unegbe) of the Eastern stock was eliminated.
• The climax of the putsch saw the emergence of an Igbo (Aguyi Ironsi) as the Head of State
• The above sentiment speculated by the North is best captured by Siollun's (Oil, Politics and Violence…2009:79) thus:

Was the Coup Actually an Igbo Coup?
Ordinarily, the echelon of the putschist’s composition, the victims and the aftermath of the January coup should wake Goosebumps, considering the ethnic tension and diffidence that existed then. However, there are some indices to conjecture that the whole scenario could have been more of an “innocent coincidences” than “evidences of a Machiavellian Igbo plot”.
• Firstly, though the Igbo Majors dominated, there were influential Yoruba (Maj. Ademoyega, Capt. Adeleke, Lieut. Oyewole and Olafimihan) and over 20 northern NCOs who were utilized by Nzeogwu. It should be noted that coup planning is often between officers of close-knit to avoid leak. Federal character as an argument here is flawed.
• Secondly, the coup as acknowledged by Ademoyega (and corroborated by Ifeajuna) was primarily to forestall the planned “plummeting” of the Western Region by the FG.
• Thirdly, the foremost profiteer of the coup as maintained by Ademoyega (and corroborated by Odia Ofeimum – Awolowo’s former secretary in 2007) was to be Chief Obafemi Awolowo who was to be freed and made the President.
• More so, it took the coordination and gallantry of Igbo officers such as Aguyi Ironsi, Alex Madiebo and Emeka Ojukwu to ensure that the coup attempt was crushed with Major Unegbe even paying the ultimate price.
• Also, the coup dismissed an Igbo President, Vice President, President of the Senate, Foreign Minister, Minister of Education, Transport and Aviation and two Premiers.
• Furthermore, when Ironsi assumed power, he arrested and incarcerated politicians from the past regimes EXCEPT those of the NPC. Also, of a FEC of 20 members, only 2 were Igbos. Again, non-Igbo participants such as Captain Swanton and 2nd Lieutenants Kpera, Eghagha, Ibik and Waribor were not arrested.
• Succinctly, there no evidence to indicate that the coup had Eastern political or civilian backings.

Was there any Implication Thereafter?

• Yes! The coup was seen as a ploy against the north by the Igbo to enshrine a new order – the order of the “Igbo planet”.
• Ironsi’s policies with regards to the treatment of the January 15 mutineers, the Unification Decree, alleged cronyism and faulty promotions in the army, coupled with sophistries on a planned Igbo genocide against the north, amongst others, led to a counter mutiny in July 29, 1966.
• This mutiny culminated in the killing of about 200 soldiers of Eastern origin (including Aguyi Ironsi) and another 30,000 civilians by the northerners.
• The fracas between the Igbo and North led to the civil war which started on the 6th of July, 1967 and ended on 15th January, 1970.

What is the Present Situation?
The July, 1966 massacres of the Igbo and the concomitant Civil War altered the dynamism of Nigeria’s political evolution, leaving the north as the sole determinant of the nation’s political trajectory. There exists a strong cold war between the north and the east – a situation which is crystallized in the emergence of groups such as MASSOB, BZM, BZF, and IPOB.

What needs to be done?
As it stands, the root problem is never about “One Nigeria” but the gimmicks by the major ethnic groups to outmaneuver each other and tilt the levers of political power to their favour. Hence, any form of government that would encourage “separate development” would ease the tension and concomitantly, rid the country of several contradictions.

Charles E. Ekpo
Coordinator, History4NationBuilding Initiative
history4nationbuilding@gmail.com


https://www.facebook.com/charlybite/posts/1733601003364688

A very incomplete list.


Add these to it.

