₦airaland Forum

SOUNDKING:
if you re-write history to suit your hipocrisy,you may not know your children,do u think other countris don't know about that war?,do you think it was only Ojukwu and gowan that went to Aburi?,do you think there was no documentation doing that time?, what made them go to Aburi?, incase you meant what you typed,just know, it is a very long but wrong epistle,google may help you.where are the documents of our surender?.

Nah! You and your peeps are the ones rewriting history! People have said that 90% of the terms agreed at Aburi, was offered to Ojukwu in order to end the war. But he refused and stubbornly pressed on, until a lot of souls were lost. Chai!

The documents of your surrender were captured in General Philip Effiong's speech, that gallant & brave soldier.

millionaireman:
Alabi Isama was a weakling. Weaklings make the most noise. In wars, weak people can't easily make a choice .That's why Alabi was defecting from one side to the other. Alabi till now keeps seeking attention through bla bla bla in his war memoirs.

Biafra leader did not surrender. Implications: Biafra did not surrender

Re-ea-ally??! So what exactly was the purpose of Effiong's speech, then?

Sile12:
48. Seattle ferry.

Can you imagine the boost our transportation system would receive, if we had just three of such ferries plying the Victoria Island to Apapa route in Lagos, or going from Lagos to Port-harcourt every day?

Chai!

Umuchoke:
Trust me, the Yoruba girl did not love the Igbo guy otherwise the fear of being called iyawo omo Ibo wouldn't have deterred her. True love breaks across family/tribal barriers!

Both of them did not love each other, jare. I have seen this same situation play out in reverse, where an Igbo family has warned their children against marrying an 'ofe'manu' (i.e. Yoruba person). The family was from Anambra, and the person being given an ultimatum, was their first son. So it cuts both ways. They didn't realise I knew the couple.

The truth is that all families are not the same. What may be accepted in one family, maybe rejected in another. This ethnic bias cuts across all tribes.

Sometimes, when a family says no to the choice of their child, it may be borne out of fear. Fear of the unknown or the unfamiliar, fear of change etc.

Most African parents are protective. You cannot raise your son or daughter for 25 - 30 years, and he or she wants to get married to someone you have never seen or met before. Your first instinct as a parent might be to say 'NO', until you have had an opportunity to meet and assess this person at close range over a period of time.

Your feelings might then change as the person's character wins you over. Sometimes parental objection to a union, might draw the couple closer and make them forge a stronger bond. Trust me, when there is pressure you learn more about each other than you ever did before.

Prayers also have a part to play here. Afterall, God created these families even the ones that are raising those objections, and He surely would know how to quell their objections and provide wisdom to counter it.

Sometimes, when the good, the bad and the ugly sides of the family come into play, and the intending couple manage to develop the right strategies and responses to weather the storm, it adds to the love they feel for each other and helps to strengthen the foundation of their relationship.

Faint heart never won fair lady...

lawanson44:
Nwokem, take seat! I have a friend who wanted to marry a yoruba girl he fell in love with. He told her of his intentions and the girl told him bluntly about how her family members called all the girls in their compound during the wedding ceremony of one of her older cousins who married a yoruba guy and were "advicing" them to follow her footsteps and make sure they clinch on yoruba spouses and under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should they bring an "Omo-Ibo" as a suitor because they will never give their consent.

And here you are telling me what i did is not good! If the yorubas feel we are not good to marry from their side, then why should i think that they should be assimilated into my own family?

Someone said you sound like a tribal bigot. I am inclined to agree with him.

I have also seen Igbo guys who date Yoruba girls, (sometimes for several years), but when it comes to marriage, they take off to go and marry a girl from their village or local govt area.

I personally witnessed a case where this Igbo guy dated a Yoruba girl right from her undergraduate days until she finished youth corps, got a job and everything. Their relationship spanned more than 5 years, and all their friends had assumed it would end in marriage.

