₦airaland Forum

Destroying Age Old Myths About The Nigerian Civil War

Myth one: Yorubas are betrayers

A lot of this angst, which has refused to fade away decades after the dramatis personae exited this world, is centred around a supposed betrayal of Emeka Ojukwu and the Igbos by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

And sadly, this has now become an emotive issue, where fiction has been fed to many young people as fact.

The truth is that Chief Awolowo went on a peace meeting to Enugu, to try to persuade Igbo leaders to adopt a peaceful way out of the crisis that had unfolded in Nigeria after the January 15, 1966 coup and the July 29, 1966 counter coup.

Awolowo met with the leaders of the Eastern Region for two days between May 6-7, 1967. THERE IS A TRANSCRIPT OF THAT MEETING, WHICH WAS PUBLISHED WHEN BOTH AWOLOWO AND OJUKWU WERE ALIVE.

Please note that this transcript was taken from a tape recorded by then Colonel Ojukwu’s own recorder.

I encourage those who are still bitterly accusing Chief Awolowo, and by extension all Yorubas, of betrayal, to please read that transcript.

At the time Emeka Ojukwu wanted Chief Awolowo to follow his lead by announcing the secession of the Western Region after his own declaration of secession of the Southeast, there were tens of thousands of armed Northern troops all over the West. It does not take a genius to guess what would have happened if Awolowo had gone that route.

Moreover, unlike Ojukwu, Chief Awolowo had no control over any troops. He was also not the Governor of the Western Region (Adeyinka Adebayo was then the military Governor). As a result, he had no executive powers. Whatever powers he had were at best residual and persuasive.

Chief Awolowo had earlier called a meeting of Yoruba officers of the Nigerian army, and key officers of Yoruba stock refused to attend, with one of them sending a message to him that he was a Nigerian soldier, not a Yoruba soldier.

So given all of that, it was rather naive for anybody to have expected him to declare the secession of the Western Region from Nigeria.

It would have been like expecting Nnamdi Azikiwe to usurp Ojukwu’s powers as Governor of the Eastern Region, and announce the secession of Eastern Nigeria, and the creation of a new Biafran nation. The Ojukwu we know may have even arrested, and probably executed Zik if he had done that.

If the grudge against Chief Awolowo is founded on the £20 pounds payment to persons of Igbo origin, then I can understand it. But even that grudge is also not well founded. Because the £20 policy only affected those whose bank records could not be verified. I hazard a guess that if another person other than Awolowo was on that seat, the payment may have been £0.

But to hold a grudge against the Yorubas stemming from that Enugu meeting is in my view an injustice to a man who only went there to seek a way to avoid bloodletting.

In any case, have those who hold this view ever considered that the man, Emeka Ojukwu, for whom they hold this torch, after his return to Nigeria on May 18, 1982, joined the National Party of Nigeria, the very same party that was peopled, sponsored and supported by the very same people who prosecuted the Nigerian Civil War against him and Eastern Nigeria?

The NPN was a Northern Party that did not win a single state in Western, Midwestern (Bendel) and the Igbo states of Eastern Nigeria. The same people who founded the NPN were the very same people who advised and perhaps tele-guided Gowon.

In fact, the first National Leader of the NPN was Makaman Bida, a former member of the inner caucus of Ahmadu Bello’s Northern Peoples Congress.

This is the party that Ojukwu joined, contested for election into the Senate (and lost), and campaigned for during the 1983 Presidential election.

Taking all of this into consideration, there is no way the myth of Chief Awolowo, and all Yorubas being betrayers, can stand.

#TableShaker

Lalasticlala
Mynd44
nlfpmod
Seun

Before it was Igbo, allegiance has switched to Yorubas, elebi,what do you want ?

Reno has finally ran mad. He may be typing this from a psychiatric hospital

No body accused you people on such

As soon as a Yoruba man became President, his a$$licking of Yorubas started

Reno is obviously shameless with this asslicking

Ijaw people are not known to be like this. Reno is a disgrace to his tribe and family members .

Thanks Reno
May your days be long and blessed.

Alchemy528:
No body accused you people on such

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HgD6_86af0?si=udv1vy0JqpDuOrcT

This unstable human is seriously looking for favor from our South West brothers so that they will refer him to Tinubu.

Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu was able to record unparalleled success with his January 15 1966 putsch in northern Nigeria because he took charge and showed uncommon courage.

The counter coup of July 28 - 29 1966 with northern soldiers of the 2nd Battalion @ Ikeja Barracks saw a Brigadier Fadipe being disobeyed by a lance corporal in an army he was second in command to give direction though military coups don't respect seniority

Same scenario was playing in Ibadan with the northern soldiers killing westerners during the operation "wetie" arsonist attacks to wipe the sophisticated people into line so that the NPC controlled Akintola govt can continue to dance to the central government. This was what the Awolowo AG denounced and courageously fought against.

