VBCampaign:
Remembering Kaduna Nzeogwu

By: Deji Yesufu

January 15th is Nigerian Armed Forces Remembrance Day. It is also the day Major Chukwuma “Kaduna” Nzeogwu and his colleagues in the military carried out the first coup in Nigeria. Fifty three years ago, about the time of my writing this essay, the revolution had been completed. Notable politicians, particularly those of northern extraction, had been killed. It was not a particularly joyous moment for the mutinous soldiers because except for Kaduna town, where the revolutionaries had taken out the most influential politician in Nigeria, the Sarduana of Sokoto – Sir Ahmadu Bello, the revolution had failed in other parts of the country. Nzeogwu had been cut with a dagger by one of the guards of the Sardauna and was being attended to by a Physician. In a few moment, he would be live on radio to announce the success of his putsch in Northern Nigeria. Here is an excerpt from my book Victor Banjo on Kaduna Nzeogwu:

“Ckukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu was a Sandhurst-trained military officer. He was brilliant. He was the first Nigerian officer to be trained in intelligence. Nzeogwu was a son of a civil servant; he was born in Kaduna town and was nick named “Kaduna” because of his fluency in the Hausa language and his understanding of the culture. Nzeogwu joined the army simply for revolution. He was not sure he would survive it and so he never got married, for fear of leaving behind a widow and fatherless children. Those who knew him said he maintained a high standard of morality and was not one of those officers given to drinking or womanizing. He was a devout Catholic. Nzeogwu never hid his revolutionary ideas. He shared them openly, although only a few people knew how exactly he sought to carry them out...”

By 1963 Kaduna had met Adewale Ademoyega and Ifeanyi Ifeajuna, and the trio began the planning the coup in earnest. While the coup was successful in Kaduna, it failed in Lagos because the mutinous soldiers could not arrest Aguiyi Ironsi, the most senior military officer at the time. The coup was about to kick-start in East before the mutinous soldiers there were rounded up by soldiers loyal to Ironsi.

One might want to ask: is it worth remembering Kaduna Nzeogwu, considering that this man’s actions plunged the country into political instability and finally into a civil war? I think he is worth remembering because history has not been kind to his name. At the time when the coup occurred, many people praised the efforts of the revolutionaries; including people in the international community. A few months after the revolution had occurred, Nzeogwu’s senior in the army, Victor Banjo, who himself had been falsely implicated in the coup, said this about the coup: “These men ... were the ones who gave this country a new lease of life, and their actions were acclaimed by the people of this country and by the world...” He made this statement some six months after the coup, to show that it was not just mere euphoria that usually follows the take over of governments in Nigeria. Until the counter-coup of June 29, 1966, the Nzeogwu coup was regarded as popular and it was the reason the government of that time could not execute the mutinous soldiers.

Only recently did I learn that the great Tai Solarin named the road that led to his Mayflower Schools in Ogun State “Kaduna Nzeogwu Road”. I understand that before the coup, Nzeogwu was a frequent caller at Mr. Solarin’s home. He would usually go and listen to the sage talk about humanities and how to make Nigeria better. Most people who worked with Nzeogwu had a high regard for him. No less a person than former President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote a voluminous book on him titled “Nzeogwu”.

Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emeka Ojukwu were not friends at the period of the coup. The coup had failed to go beyond Kaduna town because Ojukwu, who was the military garrison officer in Kano, refused to cooperate with Kaduna – an officer he considered junior to him in the army. Ojukwu would later go to Lagos and join forces with Ironsi. So in March 6th, 1967, when Ojukwu released all the mutinous soldiers under his region, the East, he did not release Nzeogwu. But students of the University of Nsukka carried out demonstrations and roused public sympathy on Nzeogwu’s behalf. Nzeogwu was subsequently released but Ojukwu did not entrust any command under him when Biafra went to war with Nigeria.

The civil war broke out in earnest in the first week of June 1967. The first theatre of war was the northern region of Biafra – around Nsukka. The Nigerian troops had come in through Makurdi and were met with stiff opposition by the Biafran soldiers. Unfortunately in less than a month of fighting, many of the able men in the Biafran army had been killed. Kaduna Nzeogwu died at war around this time.

The period between 1960 and 1966 was a very tumultuous time in Nigerian history. The British had given the reign of power to the Northern part of Nigeria – a section of the country that was least advanced intellectually. And with the parliamentary system of government, which required that the Prime Minister come to the house of assembly to defend his actions and policies periodically, the Obafemi Awolowo led opposition in the House continually floored the Prime Minister and his party in debates. A Nigerian press that was equally dominated by people from Western Nigeria also brought a lot of embarrassment to the Balewa government.

