₦airaland Forum

PhysicsMHD:
I think that once again, you are deliberately resorting to semantics to try to deny the point I was making, as you did with the Ejoor question. This is a misguided attempt to muddle things.

1. I did not make some sort of claim that the "Republic of Nigeria" existed in 1949. I am well aware of the simple fact that the existence of the colony of Nigeria and the Cameroons means that Zik could not have referred to only Nigerians rather than ethnic groups, without promoting a kind of division which he was supposed to have been against as an NCNC politician.

2. I did not state that Zik should have somehow not referred specifically to the Igbo, when his very purpose was to address issues concerning them and their place in Nigeria and Africa.

3. I did not say that he should have negated his commitment to his ethnic group or completely ceased from making a few pro-Igbo comments.

4. My perception of an ethnic agenda in Zik's words, lies in the actual words themselves. Zik's words decrying victimization of Igbos could easily be justified, given some of the events of that time, such as the pogrom, and many other events I might not know about as I was not around. I was not taking issue with those words. My point of contention is that enormous ethnic nationalism, if it is to be wedded with political, non-ethnic nationalism, is appropriate not for a national, uniting, pan-African figure who can appropriately represent all African groups in a region regardless of ethnicity, but for a sectional/ethnic leader. That should be pretty easy to understand.

5. I did not state that ethnic speeches were not given by other politicians of that era. In fact, I even said that Awolowo's comments about the Yorubas, Igbos, Hausa-Fulani's etc, were chauvinist. He praised the Yorubas, gave grudging praise to the Igbos, calling them culturally inferior while also acknowledging their educational progress, praised the Ibibios' educational progress, and slammed the Hausa-Fulanis. What I asked for were speeches which went to such lengths of ethnic glorification. If you have evidence of "juju musicians in cohort with politicians of that era" engaging in such ethnic glorification, provide, names, dates, and summaries of what they were claiming for their ethnic groups.



I actually don't have to post an Ahmadu Bello or Awolowo speech. My point was that some of the other leaders did not display ethnic nationalism to such an extent, not that those leaders were fair and unbiased. Balewa and Ahmadu Bello ("I bring a message from the Sardauna" etc. ) who made anti-Southern and anti-Igbo statements in 1947 or 1948, are certainly not my idea of unbiased, fair, national leaders. They are only Northern leaders. However, even these "North first, then the rest of Nigeria" types did not, to the best of my knowledge, engage in a glorification of the Fulani, or the Hausa-Fulani, but instead seemed to engage in a glorification/praise of their region, the entire North, over the South. This is also sub-standard for the political leaders of one united future country, but definitely a cut above a leader who would praise and glorify the Fulani at length and with enormous emphasis despite apparently being a national leader.

I'm not under the impression that Awolowo did not have an ethnic agenda because he clearly did, and did not hide it, but if you must have an example of an Awolowo speech where he avoided the pitfall of Yoruba glorification:

Pal, I have to admire you approach to the debates on Nairaland. I remembered the issue of Ejoor centered on Ironsi as the killer of true federalism in Nigeria. Some planks argued that hence the political parties were suspended, elected government overthrown and introduction of national public service commission, therefore Ironsi was guilty as charged. My line of argument remains that there was no true federalism in Nigeria hence Ironsi should not be indicated as killer of true federalism.

Also, I deduced that the methods of sharing of power between the central government and regional or local government does not necessarily indicate the type of government instituted. As far as I am concerned, power sharing between central government and regional or local government under Tafawa remained the same when under Ironsi except the unification of public service commission.

The person who vacated the relationship between central and regional governemnts or any form of federalism in Nigeria was Gowon.

ezeagu:
Ndi ichie, counsel of elders. Umunna meetings governed by the oldest member of the family. The Igbo village/county structure is as follows: Nuclear family > Compound > Extended family > Village Quarters > Village > after that Ekpe, Okonko, Ibin Ukpabi courts and the rest come into cases depending on the community. In the case of Nri and its sphere of influence there were the Nze (people who go on peace missions) who were Ozo in training (priests who lead peace missions), after the Ozo is the Eze Nri (an elected Ozo)

Bros, I shall not go beyond the call of duty to explain the intricacies of democracy which were practiced by Ndigbo to the likes of Negro_Ntns. Since the Europeans did not alert his types about the system of government in Igbo land before the advent of Europeans to Africa, I would appreciate he remains a novice.

I shell not hold brief for Zik or any so-called leaders of Nigeria. In my posts, the intents were to highlight socio-political attributes each of the so-called leaders imprinted in the psychic of Nigerians. Within the ladder of tribal jingoism in Nigeria, there is no doubt Zik settled to the lowest rung of the ladder. Unlike Bello and Awo, Zik led a political party that did not morph from tribal ashes. He went further and beyond the tribal demarcation to name his children Yoruba names. In 1954, he appointed a Yoruba son to the position of the press secretary of eastern regional government.

