₦airaland Forum

Dede1:
Bros, Onlytruth, come on; you are the person who has adamantly skewed the Biafran effort as Igbo affair/thing alone by stating in prints that “Ndigbo did not carry minorities along”. As a contrarian to that stream of thought, I have maintained that minorities were in the forefront of Biafran issues and had numerated important and authoritative positions held by minorities in Biafra including christening the country. It must be recalled among the best brigade commanders of Biafran armed forces were Ibibio, Annang and Kalabari peeps.

Till today, majority of people from Ibibio, Annang and Ogoni had rather shut their mouths about Biafra/Nigeria war than play biblical Peter who denied Jesus when the chips were down. If the so-called people of Ikwerre, who could pass as Igbo, denied being Igbo since the end of Nigeria/Biafra civil war, I had rather share a nationality with Ibibio, Annang or Ogani than Ikwerre.

I have no problem in keeping the east united instance of disintegration of Nigeria if every player understands what it takes to keep east united. However, I intend to obey the first law of nature which is self-preservation hence pursuit of Republic of Igbo land. I shall vehemently refuse to play either Zik or Ironsi.

Like I wrote in my pervious post to acknowledge historical facts, I reiterated that Nigeria/Biafra civil war is the amalgam of my political philosophy.

Bros, the bolded is the most laughable thing I've read from you so far! hehehe!

I am not cast in the mold of the two men you mentioned, and I will explain how.
If I was Zik for instance, Western Cameroon would still be in Nigeria today. I don't care many times folks tell me that he had no choice than to let them go. I would have done everything to keep them in Eastern Nigeria. As you should know by now, I don't cede territories just for pride or sentimental reasons. Ernest Endelley would have been the Premier of Eastern Nigeria, and I would have aligned with Awolowo to gain independence in 1957.

As for Ironsi, where do I even start. I won't say much about him (because his role was military), but I would not be toppled by anybody.
The military is by far the easier horse to ride than politics and people. Suffice it to say that the counter-coup would never even happen at all, talkless of it failing. Ironsi never understood the power he had. Unfortunately for him, second lieutenants understood them more than him.
Sad.

alex_101:
I stated that 2015 and beyond (if nigeria disntegrates or remains one, doesn't matter) would be vital to how we relate with them because that will be period we will realize "if doing thesame thing will either get us thesame result or a different result" . I believe this is a period when most Igbo will let them know that two can play thesame game if they continue in their hate infested traits for Ndigbo, and I already know who will loose big time if it comes to that.

May God bless you my brother! 

Honestly, for the life of me, I don't know why some of our brothers can't envision what you just said. They don't understand that anyi kwesiri iji ofo.
(we are supposed to complete our investment first, after which we would have developed a political, historical and moral LOCUS STANDI to demand payments, or at least a reciprocation of our goodwill. One good turn they say deserves another.
It is at that time that we can then ride the winds of the golden rule to our destiny, irrespective of any force lined against us from anywhere.
If you carefully look at Nigeria's history, you would see that our fathers invested heavily (as I'm advocating here) on other groups. That is why Ojukwu is today celebrated by even some of the groups that hated him most when he was alive. They have no choice! You can't subdue truth.

In any case, my main concern is that we Ndigbo are too quick to cede our investments or relationships or natural advantages to others for sentimental reasons. If I invested in developing the Trans Amadi Industrial Estate in PH for instance, or in Calabar under the Eastern Nigeria government, only a sustained war would pry them off my hands! Ejighi akpata atufuo aba ogaranya. It would even be more unreasonable to cede what no one has demanded aggressively.

Hausa is spoken even to the gates of Igboland at Idah. It says a lot about our opponents up North. I don't know why we are aggressive in business and sports and everything else, except politics. One of the things I learned from white folks is that they are aggressive in business, but they are even MORE aggressive in politics.    It makes sense because without politics you cannot control your investments!

Anyway, I would take Briggs statements and wait. 

Obiagu1:
^^^

There's nothing about that only that you based your argument on a false premise. Thephilus Danjuma is a Northern minority and[b] Muritala Mohammed was from Edo State. [/b]So I maintain that there was no extraordinary planning and consideration made by the coupists to carry Northern minorities along. What they knew then was North and only North.

The bolded is not what his biography says. He may have been an offsring of an edo Woman but his father was not Edo. He was born in Karawa Kano in 1938. As far as I know (and he believed) he was HAUSA. His names are Murtala Ramat Muhammad. I know there are edo muslims, but he was a pure Kano man.

I think I have raised all the issues I wanted to raise on this thread. So, I'm calling it a day for now. 

Obiagu1:
I've never been against One East but the idea that one has to give up power to keep them happy is completely unacceptable to me. It's even annoying. You have yet to give me a valid occasion where such happened and as I stated, there was no precedent for Biafran leadership to base their planning on and there was no leadership problem in the East.

As for Northern minorities ruling more than Hausa/Fulani, they got there as a result of their courage and risk to their lives. Name one Northern minority that was democratically elected to lead the North or Nigeria?

