jason12345:

this is for the people that say ojukwu was a hero for leaving his people to die and awolowo was not a neutral before,during and after the war


[s]
The aim of a leader should be the welfare of the people whom he leads. I
have used 'welfare' to denote the physical, mental and spiritual
well-being of the people. With this aim fixed unflinchingly and
unchangeably before my eyes I consider it my duty to Yoruba people in
particular and to Nigerians in general, to place four imperatives before
you this morning. Two of them are categorical and two are conditional.
Only a peaceful solution must be found to arrest the present worsening
stalemate and restore normalcy. The Eastern Region must be encouraged to
remain part of the Federation. If the Eastern Region is allowed by acts
of omission or commission to secede from or opt out of Nigeria, then the
Western Region and Lagos must also stay out of the Federation. The people
of Western Nigeria and Lagos should participate in the ad hoc committee or
any similar body only on the basis of absolute equality with the other
regions of the Federation.

I would like to comment briefly on these four imperatives. There
has, of late, been a good deal of sabre rattling in some parts of the
country. Those who advocate the use force for the settlement of our
present problems should stop a little and reflect. I can see no vital and
abiding principle involved in any war between the North and the East. If
the East attacked the North, it would be for purpose of revenge pure and
simple. Any claim to the contrary would be untenable. If it is claimed
that such a war is being waged for the purpose of recovering the real and
personal properties left behind in the North by Easterners two insuperable
points are obvious. Firstly, the personal effects left behind by
Easterners have been wholly looted or destroyed, and can no longer be
physically recovered. Secondly, since the real properties are immovable in
case of recovery of them can only be by means of forcible military
occupation of those parts of the North in which these properties are
situated. On the other hand, if the North attacked the East, it could only
be for the purpose of further strengthening and entrenching its position
of dominance in the country.

[b]If it is claimed that an attack on the East is going to be
launched by the Federal Government and not by the North as such and that
it is designed to ensure the unity and integrity of the Federation, two
other insuperable points also become obvious. First, if a war against the
East becomes a necessity it must be agreed to unanimously by the remaining
units of the Federation. In this connection, the West, Mid- West and Lagos
have declared their implacable opposition to the use of force in solving
the present problem. In the face of such declarations by three out of
remaining four territories of Nigeria, a war against the East could only
be a war favoured by the North alone. Second, if the true purpose of such
a war is to preserve the unity and integrity of the Federation, then these
ends can be achieved by the very simple devices of implementing the
recommendation of the committee which met on August 9 1966, as reaffirmed
by a decision of the military leaders at Aburi on January 5 1967 as well
as by accepting such of the demands of the East, West, Mid-West and Lagos
as are manifestly reasonable, and essential for assuring harmonious
relationships and peaceful co-existence between them and their brothers
and sisters in the North.[/b]

Some knowledgeable persons have likened an attack on the East to
Lincoln's war against the southern states in America. Two vital factors
distinguish Lincoln's campaign from the one now being contemplated in
Nigeria. The first is that the American civil war was aimed at the
abolition of slavery - that is the liberation of millions of Negroes who
were then still being used as chattels and worse than domestic animals.
The second factor is that Lincoln and others in the northern states were
English-speaking people waging a war of good conscience and humanity
against their fellow nationals who were also English speaking. A war
against the East in which Northern soldiers are predominant, will only
unite the Easterners or the Ibos against their attackers, strengthen them
in their belief that they are not wanted by the majority of their
fellow-Nigerians, and finally push them out of the Federation.

We have been told that an act of secession on the part of the East
would be a signal, in the first instance, for the creation of the COR
state by decree, which would be backed, if need be, by the use of force.
With great respect, I have some dissenting observations to make on this
declaration. There are 11 national or linguistic groups in the COR areas
with a total population of 5.3 millions. These national groups are as
distinct from one another as the Ibos are distinct from them or from the
Yorubas or Hausas. Of the 11, the Efik/Ibibio/Annang national group are
3.2 million strong as against the Ijaws who are only about 700,000 strong.
Ostensibly, the remaining nine national group number 1.4 millions. But
when you have subtracted the Ibo inhabitants from among them, what is left
ranges from the Ngennis who number only 8,000 to the Ogonis who are
220,000 strong. A decree creating a COR state without a plebiscite to
ascertain the wishes of the peoples in the area, would only amount to
subordinating the minority national groups in the state to the dominance
of the Efik/Ibibio/Annang national group. It would be perfectly in order
to create a Calabar state or a Rivers state by decree, and without a
plebiscite. Each is a homogeneous national unit. But before you lump
distinct and diverse national units together in one state, the consent of
each of them is indispensable. Otherwise, the seed of social disquilibrium
in the new state would have been sown.

On the other hand, if the COR State is created by decree after the
Eastern Region shall have made its severance from Nigeria effective, we
should then be waging an unjust war against a foreign state. It would be
an unjust war, because the purpose of it would be to remove 10 minorities
in the East from the dominance of the Ibos only to subordinate them to the
dominance of the Efik/Ibibio/Annang national group. I think I have said
enough to demonstrate that any war against the East, or vice versa, on any
count whatsoever, would be an unholy crusade, for which it would be most
unjustifiable to shed a drop of Nigerian blood. Therefore, only a peaceful
solution must be found, and quickly too to arrest the present rapidly
deteriorating stalemate and restore normalcy.

