Temidayo Akinsuyi, Lagos

Chief Ayo Opadokun, elder statesman and Secretary-General of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) has described as untrue the claims that the late Obafemi Awolowo betrayed the Eastern Region during the Nigerian civil war which lasted from 6th July 1967 to 15th January 1970.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Independent, Opadokum said if there is anybody to whom the Igbos should express gratitude for his role in the civil war, it is Awolowo.

“It is the height of mischief for anyone to claim that Awolowo betrayed the Igbos during the civil war. Many of them have been indoctrinated to so think and behave over the years. If there is anybody the Igbos should appreciate, it is Awolowo”.

"How could he have betrayed them? Some of them it is what their so-called elders have told them without finding out the truth of the situation. Are they claiming he betrayed them by not following them when they were seceding? Awolowo took a risk of going to sit down with Ojukwu and discussed intimately with him and that is why he said openly that “ If by act of omission or commission, the East was forced to secede from Nigeria, the West will follow. The language was categorical and Awo was not a flippant talker. What was the act of omission and commission that had been done by the North that forced the East to secede? In spite of all the efforts that Awolowo made, our people in activism like Wole Soyinka ,the first African Nobel Laureate in Literature and the late Prof Sam Aluko all went to the East to go and persuade Ojukwu not to go to war. How can they say Awolowo betrayed Igbos? It is undeserved, unnecessary, unwarranted transferred aggression. They will say Awolowo said he will secede, but he failed to do so".
"They also claimed that as a Federal Commissioner for Finance, he gave them one pounds and called for a change of the currency. Let them show modicum of decency and intelligence about warfare. How do you bring war to an end and what usually happens to the losing side anywhere in the world? In the American Civil War, for almost 100 years, nobody from the South which lost during the war was able to gain any prominence in political ascendancy. In the Nigerian case, what is it that the Igbos have not gotten here? They have been Vice-Presidents and they were totally in charge under Obasanjo and Jonathan’s government".

"I hate to say this because I have respectable, decent friends among the Igbos. The Yorubas are not supposed to be the enemy they created for themselves because Yorubas have done their best for the Igbo race. Before the civil war, when the revenge coup was going to take place on 29th of July, our own governor, Adekunle Fajuyi sacrificed his life that his guest, Aguiyi- Ironsi will not be taken away. He said if they are taking Ironsi away, they should take him as well. He made himself a martyr".

"I have not seen any Igbo man who really could do a thing like that. That is to show the extent to which the Yoruba man can be loyal. When the civil war took place, all the houses that the Igbos left in Yorubaland, not only in Lagos, people kept the rent and when they returned after the war, they were given. There is no doubt about it, from the statistics of the Igbo leaders and their organisations, over 75 to 80 percent of the assets of the Igbos that are not in their hometown are in Yorubaland".
"Yorubas are the most accommodating but it is the Yoruba man that they transferred aggression on and accuse of all sorts of things. Even in this era of social media, some comments you read can be very worrisome but amusing. Some of them ignorantly describe Yoruba people as cowards. Since the beginning of politics in Nigeria, the Yoruba people have always been at the forefront. Each time, there were serious agitations for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria and for the sustenance of the rule of law, the Yorubas have always had the highest percentage of those who will bear the brunt of incarceration, violence, intimidation and repression. Go to the police stations and find out those who are arrested during protests, 85 percent of them are Yoruba people".

"Even during the June 12 struggle, as at that time, apart from my decent friends among the Igbo leaders who are seriously committed like us, the rest will say let the Yorubas go and face the music while they were wining and dining with Abacha throughout. They made a lot of money out of it. Till tomorrow, some of them are still doing that but we have no grudge against them. When you see some of them claiming to be human rights activists here, let them go to their own territory to go and do the agitations and see whether they can bring out critical people out as followers"

https://www.independent.ng/accusing-awolowo-of-betraying-igbo-height-of-mischief-opadokun/

They should thank him for starving their kids or giving every igbo man 20 pounds. Sometimes I don't know what this old men takes that makes them reason like small boys

Afonjas at it again, doing what they know best...rewriting history.

Issoryt

Awolowo that was so scared of biafra separating from Nigeria, he cried out to the northerners that if the igbos succeed in separating from Nigeria, they the Yoruba's will do the same

Awolowo is a disgrace to Yoruba nation.

Awolowo a disgrace to humanity is what seyi is parading in Bbnaija house.


He will leave that house today to go and Inherit the wealth he has been talking about...


Is only a fool that will be grateful to anything awolowo.


Serial betrayer with no rectitude or conscience.

Lol

legitnow:
Awolowo is a disgrace to Yoruba nation.

Arindin

Nigeria beats it’s chest for subduing Biafra in the past civil war. A war where everyone else in the country was against just a section of it.

When an army of over 300 tribes (with continuous external aid) attacked just highest 10 other tribes waging a war that lasted for years. Then after using starvation they are happy there was a surrender.

