₦airaland Forum

You can only gaslight yourself...

Is that how to ask questions in a civil conversation?

Now you are talking upanda like that was the polite way you asked at first.

I don't have any problem with anyone disagreeing with any point I make. I myself disagree even on this thread I have countered even the op. And someone has disagreed with some of my points...but I didn't react the way I did to you. We are all here to learn but don't come and quote me in a disrespectful manner.

Learn to ask questions properly. I would have answered you if you had raised your question in a civil manner.

If you like be disappointed that's your cup of tea. You asked for what you got.

You are lucky I only asked if you are okay!

AndroBlaze:
lol, keep on with the threats.

Please list the places, we are waiting.

Keep on waiting...

You are the one that knows where you saw threats in anything I wrote up there.

Since your reasoning is bottom side up!

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!

This is One of the reasons people don't trust the ibos..How was midwestern part of Biafra.. Why do the Ibos try to change the narrative of history

Africana be fighting over resources as though they will actually use it do develop their country when they get their hands on it.

na wa

Apologize:
Chimamanda Adichie, you are a liar,

The Nigerian Civil War was a tragic series of complex political, ethnic, and military events, not a fictional tale of religious persecution or oil greed.

First, let’s set the record straight. On January 15, 1966, a coup was carried out by mostly Igbo junior military officers, including Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu and Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna. The coup led to the assassination of top political and military leaders from the North and the West, such as Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello (Premier of the Northern Region), and Samuel Akintola (Premier of the Western Region). Notably, President Nnamdi Azikiwe, the only prominent Igbo in national leadership, was conveniently out of the country on medical leave at the time.

Religion

Apologize:
Then came May 30, 1967, when Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu declared the Eastern Region an independent Republic of Biafra, citing the massacres and failure of national reconciliation (including the collapsed Aburi Accord) as justification.

But contrary to the idea that Biafra simply wanted to “secede and be left alone,” Biafran forces went on the offensive almost immediately. In August 1967, they launched “Operation Torch” an invasion of the Mid-Western Region (present day Delta and Edo States), capturing Benin City, and advancing as far as Ore in present day Ondo State, just 150 km from Lagos, the federal capital at the time. That was not a defensive move. It was a bold attempt to encircle and destabilize the Nigerian federation, possibly even capture Lagos.

This was not simply a war for self-determination within the East; it was a military campaign to take over territories outside Biafra, including non-Igbo areas that had not consented to secession.

This is where you guys are always getting it wrong.


Gowon first mobilized Nigerian military to bring back Biafra after Ojukwu declared old Eastern Nigeria an independent nation now known as Biafra.

Newly formed Biafra army were dispatched towards Edo to stop the advancing Nigerian federal troops from penetrating Biafra.


The first battles of the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, were fought in the Mid-Western Region (now Edo and Delta states) and in and around Onitsha. These early engagements involved Nigerian federal troops advancing into Biafra and Biafran forces attempting to counter the invasion.

To bring the war to an end fast, Ojukwu and his top military strategists of which my late uncle was part of, decided to capture Lagos the then capital of Nigeria, which will enable them seize some of Nigeria's key military assets in Lagos and to force Gowon and his cabinet to flee and call for ceasefire/peace.


And you know it's not possible for armed soldiers during war time who are usually on very high morale, to just march peacefully to their main destination without wrecking some havoc on the way? That must have been the reason for the Biafra troops destructive activities in Midwestern Nigeria back then. They must have also did it to scare away any intending threat or counter attack by the Nigerian side.

Apologize:
Chimamanda Adichie, you are a liar,

The Nigerian Civil War was a tragic series of complex political, ethnic, and military events, not a fictional tale of religious persecution or oil greed.

First, let’s set the record straight. On January 15, 1966, a coup was carried out by mostly Igbo junior military officers, including Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu and Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna. The coup led to the assassination of top political and military leaders from the North and the West, such as Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello (Premier of the Northern Region), and Samuel Akintola (Premier of the Western Region). Notably, President Nnamdi Azikiwe, the only prominent Igbo in national leadership, was conveniently out of the country on medical leave at the time.

You guys are missing the point.


Yes there are several issues that pushed Nigeria to the brink back then, it wasn't even the January 1966 coup that started the whole crises, something else triggered the Nzeogwu led January 1966 coup which was later tagged Igbo coup just because of how the coup was executed leaving prominent Igbo politicians. I understand Northern and Yoruba people's anger in this aspect, it's valid.


But the counter coup that led to the killing of hundreds of Igbo military officers, including the Igbo head of state then; Gen. Aguiyi Isonsi was more than enough payback if that was the only issue.


