₦airaland Forum

Faced with Gowon’s complaints about Britain not supplying more arms, Wilson also agreed in mid-July to supply the FMG with the fast patrol boats. This was done in the knowledge that they would help the FMG maintain the blockade against Biafra. Wilson wrote to Gowon saying that ‘we have demonstrated in many ways our support for your government as the legal government of Nigeria and our refusal to recognise the secessionists’. He also told him that Britain does ‘not intend to put any obstacle in the way’ of orders for ‘reasonable quantities of military material of types similar to those you have obtained here in the past’. Gowon replied saying that ‘I have taken note of your concurrence for the usual purchases of arms supplies to continue and will take advantage of what is available now and others when necessary’.
By early August Biafran forces had made major gains against the FMG and had invaded the mid-West region. Commonwealth Minister George Thomas noted that ‘the chances of a clear-cut military decision being achieved by either side now look rather distant’. Rather, ‘we are now faced with the probability of an escalating and increasingly disorderly war, with both sides shopping around for arms’. In this situation, he raised the option of Britain launching a peace offensive and halting all arms supplies. But this was rejected by David Hunt in Lagos and others since it would cause ‘great resentment’ on the part of the FMG against the British government and be regarded as a ‘hostile act’. Instead, the government decided to continue the flow of arms and ammunition of types previously supplied by Britain but to continue to refuse supplies of ‘sophisticated equipment’ like aircraft and tanks.
The decision to continue arms exports was taken when it had already become clear in the behaviour of the Nigerian forces that any weapons supplied would be likely to be used against civilians. It was also at a time when Commonwealth Secretary General Arnold Smith was making renewed attempts to push for peace negotiations after having been rebuffed by Gowon in a visit to Lagos in early July. Continue below

The new High Commissioner in Lagos, Sir David Hunt, wrote in a memo to London on 12 June that the ‘only way… of preserving unity [sic] of Nigeria is to remove Ojukwu by force’. He said that Ojukwu was committed to remaining the ruler of an independent state and that British interests lay in firmly supporting the FMG.
Before going to war, Gowon began what was to become a two and half year long shopping list of arms that the FMG wanted from Britain. On 1 July he asked Britain for jet fighter/bomber aircraft, six fast boats and 24 anti-aircraft guns. ‘We want to help the Federal Government in any way we can’, British officials noted. However, Britain rejected supplying the aircraft, fearing that they would publicly demonstrate direct British intervention in the war and, at this stage, also rejected supplying the boats. London did, however, agree to supply the anti-aircraft guns and to provide training courses to use them.
The Deputy High Commissioner in Enugu, Biafra’s main city, noted that the supply of these anti-aircraft guns and their ammunition would be seen as British backing for the FMG and also that they were not entirely defensive weapons anyway since ‘they could also take on an offensive role if mounted in an invasion fleet’. Nevertheless, the government’s news department was instructed to stress the ‘defensive nature of these weapons’ when pressed but generally to avoid publicity on their export from Britain. High Commissioner Hunt said that ‘it would be better to use civil aircraft’ to deliver these guns and secured agreement from the Nigerians that ‘there would be no publicity’ in supplying them. Continue below

Ojukwu initially tried to get Shell/BP to pay royalties to the Biafran government rather than the FMG. The oil companies, after giving the Biafrans a small token payment, eventually refused and Ojuwku responded by sequestering Shell’s property and installations, forbidding Shell to do any further business and ordering all its staff out. They ‘have much to lose if the FMG do not achieve the expected victory’, George Thomas noted in August 1967. A key British aim throughout the war was to secure the lifting of the blockade which Gowon imposed on the east and which stopped oil exports.
In the run-up to Gowon’s declaration of war, Britain had made it clear to the FMG that it completely supported Nigerian unity. George Thomas had told the Nigerian High Commissioner in London at the end of April 1967, for example, that ‘the Federal government had our sympathy and our full support’ but said that he hoped the use of force against the east could be avoided. On 28 May Gowon, having just declared a state of emergency, explicitly told Britain’s Defence Attache that the FMG was likely to ‘mount an invasion from the north’. Gowon asked whether Britain would provide fighter cover for the attack and naval support to reinforce the blockade of Eastern ports; the Defence Attache replied that both were out of the question.
By the time Gowon ordered military action in early July, therefore, Britain had refused Nigerian requests to be militarily involved and had urged Gowon to seek a ‘peaceful’ solution. However, the Wilson government had also assured Gowon of British support for Nigerian unity at a time when military preparations were taking place. And Britain had also made no signs that it might cut off, or reduce, arms supplies if a military campaign were launched. Continue below.