With regard to the second categorical imperative, it is my
considered view that whilst some of the demands of the East are excessive
within the context of a Nigerian union, most of such demands are not only
wellfounded, but are designed for smooth and steady association amongst
the various national units of Nigeria.

The dependence of the Federal Government on financial
contributions from the regions? These and other such like demands I do not
support. Demands such as these, if accepted, will lead surely to the
complete disintegration of the Federation which is not in the interest of
our people. But I wholeheartedly support the following demands among
others, which we consider reasonable and most of which are already
embodied in our memoranda to the Ad Hoc Committee,

That revenue should be allocated strictly on the basis of
derivation; that is to say after the Federal Government has deducted its
own share for its own services the rest should be allocated to the regions
to which they are attributable.

That the existing public debt of the Federation should become the
responsibility of the regions on the basis of the location of the projects
in respect of each debt whether internal or external.

That each region should have and control its own
militia and police force.

That, with immediate effect, all military personnel should be
posted to their regions of origin,

If we are to live in harmony one with another as Nigerians it is
imperative that these demands and others which are not related, should be
met without further delay by those who have hitherto resisted them. To
those who may argue that the acceptance of these demands will amount to
transforming Nigeria into a federation with a weak central government, my
comment is that any link however tenuous, which keeps the East in the
Nigerian union, is better in my view than no link at all.

Before the Western delegates went to Lagos to attend the meetings
of the ad hoc committee, they were given a clear mandate that if any
region should opt out of the Federation of Nigeria, then the Federation
should be considered to be at an end, and that the Western Region and
Lagos should also opt out of it. It would then be up to Western Nigeria
and Lagos as an independent sovereign state to enter into association with
any of the Nigerian units of its own choosing, and on terms mutually
acceptable to them. I see no reason for departing from this mandate. If
any region in Nigeria considers itself strong enough to compel us to enter
into association with it on its own terms, I would only wish such a region
luck. But such luck, I must warn, will, in the long run be no better than
that which has attended the doings of all colonial powers down the ages.
This much I must say in addition, on this point. We have neither military
might nor the overwhelming advantage of numbers here in Western Nigeria
and Lagos. But we have justice of a noble and imperishable cause on our
side, namely: the right of a people to unfettered self-determination. If
this is so, then God is on our side, and if God is with us then we have
nothing whatsoever in this world to fear.

The fourth imperative, and the second conditional one has been
fully dealt with in my recent letter to the Military Governor of Western
Nigeria, Col. Robert Adebayo, and in the representation which your
deputation made last year to the head of the Federal Military Government,
Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon. As a matter of fact, as far back as November last
year a smaller meeting of leaders of thought in this Region decided that
unless certain things were done, we would no longer participate in the
meeting of the ad hoc committee. But since then, not even one of our
legitimate requests has been granted. I will, therefore, take no more of
your time in making further comments on a point with which you are well
familiar. As soon as our humble and earnest requests are met, I shall be
ready to take my place on the ad hoc committee. But certainly, not before.

In closing, I have this piece of advice to give. In order to resolve
amiably and in the best interests of all Nigerians certain attributes are
required on the part of Nigerian leaders, military as well as non-military
leaders alike, namely: vision, realism and unselfishness. But above all ,
what will keep Nigerian leaders in the North and East unwaveringly in the
path of wisdom, realism and moderation is courage and steadfastness on the
part of Yoruba people in the course of what they sincerely believe to be
right, equitable and just. In the past five years we in the West and Lagos
have shown that we possess these qualities in a large measure. If we
demonstrate them again as we did in the past, calmly and heroically, we
will save Nigeria from further bloodshed and imminent wreck and, at the
same time, preserve our freedom and self-respect into the bargain.

May God rule and guide our deliberations here, and endow all the
Nigerian leaders with the vision, realism, and unselfishness as well as
courage and steadfastness in the course of truth, which the present
circumstances demand. "
[/s]
http://www.dawodu.com/awolowo2.htm


may God bless this man!!! AMEN!!!

Pure bullshit. And thats why the Igbo wound up being more prosperous than his people. Praise be to Allah. Amin!!!!!!!

chyz:

Pure bullshit. And thats why the Igbo wound up being more prosperous than is people. Praise be to Allah. Amin!!!!!!!

chyz u give us igbo bad names on nl

jason12345:

http://www./biaframap2004.jpg

check your biafra map and see whether it was not land grabbing?  i am not opposed to ojukwu and some allied minorities going with biafra, what i do not like is the inclusion of warri (itsekiri mainly) even almost to ondo . the man wanted to take the WHOLE of SS with some part of mid-west that was seperated from the west by ekwueme*. tell me, if a yoruba man did what ekuweme and ojukwu did, would you not complain? how can this moro.n (ojukwu) invade, grab land and resources and expect people not to fight back?  even in the face of his people dying, the self proclaimed leader left his people to die yet you give such a man respect? he so much disrespected the yorubas and the disrespect he had for the ijaws made them pull out. how can you disrespect people and expect them to respect you in return . it is this same thing that is going on on NL. the pro-biafrans only think about themselves, what about the nigerians that died?

anyway, as i said earlier and i would maintain it. if biafra forms again AND invades the territories that are not part of her jurisdiction then the same result would happen again if not worse and THE LIVING WOULD ENVY THE DIED!!!