1. Major Chukwuma Kaduna
Nzeogwu(Delta Igbo)
2. Major Adewale Ademoyega
(Yoruba) author of "Why we
struck"
3. Capt. G. Adeleke(Yoruba) 4. Maj. Ifeajuna(Igbo)
5. Lt. Fola Oyewole(Yoruba)
author of "The reluctant rebel"
6. Lt. R. Egbiko(Esean)
7. Lt. Tijani Katsina(Hausa/
Fulani) 8. Lt. O. Olafemiyan(Yoruba)
9. Capt. Gibson Jalo(Bali)
10. Capt. Swanton(Middle Belt)
11. Lt. Hope Harris Eghagha
(Urhobo)
12. Lt. Dag Warribor(Ijaw) 13. 2nd Lt. Saleh Dambo(Hausa)
14. 2nd Lt. John Atom Kpera
(Tiv).

gidjah:
but thats how iy has been ever since abuja came to be na,abi u are new in fct ni? the president might wanna show up there today

I’m not new in Abuja. My problem was that dey blocked unnecessary places. Imagine a diversion at finance junction instead of bullet. It was just too much. Even when APC n the rest wants to do convention they don’t block those places.

Rest On Late Lt Ephesus Ujah


You Re Always Remembered.

PrecisionFx:






A very incomplete list.


Add these to it.

1. Major Chukwuma Kaduna
Nzeogwu(Delta Igbo)
2. Major Adewale Ademoyega
(Yoruba) author of "Why we
struck"
3. Capt. G. Adeleke(Yoruba) 4. Maj. Ifeajuna(Igbo)
5. Lt. Fola Oyewole(Yoruba)
author of "The reluctant rebel"
6. Lt. R. Egbiko(Esean)
7. Lt. Tijani Katsina(Hausa/
Fulani) 8. Lt. O. Olafemiyan(Yoruba)
9. Capt. Gibson Jalo(Bali)
10. Capt. Swanton(Middle Belt)
11. Lt. Hope Harris Eghagha
(Urhobo)
12. Lt. Dag Warribor(Ijaw) 13. 2nd Lt. Saleh Dambo(Hausa)
14. 2nd Lt. John Atom Kpera
(Tiv).

Correct! For concision, I only mentioned the principal actors

connkg:
@Cekpo34 :I was looking to see if I could find two other cogent matters - Col. V. Banjo and the three strike teams for four targets. Please add that there was one strike team each for Kaduna and Ibadan and a third strike team for both Lagos and Enugu. Lagos team drove all night to strike Enugu, leading to gory treatment of bodies along the way.
Where's V. Banjo in your write up?

Concision had culminated in a lot of redaction. Banjo was abroad on the execution date but consented to the whole procedure before traveling. On his arrival, he was framed up and arrested for attempting to meet Ironsi with a gun...

gidjah:
i shouldn't have reply you but i shall just clear little of the contaminated air surrounding the matter and help u see this in my light since u couldn't see it from that angle.have you by any means pass through the walls of the military barracks ,or even had a formal millitary training or have families who are fully into the military sector ?if you dont then you dont have any grounds to reply me bros.how many military personnel's under the united states soil have been massacred by internally trained born and bred terrorists ?i hope you know what leadership entails,and you also have a full knowledge of the evil role your jonathan played? ,was he able to manage the situation ?or rather aggravate the matter by empowering few political individuals to worsen the situation?.bros abeg i.dont wanna say things here,mau be you are just a writer cum journalist who makes living out of writing ,you source for information right ?,but i am an informant my self and also every information you need .i just poured out my grief i am very much responsible for my actions,may your life never be ruled the way Jonathan ruled nigeria while he was in power

I have extensively researched Boko Haram, Brother! Jonathan was so reluctant to deploy troops until situations deteriorated. If you still believe Jonathan instigated a religious fanatic group just to send in troops so they could be killed, then you have a prejudice problem. Channel your grievances to Sherrif et al who used the group for political campaigns and even paid them 10 million naira for a couple of months... You can't create a monster and then turn around to criticize the approach of which it is to be killed. Don't be dump, Yar'ardua fought Boko Haram, GEJ fought Boko Haram, Buhari is fighting Boko Haram. Soldiers are killed everyday. What if Ipob reacted the same same way Boko Haram did upon troop deployment, would you blame Buhari for taking that necessary step? Wake up and eschew that your prejudice so you can behold the perfect light of reality

CorrectionFLuid:


Lol if Delta people hear this from you eh, you go produce that thousands of Delta men he massacred.