Again, judging from the craps attributed to some leaders from western region of Nigeria about their peoples’ more advancement in local culture and western civilization than other ethnic groups, it is my assertion that soccer was part of the western civilization. Also, I would like to point out what followed through human endeavor as evidenced in Nigerian officer’s cadre, academia and civil service commission as measures of advancement in western civilization too.

Katsumoto:
Read this

An article written by Zik published on the front page of the Pilot, and entitled 'Football Illiad, 1940 Edition' shocked many people.

A football team composed of students of the Christ King's College, Onitsha came to Lagos to paly a 'Win the war' football match against St Gregory's college. The CKC team from Onitsha defeated St. Gergory's team by 5 goals to 4. To the ordinary man in the street, let alone the highly sophisticated elements, there was nothing extraordinary or unusual in one school or college defeating another in a game of soccer. But not so with Dr. Zik. He saw in the sporting exploits and triumph of the team from Onitsha the inherent superiority of the easterners over thier opponent and he went to very great pains to establish this fact, by means of careful choosing words and emphasis. These extracts from the article are relevant:

"And to think of the great combination if the Spartan heroes who crossed the lordly Niger, journeyed through the good earth of Benin, hurried across the domains of the Oshemawe of Ondo, of the Atanla of Owo, of the Owa of Ilesha, of the Oni of Ife, of the Alake of Abeokuta in their invasion of these islands!
Who, but heroes of mighty brawn and exceptionally developed brain would have dared to make this invasion and to succeed in carrying to their River Niger home, the Golden Fleece of Inter-Collegiate Soccer Championship of the Eastern and Western Provinces?
Yet they came to Lagos, they saw the irresistible defence put up by their opponents, and they conquered impressively, convincingly, and were graceful even in victory!
Could their achievement be paralleled?
Would it not be better for me to leave the answer to the laps of the gods?"

On 24 August 1940, the same CKC team played the Olubadan XI in another 'Win the War' match. The CKC were beaten 3-2 by the Olubadan XI which was an undiluted Yoruba team. Nothing was written on the Pilot. It was after there had been clamours in the Daily Service, in form of letters to the editor, that the news of this Ibadan match was published some 2 weeks after and it was a small item on the back page. It was explained in it that CKC team were already tired and that some of them in fact limping, before they went into the field against Olubadan XI. This was of course untrue.

Of course, Zik should not write such praises for selected Olubadan XI which was a local club team as a result of SOS sent to all crannies of Yoruba land to salvage face. The Christ the King College (CKC) team from Onitsha, the eastern province champion, sojourned to Lagos where they trashed Saint Gregory, Obalande the western province champion to become the undisputed soccer champion in the British protectorates was worthy of two newspaper pages of praise.

Aigbofa:
I have a lot more respect for Awolowo now than I ever did, thanks a lot for the internet. If I was Awolowo, I would have branded Zik an enemy of the Yoruba people and backed it up with evidences which was obviously at Awo's dispense.

You are free to throw your respect to the dogs but the human in Awo had no relevance to the personage of Zik

Zik might have been speaking directly to Igbo State Union in 1949 and 50, but the focal point of his message was directed to all inhabitants of the protectorates to stand up against British colonial rule.

I have challenged the poster of Zik’s speeches on this forum to also post the speeches made by politicians such Awo or Bello during the Nigeria’s pre-independence era. Anyway, I doubt if speeches made by Awo or Bello would be significantly weighty to make rounds on the Internet.

Katsumoto:
Stop being disingenuous and duplicitous. The point PhysicsMHD was making is that a man who made such ethnically charged speeches must have assumed others were not listening to him when he was seeking to become their leader. If some of these speeches were made in the 40s, when did the epiphany occur that made Zik realise that he loved western region more than the eastern for him to have sought to become the leader of the western region? Nothing wrong in loving your group and announcing it but other groups are not daft enough to allow a man, who has professed love and admiration for his own group, to become their leader. I am sorry but you keep assuming that other groups in Nigeria are daft, or at least not as smart as the Igbo.

Like I have always said, a stranger cannot love and protect your house more than you, the occupant of the house. If there is a fire in such a house, a stranger will grab is own belongings first before making for the exit leaving his host's properties to burn. It is silly to compare songs written by juju musicians waxing lyric about politicians to speeches delivered by politicians.

I know you will jump on this post with a usual chip-on-the-shoulder attitude. I personally did not notice any ethnic bias in Zik’s speeches even after he was tribally robbed in western region in 1951. Did you notice the chronicle paces the speeches?

I must deduce Zik’s speeches were laden with words of encouragement to the people of his ethnic group and region especially in the areas of standing up against British misrule and colonialism. The speeches Zik made in 1949 and 50 did not bare him from being elected as representative from one of the western regional constituencies in 1951. It was not Zik’s speeches that ignited the carpet-crossing in western region.

