₦airaland Forum

Meeting of Nigeria's Supreme Military Council in Benin Boycotted by Lt. Col. Ojukwu | March 1967

Footage of members of Nigeria's Supreme Military Council meeting for the second day running on Friday March 10th 1967 in Benin City, Capital of the Mid-West Region.

The Head of State, Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon had expressly invited Lt. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, the military governor of the Eastern region to attend. The meeting was being held in the Mid-West Region, which borders the Eastern Region, as a gesture towards Ojukwu. Ojukwu however refused to attend despite the assurances given in regard to his safety.

Two months after the meetings in Aburi, Ghana, Nigeria was teetering on disintegration because of a disagreement over the interpretation of the Aburi Accord.

Ojukwu warned that if provisions he insisted were part of the Aburi agreement were not implemented by the end of the month, he would take unilateral action. "Unilateral action" was taken to mean the secession of the Eastern Region from the federation which the Supreme Military Council maintained would be an act of rebellion that would be met by force.

Ojukwu responded by stating that "force would be met with force".

Earlier in the week, the military governor of the Northern region, Lt. Colonel Hassan Katsina had said that the east would be crushed within a matter of hours.

The members of the Supreme Military Council at the meeting were:

1. Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon, the Head of State.
2. Commodore Joseph Wey, the Chief of Naval Staff.
3. Lt. Col. David Ejoor, MIlitary Governor of the Mid-West Region.
4. Col. Adeyinka Adebayo, Military Governor of the Western Region.
5. Lt. Col. Hassan Katsina, Military Governor of the Northern Region.
6. Major Mobolaji Johnson, Military Governor of Lagos State.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9L_fZygVnE?si=WpzXzRX5YUaCJWLI

Meeting of Nigeria's Supreme Military Council in Lagos Boycotted by Lt. Col. Ojukwu | March 1967

Sunday, March 19th 1967.

Footage of a meeting of the Supreme Military Council of Nigeria. The SMC discussed the annual budget as well as the rejection by the Eastern Region of several clauses in a draft decree on Nigeria's constitutional future.

The meeting was chaired by Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon, the Head of State and was attended by Commodore Joseph Wey, the Chief of Naval Staff; Colonel Adeyinka Adebayo, the military governor of the Western Region; Lt. Colonel David Ejoor, the military governor of the Mid-Western Region, Lt. Colonel Hassan Katsina, the military governor of the Northern Region; and Major Mobolaji Johnson, the military administrator of Lagos.

The Chief Justice of the federation, Dr. T.O. Elias was also in attendance.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXX8617QHoA?si=WxwIkGIsiaLzOu90

General Yakubu Gowon is told that he has been overthrown | July 29th 1975

July 29th 1975.

General Yakubu Gowon, the Nigerian Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, is captured at the Organisation of African Unity conference in Uganda, being informed that he has been overthrown by a military coup.

It is exactly 9 years after the army mutiny led by Northern officers brought him to power.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfGF3HwSMrc?si=XDCGaKldfcf0S4CT

Major General Yakubu Gowon Opens Eko Bridge | Lagos, Nigeria | February 1969

Saturday, February 8th 1969.

Footage of Major General Yakubu Gowon, the Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria, opening Eko Bridge, the second bridge to link Lagos Mainland to Lagos Island.

Reuters: The construction of the bridge was financed from a loan of 66 miliion Deutschmarks from the West German government. A special eight-man delegation led by Dr. Udo Hein, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Economic Co-operation represented West Germany at the ceremony. In a short speech Dr. Hein described federal Nigeria as "one of the most important trading partners of the Federal Republic of Germany in Africa.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iCL9YQ4MZ8?si=jSWIdAGlhzCyjr7K

LegendHero:
The tamer of Biafra
The gallant patriot
Happy birthday sir

Realtruth2023:
You don't have to be this stupid. Even Gowon will frown at your statement.

tunjijones:
But did he tame Biafra or not?

tunjijones:
But did he tame Biafra or not?

tunjijones:
But did he tame Biafra or not?

naptu2:
1970 video

We see a sign above the road and it reads, "ONE COUNTRY ONE DESTINY". Then we see a banner above Carter Bridge and that banner reads, "UNITY AND FAITH". We see flags and buntings over the Cenotaph at Idumota (Soja Idumota). We see another sign that reads, "One Nigeria" and we see the traffic on Broad Street.

Then we see General Gowon's motorcade enter the Race Course in Lagos (venue of the parade). He steps out of the limousine and salutes the policewoman. We then see Victoria Gowon in the audience and the General Gowon saluting as the National Anthem is played.

We see Christian clerics and then the band as they play "Praise To The Lord The Almighty". The people in the crowd also sing along. We see General Gowon, Mrs Victoria Gowon, Admiral Wey, Inspector General of Police Kam Selem and another officer as they also sing along.