My brother there is nothing to be angry about. lol
We the East found ourselves in an extraordinary circumstance; we (Ndigbo, as the Eastern majority tribe) needed extraordinary strategies to emerge victorious because the pogrom was already targeting largely our people.
Ndigbo si na anu gbaa ajo oso, agba ya ajo egbe (if a bush meat runs counter-intuitively, the hunter must also shoot counter-intuitively ).
Gowon was in power for 9 years (7 years after the war), until the Hausa/Fulani felt he'd been there long enough, they replaced him with (guess who?) Murtala of course. I don't want to go into what happened to the middle belt from then on.
Nna, I really think that you are taking this the wrong way.

I repeat[b] isi ala adighi ato n'ebe akporo ya.[/b] No one in his right sense in Eastern Nigeria would attempt to enslave the Igbo. Such can only happen in Nigeria, not Biafra. Like I said before, the "worst" that can happen to us in Biafra would be EQUAL OPPORTUNITY to ALL.  

Obiagu1:
I will not toss anyone out but like EzeUche said, probably take a trip to Bayelsa and Rivers and ascertain the feeling and general opinion there.

I will always treat such statements from Annkio Briggs and Asari with utmost caution. No one is going to use us as a step to achieve their own ends. Was it secession of the East or the secession of Niger Delta she was talking about?

As for MASSOB not being strategic, what else should they do? Force the non-Igbos to join MASSOB (Gods knows how many advances MASSOB have made towards a united front) or dissolve MASSOB and join MEND as OnlyTruth will like us believe?

MASSOB has not been making sense. That is why elite Igbo have stayed away from it. How do you expect Ijaw or another minority group to respect and join MASSOB? Yes, MASSOB can dissolve and join MEND if they share the same goal of secession, what is wrong with that?
Honestly, all the militant groups in the North has NEVER been tied to one ethnic group in the North. Even MEND has managed to bring in some non-Ijaw into it, a case in point is Henry Okah (an Urhobo man). So, why should MASSOB focus on Igbo only?
As far as I'm concerned, they started failing when they started making it an Igbo only movement (for whatever reason!). In certain struggles, diversity is priceless.

I'm not saying that we need to grovel and beg anyone to join us in the struggle for emancipation; I'm saying that we have been going about it the wrong way.

The other mistake I see here is that folks tend to equate SS with Ijaw (Bayelsa and Rivers). Fact remains that "SS" contains other tribes including Ibibio, Ogoni, Annang, Ekoi, Igbo and others including Beaf's Isoko.
When Joseph Tarka was doing his middle belt thing, the Hausa/Fulani never threw up hands and ceded the whole Northern minorities to his Benue people. They "fought" hard politically to contain Tarka and kept the North united. That is why the Northern minorities have produced more Nigerian leaders than even the Hausa. Can anyone now say that the Northern minorities are lording it over the Hausa? I don't think so!
There is no doubt about who is in charge in the North.
I don't think that anyone in Nigeria doubts the source of Jonathan's power. Only a fool would think his power is from "SS".

@Obiagu1, this is the point I'm making.

Dede1:
Bros, Onlytruth of the world, I have maintained a stream of consistency in my approach to possible disintegration of Nigeria. Republic of Igbo land is and will remain my first choice. However, due to geographical terrain and proximity in culture and tradition Ndigbo share with certain ethnic groups in the area coupled with efforts of certain Ibibio, Annang, Ogoni and Okirika/Kalabari during the Nigeria/Biafra war, I would not mind to share nationality with them. I have said that Nigaria/Biafra war remains the amalgam of my political philosophy. If accepting to share nationality with those mentioned is a crime, I am ready to plead guilty if indicated.

Biafra was defeated in order to produce present day Nigeria, a country without progressive future. At the cradle of Biafra, tactic was more in the mind of a Biafran than strategy. The foreign powers which made sure Biafra was defeated did so not because of love they had for Nigeria but what they perceived Biafra would become.

I am quite sure if Biafra was allowed to exist for one (1) year, the strategy you seem to reference in your posts would have been in the cards.

I'm happy that you at least acknowledge the facts of history and stated them as they are.
What is unfair and even self defeating, is to talk about Biafran war and secession effort as a purely Igbo affair. It wasn't. The same applies to how we tend to present Ojukwu (though I blame that partly on his post war roles) as Igbo leader. Fact is that he was the BIAFRAN/Eastern Nigerian leader. I remember an Igbo song "Ojukwu bu eze Biafra" which praised his exploits during the war.

When we had our memorial service here in the US for Ojukwu, every state of the former Eastern region(plus Anioma) PAID to sponsor it. One of the non-Igbo ones (Akwa Ibom) even paid the highest amount.
That is the reality of Biafra. Republic of Igboland has never existed; Biafra did. So, I am very determined not to skew history and facts of our secession "agenda" in Nigeria.
For me, Eastern Nigeria remains one until someone opts out.
If the Fulani who don't even marry Hausa women except very rich and powerful Hausa families can still keep the North one, I believe that we Igbo can keep the East one. I would consider it a failure if we don't do that. We cannot, and should NEVER accept a divided Eastern Nigeria because it would be strategically dangerous to our survival.

