Awo speaks - an excerpt from a town hall interview in Abeokuta in 1983.

CIVIL WAR

Question: Chief Awolowo, …Your stand on the civil war, however unpopular it might have been to the Biafrans or Ibo people, helped to shorten the war. Today, you’re being castigated as the sole enemy of the Ibo people because of that stand, by among others, some of the people who as members of the Federal Military Government at that time, were party to that decision and are today, in some cases, inheritors of power in one Nigeria which that decision of yours helped to save. How do you feel being painted in this role, and what steps are you taking to endear yourself once again to that large chunk of Nigerians who feel embittered?

Awolowo: As far as I know, the Ibo masses are friendly to me, towards me. In fact, whenever I visit Iboland, either Anambra or Imo, and there’s no campaigning for elections on, the Ibo people receive me warmly and affectionately. But there are some elements in Iboland who believe that they can maintain their popularity only by denigrating me, and so they keep on telling lies against me. Ojukwu is one of them. I don’t want to mention the names of the others because they are still redeemable, but ….Ojukwu is irredeemable, so I mention his name, and my attitude to these lies is one of indifference, I must confess to you.

I’ve learnt to rely completely on the providence and vindication of Almighty God in some of these things. I’ve tried to explain myself in the past, but these liars persist. Ojukwu had only recently told the same lie against me. What’s the point in correcting lies when people are determined to persist in telling lies against you, what’s the point?. I know that someday the Ibos, the masses of the Ibo people will realize who their friends are, and who their real enemies are. And the day that happens woe betide those enemies. The Ibos will deal with them very roughly, very roughly.

That has happened in my life. I have a nickname now, if you see my letterhead you’ll find something on top, you’ll find a fish done on the letterhead. Some people put Lion on theirs, some people put Tiger, but mine is Fish. And Fish represents my zodiac sign, those of you who read the stars and so on in the newspapers; you’ll find out that there’s a zodiac sign known as Pisces, in Latin Pisces means Fish.

So I put Pisces on top, that’s my zodiac sign being born on the 6th of March,….er well, the year doesn’t matter, it’s the day that matters. And then on top of it I wrote Eebudola. All of you know the meaning of that. You know I don’t want to tell a long story but………………Awolowo school, omo Awolowo, the school…… started in Urhoboland, in the Mid-west in those days. They were ridiculing my schools, I was building schools – brick and cement, to dpc level, block to dpc level and mud thereafter. And so the big shots in the place..”ah what kind of school is this? is this Awolowo school? Useless school” and when they saw the children..”ah these Awolowo children, they can’t read and write, Awolowo children” that’s how it started, with ridicule, and it became a blessing, and now they say “Awolowo children, they are good people” no more ridicule about it, that’s how it started, so the 'Eebu' has become honor, the abuse became honor.

And so when I look back to all my life, treasonable felony, jail, all the abuses that were heaped on me, to Coker Inquiry, all sorts, and I see what has happened to the people who led, who led all these denigration campaign, where are they today? Those that are alive are what I call 'Homo Mortuus' - dead living, 'oku eniyan', that’s what they are, those that their lives have gone.

So when I look back, I come to the conclusion that all these abuses which have been heaped on me all my life for doing nothing, for doing good, they have become honor, and so 'Eebudola' is one of my nicknames. So I’ve cultivated an attitude of indifference, I’ve done no evil to the Ibos.

During the war I saw to it that the revenue which was due to Iboland - South Eastern states they call it, at that time..East Central State, I kept it, I saved the money for them. And when they ….were librated I handed over the money to them - millions of pounds. If I’d decided to do so, I could have kept the money away from them and then when they took over I saw to it that subvention was given to them at the rate of 990,000 pounds every month. I didn’t go to the Executive Council to ask for support, or for approval because I knew if I went to the Executive Council at that time, the subvention would not be approved because there were more enemies in the Executive Council for the Ibos than friends. And since I wasn’t going to take a percentage from what I was going to give them, and I knew I was doing what was right, I wanted the state to survive, I kept on giving the subvention – 990,000 pounds almost a million, every month, and I did that for other states of course - South Eastern State, North Central State, Kwara and so on.

