Basseti:

Its either u have your history twisted all up in knots or maybe u are just being disingenuous.

http://www.dawodu.com/biafra1.htm

PLS READ THIS AND BE HONEST. THANK YOU

Basseti:

Its either u have your history twisted all up in knots or maybe u are just being disingenuous.

What?

[quote="Wikipedia"]

The Nigerian government launched a "police action" to retake the secessionist territory. The war began on 6 July 1967 when Nigerian Federal troops advanced in two columns into Biafra. The Nigerian army offensive was through the north of Biafra led by Colonel Shuwa and the local military units were formed as the 1st Infantry Division. The division was led mostly by northern officers. After facing unexpectedly fierce resistance and high casualties, the right-hand Nigerian column advanced on the town of Nsukka which fell on 14 July, while the left-hand column made for Garkem, which was captured on 12 July. At this stage of the war, the other regions of Nigeria (the West and Mid-West) still considered the war as a confrontation between the north (mainly Hausas) against the east (mainly Igbos)[citation needed]. But the Biafrans responded with an offensive of their own when, on 9 August, the Biafran forces moved west into the Mid-Western Nigerian region across the Niger river, passing through Benin City, until they were stopped at Ore (in present day Ondo State) just over the state boundary on 21 August, just 130 miles east of the Nigerian capital of Lagos. The Biafran attack was led by Lt. Col. Banjo, a Yoruba, with the Biafran rank of brigadier. The attack met little resistance and the Mid-West was easily taken over. This was due to the pre-secession arrangement that all soldiers should return to their regions to stop the spate of killings, in which Igbo soldiers had been major victims[7][10].The Nigerian soldiers that were supposed to defend the Mid-West state were mostly Mid-West Igbo and while some were in touch with their eastern counterparts, others resisted. General Gowon responded by asking Colonel Murtala Mohammed (who later became head of state in 1975) to form another division (the 2nd Infantry Division) to expel the Biafrans from the Mid-West, as well as defend the West side and attack Biafra from the West as well. As Nigerian forces retook the Mid-West, the Biafran military administrator declared the Republic of Benin on 19 September.
[/quote]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biafran_War#Breakaway

Is my understanding of events wrong? Please correct it if so. If my understanding is fine, then the Igbo send an army led by Banjo all the way up to Ondo State. You guys captured Benin, as well.

Dede1:


I hope you are not being delusional with this inconsequential Fela stuff? Fela did absolutely nothing in support of Biafra. He was in London enjoying himself out of Nigeria’s coffer.

I am just saying that there were Yorubas who supported Biafra. Wole Soyinka was thrown in prison for his support of Biafra. We cannot forget Yoruba activist like this.

Let us be honest with ourselves. And we should never forget about Biafra.

Dede1:


I hope you are not being delusional with this inconsequential Fela stuff? Fela did absolutely nothing in support of Biafra. He was in London enjoying himself out of Nigeria’s coffer.

are you okay?

EzeUche0:

I am just saying that there were Yorubas who supported Biafra. Wole Soyinka was thrown in prison for his support of Biafra. We cannot forget Yoruba activist like this.

Let us be honest with ourselves. And we should never forget about Biafra.

EZE, pls read my link and also DAPOBEAR'S comment above and tell me what the igbos would have done if the yorubas did that to them.
THANK YOU

EzeUche0:

I am just saying that there were Yorubas who supported Biafra. Wole Soyinka was thrown in prison for his support of Biafra. We cannot forget Yoruba activist like this.

Let us be honest with ourselves. And we should never forget about [b]Biafra[/b].

A bad idea in its totality. Do you want to obliterate your people, culture and values completely?

DapoBear:

See, think about how foolish this sounds, on the face of it. The Yoruba elite are responsible for the Yoruba, not the Igbo. It is like complaining that your uncle is looking after the interests of his kids before he looks after you! Why is it your uncle's responsibility to pay for your college education before that of his own kids? Makes absolutely no sense; when did the Yoruba elite become the daddy of the Igbo?

Regarding Awo, yes, from the perspective of the Igbo and the suffering they endured, he certainly can be viewed as an evil man. War is a nasty, ugly thing. And in Africa, it is no holds barred, genocide, starvation, despoil, etc are all valid weapons in such wars here. But just because Awo had no qualms in using those weapons doesn't make him an evil man. If you and I get into a fight, and it is a fight to the death, I'll use ANY weapon at my disposal to win. I will gouge out your eyes if necessary, I will break a bottle and use that as a weapon. You don't get style points in life-or-death struggles, the only thing that matters is who wins.