And Yes, the living WILL envy the dead in your own people's land. MAy the wrath of Allah fall upon those who oppose the freedom of Ndigbo.Amin!!!!

chyz:

Pure bullshit. And thats why the Igbo wound up being more prosperous than is people. Praise be to Allah. Amin!!!!!!!

how is it bullshit?? what prosperity are you talking about and how does that relate to the topic

chyz:


And Yes, the living WILL envy the dead in your own people's land. MAy the wrath of Allah fall upon those who oppose the freedom of Ndigbo.Amin!!!!

NO ONE WOULD EVER OPPOSE THE NDIGBO AND HER ALLIES LEAVING BUT DO NOT EXTEND YOUR TERRITORY TO WHERE IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE!!!

jason12345:

how is it bullshit?? what prosperity are you talking about and how does that relate to the topic

Read the shyt that you posted and find out. Go read the story about the rabbit and the tortoise.

chyz:

Read the shyt that you posted and find out. Go read the story about the rabbit and the tortoise.

its not shyt. it was to prove a point but since you take it as shyt then there is no point arguing on this topic

an excerpt from Max Siollun's Oil, Politics and Violence:

Yoruba officers were also afraid that after  Northerners finished off igbo officers they would be next.

Concerned for their safety yoruba soliders sent a delegation consisting of Major  Obasanjo, major oluleye and captains akinfewa and timothy ogundeko to the northern region's  military governor Lt Col Katsina to express their fears.

Katsina arranged for Major Obasanjo to be smuggled away for his own safety.

Some yoruba officers wanted to desert the army either individually or en masse as part of a self protective Yoruba withdrawal

Katsumoto:


Yes the West and mid-western regions were neutral. Conscription of civilians into the Army began after the Biafran invasion. Other than that, Western and mid-western soldiers were professional soldiers. Go and read your history books.

It appears that you are not aware that several Easterners fought against Biafra.

You keep avoiding one question I keep asking you. Were the West and Mid-west a part of the geographical entity called Nigeria or not?

excanny:

You keep avoiding one question I keep asking you. Were the West and Mid-west a part of the geographical entity called Nigeria or not?

QUESTION:  WHAT CAN YOU RECALL ABOUT THE MID-WEST INCURSION OF 1967?

RESPONSE:  I was completely out of the loop.  As stated above, we were taken unawares, facilitated by some black legs amongst us.  I was busy organizing and rehearsing the Civil Defence Operations in Benin and doing the write-up and training.  I was, as it were, detached from conventional Army duties. I did not believe that the Biafrans would enter Mid-West for it had been agreed by the Federal, Eastern and Mid-West Governments that Mid-West should remain neutral.

In fact a company of Federal troops that entered Mid-West (led by Lt. Igbinosa) was ordered out of the Mid-West by Col. Conrad Nwawo, the 4th Area Commander, Benin.  So one expected that Ojukwu who was aware of this should be gentleman enough to abide by the agreement.  He did not and those of us who were not involved in the betrayal were taken completely unawares.

http://www.dawodu.com/omoigui52.htm

In May Gowon issued a decree implementing the Aburi Agreement. Even the Northern Region leaders, who had been the first to threaten secession, now favored the formation of a multistate federation. Meanwhile, the military governor of the Midwestern Region announced that his region must be considered neutral in the event of civil war.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/biafra.htm

To oversimplify, a lull of several months occured after the declaration, to be interrupted when the Biafrans invaded the de facto neutral terrain of the Midwest Region. As Biafra was now perceived as expansionist, this provoked a violent response from the federal military government who retook the Midwest with ease, escalating the conflict into a full-scale war which resulted in between 1 to 3 million deaths and the reincorporation of Biafran territory into the republic after a victory for the federation.

http://www.nigeria-planet.com/

But two flukes of pre-war politics gave the Biafrans a chance. The first fluke was geography. The Yorubas (largest group in the western region, where the capital of Lagos was) weren't very enthusiastic about the war. They'd spent the decade paralyzed by in-fighting, so they hadn't been
able to get into the blood feuds that the rest of the country did with the Biafrans. Also, their region was separated from Biafra by the Mid-West region. The Mid-West was an ethnic quilt, with Igbos, Yorubas, and dozens of other groups. The governor was afraid that if he supported the
Federals or Biafrans, the Mid-West would be torn apart -- so he declared it to be neutral. It shielded both the Yorubas and Biafrans from each
other. Not experiencing the war, many Yorubas decided they didn't have a dog in the fight. Yoruba writers, poets, and artists began to
protest the war. The Federal troops in Lagos -- mostly from other parts of the country -- and the Lagosians began to snarl at each other, and everybody was afraid of a riot.

http://www.historykb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/what-if/13441/Biafra-s-First-Gamble-long

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). 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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Civil_War

The Western and Mid-western regions were parts of Nigeria but they were neutral until the invasion by the Biafrans.

Now you answer my questions. Were you expecting all Western and mid-western officers to resign their commissions instead of fighting against Biafra? Did they swear oaths of allegiance to Nigeria or Biafra? Having said that, there were Yoruba officers who did resign their commissions; one of such was Lt Col Ayo Ariyo.