But I did that for the Ibos, and when the war was over, I saw to it that the ACB got three and a half million pounds (£3,500,000.00) to start with. This was distributed immediately and I gave another sum of money. The attitude of the experts, officials at the time of the ACB was that ACB should be closed down, and I held the view: you couldn’t close the ACB down because that is the bank that gives finance to Ibo traders, and if you close it down they’ll find it difficult to survive. So it was given. I did the same thing for the Cooperative Bank of Eastern Nigeria, to rehabilitate all these places, and I saw to it as Federal Commissioner for Finance that no obstacle was placed in the way of the Ministry of Economic Planning in planning for rehabilitation of the war affected areas.

TWENTY POUNDS POLICY

That’s what I did, and the case of the money they said was not given back to them, you know during the war all the pounds were looted, they printed Biafran currency notes, which they circulated, at the close of the war some people wanted their Biafran notes to be exchanged for them. Of course I couldn’t do that, if I did that the whole country would be bankrupt. We didn’t know about Biafran notes and we didn’t know on what basis they have printed them, so we refused the Biafran note, but I laid down the principle that all those who had savings in the banks on the eve of the declaration of the Biafran war or Biafra, will get their money back if they could satisfy us that they had the savings there, or the money there. Unfortunately, all the banks’ books had been burnt, and many of the people who had savings there didn’t have their savings books or their last statement of account, so a panel had to be set up.

I didn’t take part in setting up the panel, it was done by the Central Bank and the pertinent officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance, to look into the matter, and they went carefully into the matter, they took some months to do so, and then made some recommendation which I approved. Go to the archives, all I did was approved, I didn’t write anything more than that, I don’t even remember the name of any of them who took part. So I did everything in this world to assist our Ibo brothers and sisters during and after the war.

And anyone who goes back to look at my broadcast in August 1967, which dealt with post-war reconstruction would see what I said there.

STARVATION POLICY

Then, but above all, the ending of the war itself that I’m accused of, accused of starving the Ibos, I did nothing of the sort. You know, shortly after the liberation of these places, Calabar, Enugu and Port Harcort, I decided to pay a visit. There are certain things which I knew which you don’t know, which I don’t want to say here now, when I write my reminisces in the future I will do so. Some of the soldiers were not truthful with us, they didn’t tell us correct stories and so on.

I wanted to be there and see things for myself, bear in mind that Gowon himself did not go there at that time, it was after the war was over that he dorn himself up in various military dresses - Air force dress, Army dress and so on, and went to the war torn areas. But I went and some people tried to frighten me out of my goal by saying that Adekunle was my enemy and he was going to see to it that I never returned from the place. But I went.

But when I went what did I see? I saw the kwashiorkor victims. If you see a kwashiorkor victim you’ll never like war to be waged. Terrible sight, in Enugu, in Port Harcourt, not many in Calabar, but mainly in Enugu and Port Harcourt. Then I enquired what happened to the food we were sending to the civilians. We were sending food through the Red cross, and CARITAS to them, but what happened was that the vehicles carrying the food were always ambushed by the soldiers. That’s what I discovered, and the food would then be taken to the soldiers to feed them, and so they were able to continue to fight. And I said that was a very dangerous policy, we didn’t intend the food for soldiers. But who will go behind the line to stop the soldiers from ambushing the vehicles that were carrying the food? And as long as soldiers were fed, the war will continue, and who’ll continue to suffer? and those who didn’t go to the place to see things as I did, you remember that all the big guns, all the soldiers in the Biafran army looked all well fed after the war, its only the mass of the people that suffered kwashiorkor.

You won't hear of a single lawyer, a single doctor, a single architect, who suffered from kwashiorkor? None of their children either, so they waylaid the foods, they ambushed the vehicles and took the foods to their friends and to their collaborators and to their children and the masses were suffering. So I decided to stop sending the food there. In the process, the civilians would suffer, but the soldiers will suffer most.

CHANGE OF CURRENCY

And it is on record that Ojukwu admitted that two things defeated him in this war, that’s as at the day he left Biafra. He said one, the change of currency, he said that was the first thing that defeated him, and we did that to prevent Ojukwu taking the money which his soldiers had stolen from our Central Bank for sale abroad to buy arms. We discovered he looted our Central Bank in Benin, he looted the one in Port Harcourt, looted the one in Calabar and he was taking the currency notes abroad to sell to earn foreign exchange to buy arms.

