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GorkoSusaay:can you imagine ojukwu was so inexperienced that he declared independence just 2 months after aburri conference , he should ave given diplomacy more time if even for a year or more while preparing for war and let other leaders like opara , ibam and zik who was later biafran emissary do what they know how to do best. azikuwe eventually withdrew his support for biafra because ojukwu frustrated his efforts believe me azikuwe unlike ojukwu has administrative and diplomatic experience and he is not a coward… This is the conversation between chinua achibe and senator francis ellah who helped set up the biafran mission in London. on page 126 of chinua achebe’s "there was a country" quote”i think that when we were in a position to achieve a confederation we should have accepted the chance or opportunity, when we were insisting that biafra sovereignty was not negotiable. we ought to have considered the tragedy of the situation” un quote. I am not here bash biafra or the igbos i do whole heartedly support and believe in biafran agitation for independence then, the course was just and right,the timing was perfect and the opportunity was there,i believe we are better of with old federal system before ironsi when the central government had little power or even better as 3 to 6 separate nations. my point is that ojukwu lacked administrative or diplomatic experience that could have guided better decisions,he was newly appointed by ironsi and igbos turned to him as the man in power during the crises,which gave him access to some of best administrative and political minds in nigeria but he had a stubborn personality and refused to take advantage of some of the good advises this belief is shared by some igbo elites and states men and even some amongst his inner circle too. Lets call a spade a spade ojukwu was not the best to lead the agitation for biafra,the only thing the igbos gained from his leadership was "DEATHS AND DESTRUCTION'S". Stop blaming other tribes for ojukwus errors and military blunders if the movement had been led by someone else igbos would have witness the emergence of THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN. |
gidgiddy:Why is it so convenient for some ojukwu followers to blame every thing on propaganda when the events were well documented by western media who where way ahead of us then. no mater how efficient propaganda is,the truth catches up with it,because there are lots of historians and media recording acounts of the events….. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Civil_War Biafran elites studied Western propaganda techniques and released carefully constructed public communications in an intentional fashion. Biafran propagandists had the dual task of appealing to international public opinion, and maintaining morale and nationalist spirit domestically. Political cartoons were a preferred medium for publicising simple interpretations of the war. Biafra also used push polling to insinuate messages about Nigeria's inherent bloodthirstiness.[116] Novelist Chinua Achebe became a committed propagandist for Biafra, and one of its leading international advocates.[20] Roy Doron, "Marketing genocide: Biafran propaganda strategies during the Nigerian civil war, 1967–70", Journal of Genocide Research 16.2–3, "In order to organise a coherent policy, and to create a strategy to circumvent the obstacles of creating effective propaganda during wartime, the Biafrans created a series of plans, of which only one, 'Guide lines [sic] for effective propaganda' (also called Plan #4), Heerten & Moses, "The Nigeria–Biafra War" (2014), pp. 174–175. "Realising their slim chances on the battlefield, the Biafran leadership moved the conflict into the propaganda domain. I can get you more… [color=#006600][/color] |
gidgiddy:Are you just choosing to adore blindly or you are ignorant about the facts: I believe that experienced political leaders of the older generation like opara,ibiam,zik,awo,bello even balewa would place appropriate value on the lives and well being of its follower’s un like the military leadership mindset that sees humans as a pawn on a chess board battlefield. Regardless of ojukwu mistakes i would have admired him if he had not fled,after such destruction and loss of lives of his kin men,women and children as a result of his decision ,that was the height of cowardice that made his brave and strong personality Questionable . most of his inner circle and advisers heard on THE RADIO that he had fled for ivory coast. This is from one of the greatest biafran patriot who was also one of biafra's diplomats, on page 225 of chinua achebe’s "there was a country" quote”after ojukwu fleed,sir louis mbanefo the biafra chief justice and general philip effiong met with a small group of biafran government officials and made the decision to surrender”un quote. HE IS A COWARD....... |