Again, it is an unfortunate display of rascality to post the speeches made by Zik during the era in discuss without the speeches of his political contemporaries. It is silly to remind a person who is on the ground about the severity of a fall from the tree. It is disingenuous for any person with right senses to infer that Zik’s speeches of 1954 to1960 were laden with ethnic agenda or the need to win election in western region when tribal political hand had been dealt to Zik in western region about 1951.

PhysicsMHD:
I still don't see how Zik could have given that speech and expected to win the Western region. It was so ethnically loaded and so over the top with an ethnic agenda. I was shocked.

I think he really just wanted to bask in the glory of Igbo state assembly admirers praising his masterful oratory in praise of Igbos.

The assertion that Zik’s speeches of the era as evidenced were conveyed through ethnic mannerisms and loaded with sectional agenda is misguided attempt to give dog a bad name. When the speeches were made, there was no country known as Republic of Nigeria and the inhabitants of the protectorates were strictly indentified through the ethnic strips or provisional proximity.

In the speeches, Zik kept referring to Igbo, eastern region of Nigeria and Cameroons. I guess the geographical areas such as Nigeria and Cameroon had been identified as colonial administrative entities not officially know as independent sovereign nations.

It was proper to identify the people through their ethnical shades. The speeches from Yoruba, Hausa, Kanuri and Fulani politicians were more caustic and ethnically biased in nature than the Zik’s speeches. If you had opportunity to listen to juju musicians in cohort with politicians of the era, you probably would have no choice but to embrace Zik’s eloquent and rhetoric skills.

[quote author=bk.babe97y link=topic=603406.msg7714035#msg7714035 date=1297450515]I thought he was eager to go Jan.12? Well, I guess theres always Jan.12, 2012. . . . .[/quote]If your lunatic rage continues as evidenced, you could go before Ojukwu does.

[quote author=Negro_Ntns link=topic=599800.msg7714567#msg7714567 date=1297456656]You don't know what democracy is, if you did such statement would not come out of you.

Democracy in real sense is the exchange of power and authority between the people and a central ruling entity installed for aggregation of interests and needs (order and progress) of the people. When that central entity fails in its contract to the people, the people reserve the right to abrogate its authority. Overlapping and layers of check and balances are therefore setup to manage that power of abrogation so that neither the central authority nor the poeple are unfairly abused in the misuse of power.

Every true democratic government has a system of check and balances to manage the use of this exchange. What were the check and balances in the Igbo democracy? Please share.[/quote]I have the feeling people are confusing democracy with sharing of power between levels of governments as indicated by federalism. Democracy is in nutshell a representative system of government. You can have checks and balances in any form of government if the people wish to adopt the principles.

[quote author=Negro_Ntns link=topic=599800.msg7714281#msg7714281 date=1297453599]Ijaws were trouble before the arrival of British. Igbo was never trouble for anyone prior, and not even for the British.

Kingdom? Igbo Kingdom? Clans, yes, . .but kingdom? Who was the monarch and what dynasty?



Who enslaved your people?[/quote]Do you build kingdom in the sea? Please go read up about the “Jos” people that morphed into Ijo. Igbo practiced the most complex and sophisticated system of government known as democracy in contemporary world. Even the Europeans did not understand it because it was alien to them. Ndigbo had no use for village kingdom and empires that looked like anthills all over Africa.

[quote author=Negro_Ntns link=topic=599800.msg7712508#msg7712508 date=1297437900]Eze,

Did you not see the NOTES in that caption: I WISH TO ACKNOWLEDGE HERE THE INFORMED CRITIQUE OF THE FIRST DRAFT OF THIS ARTICLE BY DR, JOHN ORJI, FROM WHICH I DERIVED MUCH BENEFIT.

Dr Orji reviewed, amended and approved a favorable draft before it went to press.



The reason was actually a political maneuver to punish the Kqalabari and the Ijaws as well as the Tivs for their continued contempt of the British settlers. This is why I have often repeated that you are a wrong majority. The British brought settlements from Camerron to boost your population in Nigeria and create an artificial majority in the East. This is how they countered and quietened the opposition from Ijaws and Kalabaris. Their political leaders were falsely charged and imprisoned in order to silence and bring the people into compliance. How many Igbo leader was ever charged or imprisonede by British for acts against the government? NONE! There was no need to - because your leaders were naturally compliant and ever ready to tdo the will of the British.


Chinua Achebe has exploited the silence of the neighboring tribes in the East. They did not refute his false claims and so a culture that was recently brought out of darkness and into the light of civilization by colonial British, has been given the glory usually reserved for cultures that pre-date the Roman calendar.[/quote]This is another nonsensical report making free rounds in the Internet. All the so-called leaders of the little villages within area known as Calebari were Igbo. In hinterland of Igbo land, there were no Kings as the people were egalitarian and practiced democracy. The British never stayed in Igboland because of hostility they encounter from one community to another under the canopy of thick jungle. The British became tied of entering into treaty after another as communities emerged as they advanced deep into the jungle hence the rise of middlemen and warrant chiefs.