She even spurned the attention of other suitors due to her love for this guy. He was her first and only lover for years. She had even introduced him to her family, and there were no objections. When the girl felt time was passing, she brokered the question about their future together. His answer was instructive: "Relationships between Igbo and Yoruba people, do not work." What kind of an answer is that? After how many years of courtship?

The girl fell into depression and almost lost her marbles. Now, if she came to you for counselling, what answer would you give her??

joseph1832:
This is not the first time I'm seeing soldiers with this weapons, the assault rifle shown here is standard issue for the DSS, that's what they carry!.

However, I will still fault Dasuki's claims bout purchasing those weapons because I'll ask why didn't he show case them when he was NSA to GEJ? Why and how come he's showcasing them now?.

Guy, weren't you in Nigeria when GEJ begged USA to supply the Nigerian Army (NA) with weapons, and they declined? Have you forgotten that US also put pressure on other Western nations, to turn down our request to buy weapons?

Do you remember that cash had to be flown to South Africa in order to arrange for arms and the SA govt., seized the cash? Do you recall the stress Nigeria went through to get SA to refund the money? Are you aware that there is a backlog when it comes to delivery of some of these specialised weapons: you have to wait until orders for weapons from other countries who pay ahead of you to the manufacturers have been fulfilled, and then such manufacturers will notify you when it is your turn to take delivery? All these things take time to resolve.

Do you know that some of these equipment are even made to order and cannot be bought straight off the shelf, (I don't know if the class of equipment supplied to Nigeria falls in this category, though) so you have to wait until the lead time to manufacture them is over, before you can take delivery? Again, the delay factor and time, comes into play here.

BADNEAT:
now talking in an unbiased way is talking like a kid...that's what they call those who are not willing to bend to cut corners when everyone is doing the same....all you suggested he would have done up there is classified as an abuse of office(using your office to get favors to yourself or your interests)...so if that is how he has failed, then my brother,bring another tory...there are house of reps members from there and a Senator too,with a governor...in an ideal society everyone has his duty spelt out....and d minister, who ever he is handled his perfectly well......

we expect a lot from our relatives who are public office holders yet scream corruption when we come out in public, who do u think they're stealing the money for? themselves alonehardly do you see a rich man without beneficiaries from the poor n middle class around him...in a bid to keep up with d demands of the insatiable society n community, they go stealing,n u shout corruption and wen they don't u steal carry their matter....

Chukwu biko! How does Worgu asking his counterpart in the Ministry of Works who is a fellow minister like him, to fix or rehabilitate a federal road that has fallen into disrepair, now turn into an abuse of office??! Is there something I am missing here?

Who constructed the roads in the 1st place? Federal Govt.

Whose job is it to maintain such roads? Federal Ministry of Works.

Is the Federal Ministry of Works going to give the contract for rehabilitation of the road to Worgu? No.

Is anyone asking Worgu to steal, give a bribe or cut corners so that the road can be fixed? No.

Will lives be saved, communities developed and businesses empowered if that road is rehabilitated? Yes.

So how da heck is this request, an abuse of office? Unless there is something else you are not telling us, oh!

lomaxbien:
U seem to be very active on nairaland posting on all my threads and constantly asking for price,the price is clearly stated...3.3m.
@NL
Still available

Guy, you just added it...talk true!

oluwalfa:
From the "article" you quoted, we can see that a few poorly trained Biafrans were able to overpower highly trained federal troops in Ughelli At no time was there any mention of any atrocities against civilians. Always professional.

I see... in your view, the words "untrained and undisciplined troops" used to describe the Biafran soldiers, translates to being 'professional.'

Odi egwu!

oluwalfa:
What nigeria does with its army is not my problem
I am not bothered by the hatred of saboteurs

Define what you mean by saboteurs. Is it the labelling of anyone that had a contrary opinion about Biafra during the civil war years, that you term "saboteur?' There are different accounts about the thinking that pervaded the military high command in Biafra, which led them to tag anyone with a contrary view as a 'saboteur.'