Meanwhile even the northern dominated 4th Battalion soldiers in Letmauk Barracks, Mokola Ibadan didn't spare Major Simon Adegoke who went to seek refuge in the cantonment post July 28-29 northern counter coup.

So who is Reno Omokri trying to deceive? That docility and cowardice in the face of injustice and unprovoked attacks is heroism? Did Reno Omokri heard about the Aba women who courageously fought the colonial masters in the famous Aba Women Riot of 1942? They said courageously is not the absence of fear but the ability to suppress it.

Why is Reno Omokri fighting Buhari from his endless globe trotting escapades? Why not come home to fight? The sudden yorubanization agenda of the Reno Omokri speaks a lot about how a man can become a chameleon just in desperate mood to eat political crumbs.

Wodu89:
Before it was Igbo, allegiance has switched to Yorubas, elebi,what do you want ?

The guy is using his intelligent to.make money for himself....you sittdon there dey call names...

FFK, Festus Keyamo, and Reno Omokri are simply displaying their intelligence and marketing themselves to attract the government of the day.....

Don't forget Festus Kemeyo is now the Minster of Aviation...

Do you have any portfolio ?/ nah you be Oloshi Elebi because they are more relevant in the society than you.....
Oni kuure

all these abuses, hates and appraisal is to what end? you people can fúck yourself on whatever thing you want to believe in, regards to Yoruba nation



must Yoruba lead you people egocentric tribe every time, do your things your way, what memorandum of understanding does Awolowo had with ojukwu on announcing secession at the same that warrant the word betrayer


Awolowo sef get time visiting to avoid bloodletting, let these people killed themselves shey o kan aye ni

successmatters:
Reno has finally ran mad. He may be typing this from a psychiatric hospital..

I dey tell you. The man is mentally deranged while forming woked. You know what? Peter Obi.

Mad hungry political jobber.. The last fraudulent Selection has made this illiterate desperately looking for food

Say whatever you like, we know the tribes that are cowards, and Itsekiri is not left out.

Itsekiris were the only tribe in the mid-West that tried to betray Mid-West, today they claim to be SS and part of Niger-Delta that they never supported.

Jagaban2012:
The guy is using his intelligent to.make money for himself....you sittdon there dey call names...

FFK, Festus Keyamo, and Reno Omokri are simply displaying their intelligence and marketing themselves to attract the government of the day.....

Don't forget Festus Kemeyo is now the Minster of Aviation...

Do you have any portfolio ?/ nah you be Oloshi Elebi because they are more relevant in the society than you.....
Oni kuure

I don't curse. Reno will never be beyond my class

Racoon:
Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu was able to record unparalleled success with his January 15 1966 putsch in northern Nigeria because he took charge and showed uncommon courage.

The counter coup of July 28 - 29 1966 with northern soldiers of the 2nd Battalion @ Ikeja Barracks saw a Brigadier Fadipe being disobeyed by a lance corporal in an army he was second in command to give direction though military coups don't respect seniority

Same scenario was playing in Ibadan with the northern soldiers killing westerners during the operation "wetie" arsonist attacks to wipe the sophisticated people into line so that the NPC controlled Akintola govt can continue to dance to the central government. This was what the Awolowo AG denounced and courageously fought against.

Meanwhile even the northern dominated 4th Battalion soldiers in Letmauk Barracks, Mokola Ibadan didn't spare Major Simon Adegoke who went to seek refuge in the cantonment post July 28-29 northern counter coup.

So who is Reno Omokri trying to deceive. That cowardice in the face of injustice should unrovoked injustice? Did he hear of hour the Aba women courageously fought the colonial masters in the famous Aba Women Riot of 1942? They said courageously is not the absence of fear but the ability to suppress it.

Why is Reno Omokri fighting Buhari from his endless globe trotting escapades? Why not come home to fight? The sudden yorubanization agenda of the Reno Omokri speaks a lot about how a man can become a chameleon just in desperate mood to eat political crumbs.

Mtchew..

Jangbajantis..

If the grudge against Chief Awolowo is founded on the £20 pounds payment to persons of Igbo origin, then I can understand it. But even that grudge is also not well founded. Because the £20 policy only affected those whose bank records could not be verified. I hazard a guess that if another person other than Awolowo was on that seat, the payment may have been £0.

They’re lost set of ungrateful being..

I honestly cannot believe that I once took this man seriously.

Mokwechineme, couldntfigurean, dem don use u mop floor again ooo

Godwin4444:
Mokwechineme, couldntfigurean, dem don use u mop floor again ooo

Abiolas son thinks otherwise

Reno is right. But does it really matter anymore? I guess people should be free to choose their friends or enemies.