₦airaland Forum

Without mincing words, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks about the Biafran War and how it affected the Igbo people. pic.twitter.com/COJXTALKSn

— IGBO History & Facts (@IgboHistoFacts) July 2, 2025

Apologize:
Lastly, the common myth that “Nigeria fought Biafra because of oil” does not align with the timeline. In 1967, the full economic value of crude oil from the Niger Delta (A region not in the South East) was not yet realized. Most of Nigeria’s earnings still came from agriculture, and the oil infrastructure was still developing. To suggest that oil was the primary reason the war was fought is a lazy, ahistorical take.

Let’s honor the memory of those who died by being honest about the causes and consequences of the war, not by reshaping it into a one-sided narrative to fit modern agendas.

Apologize:
According to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie she alleges that the Biafra war was about oil, Nigeria fought to keep Biafra because of the oil in Biafraland.

See full video:

Without mincing words, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks about the Biafran War and how it affected the Igbo people. pic.twitter.com/COJXTALKSn

— IGBO History & Facts (@IgboHistoFacts) July 2, 2025

brain54:
The Niger Delta region was part of the Eastern region then...

You are off.

Oil deposits were discovered in 1956 in the region and the Nigerian economy was beginning to move from an agrarian based one to oil dependent one. The oil boom era.

I don't know the context in which chimammanda spoke as I didn't click your link.

But if it's in the context of one side wanting to succeed because of discovery of oil in its territory and the other side not wanting to cede that part of its territory due to the vast oil reserve deposit in that particular region then she is correct.

It may not have been a major contributing factor or trigger to the war but it definitely was part of the reasons for the war!

brain54:
The Niger Delta region was part of the Eastern region then...!

Coldspice:
The Niger Delta was part of both the Eastern and Western Regions.

Amotolongbo:
It was with the Midwestern region from 1964 after Azikiwe colluded with Tafawa Balewa and Ahmadu Bello to Balkanise the Western Region.

Amotolongbo:
Some part (though major) of the Niger Delta was in the Eastern region while the other part was in the Midwestern region

Amotolongbo:
Some part (though major) of the Niger Delta was in the Eastern region while the other part was in the Midwestern region

Ebubu3:
Only delta and edo were in Midwest.

Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River with Bakassi peninsula were in Eastern region.

brain54:
Exactly the bulk parts of the oil producing parts...

Was under the eastern region.

Rivers, bayelsa, akwaibom, imo and abia.

These were a major contributing part of Nigeria's oil wealth!

Amotolongbo:
How many of these parts had oil discovered in 1967

brain54:
But if it's in the context of one side wanting to succeed because of discovery of oil in its territory and the other side not wanting to cede that part of its territory due to the vast oil reserve deposit in that particular region then she is correct.

Coldspice:
Please, remove those two states from the list, especially that barren Abia.

Which oil is Igboland producing?
Lagos produces more than the entire Igboland.

Amotolongbo:
How many of these parts had oil discovered in 1967

Coldspice:
The Niger Delta wanted to seceede but Ojukwu refused to allow them.
16 months later, Ojuku started crying for secession.

Karma never sleeps

brain54:
Yeah Isaac boro...

He started the secession agenda.

But how did ojuckwu stop him? As far as I know ojukwu didn't play any major role in stopping boro or in the 12 days war apart from being the governor of the Eastern region and a major or colonel ( not sure of the rank then) in the Nigerian army!

zeuss:
Biafrans were and are miles better than all these runts making noises and telling lies here.

Let it be clear that the declaration of biafra was a reaction to The killing of igbos all over the country with the support of the government through its inactions as witness ed in the middle belt these days. The British Americans and Russians all came together to arm and support the weak murderers against the great igbos because they knew that the ingenuity and greatness of the igbos will not be easily suppressed by the West as they would easily suppress and control the fulani and Yoruba government.
The igbos were the first black human beings on Earth to invent wholy a surface to air and surface to surface armament greatly advanced for it time surpassed only by the atomic bomb.
The igbos at the time where the greatest black race and the west saw this and did all they could to cage them.

Coldspice:
.

Blablabla
Adaka Boro led secession for the Niger Delta people, you Igbos jailed him and sentenced him to death.

Few months later, you started crying secession and got beaten like dogs.

Na Adaka Boro head catch una.

Coldspice:
.

Blablabla
Adaka Boro led secession for the Niger Delta people, you Igbos jailed him and sentenced him to death.

Few months later, you started crying secession and got beaten like dogs.

Na Adaka Boro head catch una.

brain54:
All the parts listed already had oil fields operational by '67...

AndroBlaze:
Name one in each of the places you said since you claim "all" of them had oil fields running in 1967.

The way some of you are just bold enough to come on the internet and start telling lies that one can easily check, na real wa ooo.