Ariani:Even when the truth stares you in the face you will dispute it,am sorry but that is intellectual weakness that leads to zombie following. Dispute this too : General Ironsi, an Igbo, emerged as the head of state. In his policies and actions, Ironsi did little to allay the fears of Igbo domination. He failed to place the coup plotters on trial as northern leaders demanded, and he appointed Igbos to sensitive governmental positions. Against all advice, Ironsi promulgated Decree Number 34 of 1966, which abrogated the federal system of government and substituted a unitary system; he argued that the military could only govern in this way. Given the already charged atmosphere, this action reinforced northern fears. As the north was less developed than the south, a unitary system could easily lead to southerners "taking over control of everything," as a northern spokesperson put it. It was at the height of northern opposition to unitarism that the countercoup of July 1966 took place. |
pchukwudi:Buy this book :Ralph uwuchie, "reflections of the nigerian civil war" he is an insider he fought with biafra till the end. google this quote:”the biafran masses, enslaved by an extremely efficient propaganda network and cowed by the iron grip of ruthless military machine had neither the facts or the liberty to form an independent opinion. the case of the elite was different…those who had access to the facts knew that the time had come to seek a realistic way to end the war …. in private they expressed this view but proved to cowardly to take a stand and tell ojukwu the truth"un quote. http://thenationonlineng.net/genocide-biafran-culpability-and-achebes-impressions/ https://peccaviconsulting./2015/08/04/biafra-strategic-military-lessons-from-the-civil-war-1/ biafra had effective propaganda system and stories which majority of people still believe till present |
Kingspin:origin is always important: Ironsi promulgated Decree Number 34 of 1966, which abrogated the federal system of government and substituted a unitary system; ... aguiyi ironsi failed to put the arrested coup plotters to death after the killing of northern leaders,these reasons and others further fueled suspicion by the northerners that igbos do really want to take over,thats the reason for the pogrom which eventually led to the war |
gidgiddy:I don’t want to argue on issues,if it was gowan or ojukwu that did something first it will be a waste of time,all your answers are in this book: Ralph uwuchie, "reflections of the nigerian civil war" But there is no doubt that some of the origin of the war was the coup that killed northern leaders and the fear of igbo domination,which led to the pogrom which eventually led to the war because of the way it was handled by Ironsi. If you argue that then you need to read more reading google :northan leaders demands after the coup http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/70.htm |
Kingspin:for your information,it is so convenient to be brave when other peoples life is on the line but i disagree that courage is when you pack you belongings and run when the war that you stated come to your door step after you’ve sent millions to their grave. |
gidgiddy:I don’t want to argue on issues,if it was gowan or ojukwu that did something first it will be a waste of time, but there is no doubt that some of the origin of the war was the coup that killed northern leaders and the fear of igbo domination,which led to the pogrom which eventually led to the war because of the way it was handled by Ironsi. If you argue that then you need to read more. google :northan leaders demands after the coup http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/70.htm |
pchukwudi:The book references are there...don't have a lazy mind read it.... List Of Major Military Installations In Nigeria In The 60’s: Northern Nigeria: 1. 3rd Bn Kaduna 2. 5th Bn Kano 3. 1 Field Battery (Arty) Kaduna 4. 1 Field Squadron (Engrs) Kaduna 5. 88 Transport Regt Kaduna 6. Nigerian Defense Academy Kaduna 7. Ordinance Depot Kaduna 8. 44 Military Hospital Kaduna 9. Nigeria Military Training College Kaduna 10. Recon Squadron & Regt Kaduna 11. Nigerian Air Force Kaduna 12. Ammunition Factory Kaduna 13. Recruit Training Depot Zaria 14. Nigerian Military School Zaria Western Nigeria: 1. 4th Bn Ibadan 2. 2 Field Battery (Arty) Abeokuta 3. 2 Recon Squaron Abeokuta Eastern Nigeria: 1st Bn Enugu ——————————— Tell me is it wise to fight or negotiate? actions create reactions………… War is supposed to be strategic, and not fought with only emotions and passion. |
contagiousme: |
BADNEAT:This is not meant to create any divisions,except to try and encourage people to read widely and come to their own conclusion,rather than hating without facts and also to illuminate why a good leader knows when to and not to fight. |
BADNEAT:[color=#006600][/color] i intentionally used 21st century instead of 19th century to draw attention to the topic and because in the 21 century majority of igbos still consider ojukwu as their greatest leader. |
