₦airaland Forum

The economy of the former Eastern Region was planned from ground up by the US consulting firm Arthur D. Little

Dr. Azikiwe brought them and they worked with M I Okpara at first, then with Sam Otti and later Eluwa who headed the Civil Service and later with Sir Louis Phillip Odumegwu Ojukwu who at the time was the Chairman of the Eastern Nicerian Development Corporation (ENDC) and also the Chairman of the Eastern Nigeria Commodities Board (ENCB)

Louis Phillip Odumegwu Ojukwu also sat as Chairman of 15 multinational companies at the time - John Holt, PZ, Michelin, Costain, Thomas Wyatt, Guinness, GB Ollivant etc

He was so rich that he single handedly funded the establishment of the Lagos Stock Exchange but refused to list his company there for fear of losing control

His photo still hangs proudly on the floor of that exchange as its first chairman

Arthur D Little also worked with a coterie of young Eastern Nigerian economists at the time - Pius Okigbo (PhD Northwestern), Ukwu I. Ukwu (PhD Cambridge), Chukwu Sunday Okongwu (PhD Harvard). These young men in their early twenties worked with Arthur D Little to plan our economy from scratch

I know this because Ukwu I Ukwu taught me at Nsukka and I also worked in Dr Chu SP Okongwu's economic planning firm right during and after grad school in Nigeria.

Arthur D. Little recommended the setting up of a university in the East to produce key skills needed to drive economic growth as most of those skills were not being taught in Ibadan at the time

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe sent Dr Akpabio (MA Columbia) who at the time was the East's Minister of Education on an extended tour to universities in Michigan and New York for collaboration in key fields like medicine, engineering,, surveying and photogrammetry and business administration.

UNN was the first school in Nigeria to offer many of these courses. Ibadan at the time taught mostly Classics, General Science and later Medicine

Palm oil, Palm Kernel, Coal, Cocoa (from Ikom), Coffee from Obudu and later petroleum from firstly Izombe - Oguta area and later from Oloibiri in Ijaw land drove the economy of the East

In terms of development, the East started late, compared to the West.

Development and education had started in Lagos and Abeokuta right after Beecroft occupied Lagos in 1850s and made it a British colony. Lagos and the SW thus had more than a 70 year headstart over the East in terms of total gross capital formation and the platform that it gave for growth.

But after the implementation of Arthur D Little's recommended growth plan, the East's economy grew at more than 9.2%, starting from 1958 till 1967 when the war began

At over 9%, the Eastern Region in this period, had the fastest growing economy on earth consistently for 9 years and was estimated to equal Western Nigeria by 1978 (in terms of total gross capital formation) and then overtake the Western Region after that.

The civil war truncated that momentum and the East never recovered after that.

Louis Philip Odumegwu Ojukwu brought his industrial influence to bear on the growth plan as he singlehandedly pushed for the establishment of not just industrial estates but industrial corridors in the region.

An industrial estate is localized. An industrial corridor joins two or more industrial estates to form an industrial conurbation.

Industrial estates sprang up across the East
TransAmadi in PH.

Aba for light industries.

Umuahia for biotechnology.

Emene in Enugu for steel and industrial automation.

Nkalagu, PH and Calabar for cement and building materials.

Onitsha as an emporium to drive retail trading.

Obudu in Cross River for dairy, holidaying and corporate meetings.

Because he was the chairman of 15 multinational companies at the time, he used his influence to compel many of them to buy into the East's industrialization plan.

Okpara also partnered with Israel for the setting up of industrial farms and plantations - seedling production, extension services, assistance to farmers etc.

So plantations (cashew nuts, palm kernel, cocoa, coffee, timber etc) sprang up in Oghe (Enugu State), Okigwe (Abia State), Obudu, Itumbenuzor, Akamkpa all in Cross River state and in various parts of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Abia etc.

Okpara personally delivered some of the seedlings himself by driving behind the trucks that did the delivery.

Sir Louis Phillip Odumegwu Ojukwu pushed for the establishment of 3 major cement plants in the region - Nkalagu, Eastern Bulkcem in PH and Calabar cement factory in Calabar.

Nkalagu and PH opened before the war started in 1967. Everything for the take off of the Calabar cement factory was purchased but the war truncated its take off.

In 1970, Governor Esuene of the newly-created Cross River State opened Calcemco plant to the appause of many.