So I decided to change the currency, and for your benefit, it can now be told the whole world, only Gowon knew the day before, the day before the change took place. I decided, only three of us knew before then- Isong now Governor of Cross River, Attah and myself. It was a closely guarded secret, if any Commissioner at the time says that he knew about it, he’s only boosting his own ego. Because once you tell someone, he’ll tell another person. So we refused to tell them and we changed the currency notes. So Ojukwu said the change in currency defeated him, and starvation of his soldiers also defeated him.

These were the two things that defeated Ojukwu. And, he reminds me, when you saw Ojukwu’s picture after the war, did he look like someone who wasn't well fed? But he had been taking the food which we sent to civilians, and so we stopped the food.

ABANDONED PROPERTY

And then finally, I saw to it that the houses owned by the Ibos in Lagos and on this side, were kept for them. I had an estate agent friend who told me that one of them collected half a million pounds rent which has been kept for him. All his rent were collected, but since we didn’t seize their houses, he came back and collected half a million pounds.

So that is the position. I’m a friend of the Ibos and the mass of the Ibos are my friends, but there are certain elements who want to continue to deceive the Ibos by telling lies against me, and one day, they’ll discover and then that day will be terrible for those who have been telling the lies.

Cc: Mynd44, lalasticlala


https://ng.opera.news/ng/en//5b5cc54460a555715d287c66c83620a6

A very intelligent man indeed. This should be moved to FP.

Excellent piece. But you won't see the son's if eight here bri g objective.

this man was a good man
igbos only hate him for the lies they were told

Rest in peace Awolowo!
ebu dola
the more you curse,the more he is blessed!

How did he die and who killed him?

Now the truth is finally out.

SpecialAdviser:
How did he die and who killed him?

He died peacefully in his sleep.

SpecialAdviser:
How did he die and who killed him?

What matters is what he did for humanity and his good legacies.May His soul continue to rest in perfect peace.

the same way they now hate Tinubu that so much accomodated them in Lagos

What a great and intelligent man
Where are children of hate, perdition and frustration, your lies have been debunked

Coldshisha:
the same way they now hate Tinubu that so much accomodated them in Lagos

Tinubu helped to bring the grossly incompetent President Nigeria has today.

I hope you enjoying Nigeria the way it is


I won't waste time to discuss Awo cause they said he said he drank poison and so is rotting in hell...that's enough punishment already

At least some of the haters can read d real narrative aside from the ones fed to them by their village uncle's.

cc akiara esnbrutality gidgiddy officialgarri proeast2 hammervj Asgard13 afonjaconehead afonjacow cyynthiakiss rawhumper donstan18 Sctests mayniaa bigprik welcometobiafra nigeriabiafra82 selemempe rugaria nairalandankrah

megacity:


Tinubu helped to bring the grossly incompetent President Nigeria has today.

I hope you enjoying Nigeria the way it is


I won't waste time to discuss Awo cause they said he said he drank poison and so is rotting in hell...that's enough punishment already

words from a child of hate n perdition,it's like all igbos attend hate classes in their villages b4 coming to d city cos I can't relate how a tribe will hate everyone

megacity:


Tinubu helped to bring the grossly incompetent President Nigeria has today.

I hope you enjoying Nigeria the way it is


I won't waste time to discuss Awo cause they said he said he drank poison and so is rotting in hell...that's enough punishment already

14 million votes brought Buhari as President not Tinubu

they that said a 78 year old elder statement who had retired from active politics and live in ikene his village committed suicide are just plain stupid , no more no less

Front page worthy material

megacity:


Tinubu helped to bring the grossly incompetent President Nigeria has today.

I hope you enjoying Nigeria the way it is


I won't waste time to discuss Awo cause they said he said he drank poison and so is rotting in hell...that's enough punishment already

Is your hate for Tinubu anchored solely on the role he played in the ascendancy of Buhari to the rostrum of power or there are other valuable information you're privy to you wish to furnish us with? Who knows, we may reconsider our support for Tinubu if those reasons are tenable enough.