I read recently some comments made by nairaland users on awolowo’s speech to western Nigerian leaders i was so disappointed that i had to set some things straight. When i read fredrick forsyths ojukwu,which was his biography from mostly his point of view,i was filled with respect and admiration for ojukwu,his background,how he excelled in the military and most importantly standing almost alone against the nigerian government and how he managed the biafran war,but my adoration was soon gone after reading other books on biafra war,including ones written by some close to him during the war.some of the origin of these sad horrific war was the coup de-tat that stopped our young democracy which was carried out by majority igbos led by chukuma nzeogwu who believe that previously held election that brought in tafawa balewa was floored ,they also thought that there was corruption in the system,either by planning or accident the coup led to the death of leading hausa-fulani and yoruba leaders while igbo leaders like azikuwe and michael okpara were not affected,awolowo only survived because he was in jail.the deaths of these leaders was very painful to the masses,this loss was more felt in the north due to Ahmadu bello's death,the rumors of igbos taking over the country was widely accepted in a tribalistic country where most citizens had voted along ethnic or tribal lines,all the leaders killed were not military men,they could have been arrested and jailed ,to make situations worse aguiyi ironsi an igbo man who took over as the military head of state from a failed bloody coup did not put the arrested coup plotters to death, he also changed our unitary system of government to federal system which for the first time in our history gives the center more power over the regions,these reasons and others further fueled suspicion by the northerners that igbos do really want to take over,the northerners wanted a sever punishment for the coup plotters and also wanted a revert of decree 34 which would return nigeria to its previous federal structure, all these led to a counter coup that was led by murtala muhammed and t.y danjuma which brought gowan to power,during this time the riots and systematic targeting and killing of the igbos had started in the north. I believe the killing of the innocent civilian igbos went too far and people should have been punished for their involvement,But the naive coup plotters did not know that killing Ahmadu bello would have ethnic, religious and political consequences that will change the history of nigeria. Ojukwu who was the eastern governor did what was right by asking the igbos to come to the east,an estimated 30,000 had lost their lives to these riots, leading to exodus of close to a million people returning to the east, ojukwu refused to recognize gowan as the head of state and threatened to declare a sovereign state because gowan was not the most senior officer,and the inaction of the federal government finding a lasting solution to the humanitarian crisis ,he cut of communication to the federal government ,seized all the revenue collected for the federal government in the east and gowan reacted by ordering blockade of the eastern region,blocking major roads to put pressure on the east to negotiate. Yoruba leader awolowo stated that the federal government should withdraw its troops from lagos ,ibadan and abeokuta and that if the igbos should leave yorubas will too,these statements probably made gowan more determined to keep nigeria as one. In early january 1967 a summit was held in aburi ghana as a concession to ojukwu wanting a neutral location to address area of conflict ,both parties left aburi with different understanding or interpretation of the agreement, after 2 months of the east viewing gowan as not implementing the aburi accord,ojukwu unilaterally declared an independent state of biafra. Gowan responded by dividing nigeria in to 12 states in such a way that the minority group in the east and the core igbos who got 3 states out of the eastern region,where separated almost along ethnic lines, 5 million minority groups who were frightened of igbo domination in the east supported these moves because they believe ojukwu carved out biafra out of the old eastern region since it was area under his control as the then eastern governor and not by any serious consultation with its people or its leaders ,they were determined to stay in one country called nigeria or have their own independent state, all these was to gowans advantage seeing it as a moral responsibly to protect the minority groups from the igbos. At the beginning of the war 14 military installations were in the north shared between kano ,kaduna and zaria, 3 in the west shared between ibadan and abeokuta and only one in the east which was the 1st battalion in enugu with no field artillery , air force,reconnaissance squadron , heavy weapon depot, ammunition Factory. I think ojukwu should have used the threat of war to negotiate a better autonomy for the east which nigerian negotiators were suggesting then,why do you think Ukraine have not till today tried to attack Russia,it is simply because it will be a foolish thing to do. After all the rhetoric on both side the surprise invasion and take over of the mid west by biafra was definitely the beginning of the war. chinua achebe wrote in "there was a country"about a conversation he had with late Dr okechuku ikejiani who was one of the leading diplomat of biafra, that