Three industrial corridors were planned also planned for the East

The Emene-Nkalagu Industrial corridor which was to focus on automobiles, building materials and industrial automation. Kaiser Motors in the US at the time (it has since been acquired) had agreed to build a car plant in Emene and a plant for car engines. That corridor was to stretch for almost 100 miles

The second industrial corridor was to stretch between PH and Aba. So industrial centers were set up in Trans Amadi and in Aba and over a ten to 15 year period, these two centers were to be linked by many feeder industries that would be located on the highway joining both cities.

Okpara had hoped that over time, the PH-Aba industrial corridor would follow the old road between Port Harcourt and Enugu and join with the Emene - Nkalagu industrial corridor to create a massive industrial cornubation that almost imitates the almost 200 kilometer Ruhr Industrial Valley in Germany built under Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck

Onitsha was to drive the East's Retail economy and so the market was built there as an Emporium...to attract buyers from all over Nigeria and West and Central Africa so they could come spend their money in the East.

Dubai would copy this same model 50 years later and implement it successfully but on a global scale. Onitsha market achieved its purpose by 1958, two years after the East achieved self government. It became the preferred destination for retail and bulk shoppers from a over West Africa and even Cameroon, Gabon and Congo. This gave the Anambra Igbo a head start in retail trading...an advantage that they enjoy till date.

All of these development and growth projects were centrally driven by the Eastern Nigeria Development Corporation - ENDC and the revenues were centrally aggregated into the account of the Eastern Nigerian Commodities Board (ENCB). Both groups were headed by Sir Louis Phillip Odumegwu Ojukwu

Funds for development came mostly from 3 sources.

1. Local revenues from the export of cocoa(Ikom and Itumbenuzor), coffee (Obudu and Arochukwu), timber (Akamkpa) Coal (Enugu-Udi), Palm oil (Rivers, Imo, Abia), Palm kernel (Rivers, Imo, Abia)

2. Direct Foreign Investments

3. Loans from Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC)

Umuahia was to midwife the Easts' biotechnology industries which explains why Golden Guinea Brewery and the Root Crop Research Instutute were established there.

Obudu because of its pristine hills and its fresh weather was to be a holiday resort for many as well as a primary center for a dairy industry that just started before the war commenced. Obudu Cattle Ranch was the first in a series of investments that got scuttled in Obudu by the war.

Lastly, oil was discovered late. Chief Nwodo, Eastern Nigeria's first Minister for Trade (father to the past Ohaneze Chairman) negotiated the first contracts with Shell on a 50-50 investment and sharing basis.

Virtually all of the East's oil assets were seized by the Federal Government under Gowon with no compensation paid till date. The Federal Government simply inherited the East's 50% slot and paid nothing for it. Today everyone profits from it

Most of the catalytic cracking and downward refineries that NNPC would later build were in the plans that the Eastern Regional Government had for the region.

Today, some of those plants are located in far away Kaduna and no mention is ever made of the East.

Every Nigerian today depends on that oil to survive including states that claim that they can survive from internally-generated revenues.

I believe that rather than whine everyday,Igbos should sit down and learn their history.Take a look at the growth plans that got scuttled in 1967 and see how we can work to together to pick up the pieces and build again from scratch

Copied from Nnamdi Ezeji Wall

Great read.
In my humble opinion, MI Okpara was the most assiduous administrator to ever walk the face of Africa. Lots of Nigerians don't know this, but he was the brain behind most of the developmental stuctures that you see across the former Eastern Nigeria today.

One Nigeria was the best curry as as then, until

mcgaius:
UNN was the first school in Nigeria to offer many of these courses. Ibadan at the time taught mostly Classics, General Science and later Medicine

helinues did you see this?

Reading this just makes me sad and melancholic! How we became TRAPPED sharing a country with highly evil and envious people whose only purpose in life appears to be to use their control of the centre to exploit all the human and natural resources of the rest of the country primarily for their own and their regions benefit….and to sabotage Igbo interests while at it!

Sadly, what you advised in your last paragraph would be near impossible today with the kind of self-centred and state-centric Igbo i see posing as our political elite! I don’t see a Dr M I Okpara capable of having a Igbo-centric zeal and approach to development in any of them….probably with the exception of Governors Mbah and Otti!