Katsumoto:
I have often told you that being older does not necessarily mean you are more knowledgeable than others. I presented information from a website to prove that Biafra dropped bombs on Lagos. Several other posters (T9ksy, Jason123) also attested to bombs being dropped; yet in your typical 'I was a soldier in the war' attitude you dismissed it because the federal side was not singing about it to the international community. Read below for another account. Whether you refuse to accept it or not, both sides killed civilians but the number was higher with the Biafrans because the Federal side was the bigger and stronger one. If Biafra was the stronger, there would have been more casualties on the Nigerian side.

"My amateur interest in History, Political Science and Strategic studies dates back to the sixties. My father was a federal civil servant. As a three year old, I lived in the same neighborhood (MacDonald Avenue) as Chief Anthony Enahoro and the late Senator Dalton Asemota (my mother's uncle) in Ikoyi, Lagos. Events relating to the Treasonable Felony Trial [of Obafemi Awolowo and Anthony Enahoro, among others], creation of the Midwest Region and the funeral of Senator Asemota were closely followed by my parents and many discussions were held in my presence, major elements of which, strangely, I still recall! As a seven year old, my family and I were awakened in the early hours of January 15, 1966, by our neighbor on Milverton Road (a British police officer) to tell us about the first coup. During the civil war I was the victim of a number of Biafran air-raids (which I never forgot)."

http://www.omoigui.com/2004/09/strongintroduci.html

This is a typical nonsensical jargon from Omoigui which constitutes one of the reasons I had issues with his skewed and partial accounts of the Nigeria/Biafra civil war. If Omoigui has gutless impetuous to insinuate a crap such as the short-lived trouble from the noise of a DC-3 aircraft, he should be made to kneel down and apologize to Biafrans who survived the constant buzzing from the after-burner supersonic jet engines of MIG 17s and 19s that fired guided missiles at defenseless civilians.

Katsumoto:
LWKMD

Just seeing this. You are insinuating that a man who faced arguably the toughest soldier in modern war history for three years was a coward. The WW2 japanese soldier was a commander's dream soldier. He didn't surrender, fought to the end, endured the harshest conditions and survived on the smallest rations. A black man who fought a jap soldier in the Burmese jungle for three years in a war that wasn't his to fight is no coward. You need to see the graves of Nigerian soldiers who died in Burma at Atan cemetary; still very well cared for by the British and Nigerian governments.

See below for a profile of a Jap soldier

'But the most extraordinary story belongs to Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda, who continued fighting on the Philippine island of Lubang until 9 March 1974 - nearly 29 years after the end of the war.

Lieutenant Onoda, by contrast, doggedly refused to lay down his arms until he received formal orders to surrender. He was the sole survivor of a small band that had sporadically attacked the local population. Although one of them surrendered in 1950 after becoming separated from the others, Onoda's two remaining companions died in gun battles with local forces - one in 1954, the other in 1972.'

http://www.damninteresting.com/the-soldier-who-wouldnt-quit

I have seen cowards survive fierce battle and instance of hell under muzzle of gun. Yet it did not make them brave. In fact, most times cowards seem to survive intensive battles because they could hide under the tree while clutching dearly to their assault rifles.

Ogundipe’s characteristic display in July 1966 was in line with a coward who survived a battle and still can not stand a sergeant with loaded rifle. I thought of him as a fine soldier until I discovered his flight from Ikeja cantonment to NNS Nigeria and then sojourned to UK on MV Aurol

jason123:
Haba, were we quarrelling before?
If ACN was a tribal party, I am sure the citizens of edo state would not vote for them since they would not want to be "suppressed" by the yorubas, would they? Infact, Chime is flirting with ACN oo!

If I should go by you deduction in bringing ACN to this discuss, I would say the Edo State in voting for ACN also voted Action Group and UPN.

jason123:
. . . how do you explain Edo state? Edo is not SW, you know?

Do not play dunce. AD did not win beyond Ondo State during 1999 election. However, the story was written differently in 2003 election because the son of the soil resided at Aso Rock.

If you want to make Edo State part of south western region since Edo State emerged from Bendel State via Mid-western region which in turn was part of defunct western region, I do not give ratarse.

@OP

Have you asked yourself what happened to one political party called AD? I give the region solid credit for gravitating toward one political variable – tribalism.

Katsumoto: 'Brigadier Ogundipe’s personality was more sedate than those of Brigadiers Ademulegun and Maimalari. When recommending his successor, the departing British GOC, Major-General Welby-Everard said that Maimalari "was younger and considerably more junior to the others (Ironsi, Ademulegun, Ogundipe) and I also considered him to be militarily immature. He never entered seriously into my considerations". Everard went on to recommend (without success) Brigadier Ogundipe as his successor. Everard regarded Ogundipe as "A very capable and efficient officer…Unlike Ademulegun he was very popular within the Army and greatly respected both as a senior officer and as a man. He was also noticeably non-political" (the quotes of Maj-Gen Welby-Everard are reproduced in Chuks Iloegbunam’s "Ironside". The Federal Government ignored the advice of its GOC and gave the top job to Ironsi.'

