Dede1, the extract below is for you. Its from an interview granted by Ralph Uwechue. I am sure an Igbo son such as yourself would have read it before but you probably would disagree with it.

[b]'Again, in 1957 when the British Colonial Government, under intense pressure from Southern politicians pressing for independence, attempted to uncouple the union between the North and South forged through Lord Lugard’s Amalgamation of 1914, with the offer of independence to the three Regions individually provided any two accepted the offer, a political crisis loomed large on the national horizon. The Northern Region, led by the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) took the position that the North was not ready for that level of political and economic independence. The Western Region, led by Chief Awolowo’s Action Group (AG) promptly, declared its readiness to accept the offer. It was the Igbo-led NUNC that held the balance. It was an issue that could make or break Nigeria if the three Regions chose to go their separate ways to independence.

The NUNC leader, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe took the stand that although the Eastern Region was ready to assume the responsibilities of Regional independence, its attainment without the North would lead, in his own words, to the ‘’Baalkanization of the Nigeria Nation’’ and conceivably a break-up of the country. The Eastern Region would rather suppress it’s appetite for independence and the obvious gains it would entail until the Northern Region was ready. That was how Nigeria Independence was delayed until 1960. In short, the Igbo-led Eastern Region would rather forgo the advancement of its own political economic interests than risk the break-up of Nigeria.[/b]

Had the Eastern Region opted for Independence at that time, the territory under its control would have comprised in today’s terms the following nine States with their enormous human and natural resources: Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Rivers state. It would also probably include Southern Cameroun with the oil rich Bakassi Peninsula. If not for Zik, by 1960, the three Regions would have become separate sovereign states and there would have been no question of Biafra’s attempted secession in 1967 from a non-existing Nigeria federation and the devastating civil war fought to stop it.
Similary, when Zik moved to the Federal scene as Governor-General and later titular President of Nigeria, the NUNC, under the leadership of Dr. Michael Okpara, of blessed memory, continued faithfully in his giant and indelible footsteps, the political bridge-building and nation building enterprise of the Igbo.

At independence, the Igbo-led NUNC shunned the attraction of being the senior partner in an East-West Alliance with Chief Awolowo’s Action Group (AG) and chose to team up instead as the junior partner, with Sir Ahmadu Bello’s Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) in order to consolidate the frail and insipid attachment of a wary and skeptical North to Southern Nigeria. At that time Chief Awolowo’s Yoruba dominated Action Group (AG) was viewed with considerable suspicion by the Hausa Fulani-led NPC for its ambition and role in the then Middle Belt, under Congress (UMBC). However, when the Yoruba Leader Chief Obafemi Awolowo was accused of treason and incarcerated in 1963, on charges which many Nigerians believed were trumped up to silence him politically, the Igbo leadership of NUNC switched side and came to his rescue.'

Katsumoto:

Dede1, the extract below is for you. Its from an interview granted by Ralph Uwechue. I am sure an Igbo son such as yourself would have read it before but you probably would disagree with it.

[b]'Again, in 1957 when the British Colonial Government, under intense pressure from Southern politicians pressing for independence, attempted to uncouple the union between the North and South forged through Lord Lugard’s Amalgamation of 1914, with the offer of independence to the three Regions individually provided any two accepted the offer, a political crisis loomed large on the national horizon. The Northern Region, led by the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) took the position that the North was not ready for that level of political and economic independence. The Western Region, led by Chief Awolowo’s Action Group (AG) promptly, declared its readiness to accept the offer. It was the Igbo-led NUNC that held the balance. It was an issue that could make or break Nigeria if the three Regions chose to go their separate ways to independence.

The NUNC leader, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe took the stand that although the Eastern Region was ready to assume the responsibilities of Regional independence, its attainment without the North would lead, in his own words, to the ‘’Baalkanization of the Nigeria Nation’’ and conceivably a break-up of the country. The Eastern Region would rather suppress it’s appetite for independence and the obvious gains it would entail until the Northern Region was ready. That was how Nigeria Independence was delayed until 1960. In short, the Igbo-led Eastern Region would rather forgo the advancement of its own political economic interests than risk the break-up of Nigeria.[/b]

Had the Eastern Region opted for Independence at that time, the territory under its control would have comprised in today’s terms the following nine States with their enormous human and natural resources: Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Rivers state. It would also probably include Southern Cameroun with the oil rich Bakassi Peninsula. If not for Zik, by 1960, the three Regions would have become separate sovereign states and there would have been no question of Biafra’s attempted secession in 1967 from a non-existing Nigeria federation and the devastating civil war fought to stop it.
Similary, when Zik moved to the Federal scene as Governor-General and later titular President of Nigeria, the NUNC, under the leadership of Dr. Michael Okpara, of blessed memory, continued faithfully in his giant and indelible footsteps, the political bridge-building and nation building enterprise of the Igbo.