MadPolitician:
Great read.
In my humble opinion, MI Okpara was the most assiduous administrator to ever walk the face of Africa. Lots of Nigerians don't know this, but he was the brain behind most of the developmental stuctures that you see across the former Eastern Nigeria today.

The man was a visionary….almost unreal!

LOVEALAIGBO:
Reading this just makes me sad and melancholic! How we became TRAPPED sharing a country with highly evil and envious people whose only purpose in life appears to be to use their control of the centre to exploit all the human and natural resources of the rest of the country primarily for their own and their regions benefit….and to sabotage Igbo interests while at it!

Sadly, what you advised in your last paragraph would be near impossible today with the kind of self-centred and state-centric Igbo i see posing as our political elite! I don’t see a Dr M I Okpara capable of having a Igbo-centric zeal and approach to development in any of them….probably with the exception of Governors Mbah and Otti!

Easterners tend to overlook the monumental mistakes of Zik, because he basically gave Nigeria her independence, but the fact was that in his desperation to achieve independence for Nigeria, and to use the new political platform provided bybthe new independent nation to will a big pan African ideology into place, Zik forgot to take care of the igbo political interest in a country where the igbos exist like the jews, surrounded on all fronts by some vicious enemies.

It prived to be a monumental mistake that was totally avoidable and being a political scientist, Zik should have known. Achebe never forgave him for this. One can now say that the whole pan Africanist/One Nigeria pursuit, were/is not worth it. But that is with the benefit of hindsight. We should have gone our separate ways immediately Awo arrived the scene with tattered Egbe omo Oduduwa noise. The former eastern Nigeria was ready to go. Very very ready to go. It never needed the setback that came with greater Nigeria.

.
I finally quit nairaland.com . I hereby handover Maziobinnaokija to a new Nlander..Goodbye

Totally agree with u!

LOVEALAIGBO:
Reading this just makes me sad and melancholic! How we became TRAPPED sharing a country with highly evil and envious people whose only purpose in life appears to be to use their control of the centre to exploit all the human and natural resources of the rest of the country primarily for their own and their regions benefit….and to sabotage Igbo interests while at it!

Sadly, what you advised in your last paragraph would be near impossible today with the kind of self-centred and state-centric Igbo i see posing as our political elite! I don’t see a Dr M I Okpara capable of having a Igbo-centric zeal and approach to development in any of them….probably with the exception of Governors Mbah and Otti!

Very well written, this is very satisfying

Okpara had hoped that over time, the PH-Aba industrial corridor would follow the old road between Port Harcourt and Enugu and join with the Emene - Nkalagu industrial corridor to create a massive industrial cornubation that almost imitates the almost 200 kilometer Ruhr Industrial Valley in Germany built under Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck

Onitsha was to drive the East's Retail economy and so the market was built there as an Emporium...to attract buyers from all over Nigeria and West and Central Africa so they could come spend their money in the East.

..whoever wrote thos deserves some acholades.

One of the things I learnt is that the whole state governors on the former east and their commissioners need some kind of return back to the classroom for a retreat. Where they ought to be schooled on some of these history and the way forward. Of the east had continued at its 9% growth unhindered, it would have beaten the Asian states to become the world's tech and manufacturing hub until Nigeria happened. Nigeria is a curse to the Africa progress and to the black world.


The enugu umuahia, port Harcourt express way should be turned intoa power and industrial cornubation by Enugu, imo, Abia, rivers state to be intersected by another power hub and industrial corridor starting from Asaba , onitsha, ihialla, owerri, ngor okpala to Aba and another intersection from onitsha via awka to Enugu to abakiliki

MadPolitician:
Easterners tend to overlook the monumental mistakes of Zik, because he basically gave Nigeria her independence, but the fact was that in his desperation to achieve independence for Nigeria, and to use the new political platform provided bybthe new independent nation to will a big pan African ideology into place, Zik forgot to take care of the igbo political interest in a country where the igbos exist like the jews, surrounded on all fronts by some vicious enemies.

It prived to be a monumental mistake that was totally avoidable and being a political scientist, Zik should have known. Achebe never forgave him for this. One can now say that the whole pan Africanist/One Nigeria pursuit, were/is not worth it. But that is with the benefit of hindsight. We should have gone our separate ways immediately Awo arrived the scene with tattered Egbe omo Oduduwa noise. The former eastern Nigeria was ready to go. Very very ready to go. It never needed the setback that came with greater Nigeria.