]Nigerian aggression, British support


British interests are very clearly revealed in the declassified files. ‘Our direct interests are trade and investment, including an important stake by Shell/BP in the eastern Region. There are nearly 20,000 British nationals in Nigeria, for whose welfare we are of course specially [sic] concerned’, the Foreign Office noted a few days before the outbreak of the war. Shell/BP’s investments amounted to around £200 million, with other British investment in Nigeria accounting for a further £90 million. It was then partly owned by the British government, and the largest producer of oil which provided most of Nigeria’s export earnings. Most of this oil was in the eastern region.
Commonwealth Minister George Thomas wrote in August 1967 that: ‘The sole immediate British interest in Nigeria is that the Nigerian economy should be brought back to a condition in which our substantial trade and investment in the country can be further developed, and particularly so we can regain access to important oil installations’.
Thomas further outlined the primary reason why Britain was so keen to preserve Nigerian unity, noting that ‘our only direct interest in the maintenance of the federation is that Nigeria has been developed as an economic unit and any disruption of this would have adverse effects on trade and development’. If Nigeria were to break up, he added: ‘We cannot expect that economic cooperation between the component parts of what was Nigeria, particularly between the East and the West, will necessarily enable development and trade to proceed at the same level as they would have done in a unified Nigeria; nor can we now count on the Shell/BP oil concession being regained on the same terms as in the past if the East and the mid-West assume full control of their own economies’... Continue below

Where's Nwodo abeg this one na audio more beating by my gallant IPOB families coming to them this year ... E be like say this one no ask Ekweremadu how far

The war ended but the memories will never end . We will never forget... Rip to my beloved brothers and sisters you did not die in vain you died a Heroes.
#FreeBiafra

godlyguy:
The babe still fresh sha

na background the deceive you

[s]

godlyguy:
Nairalanders meat don land

godlyguy:
An American based single lady who is of Nigerian descent has taken to her social media to share to the world the type of man she wants.

She said she wanted a man who was born and raised in Nigeria. Not only that, but she also added that she wants whoever meets that criteria to also have attended his secondary and University education in the UK or USA.

That might sound a little bit unrealistic but surprisingly there were many guys responding to her post that they meet the requirement.

If you think you meet the requirements too, you may want to find the tweet where she posted the message HERE


https://ebeanonews..com/2020/01/i-need-man-that-was-born-and-raised-in.html?m=1

godlyguy:
...Let me book here too... Oya comments can start

[/s] Only you be Op and still FTC are you this greedy

Her ikpekus don dry now she want to give Nigeria men the left over like motor wey them use for America ...

[s]

Hallabee1:
no o, na yam

[/s]

MelesZenawi:
[s]Former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, has shared his view on Operation Amotekun recently launched by the South-West governors, stating that the move is not a viable one.

Amotekun was set up by the governors to combat the security menace in the region.

He highlighted some of the challenges facing the states and the need for the governors to adopt a more sustainable approach in addressing the security challenges.

Speaking on Channels Television Newsnight, Mr. Babaginda the governors should have convinced the Federal Government to put up some part of the revenue for the purpose of curbing insecurity in the region.

“It is not viable because they are quarreling with minimum pay, now they create another force that you must equip them, pay them salaries, and give them all the needed welfare, which is going to be a problem for the state, where will they get the money to do that.

“If they had succeeded in convincing the Federal Government to put up some part of the revenue for the purposes of that, but if they take on it themselves, it is going to be a problem.

“I think what they need to do is to have a closer look at this; we have a lot of security outfits, and I think it is to assign specific responsibilities. That will take away the burden, they wouldn’t be stretched,” he stated.



Mr. Babaginda maintained that a lot needs to be done to address the security situation while recommending that an intelligence-driven approach should be adopted.

“A lot needs to be done quite frankly because if what we read in the papers or what we listen to on the radio is true, there are still some challenges in most of these areas we assumed the security situation has been stabilised.

“There are still a lot of challenges, what they need to do is to get a lot of intelligence information. It looks to me that there are some people who are thinking for the insurgents and the thinking is we need to find out who is thinking for them, who are leading them, supplying them the weapons and ammunition and we need to put a stop to that.”

