First and foremost let me tell you all a little story for the avoidance of doubt. I am from the Agbo ethnic group in Cross River State. We are located in Abi Local Government Area which is a coastal settlement and unarguably the smallest LGA in Cross River State in terms of landmass and to a large extent population – slightly a few thousands ahead of Bakassi LGA. My fore bearers both on my maternal and paternal side were given the opportunity to serve in then Eastern Nigeria regional government.
My grand uncle Dr.S E Imoke of blessed memory was an all influential cabinet minister in the regime of Dr M I Okpara. He held the Trade portfolio and was also Finance minister at the time until the unfortunate incident of January 1966. He was the longest serving Education minister. His son the Urbane Liyel Imoke is the immediate past Governor of our state “Cross River”.
During the outbreak of the war, he was the Biafran Commissioner for Refugees and Humanitarian affairs. One of my maternal uncles also served as Permanent Secretary in the ministry of health at Enugu. My maternal grand father was also a frontline member of the Eastern Nigeria regional house of Chiefs.
Outside my family circles, another great Cross Riverian M T Mbu was nominated a Federal Minister for Transport and Navy by the Igbo controlled NCNC. It’s on record that Mbu was Nigeria’s first Ambassador to the UK, UN and the USA. He is from Boki in Cross River state. Boki is another minority ethnic group just like my native Agboland. The Igbos gave him the opportunity to excel ahead of their own worthy sons at that time. He is the father to a Senator MT Mbu jr. Another person who is noteworthy is the late Chief Michael Eta-Ogon who was the Administrator of the oil rich PortHarcourt province in the first republic. He is also from the same Boki with Mbu. Thomas Weir Ikpeme an Efik man from Odukpani in my native Cross River was the longest serving Permanent Secretary in the Eastern Regional Ministry of Education.
The key point is that the Igbos were comfortable with us “the minorities” that was why they entrusted education solely in our hands. Not only education but other critical areas like Public Works and Transport etc. N U Akpan an Ibibio man from Akwa Ibom state was the technocrat behind the eastern regional public service. He was the Secretary to the regional government.
Thompson Akpabio, an Annang man from Ukana in present day Akwa Ibom state was the regional minister of health. The former Governor of Akwa Ibom state Godswill Akpabio is his nephew. There were other high ranking cabinet ministers of minority origin like one of our family good friends, HRH Amanyanabo E P Okoya, Agada III the Ibenanowei of Ekpetiama in Bayelsa State, Chief. Erekosinma of Rivers and a whole lot of others who are too numerous to mention.
During the secessionist struggle, an Ogoni from Rivers state, Chief.Ignatius Kogbara was Biafra’s Ambassador to Britain. My dad’s friend Chief. Lekam Okoi, from Idomi in present day Yakurr LGA of Cross River state was one of Ojukwu’s trusted drivers. He is today a successful lawyer and a former commissioner in the Federal Character Commission.
Capt Akpet a minority from Cross River was also Ojukwu’s dependable aide on intelligence.
Secondly for the avoidance of doubt, aside these political appointments, our people enjoyed immense goodwill from the Igbo dominated region by way of social security. My dad’s immediate elder brother received a scholarship from the regional government that enabled him study for a PhD in soil science. He is the first man “arguably” in Africa to obtain a doctorate in Soil science. I have friends across the Niger Delta whose parents, uncles, aunties and relatives also benefited from the benevolence of the Eastern regional government.
Unarguably our Niger Delta region received it’s last major facelift in terms of infrastructure when we were under the Eastern region. Till the abolition of the regional system of government, the Eastern region was the most united region, they was never a recorded case of ethnic skirmish or BLOOD letting between the Igbos and other minority groups.
During the pogrom of 1966 we all carried the same cross to “Golgotha”, both Igbos and Eastern minorities were maimed in their thousands across Northern Nigeria by the blood thirsty HausaFulani/Northern folks without blinking an eye. It doesn’t really matter if you were Igbo, Ijaw, Efik or a miniature Agbo person.
I never really wanted to bore you with reading this lengthy essay but it’s my moral responsibility to tell the truth at all times. I was thought by my fore bearers never to distort history and to always separate facts from fictions.
If we were not marginalized by the Igbos during the “analogue” age, how then can the Igbos marginalize us in this digital age?


Efa Rex Egbe from Abi, Cross River State.

Nice One op.

How most of the southern tribes became entangled with this repeated line "Maltreatment of minorities in old eastern region by IGBOS" still baffles me.

Because I have read, search and analyze but will always see an enviable unity and coexistence between them back then. Some things were just fabricated to the highest to suit this particular mantra of thiers.


Ibadan press really whine the brain of the south.

But thank God for media enlightenment today, the brainwashing ain't gonna repeat itself again.


Outta here!!!