Brilliant surmise! I’d just like to add that i think Zik was also driven by personal ambition to be the Prime Minister of Nigeria after the Brits left! Owing to his pan-Nigerian upbringing, he was less ethnocentric than the likes of Awo and the Sadauna who put their regions first before Nigeria!

LOVEALAIGBO:
Brilliant surmise! I’d just like to add that i think Zik was also driven by personal ambition to be the Prime Minister of Nigeria after the Brits left! Owing to his pan-Nigerian upbringing, he was less ethnocentric than the likes of Awo and the Sadauna who put their regions first before Nigeria!

You know, many igbos do not take into cognizance the fact that both Ojukwu and Nnamndi Azikiwe were born outside igboland, and that both of them speak other two major Nigerian languages far more fluently. Two of them got their early acculturation and socialisations outside igbo land.

Zik was born in Zungeru, and travelled out to the US for further education while still young. When he finally decided to return to Nigeria, he stopped and fraternized with a lot of pro independence African nationalists in such places like Sierra loen and Ghana. In so many ways, he was far more cosmopolitan in his orientation than the other ethnic champions that political realities forced him to share the political stage with in Nigeria.

Ojukwu on the other hand, was born in the same Niger state but did most of his early education in Lagos. He ended up speaking yoruba like a Yoruba person, and would spend most of his life before public service between Yorubaland and London. Basically, Ojukwu grew up a Lagosian, before traveling abroad for further studies. You can see how this obviously effected his politics and decisions, including trusting Victor Banjo with that disastrous command during the war. Ojukwu was never an anti Nigerian officer, untill the 1966 massacres, jolted him back to the basics.

But look at where things get crazier; In most of his books, Zik openly eulogised his ancestral Benin roots! He was open about it and most igbos are aware of the reasonable Benin influences in the Onitsha areas where he comes from. This might have proven dicey without lots of people knowing, since it could have spurred him into fighting for Midwestern minority rights as he did during the 1964 Midwestern referendum. It might also have effected his decision not to support any arrangement that will tear the Benins apart from him.

Even when he was cornered in Biafra, his contributions were tepid and incoherent.

MadPolitician:
You know, many igbos do not take into cognizance the fact that both Ojukwu and Nnamndi Azikiwe were born outside igboland, and that both of them speak other two major Nigerian languages far more fluently. Two of them got their early acculturation and socialisations outside igbo land.

Zik was born in Zungeru, and travelled out to the US for further education while still young. When he finally decided to return to Nigeria, he stopped and fraternized with a lot of pro independence African nationalists in such places like Sierra loen and Ghana. In so many ways, he was far more cosmopolitan in his orientation than the other ethnic champions that political realities forced him to share the political stage with in Nigeria.

Ojukwu on the other hand, was born in the same Niger state but did most of his early education in Lagos. He ended up speaking yoruba like a Yoruba person, and would spend most of his life before public service between Yorubaland and London. Basically, Ojukwu grew up a Lagosian, before traveling abroad for further studies. You can see how this obviously effected his politics and decisions, including trusting Victor Banjo with that disastrous command during the war. Ojukwu was never an anti Nigerian officer, untill the 1966 massacres, jolted him back to the basics.

But look at where things get crazier; In most of his books, Zik openly eulogised his ancestral Benin roots! He was open about it and most igbos are aware of the reasonable Benin influences in the Onitsha areas where he comes from. This might have proven dicey without lots of people knowing, since it could have spurred him into fighting for Midwestern minority rights as he did during the 1964 Midwestern referendum. It might also have effected his decision not to support any arrangement that will tear the Benins apart from him.

Even when he was cornered in Biafra, his contributions were tepid and incoherent.