Thesame way they hate Awolowo that's how they hate Tinubu. Tell them to mention what Tinubu has done against them, they'll start blabbing. Tinubu is the first governor to nominate non-indigene into his top cabinet. Dem no born any governor to try that in the east; they'll so frustrate his life. The Igbos are only jealous because they currently lack an iconic and dynamic leader like Tinubu. Once we foolishly allow ourselves to bring Tinubu down, they'll now comeback to mock us for our stupidity. I just pray that Yorubas will have sense, these people(Igbos) together with the fulanis don't mean well for us.

Nexus25:


Is your hate for Tinubu anchored solely on the role he played in the ascendancy of Buhari to the rostrum of power or there are other valuable information you're privy to you wish to furnish us with? Who knows, we may reconsider our support for Tinubu if those reasons are tenable enough.

There's no need trying to make friends with someone that has sworn to hate you. These people are irredeemable even Awolowo has said it.

funshint:

There's no need trying to make friends with someone that has sworn to hate you. These people are irredeemable even Awolowo has said it.

It is remotely impossible to make friends with those who wish for your downfall when all you wish and pray for them is success.

The post you quoted was for a reason, the moniker i directed the question to won't answer because he has absolutely nothing tangible against Tinubu.

Fellow Yorubas know this IGBOS AND FULANI always pour hatred for any Yoruba leader that will take Yorubaland to greater height take for example Awolowo( they called him a tribalist),Abiola(they called him an islamist),Tinubu (they called him a criminal).But they prefer and support any Yoruba leader that will destroy yorubaland like Obasanjo,FFK,etc.Yorubas be careful and watchful of The igbos and fulanis,they are the foundation of Yorubas problem

So Ojukwu and his soldiers actually starved biafran masses to death by diverting the food sent to them by the same Nigeria they were fighting.. interesting!

Later these mor0ns will come and be boasting they are this and that. Bunch of ingrates!

Two things defeated ojukwu. Starvation and change of currency. Both are economic.

SpecialAdviser:
How did he die and who killed him?

He died peacefully in his sleep at his house at the ripe age of 78

megacity:


Tinubu helped to bring the grossly incompetent President Nigeria has today.

I hope you enjoying Nigeria the way it is


I won't waste time to discuss Awo cause they said he said he drank poison and so is rotting in hell...that's enough punishment already

I hope "they" were there when he drank the poison.

Agbegbaorogboye:
Two things defeated ojukwu. Starvation and change of currency. Both are economic.

He who fails to plan, plans to fail..

The Biafra had no economic standing, no blueprint, nothing. Ojukwu relied on all the monies he stole from Central Bank to buy weapons but unfortunately for him, the superior Yoruba brainpower of Awo finished him. 'ogbon ju agbara lo'

The same people that killed Niger Deltans, Hausas, Fulanis, Yorubas etc. are crying of starvation. They wanted Nigeria to provide food for them so they would have strength to continue killing Nigerians. How unreasonable!

funshint:
Thesame way they hate Awolowo that's how they hate Tinubu. Tell them to mention what Tinubu has done against them, they'll start blabbing. Tinubu is the first governor to nominate non-indigene into his top cabinet. Dem no born any governor to try that in the east; they'll so frustrate his life. The Igbos are only jealous because they currently lack an iconic and dynamic leader like Tinubu. Once we foolishly allow ourselves to bring Tinubu down, they'll now comeback to mock us for our stupidity. I just pray that Yorubas will have sense, these people(Igbos) together with the fulanis don't mean well for us.

please Awolowo is in a leque of his own .Dont equate tinubu with him.politically, educationally , socially economically Awolowo positively impacted his people. others since then are wannabes.Tinubu wants to be president ,he is entitled to it. But he should tell us how he as positively impacted our life's as lagosians during is tenure in those aspect ,that left an enduring legacy.

Agbegbaorogboye:

I hope "they" were there when he drank the poison.

Can't you see how stagnant and unproductive their region is? when all that goes around there is lies upon lies.

Liars don't grow.. reason they are where they are today. No tangible progress or development.

theTranslator:
this man was a good man

igbos only hate him for the lies they were told


Rest in peace Awolowo!

ebu dola

the more you curse,the more he is blessed!

i dont hate him. But only if he can see what is going on with the nigeria he did all this to keep as one,bros ,pa awo will cry .