Ok, lemme get this straight; Yorubas did not enter the fight until Biafra became "expantionists"?! How are the Yorubas cowards again?

My ppeople of BIAFRA! Biafra remains the Land where Freedom can be assured. Nigeria has assured us exploitation, oppression and death. Nigeria has assured even Nigerians poverty, misery, bloodshed and destruction. Nigeria means nothing valuable to the various peoples occupying that geographical space. Hausa-Fulani Islamic Jihadist Genocidists have refused a Peoples Sovereign National Conference, rigged all Elections and Census and squandered 400 billion dollars with Yoruba Oligarchs and reeked a 63-year genocide

jaygetta:

Ok, lemme get this straight; Yorubas did not enter the fight until Biafra became "expantionists"?! How are the Yorubas cowards again?

Let me spell it out for you - After the July 66 coup many yoruba soldiers tried to desert the army en masse fearing for their lives, they were not willing to take a stand either way because they were terrified of being murdered by northern soldiers.  It is for this same reason that they stood by and watched while igbo soldiers were being massacred by the northerners.  Instead of forming an alliance with the igbos they preferred to remain "neutral" despite being fully aware that if the first coup had succeeded their Awo would have been the main beneficiary of it.

The only time they were able to move into action was when the northerners decided to use them as junior partners in the genocidal war against biafra, assured of certain success due to the military advantage that the north had over the east in terms of man power and weaponry they decided to allign with the north.  Prior to their allignment with the north they were content to simply hide away and plead "neutrality" but only when they were sure that they were certain of victory through their alliance with the north did they take a stand - if that is not cowardice i dont know what is.

Oga Cap28, let me start by asking you, humbly, to NEVER, EVER,direct any of your replies to me again! I have read a lot of your posts and you are one of those that, honestly, sicken me. Infact, I think say you sick up there. If you no dey curse Yoruba, na oyinbo u dey curse! Notice, me I like the neutralist part! If na Hausa wrong, I talk am. If na Igbo, Yoruba, Nupe, Igbira, Ishan, Auchi, Kalabari. . . . Whoever I talk am! I no go talk say my Grandma talk say all Tapa people bad so therefore dem must bad true true. . . . Besides, most of what u spit is balderash; cold nonsense! You usually have no idea what ur talking about. As said earlier, refrain from referring to me in the future. I'll really appreciate it. Ose gaan!

jaygetta:

Oga Cap28, let me start by asking you, humbly, to NEVER, EVER,direct any of your replies to me again! I have read a lot of your posts and you are one of those that, honestly, sicken me. Infact, I think say you sick up there. If you no dey curse Yoruba, na oyinbo u dey curse! Notice, me I like the neutralist part! If na Hausa wrong, I talk am. If na Igbo, Yoruba, Nupe, Igbira, Ishan, Auchi, Kalabari. . . . Whoever I talk am! I no go talk say my Grandma talk say all Tapa people bad so therefore dem must bad true true. . . . Besides, most of what u spit is balderash; cold nonsense! You usually have no idea what your talking about. As said earlier, refrain from referring to me in the future. I'll really appreciate it. Ose gaan!

first of all never ever dictate to me who i should direct my posts to, in case you did not notice this is a PUBLIC FORUM you have zero control over who i direct my posts to, if i feel like directing my posts to you I WILL AND THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT SO DEAL WITH IT YOU LOSER.

You are far from neutral in your reasoning, neutrality involves taking the middle ground something you have failed to do throughout this discussion, does it hurt to know that YORUBA SOLDIERS PREFERRED TO DESERT THE ARMY EN MASSE FOR FEAR OF BEING SLAUGHTERED BY NORTHERN SOLDIERS - deal with it!!!

Katsumoto:

QUESTION:  WHAT CAN YOU RECALL ABOUT THE MID-WEST INCURSION OF 1967?

RESPONSE:  I was completely out of the loop.  As stated above, we were taken unawares, facilitated by some black legs amongst us.  I was busy organizing and rehearsing the Civil Defence Operations in Benin and doing the write-up and training.  I was, as it were, detached from conventional Army duties. I did not believe that the Biafrans would enter Mid-West for it had been agreed by the Federal, Eastern and Mid-West Governments that Mid-West should remain neutral.

In fact a company of Federal troops that entered Mid-West (led by Lt. Igbinosa) was ordered out of the Mid-West by Col. Conrad Nwawo, the 4th Area Commander, Benin.  So one expected that Ojukwu who was aware of this should be gentleman enough to abide by the agreement.  He did not and those of us who were not involved in the betrayal were taken completely unawares.

http://www.dawodu.com/omoigui52.htm

In May Gowon issued a decree implementing the Aburi Agreement. Even the Northern Region leaders, who had been the first to threaten secession, now favored the formation of a multistate federation. Meanwhile, the military governor of the Midwestern Region announced that his region must be considered neutral in the event of civil war.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/biafra.htm

To oversimplify, a lull of several months occured after the declaration, to be interrupted when the Biafrans invaded the de facto neutral terrain of the Midwest Region. As Biafra was now perceived as expansionist, this provoked a violent response from the federal military government who retook the Midwest with ease, escalating the conflict into a full-scale war which resulted in between 1 to 3 million deaths and the reincorporation of Biafran territory into the republic after a victory for the federation.