God bless you
You're a gem

Ojukwu derailed Biafra by refusing the help of the Soviets who had many projects in the East then under Okpara
If the Soviets were on our side, maybe there would have been no war in the first place
Too much learning made Ojukwu mad
The West already hated the Igbos, we couldn't work with the Arabs due to religious differences; so why on earth should you reject a collaboration with the East
Big and fatal mistake

tishbite42:
Ojukwu derailed Biafra by refusing the help of the Soviets who had many projects in the East then under Okpara
If the Soviets were on our side, maybe there would have been no war in the first place
Too much learning made Ojukwu mad
The West already hated the Igbos, we couldn't work with the Arabs due to religious differences; so why on earth should you reject a collaboration with the East
Big and fatal mistake

Very succinctly put. I can't put it better.
That was the major mistake Ojukwu made. Maybe the only mistake that enormously helped to torpedo the whole Biafran war efforts. He sent Sir Luis Mbanefo to the Soviets. Earlier than the Nigerians. The Soviets simply asked him to nationalise the oil companies. Mbanefor radioed Ojukwu back in Nigeria to give him the go ahead. Ojukwu being a son of a vintage capitalist, ruled against that and Mbanefo and his entourage started heading home.

Less than two weeks after this, Gowon sent Anthony Enahoro to the Soviets, and the Soviets asked for the same concession; nationalise your oil companies owned by the Europeans! That one agreed on the spot and immediately pretended to accept all the requests from the Soviets. The Soviets immediately ordered their airforce facilities massed in North Africa at this time, to join the Nigerian side. The rest is history.

Most of the brutal bombings that destroyed Biafra were done by these Soviets aircrafts and by soviets and North African pilots. Ojukwu was a well trained historian, so he should have known the futility of fighting a war in sub saharan Africa against a larger force supported by all western super powers and Russia. It made no sense at that point. But then the Biafrans too, were left with no other alternatives but to fight after the massacres, and ethnic cleansing attempts across Nigeria.

MadPolitician:
Very succinctly put. I can't put it better.
That was the major mistake Ojukwu made. Maybe the only mistake that enormously helped to torpedo the whole Biafran war efforts. He sent Sir Luis Mbanefo to the Soviets. Earlier than the Nigerians. The Soviets simply asked him to nationalise the oil companies. Mbanefor radioed Ojukwu back in Nigeria to give him the go ahead. Ojukwu being a son of a vintage capitalist, ruled against that and Mbanefo and his entourage started heading home.

Less than two weeks after this, Gowon sent Anthony Enahoro to the Soviets, and the Soviets asked for the same concession; nationalise your oil companies owned by the Europeans! That one agreed on the spot and immediately pretended to accept all the requests from the Soviets. The Soviets immediately ordered their airforce facilities massed in North Africa at this time, to join the Nigerian side. The rest is history.

Most of the brutal bombings that destroyed Biafra were done by these Soviets aircrafts and by soviets and North African pilots. Ojukwu was a well trained historian, so he should have known the futility of fighting a war in sub saharan Africa against a larger force supported by all western super powers and Russia. It made no sense at that point. But then the Biafrans too, were left with no other alternatives but to fight after the massacres, and ethnic cleansing attempts across Nigeria.

Can you imagine
Man thought he was more intelligent than everyone
I can imagine what Biafran ingenuity would have achieved with Soviet machinery
It would have been awesome and brutal at the same time

Ojukwu had a young, inexperienced head on his shoulders and would have been more given to reacting on impulse and not seeing the bigger picture! I’m less forgiving of Zik who had the experience and knowledge, yet still allowed his kinsfolk walk into danger by agreeing to be ‘compatriots’ with the west and north! Like was stated earlier, maybe his affiliation with Benin and the Igbo of what was then the Western Region influenced his thought process!

MadPolitician:
Very succinctly put. I can't put it better.
That was the major mistake Ojukwu made. Maybe the only mistake that enormously helped to torpedo the whole Biafran war efforts. He sent Sir Luis Mbanefo to the Soviets. Earlier than the Nigerians. The Soviets simply asked him to nationalise the oil companies. Mbanefor radioed Ojukwu back in Nigeria to give him the go ahead. Ojukwu being a son of a vintage capitalist, ruled against that and Mbanefo and his entourage started heading home.

Less than two weeks after this, Gowon sent Anthony Enahoro to the Soviets, and the Soviets asked for the same concession; nationalise your oil companies owned by the Europeans! That one agreed on the spot and immediately pretended to accept all the requests from the Soviets. The Soviets immediately ordered their airforce facilities massed in North Africa at this time, to join the Nigerian side. The rest is history.

Most of the brutal bombings that destroyed Biafra were done by these Soviets aircrafts and by soviets and North African pilots. Ojukwu was a well trained historian, so he should have known the futility of fighting a war in sub saharan Africa against a larger force supported by all western super powers and Russia. It made no sense at that point. But then the Biafrans too, were left with no other alternatives but to fight after the massacres, and ethnic cleansing attempts across Nigeria.