Ibos would never see anything wrong in their gang up against Eyo ita who was sacked by ibo dominated regional assembly to subsequently elect Azikiwe as eastern premier.
Minorities were so oppressed such that Zik would rather have them marginalized than create a referendum for a separate COR states.



-Viper

ViperAda:
Ibos would never see anything wrong in their gang up against Eyo ita who was sacked by ibo dominated regional assembly to subsequently elect Azikiwe as eastern premier.
Minorities were so oppressed such that Zik would rather have them marginalized than create a referendum for a separate COR states.

-Viper

To be sincere that was the greatest mistake that the Igbos did and I still feel ashamed that we did such,the west backstabbed us in we went ahead to backstabb our distance cousins, that that the mistake that led to the fall of eastern Nigeria ,Gowon saw this and brainwash other minorities with it and they saw sense in it, had it been such didn't happen I guess it would have been kinda difficult to brainwash the minorities, anyways we Igbo are on our own for now we v lost that trust and to build it back will be difficult. All we need now are elite leaders can transform our land with little resources available. One day Igbos will rise again

ViperAda:
Ibos would never see anything wrong in their gang up against Eyo ita who was sacked by ibo dominated regional assembly to subsequently elect Azikiwe as eastern premier.
Minorities were so oppressed such that Zik would rather have them marginalized than create a referendum for a separate COR states.



-Viper

i as an igboman, criticise that stupidity of Nnamdi azikiwe, that is what quest for political power can do to some one,Nnamdi azikiwe the chief architect of one Nigeria, when his believe started failing by the emergence of Awolowo and his tribal politics,Nnamdi resulted to ethnic politics to remain relevant, so unfortunate brother, i have been criticising this very attitude of Nnamdi azikiwe for a long time.

ViperAda:
Ibos would never see anything wrong in their gang up against Eyo ita who was sacked by ibo dominated regional assembly to subsequently elect Azikiwe as eastern premier.
Minorities were so oppressed such that Zik would rather have them marginalized than create a referendum for a separate COR states.



-Viper

Zik made that mistake by himself not his tribe. However minorities were not oppressed in the Eastern region, the OPs article says so clearly

Commodore Edet Akinwale Wey Of Calabar was Gen Gowons deputy throughout the 9 years that Gen Gowon was in office

Christistruth00:

Oya say your usual rubbish.

Outta here!!!

Sergio104:


Oya say your usual rubbish.

Outta here!!!

Commodore Edet Akinwale Wey Of Calabar was Gen Gowons deputy throughout the 9 years that Gen Gowon was in office


Ojukwu and his Biafran Army had almost finished deporting all the Ogoni from their homelands before the War ended in Rivers State

One good thing about all this is that an Igbo man has not been President for over 50 years, not even vice- President for almost 40 years

People now have the opportunity to judge who is marginalising who

ViperAda:
Ibos would never see anything wrong in their gang up against Eyo ita who was sacked by ibo dominated regional assembly to subsequently elect Azikiwe as eastern premier.
Minorities were so oppressed such that Zik would rather have them marginalized than create a referendum for a separate COR states.



-Viper

Did Prof. Ayo Ita make himself the leader of government in what later became eastern region? Ndigbo made him the leader of government and he poked fingers in the eyes of Ndigbo and he suffered the political consequences. Eyo Ita later regained his bearings after hammered by a headmaster in electoral poll. Eyo Ita apologized to Ndigbo and NCNC and was reabsorbed into NCNC.

bestdefender:
To be sincere that was the greatest mistake that the Igbos did and I still feel ashamed that we did such,the west backstabbed us in we went ahead to backstabb our distance cousins, that that the mistake that led to the fall of eastern Nigeria ,Gowon saw this and brainwash other minorities with it and they saw sense in it, had it been such didn't happen I guess it would have been kinda difficult to brainwash the minorities, anyways we Igbo are on our own for now we v lost that trust and to build it back will be difficult. All we need now are elite leaders can transform our land with little resources available. One day Igbos will rise again

Please speak for yourself and do not ascribe political falsehood on Igbo people. Eyo Ita was of the sit-tight ministers who flaunted the NCNC directives and left NCNC and later apologized to be reabsorbed into the party after he suffered a political defeat in the hands of an unknown figure.

These type of posts, harking back to a bygone era that was largely peaceful, progressive and fast developing, just puts me in a state of melancholy! The damage that stupid and idealistic Nzeogwu coup did to the entire southern Nigeria....not just the Eastern Region, can never be quantified or overstated!

Just imagine where we could have been by now if that coup didn’t happen or Biafra was actualised! Though i suspect, given the amount of negativity towards Igbos at the time from the north and west, that had the Nzeogwu not happened, another coup would have occurred few months or years down the line...esp’ given the fact coups were fashionable in Africa at the time!