http://www.nigeria-planet.com/

But two flukes of pre-war politics gave the Biafrans a chance. The first fluke was geography. The Yorubas (largest group in the western region, where the capital of Lagos was) weren't very enthusiastic about the war. They'd spent the decade paralyzed by in-fighting, so they hadn't been
able to get into the blood feuds that the rest of the country did with the Biafrans. Also, their region was separated from Biafra by the Mid-West region. The Mid-West was an ethnic quilt, with Igbos, Yorubas, and dozens of other groups. The governor was afraid that if he supported the
Federals or Biafrans, the Mid-West would be torn apart -- so he declared it to be neutral. It shielded both the Yorubas and Biafrans from each
other. Not experiencing the war, many Yorubas decided they didn't have a dog in the fight. Yoruba writers, poets, and artists began to
protest the war. The Federal troops in Lagos -- mostly from other parts of the country -- and the Lagosians began to snarl at each other, and everybody was afraid of a riot.

http://www.historykb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/what-if/13441/Biafra-s-First-Gamble-long

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). 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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Civil_War

The Western and Mid-western regions were parts of Nigeria but they were neutral until the invasion by the Biafrans.

Now you answer my questions. Were you expecting all Western and mid-western officers to resign their commissions instead of fighting against Biafra? Did they swear oaths of allegiance to Nigeria or Biafra? Having said that, there were Yoruba officers who did resign their commissions; one of such was Lt Col Ayo Ariyo.

You keep avoiding the question i keep asking you. Were the Mid-west and the West not parts of the geographical entity called Nigeria that blockaded biafran waters and territory? I need a yes or no answer.

Katsumoto:

QUESTION:  WHAT CAN YOU RECALL ABOUT THE MID-WEST INCURSION OF 1967?

RESPONSE:  I was completely out of the loop.  As stated above, we were taken unawares, facilitated by some black legs amongst us.  I was busy organizing and rehearsing the Civil Defence Operations in Benin and doing the write-up and training.  I was, as it were, detached from conventional Army duties. I did not believe that the Biafrans would enter Mid-West for it had been agreed by the Federal, Eastern and Mid-West Governments that Mid-West should remain neutral.

In fact a company of Federal troops that entered Mid-West (led by Lt. Igbinosa) was ordered out of the Mid-West by Col. Conrad Nwawo, the 4th Area Commander, Benin.  So one expected that Ojukwu who was aware of this should be gentleman enough to abide by the agreement.  He did not and those of us who were not involved in the betrayal were taken completely unawares.

http://www.dawodu.com/omoigui52.htm

In May Gowon issued a decree implementing the Aburi Agreement. Even the Northern Region leaders, who had been the first to threaten secession, now favored the formation of a multistate federation. Meanwhile, the military governor of the Midwestern Region announced that his region must be considered neutral in the event of civil war.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/biafra.htm

To oversimplify, a lull of several months occured after the declaration, to be interrupted when the Biafrans invaded the de facto neutral terrain of the Midwest Region. As Biafra was now perceived as expansionist, this provoked a violent response from the federal military government who retook the Midwest with ease, escalating the conflict into a full-scale war which resulted in between 1 to 3 million deaths and the reincorporation of Biafran territory into the republic after a victory for the federation.

http://www.nigeria-planet.com/

But two flukes of pre-war politics gave the Biafrans a chance. The first fluke was geography. The Yorubas (largest group in the western region, where the capital of Lagos was) weren't very enthusiastic about the war. They'd spent the decade paralyzed by in-fighting, so they hadn't been
able to get into the blood feuds that the rest of the country did with the Biafrans. Also, their region was separated from Biafra by the Mid-West region. The Mid-West was an ethnic quilt, with Igbos, Yorubas, and dozens of other groups. The governor was afraid that if he supported the
Federals or Biafrans, the Mid-West would be torn apart -- so he declared it to be neutral. It shielded both the Yorubas and Biafrans from each
other. Not experiencing the war, many Yorubas decided they didn't have a dog in the fight. Yoruba writers, poets, and artists began to
protest the war. The Federal troops in Lagos -- mostly from other parts of the country -- and the Lagosians began to snarl at each other, and everybody was afraid of a riot.

http://www.historykb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/what-if/13441/Biafra-s-First-Gamble-long

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). 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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Civil_War

The Western and Mid-western regions were parts of Nigeria but they were neutral until the invasion by the Biafrans.

Now you answer my questions. Were you expecting all Western and mid-western officers to resign their commissions instead of fighting against Biafra? Did they swear oaths of allegiance to Nigeria or Biafra? Having said that, there were Yoruba officers who did resign their commissions; one of such was Lt Col Ayo Ariyo.

These illogical conjectures are giving Nigerians intellectual bad-name. In fact, insinuating Western and Mid-western regions of Nigeria were neutral in the saga between Nigeria and Biafra is akin to saying that fish is neutral to water.  Apart from eastern region which had declared independence, all other regions were integral part of Nigeria as of July 6, 1967.