So, we keep the East united, BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY. 

Ok, I'm back!

My brothers, I have a meeting to attend. I will be back in about 4 hours to answer more questions.
Much love.
Signing off,
Yours truly

Onlytruth.

Obiagu1:
I will also add that if the only workable condition for a United East is when my people are subjugated, then I will not buy that idea of unity. Everyone has to fair and we have shown that we, the Igbos, are fair in all our dealings with our neighbours.

Obiagu1 my brother, I would share a private joke (with the whole world now I guess). I once asked my father why he never married a second wife, why he remain monogamous.
He laughed and simply said; "Take a good look at your mother, do you think any man in his right sense would have TWO of her type?".   The man won't live to tell the story.

On this issue, do you REALLY think that any group could subjugate the Igbo in Eastern Nigeria? Is that really how you see Ndigbo? I'm laughing seriously!  
So, that issue is completely irrelevant. The worst that can happen is that everybody becomes EQUAL in Biafra, which BTW was Biafra's goal as declared in Ahiara Declaration.  

Obiagu1:
Who lead the coup is open for debate. Some said Theophilus Danjuma, some said Muritala Mohammed. Who actually lead the coup? All I know was that Yakubu Gowon, a Northerner, was already the Army Chief. Was that the highest position in the Army? Yes. So they did not pick him from nowhere and my mind tells me he pulled the strings from the top. Theophilus Danjuma and Muritala Mohammed were mere foot soldiers.

When it comes to stepping down, I don't know if anyone had ever done that. Ojukwu was [b]already the leader and there was not debate about who should lead. You said you would have stepped down but there was no reason for that except you feel you are not competent or qualified to lead and you I believe you wouldn't have stepped down either. There was no precedent to base your judgement on.[/b]

How was the minorities not carried along? Was the 2IC not a minority? Probably because he was not an Ijaw man. Every decision took before the war involved everyone. You can't dispute that.

Why did we lose that war? Maybe you should look into the crash of a plane in Cameroon that was carrying arms to Biafra before the war started.

My point about Murtala still stands because he could have insisted on another Northerner. Gowon was part of a government that was already overthrown and gone.
His Chief of army post had expired as at then. They didn't have to give him the head of state.

As for leaders stepping low, there are many precedents but the one I love most is that of Jerry Rawlings of Ghana. He did it I believe twice.
If you say that I would not do such thing, then my friend you don't know me at all. lol
I never advocate things I would not do because I'm a strong believer in the Golden rule.

I truly believe that we could have done much much more to win the war. We didn't.
That is why I worry about the Uwazuruike types running around not having the slightest clue of what needs to be done.

BTW I don't necessarily believe that we must fight a war before actualizing Biafra; but it would be foolhardy not to think of war when thinking about seceding from Nigeria.
Again, that is part of why I don't like MASSOB. They may be leading us to hell.  

Dede1:
You could be forgiven for seeing future spate of contingencies in Nigeria from the prism of yesteryears. Today’s Nigeria is definitely not Nigeria of 1960 where the common focus was set on a certain ethnic group that seemed to have achieved more than its fair share of accomplishment for a very short period. Everybody assumed consciously or unconsciously that this particular group was out to dominate others. Unfortunately, the January 15, 1996 coup did not help matters either.

Today, the political gauge in Nigeria reads a total different result. Although in certain feudalistic circles, this particularly referenced ethnic group is still viewed as a worthy competitor.

My people say that when a woman is married twice, she can easily discern which of her husbands is better than the other. In addition, my people equally said that a person stung by a bee seems to be afraid of Greenfly.

If Nigeria should disintegrate today, nations shall be formed based on cultural and traditional proximity of ethnicities within a given zone. One of the deciding factors to the formation of a country or nation is numerical strength and ability to organize people into fighting squads to defend natural boundaries or assist neighbors to ward off eminent attacks. Also, there shall be a strategy for territorial expansionism. On both counts, I do believe Republic of Igbo land has the will-power to emerge as a nation.

It is unfortunate you tend to forget both Nigeria and Biafra in 1966 were almost at per baring numerical strength advantage which Biafra was able to stale with strategy. However, it was tactics or lack thereof rather than strategy that saw Biafra retreating from all sectors. By the time the tactics were revamped, the effect of constant retreat has already taken its toll on the fighting spirit of Biafrans.

Again, it is much skewed analogy for one to attempt to juxtapose the instances between Biafra/Nigeria with the condition of wars fought by USA or even Germany. Biafra was not even a country a mouth before the civil war started. It is disingenuous on the part of anybody who seemed to assume that eastern region of Nigeria, which has been politically conned as a result of all Nigerian military installations and depots stationed in northern and western regions of Nigeria, would have the pleasure and comfort to organize a plebiscite seeking the support and opinion of every dimwit or stiff in the region if it should fend off the aggressor at Gerkam and Obollo Afor who had shown  traits to kill, mane, ra.pe, pillage and arson in the name of Allah. For umpteenth time, Biafra was a month old as country and, in fact, an accident of unforeseen contingencies which should not be placed in a silly analogy with USA.

