₦airaland Forum

ak47mann:
Former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon stirred the hornet’s nest at the weekend when in his reaction to the death of the former Biafran leader, Dim Odimegwu Emeka Ojukwu stated that the former Biafran warlord should not have led his people to secede from the country.
Reacting to his comments this morning, prominent Igbo leaders in Nigeria condemned Gowon’s comments, describing it as nonsense and a dredging up of old wounds.
Gowon had in his condolence message to the Ojukwu family at the weekend said it was unfortunate that the late Biafran warlord took up arms against Nigeria, saying that if Ojukwu had been in his shoe, he would have defended the nation with zeal.
Speaking with P.M.NEWS this morning, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife said Gowon “is talking nonsense. Ojukwu agreed to go to Aburi in Ghana to broker peace but Gowon broke the agreement. He should not be saying this.”
Mr. Joe Igbokwe, Publicity Secretary, Action Congress of Nigeria, CAN, Lagos State and prominent Igbo leader blasted Gowon, saying if he had been in Ojukwu’s shoes, he would have taken the same position.
“Ojukwu was compelled to take the decision by his people. Gowon had sufficient time to have made this comment since 1970 when the civil war ended, why now? He is talking rubbish. He should allow Ojukwu to rest in peace.
“At the Aburi accord, all attempts to bring sense into the situation failed. Now, we have not been able to solve this same problem. Look at how they killed several youth corps members in the North.
“Gowon should allow sleeping dogs lie. If Gowon tries to stir up another controversy, there will be problem. The issue discussed 43 years ago in Ghana are still staring us in the face. Gowon should have averted that Civil War but he was arrogant,” he stated.
According to Igbokwe, the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late Moshood Abiola would have led to the Yoruba breaking away from the country, if not that the situation was well managed. “What is Gowon saying? He should go and talk to his people in the North. If Southern Nigeria had been a state, it would have contested with Europe today in terms of development. Gowon and his people are holding us hostage. He should address this and not remind us of past wounds,” he added.
In his own reaction to Gowon’s statement, the leader of the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Dr. Ralph Uwazuruike said whatever Gowon said about Ojukwu was of no consequence now.
“Whatever Gowon said is of no consequence. We are mourning. We have tears in our eyes and we are preoccupied with how to give Ojukwu a befitting burial,” he stated.
Current Secretary General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Nduka Eya who said he fought in the civil war and retired as Major, said those alive can say whatever they like. “People alive can say whatever they like. Gowon should know and admit, even though they labelled Ojukwu a rebel leader, Ojukwu was not a rebel leader. They should know that what caused the war was the northern programme against south easterners,” he explained.
Another Igbo leader, Barrister Eze Eluchie lambasted Gowon over the statement and described him as a poor student of history.
“Ojukwu did not break away from the nation but took the decision because several Igbo were being killed in the north.
“The Aburi accord tried to usher in peace but Gowon proved stubborn. Ojukwu’s move was to serve his people. Gowon’s statement is most hypocritical and uncalled for. The ideal thing is for Nigeria to sit down and discuss what led to the war properly and prevent another war.
“Things are going worse in this country and this time, it might not be the Igbo that will try to break away, it might be another group trying to break away,” he said.
Another prominent Igbo leader, Chief Chris Igwillo condemned Gowon over the statement. “That is his opinion. Okukwu was pushed to the wall over the maltreatment of the Igbo nation, a situation where the Igbo were being killed in Kano.
“The Aburi accord failed and he had no choice than to break away. We have no regret for trying to break away. Gowon can’t say that because there was no other option for him to take. Gowon is on his own,” he said.
A top member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Emma Saint George Ekeh, took a swipe at Gowon for making such a statement at this critical period. “I am still holding the former Head of State responsible for the security crisis in the country, especially the carnage in Jos, Plateau State,” he stated.
According to him, Gowon was at the head of the country’s governance when the Igbo were massacred in the north.
Recalling what he described as heinous crime against humanity, he said pregnant Igbo women and children were slaughtered on the streets of various regions of the country. He also recalled the killing of such pregnant women by troops led by the late Murtala Mohammed in Asaba on the orders of General Gowon.
“There is a way war is fought. You can see that NATO and the International War Tribunal are querying why Col. Muammar Gaddafi was killed’’.
“People have erroneously tagged the Aguiyi Ironsi coup as an Igbo coup forgetting that a coup is a coup and does not have ethnic affiliation and this was part of the reason the Igbo were massacred in the north. But I can tell you that some northerners were part of that coup, yet pregnant women had their tummies ripped open and children and innocent men were killed by the northerners.
“Gowon says he has repented but I leave him to God to judge the level of his repentance,” he said.
He maintained that the current security problems facing the country were foreseen by the late Ojukwu and that this was part of the discussion at the Aburi accord between the government and Biafra.
“If as Head of State, he didn’t renege in the agreement, these security crises would not be happening now. Up till now, I still hold him responsible for what is happening in the country,” he said.
Presidential aspirant in the April general elections, Barrister Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia, described Gowon’s statement as ill advised and inappropriate at this period of mourning.
“It exudes cowardice because while Ojukwu was alive, Gowon never made such a statement. I also believe that as Africans, we are not suppose to speak ill of the dead. So rather than make critical comments that would open up old wounds, he should be more mature with his age.
“He should also have looked at issues that led to the war and join the government to address them because they are still the issues on the front burner now,” he stated.
He said Gowon’s statement was unfortunate and borne out of insolence and that it was provocative. He described the late Ojukwu as a hero, among the Igbo people and the entire country.
“The issues he fought against are currently happening in the country where our people are killed at every opportunity. I am from Asaba and I can tell you that the area is almost a no-go area now.
“At this period of mourning, the best thing to do is to sincerely commiserate with the people and family instead of this cowardly statement,” he said.
Uche Ezechukwu, Journalist, who was a P.A. to Ojukwu in the 80s said.
“I don’t agree with him. To say that Ojukwu took the Easterners out of Nigeria is to indulge in the most falsification of history. Rather it was Gowon and his fellow officers of the northern origin who drove Ndigbo and their ilk out of Nigeria.
“At the time that Igbos were being slaughtered like rams all over Nigeria by soldiers led by Danjuma and Murtala Muhammed, Gowon took the reins of power and declared that the “basis of Nigerian unity no longer exist.”
“It was the people from all walks of life that mandated Ojukwu to declare Biafra. He didn’t have a choice in the matter.