If the military formations in western and mid-western regions were still referred as 2nd area command and 4th area command respectively as these skewed write-ups would want us to believe, which were still the Nigerian military formations under the leadership of Gowon, I had expected these revisionists to inform us why eastern region military formation was termed Biafran army instead of 3rd area command so as to be inline with other regions of Nigeria. As of July 6, 1967, there were two countries-Nigeria and Biafra in what used to be the colonial contraption called Nigeria period.

It is either the people who wrote these craps were delusional or do not understand the concept of neutrality. During the conferences that preceded the spiral of arms between Nigeria and Biafra, the representatives from these so-called neutral regions were integral part of Nigerian delegation. They collectively spoke in favor of Nigeria and were signatories to Nigerian presentations. Some of us with social order above our shoulders wonder when the neutrality started.

Good to see this thread has progressed thus far. . . the Igbos and Yorubas in the old Nigerian military playing out themselves. . . 
They never disappoint I tellya.

tpia1
Posts: 437

Offline

Re: Why Blame The North And West For Biafra
« #111 on: December 18, 2010, 07:08 AM »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@ vicenzo

puzzled by your definition of neutral.

@ blazay

kindly look for whoever called you an almajiri since i doubt it was me, therefore there's nothing to remember about it.

as per where your oil money is sitting, follow the yellow brick road as the garamantjes would tell you.

Of course. . . only one that can read and understand the meaning of the word 'neutral' could also apply it. Not you for sure. Anyone can see I am posting objectively and as it relates to this topic. Any contributions?

Jaygetta - cowards die many times before their death - the valiant never taste of death but once - Shakespeare

Let the above quote sink in to your skull, let it swirl around and then absorb it.

You read through my posts and all you got from them was that i hate oyinbo and i hate yoruba - that is the reasoning capacity of a re.tarded person, you say you are sickened by my posts - that means that you are sickened by the truth because all of my posts set out the truth of the society that we live in.  I would have had more respect for you if you had even attempted to rebut anything that i have written that you disagree with, but you couldnt because you know deep down inside that everything i have stated is the truth, people like you hate the truth because it forces you to face up to the reality of the world that you inhabit, people like you prefer to escape into a fantasy world full of distorted facts and revised history - welcome to the real world sucker.

Dede1:


These illogical conjectures are giving Nigerians intellectual bad-name. In fact, insinuating Western and Mid-western regions of Nigeria were neutral in the saga between Nigeria and Biafra is akin to saying that fish is neutral to water.  Apart from eastern region which had declared independence, all other regions were integral part of Nigeria as of July 6, 1967.

If the military formations in western and mid-western regions were still referred as 2nd area command and 4th area command respectively as these skewed write-ups would want us to believe, which were still the Nigerian military formations under the leadership of Gowon, I had expected these revisionists to inform us why eastern region military formation was termed Biafran army instead of 3rd area command so as to be inline with other regions of Nigeria. As of July 6, 1967, there were two countries-Nigeria and Biafra in what used to be the colonial contraption called Nigeria period.

It is either the people who wrote these craps were delusional or do not understand the concept of neutrality. During the conferences that preceded the spiral of arms between Nigeria and Biafra, the representatives from these so-called neutral regions were integral part of Nigerian delegation. They collectively spoke in favor of Nigeria and were signatories to Nigerian presentations. Some of us with social order above our shoulders wonder where the neutrality started.

You are the fountain of all knowledge; you have been known to dispute all write-ups including those from Time magazine as long as they do not align with your version of history. You continue to dispute without EVER supplying facts to back your own argument. Are we supposed to take your versions as gospel just because you want it so? Understand this, your opinions means nothing to me if they are divergent to fact-backed positions i hold.

What we know is that when the civil war started, Gowon attacked Biafra using two columns through Nsukka and Garkem. At the same time, the Navy was positioned in the Bight of Biafra to support amphibious landings by the 3rd Marine Commando. At that point in time, Gowon could have used the 2nd Division to attack Biafra through Asaba-Onitsha axis but he didn't. Was Gen Ejoor not sleeping when Biafran forces sneaked in through Asaba with the assistance of Delta Igbos? The first shots that were fired were by the Biafrans when advancing towards other parts of the mid-west. Did the recruitment drive in the West and mid-west not start after the Biafran incursion? You can believe what you want and let the rest of us believe what we want.

Of course, in your mind, anybody that does not support you must be against you.

How Cap28 is not confined within the walls of a Mental Institution is still beyond me!

bk.babe97y:

How Cap28 is not confined within the walls of a Mental Institution is still beyond me!

You assume that mental institutions do not supply internet connected computers. Having never been in one, I couldn't be too sure. 

Katsumoto:

You are the fountain of all knowledge; you have been known to dispute all write-ups including those from Time magazine as long as they do not align with your version of history. You continue to dispute without EVER supplying facts to back your own argument. Are we supposed to take your versions as gospel just because you want it so? Understand this, your opinions means nothing to me if they are divergent to fact-backed positions i hold.