The Inside Story Of Nigeria’s First Military Coup - Max Siollun

Well Ogundipe did not get the job because the GOC was selected by NPC and NCNC.

I would have written the same prose in profiling Ogundipe. Even I thought he was a more capable officer than his peers. But when he was scared away by a mere sergeant as he was forced to take refuge in NNS Nigeria and would not even go through the Ikeja airport on his escape to UK, I decided to place Diya above Ogundipe in the field of military bravery.

jason123:
Miss "Efik", I have an efik man's profile here. He has been registraed since 2009.
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/action-profile/u-438713/sa-showPosts/start-0

he said

"The word Liberated was perfect,many in the south east ejagham and efik grew tired of the ibos and their so called biafra,being a minority their was only the hope the federal troops would help us


silly igbos dragging us into the war,as if we wanted any part of biafra, and phillip effiong? please how many efik/ibibio held such positions in nigeria or biafra, if u ppl decided to pullout again leave the south east alone"


Tell me if he supports biafra or insults Yorubas like you do? Infact, he is against baifra. He aslo said the ethnic minorities in the East were tired of biafra but had no choice since the igbos were running everything.






I also have an Ikwerri man here. He repeated the same words as the efik man.

n the interview with President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ralph Uwechue, published in the Daily Sun March 10, the President was asked what efforts he was making to unite Igbo in Rivers and Delta states, he said: "First of all, it should be understood that these factions who now deny the fact they are Igbo did so only after the civil war; take for instance the Ikwerre people, fully identified with us during the pre-civil war era but because the Igbo lost the civil war, a kind of stigma was smeared on them making a lot of people to start adjusting their names to sound less Igbo, ". This statement is misleading and not correct.

First of all, Ikwerre is not Igbo. We have made this clear even before the civil war and that was why some Igbo accused Ikwerre of sabotage during the war. Second, in all efforts by the minorities in the former Eastern region to agitate for their own political, social and economic recognition and liberty in the Eastern region and Nigeria at large, Ikwerre participated fully: hence, the late Chief E. J. A. Oriji and others represented Ikwerre before and during most of the conferences set up to address the fears of the minority ethnic groups in Nigeria. Third, in May 1963, Ikwerre people formed the Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention to state that Ikwerre is a distinct ethnic group from any others in Nigeria. Fourth, in the 1964/65 elections into the Federal House of Representatives, National Council of Nigeria and the Camerouns (NCNC) nominated an Igbo man named Mr. Eluguronu to represent Ikwerre in the House. Ikwerre rejected it and fielded young Nwobidike Nwanodi as an independent candidate and he won. Fifth, Ikwerre's participation in all the movements for the creation of COR and later Rivers States clearly shows Ikwerre's rejection of been Igbo.

Let the point be made that right from about the 16th century, the Igbo has been in touch with Ikwerre (through slave trade, Arochuku activities, goods trading, hiring of labour for farm work, marriages and politics) and had always wanted to dominate, colonise and take over Ikwerre at all cost and by all means possible. This is natural especially where the dominated people are better endowed than the colonising power, coupled with the ever tendency of a bigger group to swallow a smaller one and whenever the latter refuses, the former resorts to cheap propaganda. That is exactly what Chief Uwechue and Ohanaeze Ndigbo are bent on doing to Ikwerre. In this unholy enterprise, they appear confused: for example, while some of them claim that Ikwerre sabotaged the Biafra project, Uwechue has said that Ikwerre did not. Truly, Ikwerre did not, just like every other minority ethnic group in the former Eastern region. How could we when the Igbo were in absolute control of the region? So, we fought for Biafra. When another colonising super power (Nigerian forces) arrived, Ikwerre had no option than to surrender and cooperate with them. Hence, Ikwerre actually fought the war on and for both sides.
Relevant Links

* West Africa
* Nigeria

After the war, some of the ill activities of the Igbo in Ikwerre were corrected. In the case of names, the Igbo first changed the original Ikwerre names into Igbo names in an attempt to force Ikwerre to become Igbo. So at the end of the war, some Ikwerre decided to assert their original names; hence, Igirita was changed to Igwuruta, Isoba was changed to Choba, Amaweke was changed to Rumuokwuta, etc. Even individuals suffered the same humiliation when their names were forcefully changed from Ovunda to Obinna for example. Even the original name of the Ikwerre ethnic group, which is Iwheruoha was changed to Ikwerre by the Igbo. Some names have been retained (like my surname) to reflect part of the Ikwerre colonial journey, just like a Yoruba Nigerian bearing the name Matthew. Does this make the Yoruba man an English man? No!

On a more serious note, if the Igbo insists that Ikwerre is Igbo, they should provide concrete sociological and historical evidences to prove their case beyond the whimsical factors of appearance, language and name, which no longer can correctly and truly define a people in today's world.