Quick Kill In Slow Motion: The Nigerian Civil War | CSC 1984 (SUBJECT AREA: Intelligence | ABSTRACT

Author: STAFFORD, Michael R., Major, United States Army
Title: QUICK KILL IN SLOW MOTION: THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR
Publisher: Marine Corps Command and Staff College
Date: 1 April 1984

The lesson here is that the Biafran leadership did not fully consider its operational problems. Fighting a defensive war, the superficial, obvious preparations for battle were made. Defensive fortifications with concrete bunkers, alternate positions and pre-planned ambushes were planned and emplaced. Yet the leadership did not plan for the worst case. Consequently, hectic scrambling occurred to regain lost positions when some degree of realistic foresight and planning might have saved precious resources and ensured more successes.

c. Perhaps the reason that the Biafrans did not consider the worst, was because discussion of such cases would have cast suspicion on the planner as being a "saboteur." Paranoia was rampant throughout Biafra. Even in official channels, the truth, if disastrous, was avoided. After the fall of Enugu, Biafran documents, books and press releases were identified as originating from "Enugu." Umuahia, where the government moved from Enugu, was called the "Administrative Center," a euphemism for capital, and Port Harcourt later was said to be "disturbed" instead of captured. Ultimately, the air of suspicion and the lack of reality in the precautions of the government hindered the military capacity and caused thousands of civilian deaths...

...There is also evidence that most Biafrans considered their men as "fighters" instead of "soldiers" because they viewed warfare naively as inter-village free-for-alls. Because of this, Ojukwu was able to pit the civilians against the military. Ojukwu had called on volunteers to come and defend Enugu.

Armed primarily with machetes (and a few shotguns) Ojukwu's "fighters" were trucked to the front and reformed. They marched off into the night chanting war songs and screaming. After a brief advance, the Federals unleashed great volley of shells. All activity stopped, and the
formation melted into the night. Ojukwu never repeated such a move.

.... This highlights the most controversial aspect of the war, the effectiveness of the Federal blockade as an offensive weapon and the resulting starvation of hundreds of thousands of Biafrans. At the same time, it points out Ojukwu's obstinate unwillingness to sue for peace despite the horrific suffering of his people. Instead, he advertised it to gain sympathy for Biafra.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1984/SMR.htm

oluwalfa:
Biafran soldiers were gallant. Biafran soldiers were highly moral and very professional. Unfortunately those that crossed to your side were led by a chief sabo and offspring of cowardice called Banjo. Turn your frustrations westwards.

Na God I take beg you, stop this hero worship of the Biafran soldiers. All those who lived through the war, had different experiences to share about their interaction with Biafran soldiers.

Not every one saw the Biafran soldiers as professional, because many of those soldiers were untrained, inexperienced men conscripted from the streets and sent to the war front with little or no training.

In fact, here is a description of how the 'professional' Biafran soldiers appeared during their invasion of the Mid-West.

Quick Kill In Slow Motion: The Nigerian Civil War | CSC 1984 (SUBJECT AREA: Intelligence | ABSTRACT

Author: STAFFORD, Michael R., Major, United States Army
Title: QUICK KILL IN SLOW MOTION: THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR
Publisher: Marine Corps Command and Staff College
Date: 1 April 1984

The Biafrans probably lacked the capability to conduct such an offensive operation. In his book, Reluctant Rebel, Fola Oyewole details the lack of preparation for the Midwest offensive by his company. Here is a summary of one episode.

Upon his return from a battalion field exercise, he was ordered to form a new company at Onitsha. He delivered his car and possessions to family members in that city and reported immediately to his battalion. Within hours he moved to the Midwest.

His unit's mission was the capture of the army barracks at Ughelli. With an officer cadet as his executive officer and no experienced noncommissioned officers, the company was bused to the objective area. Ten miles from Ugbelli, he stopped the column and provided a short briefing, though he was without intelligence or reconnasissance. Fortunately there was no opposition at the objective.