It was a war crime! Ojukwu committed same by sending unarmed troops to the front line. Did he think it was a football match?

luvinhubby:
Truth be told, Nigeria missed the opportunity of a golden turning point in our national history with the failure of that Nzeogwu led coup. That coup had the capacity of giving Nigeria the kind of positive thrust that the Jerry Rawlings coup did for Ghana. Would have ended the era of a political class and military oligarch that is holding this nation in a vampire choke and continuosly draining life out of it.

Irrespective of their ethnic background, those majors saw the problem with Nigeria afar off and knew that the only solution was a total clean out, Obafemi Awolowo, who was rumoured as the next head of state, had a foresight that would have placed Nigeria among the league of developing nations and not one lousy Colone Gowon who was the benefeciary of the counter coup that left Nigeria as a shithole today.

God bless you
u are needed in the fight
what this shithole don't realize is that failure of that coup is the reason everybody that was aware of Nigeria politics since 1966 is still in government till today with the exception of Jonathan
has the coup been successful a new political disposition would have been deployed devoid of ethnicity and nepotism
the many foolish children of this forum who will rather read tidbit from Facebook than carry a full textbook to read are thinking there is an element of the coup been Igbo in nature
the coup plotters were university graduate and unlike the majority of the northern officers who are stark illiterate southern officers were at least secondary school graduate Emmanuel was a UI graduate adewale was also Oxford graduate , the same way we educated are seeing the evil perpetrated by this illiterate govt is the same way those officer sees Nigeria back then
they look at it they discus it they knew ethnicity has to be purge from the system
the coup had failed completely before some of the leaders were executed they will rather die than go back to govt and continue there shithole , young educated officers who can see the plight just like we are seeing it now
even now the only way for Nigeria to be straighten is to execute all this useless idiot in govt otherwise u can just keep pràying and hoping for a better tomorrow that will never come

Cekpo34:


I have extensively researched Boko Haram, Brother! Jonathan was so reluctant to deploy troops until situations deteriorated. If you still believe Jonathan instigated a religious fanatic group just to send in troops so they could be killed, then you have a prejudice problem. Channel your grievances to Sherrif et al who used the group for political campaigns and even paid them 10 million naira for a couple of months... You can't create a monster and then turn around to criticize the approach of which it is to be killed. Don't be dump, Yar'ardua fought Boko Haram, GEJ fought Boko Haram, Buhari is fighting Boko Haram. Soldiers are killed everyday. What if Ipob reacted the same same way Boko Haram did upon troop deployment, would you blame Buhari for taking that necessary step? Wake up and eschew that your prejudice so you can behold the perfect light of reality

i have said it from the beginning replying you is a big waste of time and resources,its like sharing my bananas with monkies, you obviously do not even have in-depth of knowledge about how politics and religion with ethnicity is been played in this nation.you are been blinded by your writing to eat attitude or rather cut and paste manner of journalism.i give up on your matter.abeg pass over my case.dont attempt to take panadol over my head ache.if the way jonathan led this nation is your definition of 'perfect light of the day'!oh sorry how dark your path would have been then!

gidjah:
i have said it from the beginning replying you is a big waste of time and resources,its like sharing my bananas with monkies, you obviously do not even have in-depth of knowledge about how politics and religion with ethnicity is been played in this nation.you are been blinded by your writing to eat attitude or rather cut and paste manner of journalism.i give up on your matter.abeg pass over my case.dont attempt to take panadol over my head ache.if the way jonathan led this nation is your definition of 'perfect light of the day'!oh sorry how dark your path would have been then!