I had tried to avoid the issue of crude oil and other natural resources in Nigeria. When coals, Iron ore and Limestone were the main stay of life wire in eastern region, there was no sense of minority in eastern region. Port Harcourt, Calabar, Enugu, Aba, Umuahia, Owerri, Orlu, Abakiliki, Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Okigwe, Afam, Eleme, Nsukka, Nakalagu and Afikpo were developed by the government of eastern region with equal commitment. The moment crude oil was struck in Olobiri in 1956, then detractors of eastern region went to work by informing any gull there is a minority in eastern region of Nigeria. It must be recalled that before and earlier part of the Nigeria’s independent, eastern region was also towing southern Cameroon. 

I must inform anybody that Olobiri oil fields that preceded Owaza by few years did not pump more crude oil than Owaza in 1965. Due to the fact there were more offshore crude oil fields in Igbo land than so-called minority, hence 1976 boundary adjustment. Has the discovery of crude oil in minority land or ceding crude oil fields in Igbo land to the so-called minorities uplifted them into majority? I say think folks.

Again, if Nigeria will cease to exist as a country today, which I pray everyday, I must spend the last pint of blood in my body to advocate for the pursuit of Republic of Igbo land. By the same token, I would not mind a nationality with Ibibio, Annag, Ogoni and Okirika/Kalabari.

I only used ONE example of a GREAT strategic military strategy to illustrate my position. Few men can actually think like that because most men are beholden to pride and puff.
I see issues of military and war as a matter of life and death. So, pride has no place in it!
G.H Bush could have gone to war alone and still won. He didn't.
You have to import my analogy to the Biafran scenario because we could have put that war beyond reach by juggling things in ways that would even baffle the enemy.

BTW Dede1 there is an inconsistency within your position about our neighbors. On one side you talk about you preferring and fighting for an Igbo only country; then on the other side you say you would welcome some minorities.
Bros, we have to make measured concrete steps. You either want them or you don't.

Obiagu1:
@ OnlyTruth

I think you got it all wrong. Completely wrong. No one said declaring an Igboland Republic without an agreement with the rest of Nigeria and no one is talking about war. We are only talking about this phantom "unity" which is a bit questionable and suspicious.
You keep harping on what you could have done if you were there in 1967 with the benefit of hindsight with you. Now tell me, what could you have done differently? Step down as the Governor of Eastern Region and hand over to a minority?

Until you address this question, I really don't know what you meant by "allow(ing) the whole Biafran secession effort be led by non-Igbo almost completely" and how they were "never seriously carried" along during our struggle.

My brother I have to start by saying that you made a factually incorrect assertion that the emergence of Gowon after the counter -coup of July 1966 was not a strategic move by the North.
What? 
Pray wasn't that coup led by Murtala Muhammad?
What role did Gowon play in it? Do you recall how long it took the coup plotters before they settled for Gowon, and that was long after Ironsi was dead?
What do you think made Murtala (a very power hungry and ambition man) to agree to cede power to Gowon a minority Angas?

Nna men, growing up and watching Nigerian politics, almost everybody agrees that the North is the most politically savvy section of Nigeria. It does not mean that we cannot overtake them; it only means that we MUST acknowledge our flawed (often emotional) approach to politics. I cannot claim certainty of knowledge regarding what we should have done in 1967, but I know that Ojukwu (for instance) could have stepped down to the position of Army Chief, while Efiong or another capable non-Igbo could have assumed Biafran leadership. If that had happened, military assets like Ojukwu could have been unleashed to organize the army better and with Igbo face remaining largely away from the limelight. When Gowon created the 12 states, the minorities would then be in a REAL FIX regarding dumping the Biafran agenda, afterall, why be a state governor when you are already a head of state?  Our face being there was a MAJOR motivation for other groups in Nigeria to want to fight Biafra. On the enemies side, even though we knew we were fighting the Hausa/Fulani, our enemies in the battlefield where the Tiv, Angas, Beroms, Kattafs and all the Northern minorites plus the Yoruba from the west -an  eediot like Adekunle was only interested in getting to Igboland. 

Notice that a Murtala even went and commanded an invading division (after leading the counter coup) even though he could have been somewhere in power corridors having fun.
Now imagine Ojukwu marching the Biafran Expeditionary Force to Ore! We would have had a REAL chance of getting to Lagos and sacking Gowon, all the while keeping the East united. I'm using these extreme examples to highlight what we could have done to defeat Gowon's maneuvers. We didn't do it.

As for things I could have done differently, (though I'm not a trained military man), I would have (if an Ijaw or Ibibio was the head of state of Biafra) assigned the Biafran Navy to the minorities completely, and I would have assigned the best military/financial support to that Navy to dominate the Nigerian coast and keep our ports open. In fact I would have used every asset I have to impose a Naval blockade on Nigeria. So, to me, the minorities were really in the best position to deliver a major strategic advantage to Biafra.
If we had open ports, we would have won the war. 

