Deadlytruth:


This doesn't still explain what Ironsi meant by the bolded lines. We are not talking of regionalism in the simplistic sense of the mere existence of regions but in the sense of their independence and autonomy. We presently have six regions in Nigeria, namely SS, SW, SE, NE, NW and NC but does that automatically translate to us presently practicing regionalism? A big no and that is because those regions only exist on paper but are not recognized as federating units. Ironsi was actually the one who stripped the regions of their autonomy by breaking them down to 35 provinces which began to take orders from the center and also report to the center. Then he declared that he no longer recognized the regions as federating units. Gowon on the other hand created states and restored to them the same powers as the regions were before Ironsi came.

Christistruth00:




If it was not an Igbo Coup then it was a very Unfair and Unjust Coup


Nigeria had 4 Regional Premiers and and one Igbo Chief Of the Nigerian Army-his Soldiers Killed

the 2 Premiers that were not Igbo Speaking ( Sardauna And Akintola) and spared the 2 Igbo

Speaking Premiers and Gen Ironsi an Igbo man was responsible for protecting all of the Premiers

Was that fair?

If it had been the other way round would it have been acceptable to you?

Whatever Sardauna said was not Punishable by death and the Coup even proved to the

North that what he was saying had an element of Truth

Otherwise why didn’t Gen Ironsi’s Govt sentence the Coup Plotters like they did to Boro

Why was Gen Ironsi in a hurry for Issac Boro to be Sentenced to death while dragging his feet on

the Trial and Sentencing Of those who had murdered an entire Prime Minister and 2 Premiers ?

If you were a. Northerner would you think it was fair ?

Biodun556:
The man that removed federalism and replaced it with unitary system

He failed to prosecute the killers of Tafawa Balewa because they were Igbos setting the stage for revenge and civil war

Enkidu70:


History

You can't argue with history, and it's totally unethical, the way you guys struggle to rewrite it every day that God brings. Let's be honest with each other as much as possible

GUNITGuy:

This was formulated by the lawyer Ben Nwabueze....

Biodun556:
The man that removed federalism and replaced it with unitary system

He failed to prosecute the killers of Tafawa Balewa because they were Igbos setting the stage for revenge and civil war

obyno82:



Look stop using Wikipedia, as it is an edited site and anyone can edit the document to suit his/her agenda. But again you need to understand that Ironsi abolished regions in Name. the unitary decree if you read it stated that the civil service is centralized and that anyone from any region can be posted anywhere including outside his/her region.
And again you need to understand that in a martial law situation which was the situation Nigeria found themselves in after Jan 66 with cabinet in disarray . Hence in a martial law situation the constitution is suspended and all the powers of government is conferred on the military so that they can restore law and order.
I think you guys are playing a mischief card in blaming Ironsi. The only head of state that received instruments of hand over from the civillian government to restore law and order was Ironsi, other military leaders came in via coup d' etat. If there was anyone who killed federalism especially in the area of resource sharing was in fact Gowon. Gowon in a bid to keep the proceed of oil sales away from Ojukwu centralized the revenue sharing formula from the regions giving to center, to the center giving to the regions. After the war this arrangement was not changed until now. Please leave Ironsi out of the argument, as it is very unfair

gidgiddy:


You guys can lie all you want that Ironsi removed Regionalism and introduced unitary rule

But Gowons decree 14, below, where Gowon abolished all 4 Regions a d created 12 unitary states, wi always expose that lie against Ironsi

obyno82:


Oga stop the lies Ben Nwabueze didn't formulate decree 8 that Gowon used to abolish regions and create states.

GUNITGuy:

Aguiyi Ironsi Abolished the regional government this was what provoked the north .....As soon as they got Ironsi out of the way ...Gowon didn't reinstall the regions back then Ojukwu got angry and threatened a secession or confederate states

obyno82:


Did you read the Unitary decree at all? Forget the junk reporting from these journalists nowadays. Ironsi said the regions are to be replaced as collections of provinces, now i ask what makes up a region is it not provinces? look what Ironsi did was to remove the nomenclature regions he wanted to call it collection of provinces so that integration will be achieved and thus encourage unity which is what the Unitary decree set out to achieve , But Ironsi's mistake was to assume you can get unity by Military fiat.