Okachikwu Dibia, Abuja.


http://allafrica.com/stories/201003290601.html


I also have this


CONCLUSION: The Igbos should understand that the crisis facing the South today was
directly or remotely caused by them. But because their leaders had not been sincere to them,
they have continuously propagated the lie that the West is responsible for their problem. A few
facts should illuminate this:
1. In 1957, the North threatened to secede if independence was granted to Nigeria because
they were not ready. Zik, was supposed to have reached an understanding with Awo to
let the North go. But to Awo’s consternation, Zik formed an alliance with the North which
succeeded in delaying independence and allowed the North to get ready.
2. In 1966, a group of young Igbo officers planned a coup that killed only non-Igbo
The Igbo Page 3 of 4
http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/iarticles/igbo.htm 7/18/2008
politicians. Included among the politicians was Ahmadu Bello who was a god-like figure
to the Northerners. Before you could say Jihad, all the Sabongaris were on fire and the
pogrom that would lead to the civil war has started,
3. Instead of trying to seek immediate political solution to the crisis, the Igbos declared
Biafra. They war lasted for 30 months. The Igbos lost everything. The Hausa-Fulani
oligarchy took this defeat of Biafra as the conquest of the South. Since then, they have
transformed the privilege of leadership into that of a birthright and they have used it not
only to stunt the growth of the South but also to subject their people to a state of
perpetual servitude and feudalistic iniquities.
I stand to be corrected.
The Igbo Page 4 of 4
http://nigerdeltaworldcongress.org/articles/igbo.pdf


Now, miss "Efik", prove yourself to be "efik" and not "igbo" . I dey wait ooo!!! Lair!

There weer few Igbo officers who fought on Nigerian side. The same scenario goes to Ibibio, Efik, Ogoni and Ijo. These instances do not negate the fact Biafra was eastern region of Nigeria.

There are few Ikwerri people who would want to dismiss their Igbo ethnicity for socio-political reasons best known to them. There are also many Ikwerri people who have stated categorically that they are of Igbo ethnicity. It is simply an opinion expressed by individuals who were entitled to it.

Katsumoto:
Are u suggesting that the navy should have bombarded lagos from the sea and killed innocent civilians in peace time? Tell me that's not what you meant.

I am still waiting for the names of the Yoruba officers who were around Lagos that Ogundipe could have issued orders to.

EDIT

Good to read you raised slight objection in killing innocent civilians during peace time. I guess you should realize that one of the reasons behind the formation of Biafra was the massacre of innocent civilians during peace time. Or do innocent civilians come with difference shades?

No, I must say that all young yoruba army officers in 2nd battalion Ikeja, 4th battalion Abeokwuta and Lagos Garrison Organization, Lagos were in Enugu, Calabar and Benin City.

[quote author=bk.babe97y link=topic=599800.msg7697402#msg7697402 date=1297257926]Sooo. . . . contrary to your oft repeated accusations Gen.Adekunle is NO LONGER ELIGIBLE TO BE TRIED AS A WAR CRIMINAL?! As, I recall, you and your Ndibo brotherhood of whiners always said he killed wantonly and without regards to age or gender (the old, women, infirm, and children). . . . he was, yall claimed, the Ted Bundy of the Nigerian Civil War. Now, YOUVE JUST ABSOLVED HIM OF ALL BLAME AND ACCUSATIONS and have, infact, handed the title to OGBUGO KALAU!!! Lets see you twist history again by calling Gen.Adekunle a mass murderer.

If ever, in this lifetime, I hear you claim again that Gen.Adekunle "massacred" anyone in Biafra, I'm seeking out your co-ordinates just to come dish your "horrible spelling" self a nasty, and resounding slap. . . . .

p.s: AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT NOTICED THAT DEDE1 IS MOST LIKELY EZIACHI?!?! REMEMBER WHEN I WAS TELLING EVERYONE THAT KALU AKANU, OMEMANI, OCHI AGHA, AKHENATEN (lol. see how he disappeared once EzeUche "resurrected"?) and EZEUCHE were all ONE AND THE SAME?

REMEMBER HOW EASY IT WAS TO EXPOSE ANDRE UWEH AS ABABADA (minus the 29 other names)?!!?

I rest my case![/quote]You are a redundant fool. It is unfortunate you can not even correctly copy statements or words written by someone talk less of good spelling. It seems you are pushing your luck closer to the grave when talk about someone coordinates as secular quantity. You would not enjoy the instances of look over your back.

[quote author=bk.babe97y link=topic=599800.msg7697402#msg7697402 date=1297257926]Sooo. . . . contrary to your oft repeated accusations Gen.Adekunle is NO LONGER ELIGIBLE TO BE TRIED AS A WAR CRIMINAL?! As, I recall, you and your Ndibo brotherhood of whiners always said he killed wantonly and without regards to age or gender (the old, women, infirm, and children). . . . he was, yall claimed, the Ted Bundy of the Nigerian Civil War. Now, YOUVE JUST ABSOLVED HIM OF ALL BLAME AND ACCUSATIONS and have, infact, handed the title to OGBUGO KALAU!!! Lets see you twist history again by calling Gen.Adekunle a mass murderer.