To save its face, the Balewa government had to carry out a lot of high handed actions. The height of which was imposing treasonable charges on Awolowo and jailing him and a few of his supporters. The Western Region, Awolowo’s stronghold, was plunged in chaos. Out of that chaos came the January 15th, 1966 coup.

With a benefit of hindsight, perhaps unbridled courage was the ruin of Nzeogwu and his fellow revolutionaries. But he cannot be blamed for corruption, selfishness and nepotism, which happened to be the bane of the politicians of those days and today too. Chukwuma “Kaduna” Nzeogwu sought to leave a better Nigeria for all of us. His method was certainly not the right one and clearly must be denounced. He however remains a national hero for many till this day.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. All quotation in this write-up were taken from the book. Yesufu can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1957249031017964&id=1505609702848568

LZAA:

Why this tin dy pain u like this
Just as the north dominated ruling positions due to the british,the igbos dominated the military and economy due to intelligence and were RIGHTLY the majority in the officer corps at the time
Hope u like as ur army now has arabic in it's crest in a SECULAR country

professorchuks:


Na now I really believe say people weed wey dey mk dem lie well. Please them never ban all the books, "There was a country" by chinua Achebe still dey market, 'Nzeogwu' by Olusegun Obasanjo still dey market. Them plenty, kindly go and read b4 u open your mouth and disgrace yourself. So everyone saying that Nzeogwu masterminded the coup(both Ibo Hausa and Yoruba) are all liars. U don't have sense o

wirinet:


Which ruling position did the north dominate? Apart from the prime minister, which other position did the north hold that the other regions did not? In Tafa Balewa's cabinet there were only 2 northerners.
The most senior officers in the military as of then we're southerners.

LZAA:

Apart from ironsi,the most senior officers in the millitary were actually northerners
Maimalari,pam,largema and kur were not southerners
The igbo officers who carried out that coup were all middle ranks and maimalari actually disciplined an igbo officer for trying to cheat a hausa NCO and that officer took part in the jan coup

searchlight:
karma is paying back by bringing boko haram, Fulani herdsmen, and a brainless leader like buhari. karma indeed is bad

LZAA:

Why this tin dy pain u like this
Just as the north dominated ruling positions due to the british,the igbos dominated the military and economy due to intelligence and were RIGHTLY the majority in the officer corps at the time
Hope u like as ur army now has arabic in it's crest in a SECULAR country

wirinet:

False.
These are a list of the 30 of the first officers and hence the most senior officers of the Nigerian army at independence;

Captain Robert Adeyinka Adebayo
Captain Philip Effiong
Captain Umeh Ogere Imo
Major Samuel Adesoji Ademulegun
Major Wellington Bassey
Major General Norman Forster (GOC, Nigerian Army)
Major Aguiyi Ironsi
Major Ralph Adetunji Shodeinde
Captain Zakaria Maimalari
Captain Conrad Nwawo
Captain David Akpode Ejoor.
Lt Igboba
Lt George Remunoiyowun Kurubo
Lt J Akahan Akaga
Lt Patrick Awunah
Lt Louis Ogbonnia
Lt Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu
Lt Eyo Ekpo
Lt Author Unegbe,
Lt Abogo Largema.
Lt Hillary Mbilitem Njoku
2nd Lt Macauley Nzefili
2nd Lt David Ogunewe
2nd Lt Shadrack
Lt Alexander Madiebo
2nd Lt Anthony Eze
Lt Yakubu Gowon
2nd Lt Sylvanus Nwanjei
Lt Yakubu Pam
2nd Lt Hassan Katsina.

How many of them were northerners?

SSShehu:
Why did you guys let your idol, Nzegwo snatch all that from you? We appreciate our domination over ruling position which is obviously due to our population and we in no way envied you for yours in the so called "military and economy". You just unconsciously supported my argument on your greed. You had your own peculiar gift, why aiming to claim the rulling positions? Greed of the highest level.

SSShehu:
Why did you guys let your idol, Nzegwo snatch all that from you? We appreciate our domination over ruling position which is obviously due to our population and we in no way envied you for yours in the so called "military and economy". You just unconsciously supported my argument on your greed. You had your own peculiar gift, why aiming to claim the rulling positions? Greed of the highest level.

searchlight:
karma is paying back by bringing boko haram, Fulani herdsmen, and a brainless leader like buhari. karma indeed is bad

wirinet:

That's the nature of war and is actually an effective strategy. Britain got Basra to surrender during the first gulf war without firing a single bullet. They laid siege on the town made sure nothing and nobody went in or came out. After one month the fighters surrendered.

See what is happening in Yemen today as the Saudis imposed a total air, sea and land blockage of the country.