You and your likes hate Jonathan for no just reason. He's no longer in power. I hope you can now have a life and move on with your sore throat. I pray you don't blame Jonathan for the insomnia you're about having. Ethnic bigots everywhere

Cekpo34:


Correct! For concision, I only mentioned the principal actors

That's very misleading.

Hausa, Igbo n Yoruba took part in the coup so always remember to include everyone.


5 soldiers can't plan n execute a Coup. It involves many soldiers to execute.

Cekpo34:


He was never a politician and had paranoia issues about appeasing or further hurting some divides in the polity. Mind you, Northern participants in the coup, as stated above were not arrested....see the appeasement? I know he made a fundamental mistake by not trying them but we all know that what led to the counter coup was less of the trying, but the Unification Decree which attempted to centralize the system

Why did he centralize the system when no one was complaining against the decentralized pattern?
Let us critically examine the circumstances:
The crisis which attracted Ifeajuna coup was a fallout of an attempt by the government at the center to arrogate power to itself unduly and abuse same towards influencing the outcome of the internal affairs of the supposedly autonomous Western Region over which it was not concerned at all. Put in another way the centre violated the principle of regional autonomy enshrined in the constitution.

Now, common sense and simple logic dictates that anyone sincere and honest about rescuing the situation had no option but to reduce the powers of the central government to prevent future abuse of state power thus forestall any invitation to coups and chaos in future.
But, ironically, Ironsi decided to, through his Unification Decree, further concentrate more powers on the very center whose abuse of power had just plunged the country into a mess.
Was that an indication that Ironsi sincerely came to rescue the situation or to implement an agenda hidden up his sleeves all along?

KemjikaEme:

I would advice you to read non biased accounts and reasons for staging the 1966 coup by the coupist and non direct coupist then come back and correct your faulty reasoning.
If after reading the OP's article and a number of unprejudiced accounts out there and you still give the coup an ethnic colouration then there is something fundamentally wrong with you and millions of Nigerians out there.
There was no talk of any ethnic coup when the coupist laid down the reasons for staging a coup which was well received by Nigerians regardless of ethnic origin.
The aggrieved Northern elites and the British media succeeded in giving it an ethnic undertone which escalated with the perceoved slow execution process and the promulgation of the unification decree
Ironsi and the Nigerian military council was in the process of executing the coup plotters in October of the same year he was murdered in a counter coup by northern officers who wanted to avenge the death of their elites.
The hostility between the North and the igbos existed between way before the coup,so the coup was a launch pad to massacre igbos. In addition,a good number of the coupist and minor participants were non igbos who supported and cheered Nzeogwu after the coup.
It was never an Igbo coup to bring any igbo into power.
The reasons for the coup are well specified.

The coup is adjudged an Igbo coup not by the ethnic composition of its planners but by the pattern of its execution. In any coup a particular tribe must have the majority of the plotters and that doesn't automatically make the coup a thing of that tribe in question. How the coup ends up being carried out is what gives you an idea of the real agenda behind it. In the case of the Jan. 15 1966 coup the pattern of execution was clearly pro-Igbo as no Igbo public office holder in that government was killed despite the fact that the coupists cited corruption in government as their reason. How come they were so sure that all Igbos in that government were free of corruption while politicians of the North, West and Midwest were corrupt and deserving death? The coup was initially accepted, but when more later got to be known about the pattern of killings it started being rejected spontaneously as an Igbo coup.
Another reason why it was an Igbo coup was that Azikiwe (an Igbo no. 2 man in government) was initially the major target of the plotters but then later got a tip off and fled the country three months ahead of the coup execution day. He was obviously tipped off by his fellow Igbos in the plot. If it was not his Igbo brothers that tipped him off, then they would not have gone ahead with the execution knowing fully well that their supposed major "target" had escaped out of Nigeria.