Even so, the untrained and undisciplined troops engaged in sporadic firing which resulted in one wound. Such episodes illustrate just how unprepared the Rebels were for the war. The vehicles used for the attack included homemade armored cars, farm trucks and passenger cars. The Biafran soldiers were poorly equipped, and many were without uniforms. They were lucky to meet only token resistance from the few Federal Forces. ....

The Rebels gained some food, materiel, and the assets of the Bank of Benin which were expropriated in the occupation. But the losses far overshadowed those minor gains:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1984/SMR.htm

oluwalfa:
because he was there?

In the same way, you were also present during the war years, especially during the subsequent invasion of the old Mid-West?

oluwalfa:
There were videos and eye witness statements of both locals and foreigners detailing the attrocities of Nigerian soldiers. There was one of the nigerian commanders bragging about how he would shoot civilians and even things that do not move in Igboland. There is none about Biafra except rumours and hearsay.

Cut the crap! The fact that there was no video recording, does not mean the event did NOT happen! So stop this misguided attempt to paint Biafran soldiers as saints!

If an Igbo was reciting the atrocities he went through in the hands of federal forces on this thread, will you claim his account was not credible because there was no video or eyewitness accounts?

There were eyewitness accounts given about the rough treatment that Biafran soldiers meted out to inhabitants of the old Mid-West who were non-Igbo. Yet, each time such references are made, your internet army shouts it down!

oluwalfa:
The bolded is simply sabotage. In any country at war where conscription is compulsory, hiding is treason punishable by death. There is no such thing as forceful recruitment. You were required to fight and you must. Army is not democracy.
The rest of your story is just hearsay. Biafrans never killed anybody for holding contrary views however if you start saying treasonable words in front of soldiers, don't complain if they treat you as a traitor.
Biafra was great.

Hmmn... here comes the defender of the Biafran army!! Your claim that Biafrans never killed anybody for holding contrary views, is totally at variance with what a lot of people experienced during the war, both within Alaigbo and outside it.

Please stop trying to create a halo for the Biafran soldiers, as people lost friends and relatives on both sides, during the war.

So labelling someone else's recall of events as 'hearsay,' is uncomplimentary and nasty. I bet if it was an Igbo family reciting this story, about how the federal forces wanted to kill his grandfather, you would have applauded him!

abagoro:
Biafrans were tyranical. My grandfather had most of his male children hidden except the few that voluntarily went to war. At least 1 in 3 of Biafran soldiers were forcefully recruited and taken to war front while most of those that refused were killed. Any elder who held a contrary view to Ojukwu and his fellows were tagged "sabo" and killed by the Biafrans. This happened everywhere from Benin to Calabar to Rivers and even in the heart of Igboland. It is no different from the way the present day agitators are calling Okorocha, Amaechi and Kachikwu traitors for either supporting or working with Buhari.

Thanks for telling it the way it is, jare!

The revisionists will soon be here.... dem don dey come, one by one! Hehehe !

oluwalfa:
He could have ben killed but he was not. My own people were killed in their thousands just for their tribal affiliations. So when you describe the defeat of our protectors by foreigners as "fortunate", permit me to take offence.

Biafran soldiers were gallant. Biafran soldiers were highly moral and very professional. Unfortunately those that crossed to your side were led by a chief sabo and offspring of cowardice called Banjo. Turn your frustrations westwards.

Dem don start.... "Biafran soldiers were highly moral", my left foot!

We should canonise them and make them saints. Let the people of the old Midwest vote on this one.