I'd rather have a leader like Awolowo who will do ANYTHING to win rather than some pompous jackass who abides by some foolish, medieval code of chivalry that increases the chances of defeat. War simply is brutal and should be avoided if possible. But if you start a war, then you should do anything you can to win it, especially as the consequences for losing wars in Africa are so brutal.

Awolowo is to Igbos, is like Hitler to the Jews. We will forever rain curses on this man.

In this day and age, there is a type of etiquette that should govern the laws of war. You do not target civilian populations. These defenseless populations are not like soldiers. What justification do you have to despoil a young lady, killed children and elderly. Only a DEMON would support such actions. I would not even wish that on my own enemy's people. If I have a beef with you, I will target you, not your family.

I do not want to get into a Nigerian Civil War debate, but needless to say, the dream of Biafra is still on the mind of many Easterners. Biafra was not perfect, but it was far better than Nigeria. If only it had succeeded.

EzeUche0:

I am just saying that there were Yorubas who supported Biafra. Wole Soyinka was thrown in prison for his support of Biafra. We cannot forget Yoruba activist like this.

Let us be honest with ourselves. And we should never forget about Biafra.

Long live Biafra. And may Biafra rise again. But hopefully you will not attempt to send armies of conquest westwards towards Yorubaland. If you can come up with a way to realize your dream that doesn't involve invading our lands, then it is much likelier to succeed. After all, I'm not really sure anyone in this day and age (certainly not the Yoruba) is really that opposed to Igboland seceding. Just don't try to landgrab the Delta (and the Ikwere by and large seem to be trying to disassociate themselves from the larger Igbo polity, so this probably wouldn't be very successful anyway) , choice parts of the Southwest, and very likely Biafra can come to pass.

I am not unaware of all these links that U guys have provided. But if u want to give a reasonable and balanced account of events, u really have to look at what happened before, during and after the civil war. Saying that Ojukwu sent his soldiers west ward without giving any historical perspective and most importantly, war strategies, kinda distorts the whole story. U just gave a snapshot of history and that does not cut with me.

I am not here to defend Ojukwu or extol Obafemi, both dudes did what they thought they needed to do given the circumstances to preserve their own people. Decisions were taken, mistakes were made on both sides in the process.

The most question really relevant to me , is not what happened (I know all that already), its where do we go from here?  

jason12345:

EZE, pls read my link and also DAPOBEAR'S comment above and tell me what the igbos would have done if the yorubas did that to them.
THANK YOU

Lets be honest with ourself. Banjo was ahead of his time as well. He saw Northern domination as a wrong, and he tried to free his people. We Igbos supported him in his dream of freeing Yorubaland from Northern domination. This same domination that continues to this day.

This man should be treated like a hero.

The Igbos would have understood what the Yoruba were doing, if this was the other way around. Since many of our people were killed in the pogroms up North. We would have celebrated you all as liberators and joined you all in your struggle against the North.

EzeUche0:

Awolowo is to Igbos, is like Hitler to the Jews. We will forever rain curses on this man.

In this day and age, there is a type of etiquette that should govern the laws of war. You do not target civilian populations. These defenseless populations are not like soldiers. What justification do you have to despoil a young lady, killed children and elderly. Only a DEMON would support such actions. I would not even wish that on my own enemy's people. If I have a beef with you, I will target you, not your family.

I do not want to get into a Nigerian Civil War debate, but needless to say, the dream of Biafra is still on the mind of many Easterners. Biafra was not perfect, but it was far better than Nigeria. If only it had succeeded.

very insane posting.

OJUKWU IS LIKE A SATAN TO US IN YORUBALAND, WE WILL FOREVER REGARD HIM AS A BIG SAtan FOR TRYING TO BRING AN UNREASONABLE WAR INTO YORUBALAND, THANK GOD AWO WAS ALIVE THEN, THAT BINGO ALMOST DESTROYED US WITH HIS SELFISHNES AND MADNESS

DapoBear:

Long live Biafra. And may Biafra rise again. But hopefully you will not attempt to send armies of conquest westwards towards Yorubaland. If you can come up with a way to realize your dream that doesn't involve invading our lands, then it is much likelier to succeed. After all, I'm not really sure anyone in this day and age (certainly not the Yoruba) is really that opposed to Igboland seceding. Just don't try to landgrab the Delta (and the Ikwere by and large seem to be trying to disassociate themselves from the larger Igbo polity, so this probably wouldn't be very successful anyway) , choice parts of the Southwest, and very likely Biafra can come to pass.