Now, what price am I prepared to pay to have that advantage? Almost anything!

Ndigbo si na[b] isi ala adighi ato n'ebe akporo ya![/b] (I won't translate this one). 

I'm lol @noiseless for "catching" ChinenyeN. hehehe!

My brothers, I'm sorry that I haven't had time for almost three days now to address everybody. So, don't misunderstand it that I don't want to address you individually. I'm just pressed for time this weekend.

I'll start with Obiagu1.

ChinenyeN:
Onlytruth, I am not talking about isolation. Instead, I am talking about judging this ND conviction, from an arms length. Do you honestly not find this acute change in attitude questionable and disturbing? You should. It is not a beginning of some "new era". Don't be so quick as to envision a "future" belonging to the "Dokubo's and Briggs' of Ijo". Truly, you should be more critical of this recent, dramatic, socio-political climate change that we are currently witnessing.

Note where I earlier stated that I have no problem engaging in any sort of joint venture with the people [if necessary], but "unity", of any kind, is pushing it.

Also, I will keep my sentiment, thank you. Sentiment is the spark from which aspiration and initiative are born, nurtured and groomed. It forms a necessary foundation for human endeavor. Pragmatism is the facilitator for appropriate implementation. It encompasses the tools necessary to further initiatives and sustain aspirations. No right-thinking human being can rightly develop an understanding devoid of either sentiment or pragmatism.

I truly wonder why anyone would think that I have swallowed everything, hook, line and sinker. Beats me! lol.

When I say that I am determined to help Ndigbo to NEVER repeat past mistakes that led to the death of millions of our people, I really mean it. Like I also keep saying here, there are a lot of things I cannot say here (and I'm baffled that some of my brothers are not mindful of their words here). We are talking about our neighbors! It seems they did not notice when Nigeria handed over Bakassi to Cameroon. They never read the strategic import of that. Nigeria could have gone to war over it and Cameroon may not have won, but at what strategic price?

I am also baffled by how quick we are to shed friends, allies, partners, neigbhors, all for sentimental reasons. What bothers me most is that there is a group called MASSOB whose leader has shown same traits, which I know can only lead to one result. If not I wouldn't even bother debating this. My fear is that we are about to repeat history, and I hope I shout enough before that ever happens.

Every human attribute has a time and place, and sentiment cannot be unleashed to run amok completely.

What I see happening is that our neighbors are flying kites and guaging our body languages and speeches. Let's not foreclose anything and box ourselves into a strategic corner. No matter what happens, we shall remain neighbors.  

I would take Beaf as the voice of SS on this thread.

ChinenyeN:
Of course, naturally I wouldn't elect to use the word "negligible", if not to thoroughly convey (through exaggeration) my current [size=14pt]sentiment[/size]/understand.

You see my brothers, the bolded is the problem with most of your positions. Almost all of you are arguing based on sentiments and not based cold pragmatism; and unfortunately, that was the major flaw in our Biafra's strategy in 1967, and would likely be the same flaw in 2012 and up, assuming there are no people like me around.  

This is really an oppotunity to hammer this point home, and I would use it handsomely.

Let me reharsh what I believe some of you want us to do, which is basically what Uwazuruike wants us to do.
(1) Go back to Igboland
(2) Declare Biafra comprising of only Igboland
(3) Sing Kumbaya and live happily ever after.  

Now, let me show you what would certainly happen.

(1) Everybody gangs up against Igbo, from Sokoto to Calabar, Damaturu to Forcados
(2) We surrender in FAR SHORTER time this time.
(3) We start another journey in the wilderness for another 40 years, assuming we are not cleansed from our lands this time.

My brothers, in the period I have lived to observe great leaders, perhaps the greatest leader I know is President George Herbert Bush ( father of Pres George W, Bush).
Why do I pick him. I pick him because of the masterful and legendary way he planned and implemented the first gulf war in 1990. He could have fought the first gulf war alone or with few allies, he chose to build a broad coalition.
For about 6 months before the war started, he consulted widely and kept sending diplomats to all strategic countries of the world: Russia (the USSR), Britain, France, China, Japan, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and others.
Let me just cut a long story short by saying that George H. Bush sent emisories  to even Saddam Hussein who went with clear instructions: leave Kuwait unconditionally. I speculate that they may even have proposed deals to him; ALL IN ATTEMPT TO AVOID WAR, but nevertheless the building of international coalition continued non-stop. By the time he was done, ALL strategic countries were on his side, and Iraq was alone. Then he lauched the famous Operation Desert Storm, and told Saddam Hussein in his war speech that he (Hussien) must learn that NO NATION CAN STAND THE MIGHT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. When the war was over, it was as if the Iraqies fought God.    But no, they did not fight God, they fought against a man who had his head firmly on his shoulder. They fought a losing war.

The worst strategy for anybody to adopt in the emancipation of Igbo people, is to isolate us using sentimental reasons and make us a sitting duck for a certain gang up. That is why the Uwazuruike doctrine is very dangerous for Igbo people.
Smart countries of the world ensure that they are at peace and even love, with their neigbors. It is a strategic suicide not to be.

