Nigeria-Biafra Civil War Memories:
Major Nzeogwu's Coup Speech Major Nzeogwu's Speech announcing
Nigeria's first coup (circa noon, January
15, 1966, Radio Kaduna) In the name of the Supreme Council of
the Revolution of the Nigerian Armed
Forces, I declare martial law over the
Northern Provinces of Nigeria. The Constitution is suspended and the
regional government and elected
assemblies are hereby dissolved. All
political, cultural, tribal and trade union
activitites, together with all
demonstrations and unauthorized gatherings, excluding religious worship,
are banned until further notice. The aim of the Revolutionary Council is
to establish a strong united and
prosperous nation, free from corruption
and internal strife. Our method of
achieving this is strictly military but we
have no doubt that every Nigerian will give us maximum cooperation by
assisting the regime and not disturbing
the peace during the slight changes that
are taking place. I am to assure all foreigners living and
working in this part of Nigeria that their
rights will continue to be respected. All
treaty obligations previously entered
into with any foreign nation will be
respected and we hope that such nations will respect our country's territorial
integrity and will avoid taking sides with
enemies of the revolution and enemies
of the people.
My dear countrymen, you will hear, and
probably see a lot being done by certain bodies charged by the Supreme Council
with the duties of national integration,
supreme justice, general security and
property recovery. As a interim measure
all permanent secretaries, corporation
charimen and senior heads of departments are allowed to make
decisions until the new organs are
functioning, so long as such decisions are
not contrary to the aims and wishes of
the Supreme Council. No Minister or
Parliamentary Secretary possesses administrative or other forms of control
over any Ministry, even if they are not
considered too dangerous to be arrested.
This is not a time for long speech-making
and so let me acquaint you with ten
proclamations in the Extraordinary Orders of the Day which the Supreme
Council has promulgated. These will be
modified as the situation improves. You are hereby warned that looting,
arson, homosexuality, rape,
embezzlement, bribery or corruption,
obstruction of the revolution, sabotage,
subversion, false alarms and assistance to
foreign invaders, are all offences punishable by death sentence.
Demonstrations and unauthorized
assembly, non-cooperation with
revolutionary troops are punishable in
grave manner up to death. Refusal or neglect to perform normal
duties or any task that may of necessity
be ordered by local military commanders
in support of the change will be
punishable by a sentence imposed by the
local military commander. Spying, harmful or injurious publications,
and broadcasts of troop movements or
actions, will be punished by any suitable
sentence deemed fit by the local military
commander.
Shouting of slogans, loitering and rowdy behavior will be rectified by any
sentence of incarceration, or any more
severe punishment deemed fit by the
local military commander.
Doubtful loyalty will be penalized by
imprisonment or any more severe sentence.
Illegal possession or carrying of firearms,
smuggling or trying to escape with
documents, valuables, including money
or other assets vital to the running of
any establishment will be punished by death sentence.
Wavering or siting on the fence and
failing to declare open loyalty with the
revolution will be regarded as an act of
hostility punishable by any sentence
deemed suitable by the local military commander. Tearing down an order of the day or
proclamation or other authorized notices
will be penalized by death.
Ths is the end of the Extraordinary Order
of the Day which you will soon begin to
see displayed in public. My dear countrymen, no citizen should
have anything to fear, so long as that
citizen is law abiding and if that citizen
has religiously obeyed the native laws of
the country and those set down in every
heart and conscience since 1st October, 1960. Our enemies are the political
profiteers, the swindlers, the men in high
and low places that seek bribes and
demand 10 percent; those that seek to
keep the country divided permanently so
that they can remain in office as ministers or VIPs at least, the tribalists,
the nepotists, those that make the
country look big for nothing before
international circles, those that have
corrupted our society and put the
Nigerian political calendar back by their words and deeds. Like good soldiers we
are not promising anything miraculous
or spectacular. But what we do promise
every law abiding citizen is freedom
from fear and all forms of oppression,
freedom from general inefficiency and freedom to live and strive in every field
of human endeavour, both nationally
and internationally. We promise that you
will no more be ashamed to say that you
are a Nigerian.
I leave you with a message of good wishes and ask for your support at all
times, so that our land, watered by the
Niger and Benue, between the sandy
wastes and gulf of guinea, washed in salt
by the mighty Atlantic, shall not detract
Nigeria from gaining sway in any great aspect of international endeavour.
My dear countrymen, this is the end of
this speech. I wish you all goodluck and I
hope you will cooperate to the fullest in
this job which we have set for ourselves
of establishing a prosperous nation and achieving solidarity.
Thank you very much and goodbye for
now. ...To be continued

Fellow Nigerians, finally, we have
dutifully intervened to save this nation
from imminent collapse. We therefore
expect all Nigerians, including those who
participated directly or indirectly in
bringing the nation to this present predicament, to cooperate with us. This
generation of Nigerians, and indeed
future generations, have no country
other than Nigeria. We shall remain here
and salvage it together. May God bless us
all. Good morning. Gen. Muhd Buhari 1984.

Ask Murtala Mohd., Gowon, T.Y. Danjuma, Babangida, Buhari, Abacha et al why they had to thwart such beautiful agenda for our country

i wish we can still have another nzeogwu