GUNITGuy:

Aguiyi Ironsi Abolished the regional government this was what provoked the north .....As soon as they got Ironsi out of the way ...Gowon didn't reinstall the regions back then Ojukwu got angry and threatened a secession or confederate states

Enkidu70:


You're totally, completely delusional

People have pasted copies of the decree document on here and you read the actual provisions of the text. Is it a lie that Ironsi promulgated decree 34?

baralatie:

Meaning ironsi abolished the regions and installed a unitary regime nah!

obyno82:


You are trying to be half clever. Ironsi still kept the regions in principle and they were called a collection of provinces. Gowon was the one who with decree 8 abolished the regions and created 12 states isn't it so?

gidgiddy:


We currently dont have any Regions, the constitution does not recognize anything called South/South, South/East, South West.

Im not about what Ironsi, Im interested in what he did. In military rule, there is limited autonomy, military rule is not democracy

What matters is if it was Ironsi who ended Regionalism. Ghana had many military leaders who grabbed power to the centre, but Ghana still practices Regionalism because none of its military rulers ever abolished the Regions they had and created states, like Gowon did. So when civilian rule returned in Ghana, they simply did away with the various decrees military rulers made and restored the autonomy of the Regions

But because Gowon had abolished the 4 Regions and created 12 states, there was nothing to restore in the case of Nigeria because the Regions were long gone

Gowons Decree 14 totally destroyed Regionalism. He abolished 4 Regions that had resource control under Ironsi and created 12 powerles states that had no resource control and had to rely on the centre

Gowons Decree 14 ended Regionalism in Nigeria

baralatie:

Ironsi kept regions ?
Something that was already abolished?

Deadlytruth:


Likewise, we never had regions under Ironsi because his constitution didn't recognize them. The arguement that what Ironsi said is different from what he did portrays him as a confused weakling. However, we know that a decree takes effect at once. Check Ironsi's national broadcast and see where he himself said so. I hope you know that a decree is different from a promise. The states created by Gowon had more autonomy far more than the provinces Ironsi created. Gowon's States were not reporting to him at the center unlike Ironsi's provinces which he ordered to be reporting to him at the center. I repeat again Ironsi was the one who abolished federalism, if not why was the reversal of all Ironsi's decrees the first item on the agenda which all the would be participants in Aburi meeting mutually agreed to?

obyno82:


So what makes up regions? is it not a collection of provinces? if that is the case then he never Abolished regions in the technical sense.

obyno82:


The reason why it was reversed and agreed by Aburi participants was because the decree in itself was to foster unity by military fiat and it was not ideal and wise. Even Nzeogwu was against it because that was not the way to foster Unity. The states didn't have more autonomy than the regions or collection of provinces under Ironsi. The states lost full autonomy with Gowon's decree and not Ironsi.

Deadlytruth:


Gowon's own broadcast to the Nation on the occasion of his creation of states makes it crystal clear that the creation of those states was inspired by the need to stabilize the country through acceding to the demands for far reaching decentralization of powers to allow the minorities have control over their own affairs as they had been agitating for years. Gowon was himself from a minority within a minority so he understood better hence couldn't but just make centrifugal decrees unlike Ironsi who made centripetal decrees because, being from a majority tribe, didn't care or feel concerned about the legitimate fears of the minorities.

Find Gowon's speech below:

https://www.dawodu.com/gowon.htm

Please note the parts of the speech which read as follows:
......To this end I agreed with my other colleagues on the Supreme Military Council to the promulgation of the
Decree No. 8 which completely decentralized the government of this
country and even went further than the Republican Constitution as it existed before 15th January 1966......This is why the item in the Political and Administrative Programme
adopted by the Supreme Military Council last month is the creation of
states as a basis for stability. This must be done first so as to
remove the fear of domination. Representatives drawn from the new
states will be more able to work out the future constitution for this
country which can contain provisions to protect the powers of the
states to the fullest extent desired by the Nigerian people........The country has a long history of well articulated demands for
states. The fears of minorities were explained in great detail and
set out in the report of the Willink Commission appointed by the
British in 1958. More recently there has been extensive discussion
in Regional Consultative Committees and Leaders-of-Thought
Conferences. Resolutions have been adopted demanding the creation of
states in the North and in Lagos. Petitions from minority areas in the East which have been subjected to violent intimidation by the Eastern Military Government have been widely publicized

Deadlytruth:


Gowon's own broadcast to the Nation on the occasion of his creation of states makes it crystal clear that the creation of those states was inspired by the need to stabilize the country through acceding to the demands for far reaching decentralization of powers to allow the minorities have control over their own affairs as they had been agitating for years. Gowon was himself from a minority within a minority so he understood better hence couldn't but just make centrifugal decrees unlike Ironsi who made centripetal decrees because, being from a majority tribe, didn't care or feel concerned about the legitimate fears of the minorities.