What is meant by the bolded?

chyz:

What is meant by the bolded?

He meant " DONT STEAL WHAT DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU"
Simple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

seanet02:

very insane posting.

OJUKWU IS LIKE A SATAN TO US IN YORUBALAND, WE WILL FOREVER REGARD HIM AS A BIG SAtan FOR TRYING TO BRING AN UNREASONABLE WAR INTO YORUBALAND, THANK GOD AWO WAS ALIVE THEN, THAT BINGO ALMOST DESTROYED US WITH HIS SELFISHNES AND MADNESS

Ok you're done now.i hope it have calmed your nerves now hop of the sensitivity.

Seanet02

[flash=350,350]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_28hZyxu5I[/flash]

DapoBear:

Long live Biafra. And may Biafra rise again. But hopefully you will not attempt to send armies of conquest westwards towards Yorubaland. If you can come up with a way to realize your dream that doesn't involve invading our lands, then it is much likelier to succeed. After all, I'm not really sure anyone in this day and age (certainly not the Yoruba) is really that opposed to Igboland seceding. Just don't try to landgrab the Delta (and the Ikwere by and large seem to be trying to disassociate themselves from the larger Igbo polity, so this probably wouldn't be very successful anyway) , choice parts of the Southwest, and very likely Biafra can come to pass.

Let us not discuss the Ikwerre (clearly Igbo sub-group). Many Ikwerres are starting to wake up. Especially in my generation. I went to school with many Ikwerre in Port Harcourt. I did not even know that many were Ikwerre, because we conversed in Igbo and names were Igbo. Very confusing people.

Let us not forget that Biafra was a multi-ethnic country. A named coined by an Ijaw man. Igbos, Ogoni, Ijaw, Ibibio, Ekoi all fought on behalf of Biafra. We all know Ojukwu's second in command was not an Igbo man. Two of my mother's brothers fought on behalf of Biafra and they are Ibibio. They saw intense fighting in the state that now known as Cross River.

All Biafra wants is the land East of the River Niger and the Anioma Igbo of the former midwest region.

EzeUche0:

I am just saying that there were Yorubas who supported Biafra. Wole Soyinka was thrown in prison for his support of Biafra. We cannot forget Yoruba activist like this.

Let us be honest with ourselves. And we should never forget about Biafra.

There were Yoruba extractions that fought on the Biafran side. Soldiers such as Banjo, Ademoyega, Adeleke and Oyawole should be remembered. However, there were few Yoruba people of extraordinary personalities such Lt Col Ayo Ariyo who was 2ic in 3MCDO in Calabar in 1967 resigned his commission in Nigeria army instead of fighting Biafrans. Also, Ijebu Ode Peasant Farmers Association that violently protested Gowon’s stay in Lagos while commanding Nigerian soldiers to fight Biafra. Yes, Wole Soyinka who spent the three years of the war in prison in Kaduna for opposing the war. You must understand that these fine personalities were just drop of water in the ocean.

seanet02:

He meant " DONT STEAL WHAT DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU"
Simple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I aint ask you sidekick.the question still stands to DapoBear.

chyz:

I aint ask you sidekick.the question still stands to DapoBear.

Basseti:

I am not unaware of all these links that U guys have provided. But if u want to give a reasonable and balanced account of events, u really have to look at what happened before, during and after the civil war. Saying that Ojukwu sent his soldiers west ward without giving any historical perspective and most importantly, war strategies, kinda distorts the whole story. U just gave a snapshot of history and that does not cut with me.

I am not here to defend Ojukwu or extol Obafemi, both dudes did what they thought they needed to do given the circumstances to preserve their own people. Decisions were taken, mistakes were made on both sides in the process.

The most question really relevant to me , is not what happened (I know all that already), its where do we go from here?  

you are right!!! that is the right question!!!!

but with igbos still clamouring on to biafra and how the yorubas ""betrayed"" them. i don't think we can move far.

EzeUche0:

Lets be honest with ourself. Banjo was ahead of his time as well. He saw Northern domination as a wrong, and he tried to free his people. We Igbos supported him in his dream of freeing Yorubaland from Northern domination. This same domination that continues to this day.

This man should be treated like a hero.

The Igbos would have understood what the Yoruba were doing, if this was the other way around. Since many of our people were killed in the pogroms up North. We would have celebrated you all as liberators and joined you all in your struggle against the North.

thats a lie!!! non of the three big ethnic groups would allow that. infact, i believe the igbos would have done worse!!!
the yorubas never said they need liberation ojukwu wanted to extend his territory and you know it. pls be honest and don't try to defend his actions. i am a neutral and i would say yes what awo did was bad. but you have to admit that when an army invades people die, yoruba people!!