BADNEAT:
pls how did he fail?? Nigerians need to grow up mentally...rate him by his job which was overseeing the Labour sector which during his time saw the best salary schemes and programs, and also almost a yearly recruitment in the Nigerian civil service and other programmes that created employment including you win n d rest...you want him to steal money and alsphalt the toad to his houseyoull still be d same person shouting jail him, when Efcc comes knocking on his door.mtcheeeeew

Stop talking like a kid! Who asked him to steal money? What does it cost to put pressure on your counterpart in the Works Ministry to speed up repairs on the road using a FERMA or any of the state agencies under the ministry??

What would it have cost Worgu to liaise with the governor of his state to rehabilitate that road and end the suffering of his people??

oluwalfa:
Was your grandfather a sabo?

What a strange question! How can his grandfather be a sabo, when he wasn't even a Biafran??

INDESTRUCTABLEX:
You seem to be familiar with the industry. Do you operate a gas plant?

Yep. Been in the industry for a few years.

tbaba1234:
Biafra soldiers took over my village in Edo state and imposed a curfew. My grandfather hid in the bushes when they came looking for him.

Fortunately, they were driven out by federal forces.

The Biafran Internet Army will conduct an e-lynching on you via their keyboards, when they read this one! Hehehe....!!

Have you read 888 Days in Biafra by Sam Umweni?

888 Days in Biafra : Dark days behind enemy lines / February 26, 2008
Author: Sam Umweni | First published in The Nation, Lagos

When they were evacuated along to Awgu, the courtesy began to dissipate. Eventually the pretence ended. They were separated and sent to different prisons. Umweni ended at Okigwe Prison. As the war progressed and towns had to be evacuated due to pressure of federal troops, they were moved and brought together at Umuahia Prison. The author also served term at Ntueke Detention Centre which he describes as “the gates of hell.” It remained his home until the end of the war.

In war time, things are bad enough. It was horrible in Biafra.

What with the federal blockade and the reality of the fact that the Igbo who spearheaded the rebellion are a landlocked people.

Right from the beginning, the crises that followed the first military coup in Nigeria and led to the Civil War had their roots in tribalism. With the declaration of the Republic Biafra, the multi-dimensional nature of the national question came to the fore. The Ika Ibo, seeing themselves as part of Igboland collaborated with Biafra.

The illusion soon evaporated as the real Igbo began to manifest arrogant discrimination against all non-Igbo in the republic. The Onitsha Ibo who had always regarded themselves as not being fully Igbo suffered as well as other minority tribes of what is now referred to as South South.

As Biafra lost battles especially on these fronts, people from the areas were herded to the prisons, detention centres, firing squad and the gallows in droves. https://soltai./2008/02/

onyibajoe:
And people are liking and sharing. Your thought pattern though.BTW, how old are you self?

ROTLMAO!! LWKMD!!

Classic response.

hinwazaka:
deregulation though helpful, would be meeting the problem halfway. Liquidation on the other hand would be freeing off the sector completely, leaving it completely to the invisible hands of demand and supply. Such would hurt in the short run but be very helpful in the long run besides the sector causes the government to be heavily indebted and also acts as a huge embarrassment to the nation due to the sleaze attached to it. Hope you catch my drift

You do not have to liquidate a sector in order to free it, or in order to ensure that the forces of demand and supply take their course.

If the sector is properly deregulated and (not partially deregulated) given proper guidelines that foster commercial viability, accountability and standards, then it would thrive.

Look at the telecoms sector. IBB deregulated it, but did not kill NITEL. NITEL eventually died, because it could not survive the competition posed by the new entrants.

Look at diesel and jet fuel. Both have been liberalised, (don't like using the word deregulated for diesel) , but the price still remains high and the forces of demand and supply are unable to take effect, because diesel and jet fuel is still being imported and distributed by a cabal.

Anytime there is a strike, diesel and jet fuel become scarce. Anytime, FG and marketers disagree, diesel and jet fuel become hard to find and their prices shoot up. Just like in the PMS market. Why ??