What we know is that when the civil war started, Gowon attacked Biafra using two columns through Nsukka and Garkem. At the same time, the Navy was positioned in the Bight of Biafra to support amphibious landings by the 3rd Marine Commando. At that point in time, Gowon could have used the 2nd Division to attack Biafra through Asaba-Onitsha axis but he didn't. Was Gen Ejoor not sleeping when Biafran forces sneaked in through Asaba with the assistance of Delta Igbos? The first shots that were fired were by the Biafrans when advancing towards other parts of the mid-west. Did the recruitment drive in the West and mid-west not start after the Biafran incursion? You can believe what you want and let the rest of us believe what we want.

Of course, in your mind, anybody that does not support you must be against you.

Pal, take it easy on me. What fountain of knowledge if I may ask? I write to pure cold facts on hot irrelevant conjectures.   

We have been through this lane before now and I guess we must have picked up one or two indelible facts about the situation then. Gowon may have been silly not foolish. He sat comfortable in western region of Nigeria while prosecuting what was initially termed “Police Action” against eastern region of Nigeria latter called Biafra. Gowon had dissolved Lagos Garrison Organization into 3rd Division under the command of western region born commander and moved them to Escavros in mid-western region for amphibious attack on Port Harcourt and other eastern regional territories. Gowon, still at home in western region of Nigeria, had total control of the 2nd and 4th area commands which he created into 2nd Division.

The Nigerian Naval headquarter and command were situated in Lagos, western region and Gowon and his naval chief of staff, who was a Yoruba, had given orders to chase down an Igbo naval officer who left port on training mission with one of the Nigerian frigates simple because the officer was from eastern region. It was not a coincident that the naval officers who gave chase were a Briton, Yoruba, Hausa and Ijo. Talk about neutrality.

You have always written numerously about military strategy but still could not recognize one when you see it. Gowon’s sitting in western region and issuing attack on Biafra from the boundary points between northern region and eastern region was a smoke screen to protect southern part of northern region while making sure the western and mid-western regions remains as part of northern region as he would want. Any attack on Biafra from soldiers that took orders from Gowon while in Lagos was open invitation to Biafra to launch any preemptive attack on Nigeria period.

It is ridiculously pathetic and a display of cowardly disingenuous act to claim neutrality when Gowon was issuing orders to the combatants drawn from the regions claiming to be neutral in the saga.

Katsumoto:

You assume that mental institutions do not supply internet connected computers. Having never been in one, I couldn't be too sure. 

Lol. lol. roflmao!

Merry Christmas in advance to u! How u been?

bk.babe97y:

Lol. lol. roflmao!

Merry Christmas in advance to u! How u been?

Merry xmas to you too. I am good; U?

Dede1:


Pal, take it easy on me. What fountain of knowledge if I may ask? I write to pure cold facts on hot irrelevant conjectures.   

We have been through this lane before now and I guess we must have picked up one or two indelible facts about the situation then. Gowon may have been silly not foolish. He sat comfortable in western region of Nigeria while prosecuting what was initially termed “Police Action” against eastern region of Nigeria latter called Biafra. Gowon had dissolved Lagos Garrison Organization into 3rd Division under the command of western region born commander and moved them to Escavros in mid-western region for amphibious attack on Port Harcourt and other eastern regional territories. Gowon, still at home in western region of Nigeria, had total control of the 2nd and 4th area commands which he created into 2nd Division.

The Nigerian Naval headquarter and command were situated in Lagos, western region and Gowon and his naval chief of staff, who was a Yoruba, had given orders to chase down an Igbo naval officer who left port on training mission with one of the Nigerian frigates simple because the officer was from eastern region. It was not a coincident that the naval officers who gave chase were a Briton, Yoruba, Hausa and Ijo. Talk about neutrality.

You have always written numerously about military strategy but still could not recognize one when you see it. Gowon’s sitting in western region and issuing attack on Biafra from the boundary points between northern region and eastern region was a smoke screen to protect southern part of northern region while making sure the western and mid-western regions remains as part of northern region as he would want. Any attack on Biafra from soldiers that took orders from Gowon while in Lagos was open invitation to Biafra to launch any preemptive attack on Nigeria period.

It is ridiculously pathetic and a display of cowardly disingenuous act to claim neutrality when Gowon was issuing orders to the combatants drawn from the regions claiming to be neutral in the saga.           

Did Gowon not issue orders to Easterners such as Brig Ekpo, Ike Nwachukwu, Brig Ikwue, Adaka Boro, and a host of others? Does that imply that the Eastern region was fighting against Biafra? At the end of the day, the soldiers who fought against Biafra were professional soldiers and they swore an oath to defend Nigeria from enemies both external and internal. Just as one cannot begrudge Eastern soldiers for fighting for Biafra, one cannot begrudge other Nigerian soldiers (Igbo soldiers included) for fighting against Biafra. Afterall, were Nigerian soldiers and policemen (including Yoruba sons) not used in the various campaigns to quash dissent in the West in the early sixties?

At the end of the day, you analyse all issues from an ethnic perspective. If a Yoruba judge jails an Igbo criminal, then the Yoruba judge must have an ethnic agenda.