Find Gowon's speech below:

https://www.dawodu.com/gowon.htm

Please note the parts of the speech which read as follows:
......To this end I agreed with my other colleagues on the Supreme Military Council to the promulgation of the
Decree No. 8 which completely decentralized the government of this
country and even went further than the Republican Constitution as it existed before 15th January 1966......This is why the item in the Political and Administrative Programme
adopted by the Supreme Military Council last month is the creation of
states as a basis for stability. This must be done first so as to
remove the fear of domination. Representatives drawn from the new
states will be more able to work out the future constitution for this
country which can contain provisions to protect the powers of the
states to the fullest extent desired by the Nigerian people........The country has a long history of well articulated demands for
states. The fears of minorities were explained in great detail and
set out in the report of the Willink Commission appointed by the
British in 1958. More recently there has been extensive discussion
in Regional Consultative Committees and Leaders-of-Thought
Conferences. Resolutions have been adopted demanding the creation of
states in the North and in Lagos. Petitions from minority areas in the East which have been subjected to violent intimidation by the Eastern Military Government have been widely publicized

baralatie:

Then explain the executive powers of the military government as listed below
i am pasting this comment from your thread;

N[b]orthern Nigeria, Eastern Nigeria, Western Nigeria and Mid-Western Nigeria shall be known respectively as the Northern group of Provinces, the Eastern group of Provinces, the Western group of Provinces and the Mid-Western group of Provinces;
for the purpose of administration each group of provinces shall subject to the authority of the Head of the National Military Government, be under the general direction and control of a Military Governor appointed by the Head of the National Military Government;

[/b]

Is this not sufficient proof that Ironsi didn't abolish the regions? Again in the parliamentary system weren't the premiers not subject to the authority of the Prime minister? if that is the case, what was the difference with what Ironsi did?



THE FEDERAL MILITARY GOVERNMENT hereby decrees as follows:

Subject to the provisions of this Decree, Nigeria shall on 24th May 1966 (in this decree referred to as ‘the appointed day’) cease to be a Federation and shall accordingly as from that day be a Republic, by the name of the Republic of Nigeria, consisting of the whole of the territory which immediately before that day was comprised in the Federation.
2.

As from the appointed day—

the Federal Military Government and the Federal Executive Council shall be known respectively as the National Military Government and The Executive Council;
the Federal territory shall be known as the Capital territory;

the provinces, including Kaduna capital territory, in schedule 1 of this Decree which immediately before the appointed day were respectively comprised in Northern Nigeria, Eastern Nigeria, Western Nigeria and Mid-Western Nigeria shall be known respectively as the Northern group of Provinces, the Eastern group of Provinces, the Western group of Provinces and the Mid-Western group of Provinces;
for the purpose of administration each group of provinces shall subject to the authority of the Head of the National Military Government, be under the general direction and control of a Military Governor appointed by the Head of the National Military Government;
Act No. 20 of 1963 (that is to say the Constitution of the Federation) may be cited as the Constitution of the Republic.
Without prejudice to section 8 of this Decree, the person who immediately before the appointed day holds the office of Military Governor of a Region shall be deemed to have been appointed by the Head of the National Military Government as Military Governor of the corresponding group of provinces with effect from that day.
The National Military Government may either conditionally or unconditionally delegate to a Military Governor of a group of provinces power to make laws by edict for peace, order and good government with respect to any matter specified in the delegation in relation to that group of provinces.
Subject to this and any other Decree, a Military Governor of a group of provinces may exercise by way of edict or, as the case may be, by regulation, order, or instrument the powers and functions vested in the Executive Council of the Government of a former Region, or of the Governor, Premier, or Minister (except in relation to criminal prosecutions) of a government of a former Region under any existing law with respect to that group of provinces; and accordingly sections 3 (2), (3), (5), (6), and (7) and section 4 (6) of the Constitution (Suspension and Modification) Decree 1966 (in this Decree referred to as the ‘principal Decree’) shall cease to have effect.
Subsection (4) shall be without prejudice to section 8 of this Decree, and the repeal by that subsection of any provision of the principal Decree shall not affect the operation of that provision in relation to any time before the appointed day.
Any Edict made by the Military Governor of a Region which is in force immediately before the appointed day shall, as from that day, have effect as a Decree applying only to the group of provinces which corresponds to that region; and references to a Decree shall be construed accordingly.

baralatie:

Then explain the executive powers of the military government as listed below
i am pasting this comment from your thread;

THE FEDERAL MILITARY GOVERNMENT hereby decrees as follows:

Subject to the provisions of this Decree, Nigeria shall on 24th May 1966 (in this decree referred to as ‘the appointed day’) cease to be a Federation and shall accordingly as from that day be a Republic, by the name of the Republic of Nigeria, consisting of the whole of the territory which immediately before that day was comprised in the Federation.
2.