Finally, I want to say that I don't know Igbo people to be tribalists even though we may be the most discriminated tribe in Nigeria governent circle.
I believe that the only reason Biafra happened is because the North was orchestrating a genocide against innocent Easterners in the North, and we had to defend ourselves as Easterners and Biafrans -TOGETHER. Of course some sabotaged that both as individuals and as groups, but it never changed the fact that it was NEVER an Igbo thing. That history has been almost revised to make it an Igbo thing, sadly enough.
Igbo leaders of 1967 could have carved out only Igboland and declared it Biafra; but they didn't. They didn't because we Ndigbo are not tribalists and racial supremacists. Even today, the only real reason why I may want Igbo to secede is because of that same constant mudering of innocent people in the North. If people cannot live in the North, then we have no business being one country.
Apart from that, I would stay in Nigeria. So, I cannot afford to think this way whereby today it is an Igbo only country, tommorrow it may be an Anambra country, day after it may become an Nnewi country, and so on. I would get angry first at the Ikwerre who may still be denying being Igbo, before I get angry at the Ijaw who thinks he owes me no love or loyalty.
There are two sides of the Ijaw nation, those with the Clerks and those with the Briggs and Dokubos. I believe that the Clerks are dying off, and that the future belongs to the Dokubo's and Briggs.  

My brothers Eziachi, Dede1, Obiagu1 and others,

I love this debate because at least no one in SS would think that we have sang kumbaya and gone home. lol 
I love the fact that we have a divided opinion on this. So, let us continue the debtate!

I have a lot of things to say, but obviously I can't say all of them here; but I would still say everything that captures my core believes about our relationship with our neighbors.
I will state some unimpeachable facts, and then I will make some political statements.

The unimpeachable fact are that we (Igbo and non-Igbo) of Eastern Nigeria are DIRECT neigbhors, and as result, we are in unique positions to do some very good, or very bad things to each other (the civil war treacheries proved that).
The other unimpeachable fact is that both Igbo and non-Igbo lands possess things that others want, things that if we don't use our heads, can lead to our annihilation by others.
Once we understand these two unimpeachable facts, we can now try to prognosticate a political strategy that would lead to good things happening to BOTH peoples (Igbo and non-Igbo).
What happened in the lead up to the civil war, was that our leaders (Igbo and non-Igbo) did not FULLY understand the reality of our situation represented by those unimpeachable facts about the Eastern region. If they did, that war would never have been fought at all. If it was to happen at all, then the Igbo would NEVER have led it.
Like I keep saying, I am determined to ensure that Ndigbo never repeat past mistakes.

I understand the point raised by Obiagu1 about some of the minorities only wanting to be with us when they want to use us, and are only happy when they are leading us.
However, I don't think it is as simple as that. If anything, I see their situation as I see that of African Americans in the US scenario. The minorities felt that we (Igbo) were dominating them politically and felt marginalized. Now the same with AAs, but guess how the whites solved that problem, they overwhelmingly voted a black man to become president. Now, do you think that AAs would make similar claims tomorrow? Nope. I think that Ndigbo can do the same (thank God we've already done so with GEJ). No matter how bad a person is, he/she never forgets certain things. I would bet my money that our neigbhors would not easily forget our gesture in electing GEJ. That does not mean that everything is well now. It only means that we are getting closer to a unity of purpose. In fact, I can almost touch it!. 

Now, on the issue of forming an Igbo only country, all I have to say is that it is easier said than done! 

The way I see it, Nigeria is like a cage, and if I learned anything from Yoruba fighting along Hausa/Fulani to stop Biafra, it is that CRAB MENTALITY is the most dangerous obstacle to the realization of an Igbo only country because these minorites also want to leave Nigeria but they can't on their own. Do you think they would just say ok bye with Igboland only and stay under Hausa/Fulani/Yoruba hegemony for ever? You've gat to be kidding me!  Guess what they would likely do? Join the rest to stop us. . .AGAIN.

This is part of why I don't value Uwazuruike's opinion on this issue. He failed to prove to me that he is a good strategic thinker when he first called on Igbo in the North to return.
Someone said here that Uwazuruike knows these minorities that is why he is only talking about Igbo nation. I say that Uwazuruike is the problem because he failed to understand that because the Ijaw controls MEND (an armed group), that they would not respect him (an unarmed man in the Nigerian jungle). Have you ever seen where an armed man respects an unarmed man? Nope. So, it is a mistake to conclude that because Ijaw (MEND) disses Uwazuruike, that they hate Igbo or belittle Igbo. Uwazuruike should go and arm up first and come back and talk to Ijaw. I assure you all that the result would be almost opposite!