Ikechu12:


You did not envy yet there's a video of one of your prominent leader (whatever that fat Buffoon name is) wailing to the British about Igbos ability to dominate economically if given the opportunity. I've yet to witness any video from Zik crying about Northern dominance on politics, the same can't be said about Northerners. The funny thing about Aboki is you accuse others of greedy yet every fabric of Niggeria proves Northerners as the most greedy set in Niggeria. Politically you held power. You actually stole oil wells of others and dominated it. Now militants are fighting for it, una shameless went on TV more than once to report that oil far away from your greedy asses belongs to una due to "population". Una invade other people's lands and slaughter them, put yourselves in that land. Infact una created Boko Haram and protected them on their slaughter simply because a Southerner became president. The most corrupt politicians in the past and currently are ALL Northerners yet you people have the fucking audacity to accuse others of greedy. Look in the fucking mirror. North is the poster child of GREED.

The funny aspect of it all is despite all una greediness you lots are still worst off than the entire Niggeria. The most poverty... North. The most diseased... North. The most underfed... North. The highest beggars... North and so forth and so on yet una held for power for years but yet, beneath everyone in economics development. Even the poster child una created due to your hatred of a southern president is currently wiping una off the face of Earth and turning each of your land into a huge giant IDPs. Hilariously enough the amount of people Boko Haram have killed in total since they started their terrorism have surpassed the amount of people that died during the Biafra war. Funny this is without adding the ones fulani Herdsmen killed up north, the repeated tribal attacks in that North plus the death toll by effects of poverty towards una Karma truly is a bitch.

wirinet:


Ghana success story in West Africa? How? Please state criteria where Ghana is more successful than Nigeria.

Northern domination of other regions, How? I thought the nation was practicing true federalism then, and each region had its own government and legislature.

The Nzeogwu coup was the chain reaction that led to the civil war, there is no argument about that. Kaunas Nzeogwu and his colleagues conspirators murdered senior military and political leaders of the other regions and the northerners decided to take revenge on the igbos living in the north, thereby leading to exodus back east and Ojukwu declaring independence and hence the civil war.

SSShehu:
FYI, we've never celebrated any of our political or military president as much as we celebrated Sardauna and Balewa. As a matter of fact we would trade all our leaders ( 1667-date) for Sardauna. We was the only true leader we had. A leader with vision and mission. You of all people have testify his prophecy. He projected una greed and what happened, it became true. In your quest for power you had him slaughtered which consequently led to civil war that almost endegered your species. Till this day Ahmadu Bello is the most celebrated leader we ever had. His death cost us both, because it led to corrupt Hausa/Fulani into power which held this country for ransom ever since. By this, you'll understand the phrase "Igbos are the problem of Nigeria".

Just30:
check every measure of the progress of human society
and you will realise all the areas that Ghana is better

LZAA:

Hope u know shodeinde was a colonel when maimalari was a brigader?
According to the seniority list u have 7 northerners as the middle belt and core north were lumped together at the time.
The jan boys killed anyone who could oppose or alert anyone of the coup hence the murder of unegbe (quartermaster general of the army) when they were already with arms to stop him from alerting maimalari
That igbos dominated the military corps doesn't mean they were the most senior
Far from it

“Now to the issue of the appointment of the first Nigerian GOC of the Army. Zakariya Maimalari and Lawan Umar were the first Nigerians to join the Army fresh after secondary school as officer cadets, and became commissioned as regular officers. Aguiyi Ironsi, Samuel Ademulegun, Ralph Sodeinde, Babafemi Ogundipe, Adeyinka Adebayo, Adekunle Fajuyi—and even Welington Bassey—were all commissioned from the ranks.” https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thecable.ng/gowon-maimalari-not-head-state-nzeogwu-coup/amp

wirinet:


That's the problem with you guys, you do not understand the dynamics or details of issues before expecting to be given position of power, else you play the victim card.

Yes shodeinde commissioned officer before maimalari but maimalari was commissioned as a regular officer, while shodeinde was commissioned from the ranks. Even today officers commissioned after the regular course at NDA get more rapid promotions than officers that rose through the ranks.


The most senior army officer before and immediately after the January 1966 coup was an igbo man. From the list of senior officers of the rank of major or captain only maimalari was listed all the others were southerners. Igbos had two captains and one major.

How can you then say because igbos dominated the military corps doesn't mean they were the most senior.

It was the January 1966 coup that changed the dynamics of the army and allowed the north to take control of the army.

LZAA:

Think u mean the july coup

wirinet:

The January 1966 coup led to the July 1966 counter coup.

LZAA:

Was speaking about the actual shift in power ie the date

wirinet:


I asked to list one, and you are talking every. I said list one area Ghana is better than Nigeria.

wirinet:


I asked to list one, and you are talking every. I said list one area Ghana is better than Nigeria.