As from the appointed day—

the Federal Military Government and the Federal Executive Council shall be known respectively as the National Military Government and The Executive Council;
the Federal territory shall be known as the Capital territory;

the provinces, including Kaduna capital territory, in schedule 1 of this Decree which immediately before the appointed day were respectively comprised in Northern Nigeria, Eastern Nigeria, Western Nigeria and Mid-Western Nigeria shall be known respectively as the Northern group of Provinces, the Eastern group of Provinces, the Western group of Provinces and the Mid-Western group of Provinces;
for the purpose of administration each group of provinces shall subject to the authority of the Head of the National Military Government, be under the general direction and control of a Military Governor appointed by the Head of the National Military Government;
Act No. 20 of 1963 (that is to say the Constitution of the Federation) may be cited as the Constitution of the Republic.
Without prejudice to section 8 of this Decree, the person who immediately before the appointed day holds the office of Military Governor of a Region shall be deemed to have been appointed by the Head of the National Military Government as Military Governor of the corresponding group of provinces with effect from that day.
The National Military Government may either conditionally or unconditionally delegate to a Military Governor of a group of provinces power to make laws by edict for peace, order and good government with respect to any matter specified in the delegation in relation to that group of provinces.
Subject to this and any other Decree, a Military Governor of a group of provinces may exercise by way of edict or, as the case may be, by regulation, order, or instrument the powers and functions vested in the Executive Council of the Government of a former Region, or of the Governor, Premier, or Minister (except in relation to criminal prosecutions) of a government of a former Region under any existing law with respect to that group of provinces; and accordingly sections 3 (2), (3), (5), (6), and (7) and section 4 (6) of the Constitution (Suspension and Modification) Decree 1966 (in this Decree referred to as the ‘principal Decree’) shall cease to have effect.
Subsection (4) shall be without prejudice to section 8 of this Decree, and the repeal by that subsection of any provision of the principal Decree shall not affect the operation of that provision in relation to any time before the appointed day.
Any Edict made by the Military Governor of a Region which is in force immediately before the appointed day shall, as from that day, have effect as a Decree applying only to the group of provinces which corresponds to that region; and references to a Decree shall be construed accordingly.

Deadlytruth:


Gowon's own broadcast to the Nation on the occasion of his creation of states makes it crystal clear that the creation of those states was inspired by the need to stabilize the country through acceding to the demands for far reaching decentralization of powers to allow the minorities have control over their own affairs as they had been agitating for years. Gowon was himself from a minority within a minority so he understood better hence couldn't but just make centrifugal decrees unlike Ironsi who made centripetal decrees because, being from a majority tribe, didn't care or feel concerned about the legitimate fears of the minorities.

Find Gowon's speech below:

https://www.dawodu.com/gowon.htm

Please note the parts of the speech which read as follows:
......To this end I agreed with my other colleagues on the Supreme Military Council to the promulgation of the
Decree No. 8 which completely decentralized the government of this
country and even went further than the Republican Constitution as it existed before 15th January 1966......This is why the item in the Political and Administrative Programme
adopted by the Supreme Military Council last month is the creation of
states as a basis for stability. This must be done first so as to
remove the fear of domination. Representatives drawn from the new
states will be more able to work out the future constitution for this
country which can contain provisions to protect the powers of the
states to the fullest extent desired by the Nigerian people........The country has a long history of well articulated demands for
states. The fears of minorities were explained in great detail and
set out in the report of the Willink Commission appointed by the
British in 1958. More recently there has been extensive discussion
in Regional Consultative Committees and Leaders-of-Thought
Conferences. Resolutions have been adopted demanding the creation of
states in the North and in Lagos. Petitions from minority areas in the East which have been subjected to violent intimidation by the Eastern Military Government have been widely publicized

Enkidu70:


You're totally, completely delusional

People have pasted copies of the decree document on here and you read the actual provisions of the text. Is it a lie that Ironsi promulgated decree 34?

Harryj12:
This man is the foundation of Nigeria problem

obyno82:


Even the same Willink's report you are quoting described the claims of the minorities as baseless and without substantial proof and borne out of envy of the igbos so what really are you trying to prove?

Christistruth00:





Did you give the Minorities the Referendum the British agreed with all Regions to be given to all Regional Minorities after independence and if not Why?