P.M.NEWS NIGERIA

ezeagu:
Again, reasoning. Biafra wasn't in the offensive, they were in the defensive. Japan were invading and planning to invade much of Asia. Biafra didn't even start a war. This analogy doesn't even fit, because Nigeria was supposedly fighting for their citizens in the east.

Wily¬Wily:
But Yorubas are already Evil people

~Bluetooth:
just dont bring it near our territory. . .we dont want bad things happening on our land because of that evil spirit !

dayokanu:
Dead body on a world tour while he was alive his wife was doing a countrywide pocci donation tour

~Bluetooth:
Abeg that thing should not land in any yoruba state including lagos.we dont want evil spirit on our land,

Hye-Bits:
@Bashr8, these are the reasons Adekunle made this statement: Biafra Soldiers set its boots on his fatherland, killing helpless children, women, unarmed men, animals, vegetation and dreams. Desecrating his sisters and mothers. Because Ojukwu was too ambitious to want to go to the North through Lagos, Ondo and Benin. Is That Taken?

bashr8:
ok one reasonable reply , you should have written this a long time ago, didnt know he was related to akintola, so who is going to revenge abiola, kutis death

bashr8:
i agree with you on this one thats why i want those foolish igbos that never learn never to involve themselves in any form of revolution , all man answer im papa name , at least we finally agreed on something.

Riba_man:
The sheer drivel that comes out of the gobs of us Nigerians is totally sickening. Whatever side you fought on during the Nigerian Civil War is now irrelevant: you have to belong to the lucky 1% that has looted, or/and are still looting Nigeria, to be satisfied with the current status quo.  In fact, I have seen and heard retired army officers regret that they fought to keep the Nigeria one. So, stop all the childish name-calling: Nigeria is in a bigger crisis

dayokanu:
The war was between North and east yet Biafran soldiers didnt invade the north, Rather they came to Ore in the West, I am sure someone might come here and say they were trying to go to Kano via Ore.

Thank God for people like Benjamin BABAMAJA ADEKUNLE

Like I said for 1 Yoruba that was killed Akintola, Its 100,000 Ibos

mtaj:
So it's this man that you hate? Well, I'll not angrily reply to this post until you reply.

Now, how about this Canada-based Yoruba woman who prayed that the man's soul rot in hell? http://www.newsdiaryonline.com/war_over_ojukwu.htm

Should we say that all Yorubas or Southwesterners are happy that Ojukwu is dead. I personally didn't like the man's idea of secession, but he seemed to have been at peace with being a Nigerian before his death. And I suppose it's a different matter to be happy that a man [b]whom you consider a rebel is dead and to pray that he rot in hell.

Godman_n:
Banjo refused to follow his instructions to the latter but choose to bargain with Yoruba leaders. This made it possible for the Nigeria side to re-ogarnise and avoid the worst possible catastrophe that would have turned the war to the advantage of the Biafrans.

The Biafrans were fast approaching Lagos, the Nigeria side had no military positions in the Western axis; Gowon was planning a rapid vacation of Lagos as a last option. But Banjo choose to delay and effectively allowed the Nigerians time to go into, not only a defensive position and an offensive one that pushed Biafra back to the East.

Also when Banjo crossed the Niger Bridge, they declared themselves a Mid-Western force and not part of Biafran (probably to win sympathy of the non-Igbos ) across the Niger.

I am not an Ojukwu's supporter in any way, but Banjo involved himself in some misadventure outside the orders given to him. Killing him though was too harsh a treatment; especially when they were friends.

dayokanu:
Ojuku was just a confused man.

One moment he is a Biafra warlord who fears nothing, The next moment he is in skirt, wrapper and gstring running away to Abidjan

One moment he is always for Biafra, Next Moment he is contesting for NIGERIAN president

One moment he told hungry people to fight till death, Next moment he is back in National party of Nigeria collected his full Military benefits while his Biafran soldiers are suffering

One moment he told them Naija soldiers would violation them next moment he is back in Nigeria marrying Miss Nigeria against her fathers wishes

One moment he would rant Awolowo betrayed him, Next moment Awolowo is the best president Nigeria never had

What a duplicitous Biatch

Delafruita:
I wonder why ojukwu wants to be melodramatic even in death.I also wonder why some misguided igbo people expect nigerians to fly flags at half mast for a man who still insists on been a biafran.now he wants to tour the countries that recognized biafra as a nation at the expense of my tax naira.some people will ask how.its definite that those trips will be sponsored by anambra state government.anambra state gets its allocation from the federal government which is responsible for removing my tax from the source.you now expect me to approve such jamboree