At independence, the Igbo-led NUNC shunned the attraction of being the senior partner in an East-West Alliance with Chief Awolowo’s Action Group (AG) and chose to team up instead as the junior partner, with Sir Ahmadu Bello’s Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) in order to consolidate the frail and insipid attachment of a wary and skeptical North to Southern Nigeria. At that time Chief Awolowo’s Yoruba dominated Action Group (AG) was viewed with considerable suspicion by the Hausa Fulani-led NPC for its ambition and role in the then Middle Belt, under Congress (UMBC). However, when the Yoruba Leader Chief Obafemi Awolowo was accused of treason and incarcerated in 1963, on charges which many Nigerians believed were trumped up to silence him politically, the Igbo leadership of NUNC switched side and came to his rescue.'

Sumoto, I have read better essays about the 1957 constitutional conferences and issues pertaining to the regional self-government than this author had lifted. Much opposition was stood up against granting the regions autonomous self-government.

Whether granting of autonomous self-government status to regions would have led to independence sovereign status remained debatable but the fear of balkanization of the Protectorates and failure to attend independence status at all was a legitimate concern to some principal players of the era.

The author of this article has more historical digging to perform because he or she was writing from an abused stated of mind.


http://www.disa.ukzn.ac.za:8080/DC/asjan59.15/asjan59.15.pdf

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EzeUche:
Awo played both sides. Zik and the North could not trust him, because he talked out of both sides of his mouth. Typical Yoruba. As the article clearly states, Awo main concern was handling the nation's finances for the benefit of his Yoruba people. He gave the same offer to the north, so why would Zik join forces with him?

This article clearly shows how treacherous the Yoruba are. Onye ara.

Either way, I am not a Zik fan either. He believed in the illusion of One Naija. Now Michael Okpara is my hero.

This allegation that Awolowo played double game in 1959 seems to be established on the fact that while Awo himself met Zik and offered the said proposal, Akintola, on Awolowo's order, as it appeared, was at the same time meeting Ahmadu Bello in another geographical location with a similar offer. However a more critical and logical analysis places before any open minded person the following possibilities which were more likely the case:
1. Before 1959 Akintola was already a friend of the North and was therefore already holding a ministerial position in a Tafawa Balewa led pre-independence pseudo-indigenous governing body put in place by the colonial masters in preparation for their final depature. Hence Akintola went entirely on his own to negotiate with Ahmadu Bello without Awolowo's blessing or approval since he was already used to the luxury and perks of office which Awolowo's aversion an AG-NPC coalition would automatically deny him of. Nigerians don't taste political office and let go of it easily on principles.
2. If it was really Awolowo that delegated Akintola to approach Ahmadu Bello with that deal, the same Akintola would not have later turned round to claim that Awolowo's refusal to align with the North was responsible for the non-inclusion of Yorubas in the independence government let alone openly rival him to the extent of colluding with Zik and Balewa to imprison him. Akintola would rather have calmly acknowledged that the North preferred Igbos' and Zik's NCNC to his and Awolowo's AG, and would therefore not have heaped so much blame on Awolowo for the yorubas' 'losing out.
3. When Zik was informed that Awolowo had sent Akintola to Bello at the same time he came to him with a deal, the simplest rule of even secular courtesy let alone that of Christianity, which Zik claimed as his religion, demanded that he confronted Awolowo straight with that report of apparent duplicity in the spirit of fair hearing which even human courts uphold. Moreover a Zik who knew that Akintola had already been in the Northcentric pre-independence government and hence would make all possible attempts to remain in it should have taken the alleged Awolowo's involvement in Akintola's move with a pinch of salt.
4. Zik obviously wanted an opportunity to get back at Awolowo for earlier on 'denying' him Western Region's premiership, hence any allegation against Awo, however illogical, would be useful as a justification for any irrational decision taken in pursuit of that.

5. The mere fact that in less than 4 years later Zik made a volte face and took his NCNC into a coalition with the same Awolowo's AG to become UPGA which sought to unseat the Balewa-Akintola NNA utterly punctures the theory that Zik's initial rejection of Awolowo's offer was due to Awolowo's 'duplicity'. Or did Zik forget that it was the same 'double faced' Awolowo he agreed to form UPGA with?

I rather think Zik rejected Awo's AG-NCNC offer more because was too preoccupied with his one Nigeria fantasy to recognize the inherent dangers most of his decisions and choices posed to the entire South and particularly the Igbos. In facts Zik's weird and strange attachment to that fantasy made he himself double faced, double dealing, uncoordinated, unstable, unpredictable, and so disorganized that he made it into Nzeogwu's hit list. Remember Zik later abandoned UPGA in the lurch to join the same North-led NNA after he was offered president position again to come and continue pursuing his unrealistic one Nigeria dream once more. What could be more treacherous and double faced that that?
The Western Region issue is on its own another kettle of fish about which Zik was also in the wrong.