Ojukwu made a disastrous mistakes by not allowing the Soviets.

What was he thinking ? Ojukwu should have known west who never support his move, thereby, he should have allowed the Soviet and agree to thier demand.

The Russians are not wicked and evil imperialist like the west. It would have been a win win for Soviet Russia and Biafra.

And that 1960s was the peak of cold war between the west and Russia and with Russia on our side giving us their weapons and intelligence, Biafra won't have lost the war because a super nuclear is backing us.

Ojukwu should have seen this. His advisers should have told him. Maybe he is too stubborn to listen.

Ojukwu inexperienced cost us the war. To be honest with you. As so sad about it.

MadPolitician:
You know, many igbos do not take into cognizance the fact that both Ojukwu and Nnamndi Azikiwe were born outside igboland, and that both of them speak other two major Nigerian languages far more fluently. Two of them got their early acculturation and socialisations outside igbo land.

Zik was born in Zungeru, and travelled out to the US for further education while still young. When he finally decided to return to Nigeria, he stopped and fraternized with a lot of pro independence African nationalists in such places like Sierra loen and Ghana. In so many ways, he was far more cosmopolitan in his orientation than the other ethnic champions that political realities forced him to share the political stage with in Nigeria.

Ojukwu on the other hand, was born in the same Niger state but did most of his early education in Lagos. He ended up speaking yoruba like a Yoruba person, and would spend most of his life before public service between Yorubaland and London. Basically, Ojukwu grew up a Lagosian, before traveling abroad for further studies. You can see how this obviously effected his politics and decisions, including trusting Victor Banjo with that disastrous command during the war. Ojukwu was never an anti Nigerian officer, untill the 1966 massacres, jolted him back to the basics.

But look at where things get crazier; In most of his books, Zik openly eulogised his ancestral Benin roots! He was open about it and most igbos are aware of the reasonable Benin influences in the Onitsha areas where he comes from. This might have proven dicey without lots of people knowing, since it could have spurred him into fighting for Midwestern minority rights as he did during the 1964 Midwestern referendum. It might also have effected his decision not to support any arrangement that will tear the Benins apart from him.

Even when he was cornered in Biafra, his contributions were tepid and incoherent.

Including Aguiyi Ironsi.

God bless umu Igbo no n'uwa nile

tishbite42:
Ojukwu derailed Biafra by refusing the help of the Soviets who had many projects in the East then under Okpara
If the Soviets were on our side, maybe there would have been no war in the first place
Too much learning made Ojukwu mad
The West already hated the Igbos, we couldn't work with the Arabs due to religious differences; so why on earth should you reject a collaboration with the East
Big and fatal mistake

I get that Ojukwu, much like Kanu today, have a fatally low understanding of the mechanics of the world. Ojukwu seemed to believe britian was some type of god like neutral actor what would 'do the right thing'. Outside of that, he did everything imagineable and fought well. It's hard to take on USSR, NATO, Nigeria, Chad and the Arab world at once.

If he took Soviet help he would be at war with the US though, who were on the fence until the very end. Since Biafra had oil the US would have fought it tooth and nail.

They had regional autonomy but still greed to control everything kept them going until they destroyed the positive trajectory but still they can’t take ownership, make amends so they play victim and continue to stagnate.

Like a narcissistic character they focus on others response to their disrespect instead of their actions that led to the reaction. One has to acknowledge their problems in order to start to take corrective action.

So instead they continue to make others takes steps for their own self preservation hence stuff like kaduna refinery, Abuja new federal capital totally uneconomical projects from a united Nigeria perspective and source of bankruptcy of Nigeria to date.

I wish the Igbo man can realise that the East as a region would never be again not because Nigeria objects to it but because their neighbours now have a distrust of them same reason the Aburi accord fell apart. They did not want to go with Igbo and did not want the Igbo speaking for them but prefer their own autonomy. All that is possible is working cooperatively with those that their values align with yours

In my moments of deep reflection.

LOVEALAIGBO:
Reading this just makes me sad and melancholic! How we became TRAPPED sharing a country with highly evil and envious people whose only purpose in life appears to be to use their control of the centre to exploit all the human and natural resources of the rest of the country primarily for their own and their regions benefit….and to sabotage Igbo interests while at it!