he ojukwu did not consult with igbo leaders like azikwe one of our great leaders and michael opara the former premier of the eastern region neither did he consult with other igbo leaders before going to war,he only consulted with louis mbanefo and francis ibiam these leaders advise were ignored by ojukwu according to Dr okechuku ikejiani who holds the view that they could have made very little compromise to avoid the war,that was why azikuwe eventually withdrew his support for biafra after frustrating efforts made by him to bring the warring parties to a peaceful resolution. Ralph uwuchie, biafran's envoy to paris during the war published a book called the "reflections of the nigerian civil war" in his memoir he strongly criticized ojukwu for the leadership he provided for biafra and his unwillingness to compromise,for example ojukwu would rather have women and children die than accept a staggering sum of 600,000 pounds from Britain to get relief supplies for the dying citizens,he also wrote that while the war for survival of the ibgos was on going,the war for survival of ojukwu leadership was also going on and that ojukwu errors had been very costly to igbos, his quote"the biafran masses, enslaved by an extremely efficient propaganda network and cowed by the iron grip of ruthless military machine had neither the facts or the liberty to form an independent opinion. the case of the elite was different…those who had access to the facts knew that the time had come to seek a realistic way to end the war …. in private they expressed this view but proved to cowardly to take a stand and tell ojukwu the truth"un quote. Those that oppose ojukwu will most likely be arrested on false charges and sometimes executed without evidence like major ifeajuna,sam agbamuche,major phillip alale,brigadier victor banjo and many others. Ten italians and one jordanian oil workers for eni were killed in an oil field in kwele by biafran troops and 18 others accused of spying and jailed despite international outcry, it took the persistent intervention of the pope before they were eventually released. Biafran soldiers were sometimes shot in other to enforce discipline,colonel achuzia aka" air raid "was allegedly known for this,two soldiers were also in some instances given one rifle so that when one is wounded or dead the other will use it and this is according to fredrick forsyts documentary" biafrans fighting a war without guns". There was no trust on both sides gowan did not allow humanitarian relief through land and sea because he believed biafran's will use route to get weapons,ojukwu refused to allow foods and medicine to reach biafra starving citizens through a neutral corridor that took weeks to negotiate by emperor selassie,for fear it would be poisoned by nigerian troops despite assurance from the international relief organizations and despite the fact that there was no prior evidence of poisoning by nigerian troops,some of the foods and medicine that was eventually donated and flown into biafra by these organizations was diverted for military use. He was more interested in using using the horrific pictures of hunger ,death and destruction to gain international sympathy and getting weapons than finding a quick end to the war according to "there was a country "by chinuia achibe,canada was neutral until it officially criticized ojukwu openly for rejecting humanitarian assistance of cloths ,food and medicine while he was vigorously seeking weapons. apart from the surprise attack of the midwest and ore the only advancement the biafran troops made was when they recaptured owerri which they soon lost, within five months of the start of the war biafrans had gradually lost the midwest and all their territories to the federal government remaining about 2000 sq kilometers a portion of umahia the then capital of biafra after former capital enugu was lost,why then did ojukwu find it necessary to fight for another two and a half years with heavy causality. Ojukwu would have people believe through propaganda that nigeria was fighting an all out war and that its intent was to kill all igbos,but that is not the case, as much as there were many causalities due to ojukwu's gorilla style war fare that had little front line and his disregard for biafran's lives in the way he prosecuted the war, and some over zealous nigerian troops mostly northerners,who neglected the rules of engagement,some like colonel benjamin adekunle who was later retired, nigerian government was fighting a war of reconciliation, examples of these is that in any war even with western standards the loosing side would have their political and military leaders prosecuted and killed but gowan re absolved almost all the military leaders in to nigerian army ,also thousand of biafran soldiers surrendered and none was killed contrary to the impression that ojukwu gave the international community and his people through propaganda,that was why during the war to the mediators and in the international community gowan was seen as a gentle man why ojukwu was viewed as a war monger except for countries like china, and france who was interested in