The counter coup was justified, it became a draw game, they were supposed to stop there as they already seized power. But they didn't, rather they went ahead to start a Pogrom against civilian Igbos living peacefully in their communities.


Now many of you, especially the Yorubas forgot the main cause of the coup which the coup plotters including the account of Yoruba soldiers among them confirmed, including IBB the former hear of state confirmed this, as they all claimed they carried out the coup to save Obafemi Awolowo who was being persecuted by the then federal government headed by Tafawa Belewa that was being controlled by Sir Ahmadu Bello to favor Akintola his political ally and friend.


So the Western Nigeria political crises between Awolowo and Akintola was the main cause of the coup. And I believe it because it must have been the reason Yoruba soldiers agreed to join the coup; to save Awolowo whom the young soldiers cherished and believed possessed better leadership skill than Belewa, Zik, Bello and Atinkola.


But unfortunately, the coup executioners who were mostly Igbos messed things up by allowing tribal sentiments to derail their original plan of eliminating all the marked politicians including those from the Igbo side.


Now let's go to the imminent cause of the civil war.


If you are a war historian or someone that reads and follow war histories around the world, there is what we call imminent cause of war and there is also a reason why war is fought. The reason war is fought is not always open to commoners in the society, only the leaders and those at the top decisionmaking level of government know the reason.


Take for instance, Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On the outside, Putin is lying to the rest of the common world that he invaded Ukraine to stop Ukraine from joining NATO, but on the inside, that is not the reason Putin invaded Ukraine.


Putin invaded Ukraine to cause a regime change to remove Zelensky after western backed revolution led to the removal of Russia-allied Ukraine President that Zelensky succeeded. Meanwhile, the major reason then is to grab some more land from Ukraine, especially the regions that speak Russian who also have some precious minerals Russia was eyeing. But to whip up sentiments from the commoners in the world who don't like US led western countries, Putin presented the fact that he didn't want Ukraine to join NATO as the reason for his invasion of Ukraine which is false because if that was the reason, why then are you still fighting the war even when a US President that is very close to you have taken over power and assured you that Ukraine will not join NATO.


The same way, Nigerian government led by Gowon back then lied to Nigerians that he invaded Old Eastern Nigeria known as Biafra then to force them back to Nigeria because of the love he have for them, but the same love didn't push you to use every power within your office to stop the Northern Pogrom which Ojukwu wrote you and pleaded with you several times and you did nothing, but suddenly as Ojukwu declared Eastern Nigeria an independent country that is no longer part of Nigeria, your love for Igbos woke up and you declared war on them to bring them back Militarily.



Beneath the lies, the actual reason Nigeria forced Biafra back to rejoin Nigeria was because as at that time, crude oil was recently discovered in Eastern Nigeria (in present day Niger Delta, Bayelsa to be precise at Oloibiri), and Shell D'Arcy (later Shell-BP) British Petroleum was in charge of the exploration which was benefitting British government hugely, so when Ojukwu declared Biafra, Britain forced Gowon to go after Biafra and bring them back at all cost promising full military backup.


Remember, at the heat of the political turmoil in 1966, Ojukwu and Gowon went to Aburi Ghana for peace talks and they agreed that each of the 4 regions of Nigeria back then will control their Police and resources and remit a certain agreed percentage to the central government controlled by Gowon. Gowon agreed and signed it. On reaching Nigeria, Britain instructed Gowon to reject the Aburi Accord saying it favored Igbo Eastern region more than other regions, so Gowon refused to announce the Aburi Accord agreement to Nigerians on return to Nigeria, claiming that he had Malaria infection for weeks.



Ojukwu reached out to Gowon severally and Gowon ignored him, so Ojukwu went and announced the Aburi Accord agreement and Gowon then crawled out from his hole to reject it and Ojukwu summoned Eastern Nigeria's stakeholders asking for a way forward and they told him they want to secede from Nigeria and Ojukwu declared Eastern Nigeria an independent nation called Biafra.


Immediately Gowon made a nationwide broadcast declaring war against Biafra in what he called Police Action to bring back the Old Eastern Nigeria back to Nigeria and he mobilized Nigerian soldiers towards Onitsha, Ojukwu got the information and mobilized Biafra elite soldiers led by Col. Banjo, Ifeajuna, etc to stop the Nigerian troops from penetrating Biafra land, and that was how Biafra soldiers matched towards Midwestern Nigeria heading towards Lagos to capture Lagos the capital of Nigeria then in order to seize key military assets and force Gowon and his cabinet to flee Lagos and call for peace by allowing Biafra go.




So in summary, Chimamanda was correct that the civil war was fought because of crude oil found in Eastern Nigeria back then.