Then we see the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Reverend Doctor John Kwao Amuzu Aggey, as he also sing the song. We see other Christian clerics and then we see the Oba of Lagos, Oba Adeyinka Oyekan. Then we see General Gowon greeting the Christian clerics.

We see Mrs Victoria Gowon leaving the grandstand. It looks like she is pregnant. Then we see the motorcade leaving the arena and people waving at it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgPVs4eRQ5I

naptu2:
1971 video

We see the Nigeria Police Mounted Troop escorting the state car (a W108 Mercedes Benz S Class) into the arena. General and Mrs Gowon alight from the car. We see General Gowon and Kam Selem walking towards the saluting dais.

Then we see General Gowon reviewing the troops from the back of an open top Land Rover. And then we see the troops marching past. Reviewing the troops on the saluting dais are General Gowon (who was promoted from the rank of major general to general on that day), Rear Admiral Nelson Soroh (who was promoted to the rank of rear admiral on this day), Alhaji Kam Selem, Major General David Ejoor and other senior military officers.

We see policemen marching past and then fighter planes flying overhead. Then we see a cross section of the crowd watching the parade. We see Mrs Victoria Gowon and then the Lagos State Governor Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson. Then we see the federal commissioner (minister) for information and labour, Chief Anthony Enahoro. Finally, we get another view of the audience.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-0042HPq5k

RealEmilokan:
May suffering be his portion for the rest of his days and may his generation suffer for his evils. These men made Nigeria the mess it is today.

"Of particular importance is the progress which we have continued to make with the implementation of our policy of increasing our control over the strategic sectors of our economy as well as encouraging indigenous ownership of business generally. The Federal Government now holds 40 per cent of the equity shares in the three major expatriate commercial banks and has its appointees serving on their Boards of Directors. Further, negotiations which have been in progress and aimed at securing Government participation in the existing oil companies and their concessions have been concluded successfully. As a result, the Federal Government now holds at least thirty-five per cent of the equity shares in each of the oil companies operating in the country.

With effect from tomorrow, 2nd October, 1973, the Nigerian Bank of Commerce and Industry will open business to members of the public. The Bank, as you know, aims at providing equity capital and funds by way of loans to indigenous persons, institutions and organisations for medium and long term investments in industry and commence.

These past few years have witnessed erratic weather conditions all over the world. Scanty rainfalls in the Savannah Region stretching across North Africa, Central Asia and Latin America have caused the worst drought in these areas in recent history. Parts of Nigeria, especially the northern districts of the North-Western, North-Central, Kano and North-Eastern States have been badly affected. It would like to seize this opportunity to express the deep concern of the federal Government about the plight of the people in all the affected areas.

To provide immediate succour to the people in the areas affected by the drought, the Federal Government has made grants totalling 12-million Naira (16.4 million sterling) to the four states gravely affected, partly for the purchase of foodstuffs and livestock feeds to augment whatever is available locally and partly to improve water supply facilities by the provision of bore holes."

naptu2:
1974 video

The video begins with a street scene. We see a banner on the street that reads, “Happy 14th year anniversary”. Then we see the Tafawa Balewa Square. We can see Western House in the background. The Nigerian Police Mounted Troop escort the state car into the venue. The horses’ hooves kick up too much dust, so I can’t tell for sure if the car is the iconic w100 Mercedes Benz 600 (the number 1 state car) or if it was a W108 S Class. Judging from the length of the car, I think it’s the 600 limousine.

Then we see a cross section of the members of the public who are watching the parade.

Next we see General Gowon in the uniform of an admiral. Behind him is the chief of staff, Supreme Headquarters, Vice Admiral Wey. They are both climbing up the stairs to the saluting dais.

Then we see the troops marching past. Then we see General Gowon, Admiral Wey and General Ejoor on the saluting dais. We next see policemen marching past and then it’s the turn of school children to march past the saluting dais. We also see some foreigners in the audience who are taking pictures.

We see the parade commander and then there’s a loss of sound as the 21 gun salute is fired. There’s still no sound as we see naval ratings give three cheers to the head of state. Finally we see the officers on the saluting dais.

It was on this day that General Gowon made a major mistake. He had previously promised that he would hand over to a civilian government in 1976. However, in his Independence Day speech in 1974, he said that the 1976 handover date was no longer feasible. Many soldiers were tired of military rule. They were tired of being involved in government and they wanted to return to purely military duties. After this speech, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Joseph Garba and Abdullahi Mohammed started plotting to overthrow General Gowon. They staged their coup in July 1975 and handed over to Murtala Muhammad, Olusegun Obasanjo and Theophilus Danjuma, who announced that they would hand over to a civilian government in 1979.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRO77ON2nkY

dfrost:
Do you really need to do this? If you followed history, it was labeled 'no victor, no vanquished'.

Well not my concern, na una know wetin una dey fight for