Sadly, what you advised in your last paragraph would be near impossible today with the kind of self-centred and state-centric Igbo i see posing as our political elite! I don’t see a Dr M I Okpara capable of having a Igbo-centric zeal and approach to development in any of them….probably with the exception of Governors Mbah and Otti!

gabbytabby:
They had regional autonomy but still greed to control everything kept them going until they destroyed the positive trajectory but still they can’t take ownership, make amends so they play victim and continue to stagnate.

Like a narcissistic character they focus on others responds to their disrespect instead of their actions that led to the reaction. One has to acknowledge their problems in order to start to take corrective action.

So instead they continue to make others takes steps for their own self preservation hence stuff like kaduna refinery, Abuja new federal capital totally uneconomical projects from a united Nigeria perspective and source of bankruptcy of Nigeria to date.

I wish the Igbo man can realise that the East as a region would never be again not because Nigeria objects to it but because their neighbours now have a distrust of them same reason the Aburi accord fell apart. They did not want to go with Igbo and did not want the Igbo speaking for them but prefer their own autonomy. All that is possible is working cooperatively with those that their values align with yours

In my moments of deep reflection.

Do you guys actually believe this nonsense? Igbos have not been at the helm of affairs in Nigeria for almost 60 years

What have the rest of you been doing with Nigeria in all that time? Nigeria is today worse than it was 60 years ago

If people don't trust other people in the same country, they have no business being in the same country. Why would you want to be in the same country with those you don't trust? Is that not madness?

All that has happened in Nigeria so far is enough for us to know that we are wasting our time as a country, and Nigeria should have been dissolved a long time ago so everyone can go develope their land according to their talent

What you can control is whether you are trustworthy work on that. Whether people trust you is their own problem and not your concern.

Learn to read and understand

gidgiddy:
Do you guys actually believe this nonsense? Igbos have not been at the helm of affairs in Nigeria for almost 60 years

What have the rest of you been doing with Nigeria in all that time? Nigeria is today worse than it was 60 years ago

If people don't trust other people in the same country, they have no business being in the same country. Why would you want to be in the same country with those you don't trust? Is that not madness?

All that has happened in Nigeria so far is enough for us to know that we are wasting our time as a country, and Nigeria should have been dissolved a long time ago so everyone can go develope their land according to their talent

gabbytabby:
They had regional autonomy but still greed to control everything kept them going until they destroyed the positive trajectory but still they can’t take ownership, make amends so they play victim and continue to stagnate.

Like a narcissistic character they focus on others responds to their disrespect instead of their actions that led to the reaction. One has to acknowledge their problems in order to start to take corrective action.

So instead they continue to make others takes steps for their own self preservation hence stuff like kaduna refinery, Abuja new federal capital totally uneconomical projects from a united Nigeria perspective and source of bankruptcy of Nigeria to date.

I wish the Igbo man can realise that the East as a region would never be again not because Nigeria objects to it but because their neighbours now have a distrust of them same reason the Aburi accord fell apart. They did not want to go with Igbo and did not want the Igbo speaking for them but prefer their own autonomy. All that is possible is working cooperatively with those that their values align with yours

In my moments of deep reflection.

Dude, if you’re gonna quote me at least try and give a reasonable response! WTF are you on about!?

See this fool talking of ‘making amends’! Make amends for what exactly! The Nigerian political-economy that was structured in the late 60s by the Fulani/Yoruba hegemonic alliance….and which has endured to this day even under so called ‘democratic periods’, has seen a exclusion of the Igbo that you’re now opening your buccal cavity to say should ‘make amends’! No Igbo has been Head of State or President since Ironsi, while the Fulani and Yoruba have featured prominently and disproportionately more than any other ethnicity, yet you have the temerity to ask Ndigbo to ‘make amends’!?

See how you’re now struggling to try and ‘justify’ the unlevel playing-field, failed structure and political-economy in Nigeria by saying the hegemonic alliance that instituted it in the late 60s did it for self-preservation! So assuming, without conceding, that you’re correct in your daft assertion, pray, what’s the crime of the peoples of the south-south/Niger-Delta and Middle-Belt that are equally being punished by you grasping, greedy lot because you want to preserve yourselves against the ‘greedy’ Igbo!?