If ever, in this lifetime, I hear you claim again that Gen.Adekunle "massacred" anyone in Biafra, I'm seeking out your co-ordinates just to come dish your "horrible spelling" self a nasty, and resounding slap. . . . .

p.s: AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT NOTICED THAT DEDE1 IS MOST LIKELY EZIACHI?!?! REMEMBER WHEN I WAS TELLING EVERYONE THAT KALU AKANU, OMEMANI, OCHI AGHA, AKHENATEN (lol. see how he disappeared once EzeUche "resurrected"?) and EZEUCHE were all ONE AND THE SAME?

REMEMBER HOW EASY IT WAS TO EXPOSE ANDRE UWEH AS ABABADA (minus the 29 other names)?!!?

I rest my case![/quote]I can not believe the level of your comprehension or lack thereof. Adekunle, as the GOC of 3MCDO, was responsible for the actions of his field commanders. The massacre in Ogba/Egbama, as stipulated in my previous post, was sole responsibility of Benjamin Adekunle. I guess you are grown up enough to discern the differences between a brilliant war hero commander and loudmouthed incompetence massacre driven commander such as Adekunle.

Anyway, a street urchin such as you understands one thing which is stealing. Attempt to make you understand simple sentence is akin to bathing a pig.

I am always very proud of Biafra and its accomplishments within a short period. Throughout my stay on earth, I shall hunger to have Biafra as country and prefer her to Nigeria. Against all odds imaginable, Biafra fought gallantly to bloody the noses of the aggressors and treacherous fence-sitters.

Katsumoto:
I am not surprised at your post; I have often told you that you are not the fountain of knowledge when Nigerian history is being discussed. Please point us in the direction of your sources so that we call all analyse them. Simply dismissing the accounts of others simply because it does not align with the folktales you were fed is not going to wash. Why don't you start by telling us the Yoruba officers who were around in Lagos that Ogundipe could have given orders to? Your attempts at discrediting Ogundipe, Adebayo, and Johnson is pathetic.

How long does it take to drive to Lagos from Enugu? What stopped Ojukwu from asking Ogundipe to contain the boys at Ikeja until he arrived from Enugu with troops? Instead, we know that Ojukwu ran from Enugu to Onitsha. Was there a military base or government house in Onitsha? We also know not all Igbo officers were killed; what stopped the remaining Igbo officers (Anwulah, Njoku, Nwawo, Madiebo, Achuzie, etc) from rallying troops around Ogundipe and attempting to crush the coup?

It is good to note you have posited there were no Nigerian army officers of yoruba extraction within the vicinity of Ibadan, Abeokwuta and Lagos Brig.Ogundipe could issue a command to deal with the menace of northern soldiers in Lagos, Ibandan and Abeokwuta. Lt Cmdrs Akin Aduwo and M Adelenwa were commanders of frigates that could turn Lagos into security hazard for northern Nigerian soldiers. There were many officers of Nigerian army that were of Yoruba extractions in Lagos, Abeokwuta and Ibadan capable of dealing with northern soldiers but leadership was cowered into hiding. The Nigerian army military formations in Lagos, Abeokwuta and Ibadan bore testimony to the fact. By the way, Madiebo was posted in north while Achuzie was not even in Nigerian army.

Benjamin Adekunle was a mere peacock. People kept writing about his phantom military exploit in Biafra. Please where in Biafra did Adekunle perform these wonderful killings people kept refereeing in the numerous posts?  During the capture of Bonny, brigade commander was killed and brigade scattered by elements of 8th Battalion under Ogbugo Kalu. When the first attempt failed, a fresh brigade had to be sent under Akinrinade and supported by the havey guns on NNS Lokoja, NNS Ogoja and NNS Enugu. Yet Akinrinade also most lost his life as he was badly injured.

The battles of Owerri, Oguta and Aba, there were nothing outstanding about the command qualities of Adekunle. Most field commanders threaten to quit. He sent E Utuk in command of 16th brigade to Owerri and the regiment was surrounded and allowed to die a slow death in Owerri. The 17th brigade under Ininih was sent back to Chokocho as dispirited and beaten unit. Also, 15th brigade under Makanjuola that took Oguta was given unceremonious eviction by 60th brigade under Major Asoya. The eviction was so rude that 15th turned into undisciplined regiment that massacred innocent civilians in Ogba/Egbama. The 13th under Major Oni refused to venture out of Igrinta as the regiment was caged by 52nd under Major Frank Okilo. The 12th brigade remained in Aba under Major Shande while 14th was holed up in Azumini. The 18th never left the vicinity of Ikot Ekpene. Where did Adekunle perform all these wonders that making dubious rounds on this forum? After the debacle in Owerri and Oguta including the fact that most of well- equipped fighting regiments had been reduced to boy scouts, Adekunle was redeployed as traffic control officer in Lagos. The dude was a wide-mouth con artist.