EzeUche0:

Awolowo is to Igbos, is like Hitler to the Jews. We will forever rain curses on this man.

In this day and age, there is a type of etiquette that should govern the laws of war. You do not target civilian populations. These defenseless populations are not like soldiers. What justification do you have to despoil a young lady, killed children and elderly. Only a DEMON would support such actions. I would not even wish that on my own enemy's people. If I have a beef with you, I will target you, not your family.

I do not want to get into a Nigerian Civil War debate, but needless to say, the dream of Biafra is still on the mind of many Easterners. Biafra was not perfect, but it was far better than Nigeria. If only it had succeeded.

It is what it is. Awolowo believed in the concept of total war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_war). General Sherman used the same tactics in the American Civil War against the South. It was used in WW1 and WW2 as well. This is something that has been done repeatedly throughout history, as a tool of war.

In general, this is the story in Africa. If you want to start a war, it isn't going to be some fairy tale, King Arthur-esque chivalrous duel. It will be bloody, there will be rape, plunder, and very likely genocide.

Look, this is EXACTLY why Awolowo did not want armies in his lands! He is not some sort of romantic fool who has read to many King Arthur stories. He knew that war in Yorubaland would DEVASTATE our people.

That you compare him to Hitler makes me love the man more. He has sacrificed his honor and reputation (at least, among non-Yoruba) to save his own people from a terrible fate. I only hope that one day I can be as wise and courageous as he was.

DapoBear:

It is what it is. Awolowo believed in the concept of total war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_war). General Sherman used the same tactics in the American Civil War against the South. It was used in WW1 and WW2 as well. This is something that has been done repeatedly throughout history, as a tool of war.

In general, this is the story in Africa. If you want to start a war, it isn't going to be some fairy tale, King Arthur-esque chivalrous duel. It will be bloody, there will be despoil, plunder, and very likely genocide.

Look, this is EXACTLY why Awolowo did not want armies in his lands! He is not some sort of romantic fool who has read to many King Arthur stories. He knew that war in Yorubaland would DEVASTATE our people.

That you compare him to Hitler makes me love the man more. He has sacrificed his honor and reputation (at least, among non-Yoruba) to save his own people from a terrible fate. I only hope that one day I can be as wise and courageous as he was.

I support the motion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dede1:


There were Yoruba extractions that fought on the Biafran side. Soldiers such as Banjo, Ademoyega, Adeleke and Oyawole should be remembered. However, there were few Yoruba people of extraordinary personalities such Lt Col Ayo Ariyo who was 2ic in 3MCDO in Calabar in 1967 resigned his commission in Nigeria army instead of fighting Biafrans. Also, Ijebu Ode Peasant Farmers Association that violently protested Gowon’s stay in Lagos while commanding Nigerian soldiers to fight Biafra. Yes, Wole Soyinka who spent the three years of the war in prison in Kaduna for opposing the war. You must understand that these fine personalities were just drop of water in the ocean.  

Thank you for this post.

jason12345, do you have a problem with these descendants of Oduduwa. They fought on behalf of Biafra or protested against the injustices committed against Biafra.

EzeUche0:

Let us not discuss the Ikwerre (clearly Igbo sub-group). Many Ikwerres are starting to wake up. Especially in my generation. I went to school with many Ikwerre in Port Harcourt. I did not even know that many were Ikwerre, because we conversed in Igbo and names were Igbo. Very confusing people.

Let us not forget that Biafra was a multi-ethnic country. A named coined by an Ijaw man. Igbos, Ogoni, Ijaw, Ibibio, Ekoi all fought on behalf of Biafra. We all know Ojukwu's second in command was not an Igbo man. Two of my mother's brothers fought on behalf of Biafra and they are Ibibio. They saw intense fighting in the state that now known as Cross River.

All Biafra wants is the land East of the River Niger and the Anioma Igbo of the former midwest region.

you cannot claim that. the reason is that taraba, benue and kogi people are not igbos or biafrans.

ojukwu cannot annex this people in the pretence of a war. he cannot use the pretence of a war to expand igbo territory!

jason12345:


thats a lie!!! non of the three big ethnic groups would allow that. infact, i believe the igbos would have done worse!!!
the yorubas never said they need liberation ojukwu wanted to extend his territory and you know it. pls be honest and don't try to defend his actions. i am a neutral and i would say yes what awo did was bad. but you have to admit that when an army invades people die, yoruba people!!