How anyone, in good conscience, can look at state of Nigeria today and ‘justify’ why we’re where we are today by ‘arguing’ that our failed structure, kwarruption, misgovernance, tribalism, nepotism, banditry, ethnic-cleansing and social dislocation are all because the Fulani/Yoruba hegemonic alliance needs to protect themselves from Igbo ‘greed’…how anyone can say this shows just how deep our problems are!

As common with you is a lack of decorum and an inability to engage in a measured way without the need to resort to abuse, disrespect and threat. It has not and will not serve you.

I understand it’s a capacity issue and it is what it is. By the way it is a contribution from a lady in retirement. A lot of you have a tendency to act like your women folk are none existing and can’t engage or contribute.

LOVEALAIGBO:
Dude, if you’re gonna quote me at least try and give a reasonable response! WTF are you on about!?

See this fool talking of ‘making amends’! Make amends for what exactly! The Nigerian political-economy that was structured in the late 60s by the Fulani/Yoruba hegemonic alliance….and which has endured to this day even under so called ‘democratic periods’, has seen a exclusion of the Igbo that you’re now opening your buccal cavity to say should ‘make amends’! No Igbo has been Head of State or President since Ironsi, while the Fulani and Yoruba have featured prominently and disproportionately more than any other ethnicity, yet you have the temerity to ask Ndigbo to ‘make amends’!?

See how you’re now struggling to try and ‘justify’ the unlevel playing-field, failed structure and political-economy in Nigeria by saying the hegemonic alliance that instituted it in the late 60s did it for self-preservation! So assuming, without conceding, that you’re correct in your daft assertion, pray, what’s the crime of the peoples of the south-south/Niger-Delta and Middle-Belt that are equally being punished by you grasping, greedy lot because you want to preserve yourselves against the ‘greedy’ Igbo!?

How anyone, in good conscience, can look at state of Nigeria today and ‘justify’ why we’re where we are today by ‘arguing’ that our failed structure, kwarruption, misgovernance, tribalism, nepotism, banditry, ethnic-cleansing and social dislocation are all because the Fulani/Yoruba hegemonic alliance needs to protect themselves from Igbo ‘greed’…how anyone can say this shows just how deep our problems are!

See how you guys are enjoying this thread. Nobody brought hate or anything here. Just y'all exchanging view. Hope y'all can be this matured when other discuss their own matters

gidgiddy:
Do you guys actually believe this nonsense? Igbos have not been at the helm of affairs in Nigeria for almost 60 years

What have the rest of you been doing with Nigeria in all that time? Nigeria is today worse than it was 60 years ago

If people don't trust other people in the same country, they have no business being in the same country. Why would you want to be in the same country with those you don't trust? Is that not madness?

All that has happened in Nigeria so far is enough for us to know that we are wasting our time as a country, and Nigeria should have been dissolved a long time ago so everyone can go develope their land according to their talent

Don't mind those tribalistic people, he just want to derail this good thread. Am surprised they came late, I was expecting them.

MadPolitician:
Very succinctly put. I can't put it better.
That was the major mistake Ojukwu made. Maybe the only mistake that enormously helped to torpedo the whole Biafran war efforts. He sent Sir Luis Mbanefo to the Soviets. Earlier than the Nigerians. The Soviets simply asked him to nationalise the oil companies. Mbanefor radioed Ojukwu back in Nigeria to give him the go ahead. Ojukwu being a son of a vintage capitalist, ruled against that and Mbanefo and his entourage started heading home.

Less than two weeks after this, Gowon sent Anthony Enahoro to the Soviets, and the Soviets asked for the same concession; nationalise your oil companies owned by the Europeans! That one agreed on the spot and immediately pretended to accept all the requests from the Soviets. The Soviets immediately ordered their airforce facilities massed in North Africa at this time, to join the Nigerian side. The rest is history.

Most of the brutal bombings that destroyed Biafra were done by these Soviets aircrafts and by soviets and North African pilots. Ojukwu was a well trained historian, so he should have known the futility of fighting a war in sub saharan Africa against a larger force supported by all western super powers and Russia. It made no sense at that point. But then the Biafrans too, were left with no other alternatives but to fight after the massacres, and ethnic cleansing attempts across Nigeria.

Is it upstream or downstream oil industry or both