Personally, when I think about our emancipation in Nigeria, I ALWAYS start from the North. That is why I stated that Ndigbo must find a way to demistify the boogeyman called Hausa/Fulani in Nigeria. The least we can do is to stay in their lands whether they like it or not, because they are in ours. There is more to this which I won't discuss more here.
Bottomline is that if we prove our mettle with these murdering Hausa/Fulanis, nobody would mess with us in our own backyard.
This is why I think that Uwazuruike's MASSOB is achieving the opposite for us. If Uwazuruike is serious about MASSOB, he should not try to hunt lions bare handed. It is obtuse to do that.

So, I maintain that we can still have a Biafra with all the East intact plus Anioma (and even Beaf's Delta sef!). 

Like our brother Mikeansy quoted: Consensus is about winning converts, not driving away heretics.  

If we want an Igbo only country, let us be realistic about the possibility of its existence.

Now, the political statement.
We (SE and SS) should (due to the circumstances of the undisputed facts raised) move together politically in Nigeria.
If we really understand those facts, we have no choice because any other choice would be political suicide. 

The Ikemba is really getting a Nigerian National Burial!  
There is no other way to look at this.
Even Umaru Yar adua (a sitting president) did not get this type of burial!  

Nigeria sometimes gets somethings right and melts my secessionist heart a little.
If only this country would do everything like this!  
Well, let's keep watching.  

Beaf:
Brilliant!
If this had been the old days, we would have rallied to present you 10 virgins.

If we had been brought to the table and told what the plans were, there is no way the war would have been lost. It is really strange that just 4 years after the referendum to create the Midwest, advantage could not be taken of the Midwests unhappiness with their lot in Nigeria. It was a cardinal error to declare us, without consultation to be a new independent country called, the Republic of Benin. Everyone was bewildered and confused, but soldiers are trained to kill; they know nothing about public relations, so it isn't surprising that they created a blooming fiasco.

[size=14pt]Mistakes were made in the past, lets forget them and move ahead[/size]. I do respect Dede and Ezeachi, but they tend to reel out stories without the slightest proof; ironically, those same fables are the very ones that have been used to divide and rule us.

My brother I hear you.
Only God does not make mistakes. Man is full of mistakes; the only important thing is to learn from them, and folks like myself are determined to never repeat past mistakes.
I believe that our people are gradually learning, and in this age of computers and internet, information is spreading fast, hence the learning will be faster.
If you take a careful look at how the SE and SS are making their political moves in Nigeria today, you would agree that they have learned immensely. 

Now picture this.

Effiong as the leader of Biafra
Ojukwu as the commander of the Biafran Expeditionary Force marching towards Ore. Menh!

Let me say this quickly before fools start talking nonsense on this thread.

The poster is a known anti-Eastern Nigerian with a strong HATE for anything East of the Niger.
The only thing he loves about us is the oil. So, his maneuvers here is only aimed at dividing us Easterners. Nothing more.

Having said that, (never taking away anything from Ojukwu's legendary leadership abilities and achievements) I personally believe that if Eastern Nigeria was lucky to have Effiong as the Governor of Eastern Nigeria as the war began, it is very possible that he could have given Nigeria much more trouble than Ojukwu, just by virtue of his being a non-Igbo; because Nigeria would not have successfully used state creation to divide the East. The bile against Igbo often packaged as "Igbo domination" was what Gowon tapped into when he created states to "save minorities from Igbo domination". Gowon's  move only fed into an existing fear which remain unproven even till today (thank God it remains unproven ).
The magical efficiency of that move can only be explained by an Igbo proverb which says that madu no na akuko oku, uguru wee puo (someone was already near a fireplace when Hamattan started). With hindsight, one can argue that Efiong may have been more successful in rallying non-Igbo (and hopefully Igbo too because Igbo never had any problems in following non-Igbo leaders of the East) to the cause more than Ojukwu.

He was also a great soldier and leader of men who acquitted himself very creditably when it mattered most.

Col Joe Achuzia equally proved himself and continues to do so till today.

I would ignore the insult on the Great Lion of Biafra, the Ikemba Emeka Ojukwu by this poor soul (the OP) who is DESPERATELY searching for Igbo attention. 

Sai Ojukwu!

BTW I thought that ndu-chucks said there will be no Biafran flags there.
I dey laff.

My brothers, IT IS WELL.

We have to use our brains, and we have to also look seriously and honestly at our history.
Eastern Nigeria has been one and peaceful for thousands of years before 1967.

We traded slaves with our neigbhors long before Nigeria came to be, so how can we all of a sudden be different peoples?
Makes no damn sense.

9ja_I_hail:
No eze i didn't contact you on your email today.though some time back i contacted you but there was no respond so i decided to seek your attention through politics section

Sorry bros, please register with Hushmail.com and use it to contact me. I am not the owner of the site, it is just more secure than others.
Agha anyi na alu siri ike.  Please no vex.

You can use it to suggest what we can do in honor of Ikemba.

Thanks. 

My brothers, please ignore this leprous animal called "Okija_juju".
He is suffering from the worst form of inferiority complex.
How can someone claim anothers tribe?
Really pathetic,

My brother 9ja_I_hail

I'm very sorry for late reply.
Did you try to contact me at ezendgbo_nl@hushmail.com ?
I am discussing with my council members to come up with a suitable way of honoring our dear departed leader.