Now more airlines re-fuel in Ghana and other neighbouring countries before coming here to pick up passengers because of the outrageous prices being charged for jet fuel.

hinwazaka:
Deregulate: to free a trade, a business activity from rules and controls
Liquidate: to close a business and sell everything you own in order to pay debts
* to destroy or remove something that causes problems
* to sell something in order to get money

Downstream sector : commonly refers to the refining of petroleum crude oil and the processing and purifying of natural gas as well as the marketing and distribution of products derived from crude oil and natural gas

I meant to say "liquidate the sector" but between chatting and drowsiness I mistyped. Thanks for noting that

Uh? Are you saying you want govt to deregulate the sector or liquidate the sector (i.e. sell it off and close it down?)

PMB has dealt with NNPC. He should now turn his search light on NRC. The board and management should be replaced because of their ineptitude, with well-trained technocrats that can run the corporation properly.

PMB has dealt with NNPC. He should now turn his search light on NRC. The board and management should be replaced because of their ineptitude with well-trained technocrats that can run the corporation properly.

PMB has dealt with NNPC. He should now turn his search light on NRC. The board and management should be replaced because of their ineptitude, with well-trained technocrats that can run the corporation properly.

PMB has dealt with NNPC. He should now turn his search light on NRC. The board and management should be replaced because of their ineptitude with well-trained technocrats that can run the corporation properly.

PMB has dealt with NNPC. He should now turn his search light on NRC. The board and management should be replaced because of their ineptitude with well-trained technocrats that can run the corporation properly.

ROSSIKE:
Err... actually yes. Ever heard of Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria? We do manufacture heavy weapons in this country. I'll put your comment down to ignorance.

Is DICON still functional? how come they could not manufacture arms for the use of the Nigerian Army during their battle against Boko Haram?

Another review of a book written about the Nigerian civil war: https://www.nairaland.com/1193892/prof-achebes-there-country-meticulously#14282529

DuduNegro:
........

Although this is not part of that series but it is worth noting here that Achebe as Biafran Minister of Information also served in a capacity as a Foreign Diplomat and with Azikiwe, travelled round the globe to earn sympathy for Biafra. One of the people that Achebe kept close contact with was Margery Perham, a Briton. I want you to see what she disclosed to Ojukwu in this letter.


"CONCERN FROM A FRIEND OF NIGERIA"

This is Margery Perham speaking. I am speaking to you, Emeka Ojukwu, and to the Ibo people with you.

You know for you have written to me--how many Ibo friends I have and how I have tried to put the Ibo ease in Britain for many months. I know that many wrongs have been committed both against your people and by your people since this conflict began. But it is no time to speak of these things now when your Biafra is being surrounded by Federal troops, and it cannot be long before you and your people will have to face defeat.

If you try to fight to the end, many thousands of lives which Nigeria cannot spare will be sacrificed, both on your side and on the Federal side. More than this, if you insist upon holding out to the end, then thousands, perhaps millions, of women and children may die, or be wounded, or have their health fatally destroyed by hunger and hardship. And those people who have come from Britain and elsewhere to help you--doctors, nurses and others--they too might be killed or wounded. It is feeling for your people, and especially the innocent women and children, which has so deeply stirred the sympathy of people in Europe and America who have seen their suffering on television. The world which is watching would condemn you if they now believed that you were using your leadership to prolong a hopeless struggle at their expense: there would be not only sorrow, but indignation against you.

You might say that I have been put up by the Federal Government [the Gowon-led Nigerian government] to make this appeal. It is not so. I think I am too well known in Britain and by many of your own people for it to be thought that I would act or speak in any other way than upon my own judgment and initiative, and as a Christian. I cannot speak for the Federal Government. I can only say that from what I have seen and heard, not only in Lagos but in visits to other parts, the East and the North, I do not believe that your people would be in danger of massacre or revenge. You must know, even if your people do not, that an immense effort is now being made to prepare the way back for your people into life in Nigeria.

I therefore beg you not to take upon yourself the terrible responsibility of refusing to surrender and of fighting to the end.