Your claim that Ironsi had planned to execute the coup plotters in October sounds like a funny defense for a man who was not really keen on doing justice to them. Please recall that it took the same Ironsi less than three months to arrest, convict of treasonable felony and sentence Isaac Adaka Boro (an Ijaw man) to death for merely declaring the Republic of Niger Delta while it was taking him eternity to convict let alone pronounce a sentence on the Igbo coupists who murdered innocent civilians and army officers in cold blood.
On why he released only NPC members and left AG members to continue languishing in jail as rightly observed here; the NPC was the party with whom the Igbo NCNC had run the coalition government. A true peace maker would have released all the political prisoners of all parties and invited them to a round table for a way forward. But he was sectional.

Deadlytruth:


Why did he centralize the system when no one was complaining against the decentralized pattern?
Let us critically examine the circumstances:
The crisis which attracted Ifeajuna coup was a fallout of an attempt by the government at the center to arrogate power to itself unduly and abuse same towards influencing the outcome of the internal affairs of the supposedly autonomous Western Region over which it was not concerned at all. Put in another way the centre violated the principle of regional autonomy enshrined in the constitution.

Now, common sense and simple logic dictates that anyone sincere and honest about rescuing the situation had no option but to reduce the powers of the central government to prevent future abuse of state power thus forestall any invitation to coups and chaos in future.
But, ironically, Ironsi decided to, through his Unification Decree, further concentrate more powers on the very center whose abuse of power had just plunged the country into a mess.
Was that an indication that Ironsi sincerely came to rescue the situation or to implement an agenda hidden up his sleeves all along?

You are absolutely correct in your analysis!
I think what necessitated the centralization was the fact that he (Ironsi) was superior in rank to all the regional military governors appointed. It was a formal declaration of what was practically on operation since none of the regional military governors could take any decision without his input or consent. More so, when the Northerners protested against the decree, he pointed out that it was a temporal gesture. Btw, why do you think every other military head of state pursued that centralized structure even to the point that it led us to a civil war?

Cekpo34:


You are absolutely correct in your analysis!
I think what necessitated the centralization was the fact that he (Ironsi) was superior in rank to all the regional military governors appointed. It was a formal declaration of what was practically on operation since none of the regional military governors could take any decision without his input or consent. More so, when the Northerners protested against the decree, he pointed out that it was a temporal gesture. Btw, why do you think every other military head of state pursued that centralized structure even to the point that it led us to a civil war?

I really don't share the sentiment that a military administration cannot operate by a decentralized structure.
Please recall that Gowon's administration actually restored the regions to status quo ante through his own Decree 56 which repealed Ironsi's Unification Decree 34 thus reversing Ironsi's centralization of civil service. In fact Gowon intended to continue like that till the proposed time of return to civil rule. But as soon as Ojukwu made it clear that there was no going back on Biafra, he began to reverse himself in order to be able to successfully pursue the agenda of neutralizing and frustrating Ojukwu.
Please also recall that the same Ojukwu, who together with Ironsi, invented and peddled the argument that decentralized structure was alien to and impossible to the military, would later at Aburi make Confederacy proposals which even involved a highly decentralized army for Nigeria's future. He obviously "forgot" that he had once argued to the contrary just few months prior to that Aburi Summit. You can now see that decentralized system is not truly alien to the military but that only the pursuit of an abnormal agenda makes any military regime, Ironsi's inclusive, argue that such structure is alien to them.