Katsumoto:
'After a quick appreciation, a decision was made by Brigadier Ogundipe to scrap together a fighting force from Army HQ elements commanded by an Igbo Captain. They were to go to Ikeja and try regaining control of the airport, by then under the control of Sergeant Paul Dickson of the 2nd battalion.This group advanced right into an ambush of machine gun nests along Ikeja road, losing about 30 soldiers in the process.[/b]In the confusion, two expatriates (including the General Manager of Bata Shoes in Lagos) were killed in cross-fire. ,

About this time, first Major Johnson [b]and then Brigadier Ogundipe himself gave an order to a northern NCO deployed to the Federal Guards Company. The soldier blatantly said he would not take orders from the Brigadier unless approved by Captain JN Garba. So, Captain Garba was sent for and came to the Police HQ.He was initially interrogated by Lt. Col. Anwunah, searching for information about what was happening in the country.Garba then aggressively confronted Anwunah with the grievances of northern soldiers and why they had struck. ,

At about 3pm, [b]though, Ogundipe sent for Garba again and instructed him to contribute a platoon to a second assault force which he was sending to dislodge the boys at Ikeja.Garba notified Muhammed at Ikeja and then contributed a platoon to Ogundipe under one 2/Lt. Osuma (then known as "Usman" with separate orders that should he be ordered to shoot at fellow soldiers he was to refuse and return to base.2/Lt. "Usman" did exactly as he was toldbefore subsequently escaping from Lagos on August 1st himself.When he got back to the east, he used his real name (Osuma) to request that his property be sent back to him there. [/b]Needless to say that Ogundipe's second attempt to establish military supremacy had failed.

Meanwhile phone calls and signals were coming in from other parts of the country, including Enugu (from Lt. Col. C. Ojukwu, the governor).At one point Ojukwu was able to speak to Lt. Col. Gowon at Ikeja.It is said that Gowon told him that he was no longer a "free agent".[b]Ojukwu encouraged Ogundipe to keep fighting even though he himself at one point escaped from Enugu to Onitsha from where he was calling Ogundipe.The rebels later made Brigadier Ogundipe aware that they would only accept Captain JN Garba as his intermediary for negotiations.[/b]Meanwhile, angry about the phone calls from Ojukwu,Lt. Col. Muhammed began making plans to march on Enugu - from which he was eventually restrained. ,

Another authority (Kirk-Greene) claims that Gowon’s change of status from government messenger to rebel representative occurred when Ogundipe declared that he could not accept the proposals being put forward by northern soldiers and wanted to remove himself from the negotiation seeing as he could not exert his authority over them. Indeed Captain Alfred Gom had bluntly told him that they no longer wanted to deal with him or the SHQ at all.More recently, Gowon has revealed that main grouse the mutinous soldiers at Ikeja had against dealing with and accepting orders from Ogundipe was that he had sent two separate assault teams to attack them. General Olusegun Obasanjo, however, thinks an additional reason was that Ogundipe "did not belong". ,

While Captain Garba was away on his second visit to Ikeja,Federal Permanent Secretaries met with Brigadier Ogundipe at the Police HQ.He told them that the soldiers at Ikeja were not willing nor ready to assume responsibility for running the country at that point.On his part he was not ready to do so either unless he had both legal and military backing.Although he had suspicions that Ironsi was already dead he was not absolutely certain.To compound Ogundipe’s position, the Attorney General , GC Onyiuke advised him that there was no provision for an acting Supreme Commander in the Constitution, as amended by Decree No. 1 of 1966.Having rendered this advice, Onyiuke left Ogundipe at the Police HQ and then proceeded to depart Lagos for safety.Others did too, abandoning him and Wey there with no clear answers.'

Source: Nowa Omoigui

So who really were the cowards above? Was it really Ogundipe who tried to crush the coup but was helpless as he couldn't find loyal troops or was it those who ran for cover?

OnlyLies,
Try to educate yourself before commenting on subjects that are beyond you.

This post is a load of deceptive conjectures and feel-happy prose strung together by wide- eyed revisionists. Even a blind could see the wanton illogicalities planted on the post as to confuse undiscerning onlooker. It baffles me that Ogundipe was only giving orders to one Igbo captain or to 2/Lt Osuma (Usman) a Fulani. What happened to Yoruba officers in Nigerian army for crying out loud? There were excellent Yoruba officers in Lagos who were in Nigerian army by then and capable of dislodging the northern soldiers in and around Lagos with little help from Igbo officers. The fact remained that Ogundipe and likes of Adebayo were so cowered they ran into hiding. Ogundipe took refuge in NNS Nigeria were he boarded MV Aureol to UK as a High Commissioner. Adebayo had to run into Dahomey until he was informed the road was clear. Major Johnson turned into love-vendor and errand boy.