I will get back with concrete dates by Friday (Feb 24).

Thanks ezigbo nwa Igbo.

Dede1:
My name is Dede nke Izizi and I do not endorse the message powerfully.  .  I am borrowing from my brother, “the Onlytruth”, in the whole world. 

I am not ready to repeat the blunders of 1914 amalgamation. I have not yet accepted the definition of “Niger Delta” as handed down to us by the so-called owners of Nigeria. Madam Briggs should come clean on this issue before I could give her my first ear.

There is no doubt she habors the element of denial of untrustworthiness linked to Nigeria/Biafra war.

My brother Dede1

I always respect the opinions of some of you that are older than myself, and may have experienced the civil war. So, I take your opinions very seriously.
However, I am also a very talented strategic thinker.  

I believe that is it not possible to understand the positon of our non-Igbo neighbors, until one has fitted into their shoes in the lead up to the civil war.
Also, I believe it is a grave mistake to judge most of them by the circumstances of 1967, because a WHOLE LOT has happened between then and now.
Let me leave that for now and focus on more salient points.

Personally, I believe that Eastern Nigeria +Anioma is ONE. Take a close look at Nigeria's history, not just during the civil war, but BEFORE, AND YEARS after the civil war.
Each time I look at it, I marvel at how we (both Igbo and non-Igbo) Easterners fell so easily to cheap blackmail and divide and conquer tactics.
I look at PH and Calabar for instance, and conclude that there is no reason on earth why these two cities could not have rivalled or even surpassed Lagos in greatness today, had our past leaders been more strategic in thinking.

For me, one of the biggest mistake of the Biafran war effort was that it never seriously carried the non-Igbo along.
We were unlucky not to have such leaders, but then, who is perfect on this earth.
A perfect strategy would have been to allow the whole Biafran secession effort to be led by non-Igbo almost completely (win or lose), with us prividing the needed numbers when necesssary.
The North did it successfully  by foisting Gowon. Why couldn't we do the same?
Why is the North still one today, while our region was balkanized into SE and SS?
We have to start using our God given brains.
Extraordinary situation always calls for extraordinary strategies.

I would not mind a Dokubo or any seriously minded Ijaw or Ibibio leading MASSOB for instance. Igbo "smart folks" can be his advisers and guide in that effort.
The end result is the only thing that matters.

This is where I differ from some of my brothers.
I often say here that if someone like myself was in the Biafran war planning team, THERE IS NO WAY WE WOULD LOSE THAT WAR.
I'm serious.

So, I reject the idea that our neighbors cannot be an priceless asset to the emancipation effort.
On the contrary I even think that our dream will remain a dream if we fail to carry them along.  

Here I stand!  

Supported.

I and my "council members" are already doing it.
We have been doing it since ealry February.
We shall continue this until Ikemba is finally interred.

Great idea! 

Sign,

Onlytruth, ndu di n'eziokwu 1 of Igboland, Eze Ndigbo Nairaland. 

Eziachi:
Sorry Sir, the word divorce is not the same as war or chaos. [size=16pt]The use of fear as a weapon of keeping Nigeria one for the benefits of its owners/reapers doesn't work anymore.[/size] Even the most skeptic are wising up at last.

Please tell that goat ndu-chucks because he somehow has a learning disorder which makes him believe that his usual line of threats would sway sane folks into accepting insanity.
Ndigbo si na[b] ejighi mgbagbu aghara ogu[/b]! FACT.
The surest path to peace and stability is JUSTICE and TRUTH, Not THREATS! 

noiseless:
Bros i disagree with you oo! on this one infact you know millions of us support her and ASARI DOKUBO,so bros you are on your own and you know you don't wanna  delay our zion train.   Whatever differences between the IJAWS and IGBOS however sad,you must agree with me that it was fabricated,planted and forced down people's throats by the usual suspects,  the "OWNERS OF NIGERIA" and now people are seeing who the real enemy is,so pls this is time to show our mature nature.   And 99.9% of us will choose the ijaws and other neighbours around us instead of those violent lots up north, we need our neighbours and they need us too to be in the same place or country with them afterall life can really be boring if it centres only around the families,so please[b]  we are one and have always been,even though the enemies forced their way in uninvited with their guns and threat of violence and starvation for over 40yrs the truth remains we both (IGBO,IJAW) and others have suffered alot in the hands of those who came between us, as all they ever cared for is only their own comfort and it is not gonna keep going forever.    SO LET THE ZION TRAIN COME TAKE US HOME [/b]

My name is [b]Onlytruth [/b]and I endorse this comment POWERFULLY. 

In fact, state creation led to the civil war. Gowon created states because he did not want to implement the Aburi Accord he signed; an Accord which would have set Nigeria on a solid foundation for peaceful development and growth.
Now, what we have are stewpid administrative areas which cannot survive on their own and need Abuja allocations to survive.
All these are leading to lack of development and poverty.
Poverty is behind conflcts, and can push Nigeria to another war.

STOP THIS IDIOCY NOW!