That scenario is like David and Goliath fight but this time Goliath won ... how? By begging his soldiers to surround and box tiny David into a corner knowing fully well that he couldn’t defeat tiny David all by himself.

Cowards.

lets leave this owolowo saga and face new world abeg. grateful or not how does it affect my life and my igbo friends

Was that why he drank rat poison.

Go and get sense kid. Seyi is doing well before bbnija. I don't know why we still together it's very clear that we don'tlike each other and our culture is different .its very easy to say I'm going to see my friend in biafra republic or oduduwa republic instead of dwelling in one country.

MelesZenawi:
Awolowo a disgrace to humanity is what seyi is parading in Bbnaija house.


He will leave that house today to go and Inherit the wealth he has been talking about...


Is only a fool that will be grateful to anything awolowo.


Serial betrayer with no rectitude or conscience.

Foxman19:
Go and get sense kid. Seyi is doing well before bbnija. I don't know why we still together it's very clear that we don't like each other and our culture is different .its very easy to say I'm going to see my friend in biafra republic or oduduwa republic instead of dwelling in one country.

Rubbish..

If he is doing well then what is he doing bbnaija house??

Most of them are there to make name that's all.

MelesZenawi:



Rubbish..

If he is doing well then what is he doing bbnaija house??

Foxman19:
Most of them are there to make name that's all.

Ok...maybe that might be the truth but anyways I don't like seyi....

Because of his grandfather killed your ancestor right.

MelesZenawi:


Ok...maybe that might be the truth but anyways I don't like seyi....

Foxman19:
Because of his grandfather killed your ancestor right.

I don't know.

MelesZenawi:


Ok...maybe that might be the truth but anyways I don't like seyi....

Seyi doesn’t know you exist

Biritiko:
Seyi doesn’t know you exist

Home and home

T9ksy:



If you don't know what Opadokun was referring to then you ought to be in the romance section

Opadokun was saying nothing reasonable! You people that keep on trying to force the narrative that Awo as a person was blameless in his conduct before, during and immediately after the uncivil war are responsible for the abuse and curses the man keeps on receiving from some Igbos and other Biafrans! You wouldn't allow him to RIP with this your revisionist attitude!

Conner44:
Nigeria beats it’s chest for subduing Biafra in the past civil war. A war where everyone else in the country was against just a section of it.

When an army of over 300 tribes (with continuous external aid) attacked just highest 10 other tribes waging a war that lasted for years. Then after using starvation they are happy there was a surrender.

That scenario is like David and Goliath fight but this time Goliath won ... how? By begging his soldiers to surround and box tiny David into a corner knowing fully well that he couldn’t defeat tiny David all by himself.

Cowards.

Ethnic groups not tribes.

no one can satisfy Igbo, those bunch of savagery are naturally ingrate regardless of how you kill yourself for them


no one should waste time killing him or herself for them

I don’t know why Chief Opadokun is seeking validations from the Igbos about Awolowo. The Yorubas don’t care what the Igbos think about Awolowo, coz it is evident they are still undergoing first degree hate for the man due to his contributions and strategic approach during the civil war.

The hate manifested due to the constant lies that Ojukwu dished out to his kinsmen to justify going to the war.

Firstly, he said Awolowo also plan to secede, and one will wonder how Awolowo (A civilian) will suddenly secede from Nigeria. With what ammunition? With what power? Can a civilian even being an elder statesman just call for war? Awolowo that just got out of prison then

Awolowo statement is purposefully taken out of context by Ojukwu to persuade his kinsmen to draft them into a massacre called the Biafran war.

Ojukwu kept using the kwashiorkor ridden babies as propaganda tools to get the international community attention and he dosen’t care about the death of his cronies coz his ego is too much and he thought surrendering will betray his earlier boastful stance that he will crush Nigeria in few months.

How can Biafra go to war without the necessary allies? How can Biafra go to war without the necessary food supply chain? Do you expect your enemies to feed you in a war? Does Ojukwu think war is about sharing chocolate and Jollof rice?

If not for baba Awolowo, you guys would have been exterminated and the death toll would have been more coz Ojukwu even in the face of total defeat was reluctant to surrender and he keeps using the death of his kinsmen as a shield.

He will later surrender in a shameful way exhibiting first degree cowardice after causing his tribe pain and agony over an ego war between him and Gowon.

Wiifesnatcher:
no one can satisfy Igbo, those bunch of savagery are naturally ingrate regardless of how you kill yourself for them


no one should waste time killing him or herself for them

did awolowo die for the Igbos?

meccuno:
did awolowo die for the Igbos?

Oh no , the man chewed ‘otapiapia’ because his own people abandoned him.

Sowore is seeking a warden that will smuggle his own into his cell for him because he knows that The only way afonjas will validate and respect him is after he is dead of course

Not anyhow death oh ... it must be death by
Poison in a suicide manner Sowore should take note