Deadlytruth:


I really don't share the sentiment that a military administration cannot operate by a decentralized structure.
Please recall that Gowon's administration actually restored the regions to status quo ante through his own Decree 56 which repealed Ironsi's Unification Decree 34 thus reversing Ironsi's centralization of civil service. In fact Gowon intended to continue like that till the proposed time of return to civil rule. But as soon as Ojukwu made it clear that there was no going back on Biafra, he began to reverse himself in order to be able to successfully pursue the agenda of neutralizing and frustrating Ojukwu.
Please also recall that the same Ojukwu, who together with Ironsi, invented and peddled the argument that decentralized structure was alien to and impossible to the military, would later at Aburi make Confederacy proposals which even involved a highly decentralized army for Nigeria's future. He obviously "forgot" that he had once argued to the contrary just few months prior to that Aburi Summit. You can now see that decentralized system is not truly alien to the military but that only the pursuit of an abnormal agenda makes any military regime, Ironsi's inclusive, argue that such structure is alien to them.

It's logical that that centralization could have been a démarche since the NCNC before then (1950 in Ibadan and 1951 in London) has always fronted the idea of a strong central center not because it was the best but because the South as a whole with their academic acumen stood the chance of benefiting more. The north on the other hand (educationally disadvantaged) had been threatening secession whenever any issue of centralization came to the negotiation table.

To argue that Decree 56 enshrined or made a genuine step towards decentralization is a fallacy - a false argument that shouldn't be propagated by an intellectual like you, sir! There were so many technical clauses which gave Gowon the leverage to call the shot whenever the tides fall. The agreement at Aburi was a loose central government not the provisions of Decree 56.

I agree that the South could have been greedy with the centralization démarche. So was the north when it suddenly embraced what it had rejected since 1914 (centralization) because there was an opportunity to introduce asymmetrical policies like quota system and as well make the new found oil in the East a national property. You see? It has always been about regional interest and diffidence than Nigeria. We are all accomplice to the mess we find ourselves. The unfortunate shock is that we've failed to accept that we have problems and we've also failed to learn from History.

Deadlytruth:


The coup is adjudged an Igbo coup not by the ethnic composition of its planners but by the pattern of its execution. In any coup a particular tribe must have the majority of the plotters and that doesn't automatically make the coup a thing of that tribe in question. How the coup ends up being carried out is what gives you an idea of the real agenda behind it. In the case of the Jan. 15 1966 coup the pattern of execution was clearly pro-Igbo as no Igbo public office holder in that government was killed despite the fact that the coupists cited corruption in government as their reason. How come they were so sure that all Igbos in that government were free of corruption while politicians of the North, West and Midwest were corrupt and deserving death? The coup was initially accepted, but when more later got to be known about the pattern of killings it started being rejected spontaneously as an Igbo coup.
Another reason why it was an Igbo coup was that Azikiwe (an Igbo no. 2 man in government) was initially the major target of the plotters but then later got a tip off and fled the country three months ahead of the coup execution day. He was obviously tipped off by his fellow Igbos in the plot. If it was not his Igbo brothers that tipped him off, then they would not have gone ahead with the execution knowing fully well that their supposed major "target" had escaped out of Nigeria.

Your claim that Ironsi had planned to execute the coup plotters in October sounds like a funny defense for a man who was not really keen on doing justice to them. Please recall that it took the same Ironsi less than three months to arrest, convict of treasonable felony and sentence Isaac Adaka Boro (an Ijaw man) to death for merely declaring the Republic of Niger Delta while it was taking him eternity to convict let alone pronounce a sentence on the Igbo coupists who murdered innocent civilians and army officers in cold blood.
On why he released only NPC members and left AG members to continue languishing in jail as rightly observed here; the NPC was the party with whom the Igbo NCNC had run the coalition government. A true peace maker would have released all the political prisoners of all parties and invited them to a round table for a way forward. But he was sectional.

Ironsi and the military council may have slow or even 'sectional' in your perspective but what happened in the coup of Jan 1966 was never an igbo coup. That has been debunked and reclassified by those who seek to know the truth. When i mentioned October, i wasn't merely claiming. There is a classified document from the military council which i will look for in my free time that categorically stated that the execution was to take place in October.
You are entitled to your prejudiced narrative. Only ethnic bigots will go down that path.