Frederick McCarthy Forsyth, the English journalism and author, will be 82 this year. He was born on 25 August 1938. At such age when a man is moving closer to his grave or Maker, his conscience becomes sharper, his propensity for remorse gets greater. He tends to make all past crooked ways straight. He confesses his sins or does so vicariously- that is, on behalf of his clan or community or country.

That is exactly what Frederick Forsyth has done, blaming his country, Britain, for its bias against the Igbo during the Nigeria-Biafra war that spanned three years, 1967 to 1970. Another Briton who became contrite was Harold Smith, a colonial officer who admitted that Britain deliberately made the North to dominate the South here in all ramifications, using well choreographed policies of demography, appointments and politics.

Forsyth is a household name in the Commonwealth countries and beyond for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil’s Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger, The Afghan, The Cobra, The Kill List, The Biafra Story and others.

It was when he covered the war in Nigeria as a BBC correspondent that the bias of Britain became clear to him. He revealed this in a recent article in The Guardian of London: “Buried for 50 years: Britain’s shameful role in the Biafran war.”

It was for this reason that the writer walked away from the BBC, narrating, “Six months later, in February 1968, fed up with the slavishness of the BBC to Whitehall, I walked out and flew back to west Africa. Ojukwu roared with laughter and allowed me to stay. My condition was that, having rejected British propaganda, I would not publish his either. He agreed.”

In the article, Forsyth reveals the sins of Britain: “I arrived in the Biafra capital of Enugu on the third day of the war. In London I had been copiously briefed by Gerald Watrous, head of the BBC’s West Africa Service. What I did not know was that he was the obedient servant of the government’s Commonwealth Relations Office (CRO), which believed every word of its high commissioner in Lagos, David Hunt. It took two days in Enugu to realise that everything I had been told was utter garbage.

“I had been briefed that the brilliant Nigerian army would suppress the rebellion in two weeks, four at the most. Fortunately the deputy high commissioner in Enugu, Jim Parker, told me what was really happening. It became clear that the rubbish believed by the CRO and the BBC stemmed from our high commissioner in Lagos. A racist and a snob, Hunt expected Africans to leap to attention when he entered the room – which Gowon did. At their single prewar meeting Ojukwu did not. Hunt loathed him at once.

For those who do not know Frederick (McCarthy) Forsyth, he is the author of the book titled "Emeka". It's a book on Ojukwu. For the OP, I beg to differ from your that Frederick's conscience has began to work due to his steep age. Frederick resigned his job as a reporter to cover the Nigerian civil war for 3 whole years because he noticed his employers were only concerned with a 3-week report of the civil, yet reported the Vietnam war throughout the period it lasted, his instincts told him that there was something fishy about the Nigerian civil war. He resigned his job and flew down to Nigeria. That was how he found out that the war was fought by mercenaries hired by the Nigerian government. France gave Biafra support, due to her experience with the French revolution. Frederick was not one to quote another. He was one to visit the scene and make a dispassionate report. I read most of his books when I was a child: "dogs of war, the devil's alternative, clear and present danger, the shepherd, Emeka, the Biafran soldier (I didn't finish it), the forth protocol, the day of the jackal,", etc. He introduced me to a world of soldiers of fortune (mercenaries) who fought all over Africa, on any side. He African politics like the back of his hand and his analysis of the African soldier vis-a-vis the western soldier is apt and void of sentiment. He is a mountain of knowledge and I envy the walls of his house, which I believe have all the greatest books.

Nice one

DavidEsq:
For those who do not know Frederick (McCarthy) Forsyth, he is the author of the book titled "Emeka". It's a book on Ojukwu. For the OP, I beg to differ from your that Frederick's conscience has began to work due to his steep age. Frederick resigned his job as a reporter to cover the Nigerian civil war for 3 whole years because he noticed his employers were only concerned with a 3-week report of the civil, yet reported the Vietnam war throughout the period it lasted, his instincts told him that there was something fishy about the Nigerian civil war. He resigned his job and flew down to Nigeria. That was how he found out that the war was fought by mercenaries hired by the Nigerian government. France gave Biafra support, due to her experience with the French revolution. Frederick was not one to quote another. He was one to visit the scene and make a dispassionate report. I read most of his books when I was a child: "dogs of war, the devil's alternative, clear and present danger, the shepherd, Emeka, the Biafran soldier (I didn't finish it), the forth protocol, the day of the jackal,", etc. He introduced me to a world of soldiers of fortune (mercenaries) who fought all over Africa, on any side. He African politics like the back of his hand and his analysis of the African soldier vis-a-vis the western soldier is apt and void of sentiment. He is a mountain of knowledge and I envy the walls of his house, which I believe have all the greatest books.

The British created Nigeria in 1914 and made it 3 Regions, representing the 3 majority ethnic groups. However, the British knew that it would one day have to give Nigeria independence. They knew that Igbos and Yorubas were more educated than the Northerners and were less controllable. So they made the North powerful by increasing their landmass, population and representation.

The British wanted to protect their interests through the North. So when an Igbo man, Aguiyi Ironsi became president, the British were no comfortable with it. When Biafra broke away, the British heavily supported Nigeria with arms and ammunition to fight Biafra

The only thing Britain cared about is its selfish interests

the ugly scratched-face people that hydraulic is a delicacy in their rotten land will still come here and exhibit their ignorance. Ndi iberibe

Let's make interesting and intelligent comments pls, enough is enough.

judgementyard:
Let's make interesting and intelligent comments pls, enough is enough.

Please increase the volume.