Regionally, Mr. Babaginda said he would love to see more commitments at the highest levels from the Heads of states of various countries’ commitments to security.

https://www.channelstv.com/2020/01/14/ibb-says-amotekun-not-viable-advises-south-west-governors/?fbclid=IwAR3oHj9PGPdt9gkYJYibmPV8bjkiUjQo3wEMPr1WLwRUBpa0Y0VUaDr5nFM


Lalasticlala

[/s] IBB supposed be in the grave, who ask his opinion on this or is it because it doesn't favour the North that he is spewing that trash. Who is paying Hisbah in the north? All this Northerners should just keep shut .. nonsense and ingredients

God have mercy on us
Hope that's not human being am seeing

[s]

BSMS:
Dear pro Biafrans,
Can someone please tell Ayatollah Nnamdi Kanugate to produce the referendum documents that was signed sealed and delivered.
Can someone please tell Ayatollah Nnamdi Kanugate that command and control is the definition of Authoritarian system of government
Can someone please tell Ayatollah Nnamdi Kanugate that Buhari is more Democratic than him
Can someone please tell Ayatolah Nnamdi Kanugate that it's only the Ayatollahf Iran that goes by the name Supreme leader

My submission
Ayatolah Nnamdi Kanugate is a dictator, a scammer and a deceiver...
Anyone in support of Ayatolah Nnamdi Kanugate is a criminal and an efulefus
Ayatollah Nnamdi Kanugate is using people for human sacrifices. Twenty Eight people died in house days after he ran away from his house
We heard that Ayatollah Nnamdi Kanugate collected 2million dollars to announce on Radio Biafra that the referendum documents has been signed sealed and delivered..

I call on the interpol to arrest Ayatollah Nnamdi Kanugate with immediate effect

Signed
Amaymon

[/s] Did you inherited your foolishness from your parents or you got it for free?

Niger Sacks Army Chief After Deadliest Attacks in Years
Jan. 13, 2020
U.S. News & World Report
More
Reuters
FILE PHOTO: Nigerien commandos simulate a raid on a militant camp during the U.S. sponsored Flintlock exercises in Ouallam, Niger April 18, 2018. Picture taken April 18, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron Ross/File PhotoREUTERS

NIAMEY (REUTERS) - Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou has replaced the head of the army after two of the country's deadliest attacks in living memory killed at least 160 soldiers and prompted a rethink in the battle against jihadist groups, the government said.

Ahmed Mohamed led the army for over two years, a period marked by a steep rise in attacks by militants linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda that culminated in a daytime raid on a remote army base on Thursday that killed at least 89 soldiers.

That attack came less than a month after another on an outpost that killed 71 soldiers and raised questions about Niger's ability to contain the spread of jihadist groups across its western border from Mali and Burkina Faso.

Major General Salifou Modi was appointed Mohamed's successor on Monday, the government announced after a cabinet meeting.

Niger said it would launch a new military offensive against militants, but past campaigns have failed to curb violence despite the presence of French and American troops.

Attacks in Niger have risen fourfold over the past year, killing more than 400 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, a non-profit research organization.

Military campaigns by armies in the Sahel, a semi-arid swathe of land beneath the Sahara, have also been marred by human rights abuses, which analysts say have pushed some civilians into the arms of the jihadists.

In addition to the Islamist attacks, countries in the region, especially Mali and Burkina Faso, have struggled to cope with deadly ethnic clashes between rival farming and herding communities.

(Reporting by Moussa Aksar and Boureima Balima; Writing by Anna Pujol-Mazzini; Editing by Edward McAllister and Giles Elgood

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-01-13/niger-sacks-army-chief-after-deadliest-attacks-in-years?src=usn_tw

[s]

PassingShot:
Useless IPOBians and their fellow wailers are fixated on SW and the North, claiming they're the problem of Nigeria.

Useless idiots who think they're better than every other person when indeed they are far worse but with loudest noise.

Imagine giving out used wheelbarrows on hired purchase as poverty alleviation prog in 2020!

Na like this Biafra go become Dubai in 2 years?

[/s] it is you and your entire family that is useless... Why don't your bleeped government let them go , if you comment without mentioning IPOB will you die Anu ofia.

Why don't they deploy the � dog in Sambisa forest ... Zoo country

Who's to be blame Abia Government Or ShopRite
Like for ShopRite
Share for Abia

[s]

muykem:
How old are you?

[/s] Keep shut if you don't know what to say

[s]

AtikuMeansJobs:
your ipobian delusional way of thinking is out of this world, IGBOS have not fully metamorphosed beyond their animalistic,cave_like behavioural tendency.

[/s] are you born to be a fool?

agulion:
Thank God we Yorubas have start coming back to our senses.

[s]

itsme01:
focus on Lamidi Kanu the runaway Coward,

[/s]

[s]

Earlystar698:
Did you pray for NIGERIA

[/s]

[s]

Earlystar698:
Did you pray for NIGERIA

[/s]

[s][/s]

Earlystar698:
Did you pray for NIGERIA

[s][/s]

callme9mm:
We Nigerians honestly don't have any problem with this. They should just face the real problems instead of this

[s]

[/s]

Neroiam:
Nawa o ...since morning..[/b] Person no go hear word again Hanan Hanan Hanan ....na she be the new Tonto Dikeh ?