the oil deposits and also reducing britain's influence in west africa,which sent weapons through ivory coast and gabon,even these 2 countries did not give their support openly or recognize biafra diplomatically. All the major powers including united nations and african union supported nigeria ,their argument is that if biafra was allowed to separate ,it may give way for other african ethnic groups to do the same which will destabilize africa. The only countries that recognized biafra was tanzania,ivory coast,gabon,gambia and haiti the only country to do so diplomatically outside of africa. How can the igbos believe that yoruba leaders would allow biafrans to storm through Ore one of yoruba heartlands with 1000 unorganized,mostly untrained soldiers ,poorly armed,some without uniforms,riding on farming trucks,personal cars,and Peugeot 404 to attack and take over lagos and then be at ojukwus mercy when they did not believe in his cause,even if they had succeeded,reinforcement would have come from military installations in ibadan and abeokuta which had one of the largest armory. the igbos till today believe the misinformation,they see it as yoruba betrayal ,the well informed knows better . The above description of the troops organization that wanted to attack lagos was reported by a reputable journalist "john de st. jorre"who worked for uk observer . Ojukwu was not a leader the igbos chose them selves,he was appointed by the military after the coup,they rallied around and depended on him because he was the man in power during the crises,he is not an hero, his leadership brought great calamity to his people ,if the igbos had been lead by someone other than him, they would have gotten at least a semi autonomy with little or no casualty but he ignored advises of more experienced leaders,some of whom even helped in negotiating nigerias independence with Britain. Ojukwu should have been arrested and prosecuted for using children young as 13 as soldiers with little training, some times on the spot training to fight skilled nigerian soldiers,knowing they would die in large numbers. It is humans that builds and also destroys,no one comes out of a war without a loss,decisions to go to war should not be taken lightly. Every time i remember the war events,it is so painful that millions of men,women and children had to die and some survivors had gone through unbearable hardships just because two men were unwilling to compromise because of their ego and political stance ,especially ojukwu who was ill prepared and had more to loose,when sometimes making concessions was the necessary thing to do. The painful war was avoidable or at least more lives could have been saved if the war had ended earlier,i still wonder what the population of the igbos will be today without the unjustifiable death and destruction he brought on his people. I am still baffled why a military leader would make such catastrophic miscalculations of starting a war with such odds stacked against him,you don't go to a sword fight with a spoon and then complain about bloody nose and broken legs. Like the usual selfish and dictatorial african leader,he did not wait to finish what he started,after properties and livelihood were destroyed and an estimated dead 2 million biafran soldiers and 1 million biafran dead civilians due to starvation and collateral damage ,total 3 million biafrans lives wasted, in addition to total of 100 thousand nigerian soldiers losing their lives. He fled the country stating in is usual articulate style"whilst i live biafra lives" with over 3000 pounds of personal luggage and his expensive Mercedes Benz leaving the igbos to their faith which to me is the most visible act of cowardice and betrayal displayed by him. even after the war some continue to die because of land mines , thousands of wounded veterans are still alive today with no care,most of the survivors of the war continue sharing their painful war experience and bitterness,blaming other ethnic groups for ojukwus errors and military blunders ,and restating the propaganda ojukwu used in motivating them to fight during the war to their descendants,without doing their own research,these misinformation continue to breed hatred in to the younger generations.the tragedy in all these is that humans refuse to use past experience to avoid the mistakes of the future. NOTE:i intentionally used 21century because most igbos consider ojukwu one of their greatest leader in this 21century |
military installations before civil war: Northern Nigeria: 1. 3rd Bn Kaduna 2. 5th Bn Kano 3. 1 Field Battery (Arty) Kaduna 4. 1 Field Squadron (Engrs) Kaduna 5. 88 Transport Regt Kaduna 6. Nigerian Defense Academy " 7. Ordinance Depot " 8. 44 Military Hospital " 9. Nigeria Military Training College " 10. Recon Squadron & Regt " 11. Nigerian Air Force " 12. Ammunition Factory " 13. Recruit Training Depot Zaria 14. Nigerian Military School " Western Nigeria: 1. 4th Bn Ibadan 2. 2 Field Battery (Arty) Abeokuta 3. 2 Recon Squaron " Eastern Nigeria: 1st Bn Enugu ---------------- use your brain and not emotions or passion |
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