The facts that we have so far are
1. Nigerian soldiers including Igbo, Ibibio, Ijo, Hausa-Fulani, Tiv, Kanuri fought against Biafra
2. Biafran soldiers including Igbo, Ibibio, Yoruba fought against Nigeria
3. Yoruba sons either lost their lives or were jailed for protesting the Biafran cause
4. Yoruba sons did resign their commission rather than fight against Biafra
5. Lagos was the capital before the start of the war. Is Dede1 suggesting that Gowon move the capital to the North just because he wants to prosecute a war against Biafra?
6. There was no military campaign through the mid-west to attack Biafra until after the Biafran incursion
7. The governor of the mid-west announced that his region was neutral
8. Consciption of Western and mid-western sons into the military began after the incursion of the Biafrans
9. Biafra had every right to attack Lagos; Yoruba and mid-western sons equally then had the right to join the military and fight against Biafra after their lands were attacked

You can reach your own conclusions about neutrality; I have reached mine.

Katsumoto:

Did Gowon not issue orders to Easterners such as Brig Ekpo, Ike Nwachukwu, Brig Ikwue, and a host of others? Does that imply that the Eastern region was fighting against Biafra? At the end of the day, the soldiers who fought against Biafra were professional soldiers and they swore an oath to defend Nigeria from enemies both external and internal. Just as one cannot begrudge Eastern soldiers for fighting for Biafra, one cannot begrudge other Nigerian soldiers (Igbo soldiers included) for fighting against Biafra. Afterall, were Nigerian soldiers and policemen (including Yoruba sons) not used in the various campaigns to quash dissent in the West in the early sixties?

At the end of the day, you analyse all issues from an ethnic perspective. If a Yoruba judge jails an Igbo criminal, then the Yoruba judge must have an ethnic agenda.

The facts that we have so far are
1. Nigerian soldiers including Igbo, Ibibio, Ijo, Hausa-Fulani, Tiv, Kanuri fought against Biafra
2. Biafran soldiers including Igbo, Ibibio, Yoruba fought against Nigeria
3. Yoruba sons either lost their lives or were jailed for protesting the Biafran cause
4. Yoruba sons did resign their commission rather than fight against Biafra
5. Lagos was the capital before the start of the war. Is Dede1 suggesting that Gowon move the capital to the North just because he wants to prosecute a war against Biafra?
6. There was no military campaign through the mid-west to attack Biafra until after the Biafran incursion
7. The governor of the mid-west announced that his region was neutral
8. Consciption of Western and mid-western sons into the military began after the incursion of the Biafrans
9. Biafra had every right to attack Lagos; Yoruba and mid-western sons equally then had the right to join the military and fight against Biafra after their lands were attacked

You can reach your own conclusions about neutrality; I have reached mine.

gbammm

well ojukwu is about dying so he can go to hell for killing millions of people

bk.babe97y:

How Cap28 is not confined within the walls of a Mental Institution is still beyond me!

Bk babe why do you continue to vye for my attention? You love to imagine that you are superior to africans but your poor grammar, ghetto upbringing and gansta rap mentality always gives you away for being the hood rat that you are , i think you are in dire need of a father figure - speaking of which - have you been to see your dad lately at Angola federal penitentiary?

1964 a group of young Nigerian officer-cadets, mostly Northerners, had been declared academically unfit and hence repatriated by the Canadian military authorities. These same cadets were however pronounced commissioned by the Nigerian Federal Government no sooner than they had arrived at the Ikeja Airport, Standards of officer prerequisites had dropped drastically. So had those of discipline." -- Ben Gbulie in "Nigeria's Five Majors" p. 13, 1981.

Katsumoto:

You assume that mental institutions do not supply internet connected computers. Having never been in one, I couldn't be too sure.

thanks for letting us know where you spent your formative years - bigot

My people of eastern region,the existence of european post-colonial state is inimical to interest of african people.It is a state that cannot provide the fundamental needs of AFRICANS.African humanity is perennially gripped in grave crisis for survival!!

matazzmagi:

1964 a group of young Nigerian officer-cadets, mostly Northerners, had been declared academically unfit and hence repatriated by the Canadian military authorities. These same cadets were however pronounced commissioned by the Nigerian Federal Government no sooner than they had arrived at the Ikeja Airport, Standards of officer prerequisites had dropped drastically. So had those of discipline." -- Ben Gbulie in "Nigeria's Five Majors" p. 13, 1981.

the majority of these barbarians were responsible for the atrocities carried out against igbo soldiers, here is Max Siollun's account in Oil, Politics and Violence of how northern soldiers of the 5th battalion in Kano mutinied:

On the afternoon of Saturday October 1 1966  the 5th battallion's troops mutinied and opened fire as their commander Major Kyari addressed them on the battallion parade ground.  The ramapaging soldiers were so out of control that even Northerners who tried to restrain them were murdered.  They murdered their fellow Northern officers, including the second in command Captain Auna and the RSM Dauda Mumuni.  Their commanding officer Major Abba Kyari, the Adjutant Lieutenant Abubakar Gora and other officers had to flee for their lives and hid off base.  Second Lieutenant Ike Nwachukwu was among the officers fortunate to escape being killed.  The troops raided the armory, broke out of the barracks and headed into town to pick up local civilian yan daba (area boys) whom they asked to take them to locations where they could find igbos.

Igbos trying to escape were not spared.  At the Kano Airport, soldiers set upon a crowd of igbo refugees boarding a southbound flight and killed them.  Some were dragged out of the plane and shot.  igbo workers at the airport were also hunted down and killed.

pp 134-135 - Oil Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture - Max Siollun 2009