Jason you have been getting very tribalistic(in a bad way) lately. Not good. O and you and I both know the Igbos wouldnt have done worse. Are you suggesting Ojukwu would have suggested starvation? HIGHLY unlikely. These are the same people YOU said were very truthful.Obviously we must have high morals.

DapoBear:

It is what it is. Awolowo believed in the concept of total war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_war). General Sherman used the same tactics in the American Civil War against the South. It was used in WW1 and WW2 as well. This is something that has been done repeatedly throughout history, as a tool of war.

In general, this is the story in Africa. If you want to start a war, it isn't going to be some fairy tale, King Arthur-esque chivalrous duel. It will be bloody, there will be despoil, plunder, and very likely genocide.

Look, this is EXACTLY why Awolowo did not want armies in his lands! He is not some sort of romantic fool who has read to many King Arthur stories. He knew that war in Yorubaland would DEVASTATE our people.

That you compare him to Hitler makes me love the man more. He has sacrificed his honor and reputation (at least, among non-Yoruba) to save his own people from a terrible fate. I only hope that one day I can be as wise and courageous as he was.

If your people cannot admit to the wrongs of Awolowo. We will never see eye to eye with your people. That is the sad fact. I will always consider this man as pure evil.

Do you see Germans who give praise to Hitler? No. They do not even want people to mention the man's name. In the history books, there will one day be stories of the Biafran Genocide. It took many years for people to recognize the Armenian Genocide and we shall wait for our turn as well. I will tell the stories to my children, and they will pass it on. It will never be forgotten.

One day, you will see Awolowo's name next to Hitler. I cannot wait till that day. And any supporter of him is no friend of mine. That is why he had the fitting death by suicide. A broken man. . .

jason12345:

you cannot claim that. the reason is that taraba, benue and kogi people are not igbos or biafrans.

ojukwu cannot annex this people in the pretence of a war. he cannot use the pretence of a war to expand igbo territory!

When he said East of the river he meant Igbo, and yes there are Igbos from Benue State.The Wawa people also found in enugwu.

EzeUche0:

Lets be honest with ourself. Banjo was ahead of his time as well. He saw Northern domination as a wrong, and he tried to free his people. We Igbos supported him in his dream of freeing Yorubaland from Northern domination. This same domination that continues to this day.

This man should be treated like a hero.

The Igbos would have understood what the Yoruba were doing, if this was the other way around. Since many of our people were killed in the pogroms up North. We would have celebrated you all as liberators and joined you all in your struggle against the North.

Do you know who or what Banjo is? Banjo is the equivalent of Michael Steele, or any of these black Republicans. Guys like him are political tools, and are never supported by their own people.

Heck, if a white man wanted to start a "Enslave Yorubaland" party, he could very likely find a foolish Yoruba and pay him lots of money to be its figurehead.

Don't bring up Banjo and use him to justify invading West, unless you can also prove that he had the support of the Yoruba consensus. By and large, I've very rarely seen the Yoruba consensus get something wrong. If they say something is wrong, they are usually correct.

jason12345:

ojukwu wanted to extend his territory and you know it. pls be honest and don't try to defend his actions. i am a neutral and i would say yes what awo did was bad.

Is that really true, was Ojukwu more concerned about EXPANDING his territory or was he more concerned about the west being STRATEGIC to the outcome of the war?  

Ojukwu prolly (rightly or wrongly) in his military calculations didnt factor in a western and northern coalition. That alone changed the permutations of the war.

Again to me all this discussion will be relevant to me if I wanted a Phd in the Nigerian civil war. I dont want that, I just want the various components of the nation move forward independently or collectively. Thats why I am sick of all this rhetorics.

Most importantly, a lot has changed in the Nigerian geographical and political landscape. Its no longer a North versus South thingy. So the arguments that were valid at that point in time of history ARE not gonna be particularly germane to the arguments and political machinations today.

jason12345:

you cannot claim that. the reason is that taraba, benue and kogi people are not igbos or biafrans.

ojukwu cannot annex this people in the pretence of a war. he cannot use the pretence of a war to expand igbo territory!

simple, i dont know how dede could be thinking like a big Gorilla here, So Because some people could Fight On the Front for Igbo, Awo must also allowed Ojukwu the Bingo to overrun Yorubaland Under the pretense of Attacking Gowon, Does Biafra Republic extends to Lagos?

we thank god for providing us with people like awo

seanet02:

we thank god for providing us with people like awo

explain why?

Now I'm going to use this thread as justification of what is going to happen later.