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The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi - Politics (13) - Nairaland

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Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by Volksfuhrer(m): 7:51am On Jun 17, 2015
PabloAfricanus:


I disagree.
Awo knew very well what was at stake. To exonerate him of not knowing where the Igbo pogroms was leading
would be selective amnesia.
The Yorubas lost top leaders too...Ademulegun, Shodeinde and even the hated Akintola could not have been unavenged.
You seem to forget that.
Ojukwu never planned for war too. The build up to war just happened. And mind you reports had it that Nzeogwu
and co had intelligence on the importation of arms and plans to launch a jihad by the Sardauna...something very similar
to today's Boko Haram. And even worse...that Akintola, Ademulegun, Balewa and other elites were neck deep in the plot.
It was speculated the January boys struck a few days to the showdown to avert that.
There was a reason why Nzeogwu was given a full military burial during the war.

Awo knew what's up...and the Yoruba elders were either cowered into submission by the Murtala and his angry crew or
were advised by the British to drop any secessionist ideas. I don't really know.
But the fact remains that, Awo knew where it was headed. He had been contacted and offered support.
My guess is that he followed the advise of the British envoys and supported Gowon.
As to readiness...thats a story for another day.

The aftermath of every war always brings out a lot of emotions that could persist for years without end, and that of Nigeria's Civil War isn't any different.

Let me be blunt. The pogroms in the North need not have resulted in the secession of the Eastern Region at the time it did. The decision was only a visceral reaction to an injustice, Biafra was simply not ready!

You said Awo was contacted and offered "support", was the "support" not conditional. Did Ojukwu meet his own end of the "bargain"? Well, he didn't! And if that was the case, are you now suggesting it was okay for Ojukwu to break his promise but wrong for Awo to turn his back on him? What type of logic is that?

Awo's decision had nothing to do with any foreign envoy or power, please. I've had that listless argument before. Awo wasn't just the type to pander to the whims of any foreign power. In Awo's estimation, the Western region was just not ready at the time.

Besides, if Biafra could show through the decisions of her supreme commander that Awo could not be trusted, Awo owed Biafra nothing.

My humble submission.

1 Like

Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by disumusa: 8:30am On Jun 17, 2015
OREMUSSANCTUS:
Dey won't learn from d past
Awolowo did d same
Abiola did his own
Now its tinubu
Wen we dhe learn from their mistakes?
use your faculty and stop wasting your time with tinubu or yorubas, ibo are the most painfull and hate tribe the yorubas are not gridy. Nigeria in a big country so power must be share according to the population of the region.
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by disumusa: 8:38am On Jun 17, 2015
NDPVF:
Tinubu and Southwest?,well am still laughing.
sw are always politicaly position than se, that is why ibo are dieing of hatered.
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by Volksfuhrer(m): 9:26am On Jun 17, 2015
PabloAfricanus:


The January boys ultimately turned out to be revolutionaries who did not understand the game...and ended up confusing good intentions with doing the right thing at the right time.
I think they were used...and between Zik and Awo...the latter was the more likely culprit.

I could be wrong though.

The facts do not support your proposition that Awo was the likely sponsor of the coup. I believe the covert sponsors of the coup were the NCNC! Nzeogwu and co were mere pawns in the hands of Ifeajuna and the NCNC.

Zik was mysteriously away.

The NPC Alliance lost their key leaders.

No NCNC leader was killed, except Okotie-Eboh whom they regarded as a turncoat because he got too close to Balewa.

Ironsi was an NCNC man.

When Orizu (NCNC chieftain and Acting President) was asked to swear in Dipcharima (NPC) as acting Prime Minister, he refused but instead preferred to swear in Mbadiwe (another NCNC chieftain) as Prime Minister!

When the Mbadiwe kite didn't fly, Orizu (NCNC) handed over power to Ironsi (NCNC)!

The January 1966 coup was a resounding success because it was meticulously planned and carried out by Ifeajuna. IBB and co are small boys compared to this man! I know you would want to ask me about Ifeajuna's Manuscript, which was only written to get the scent off the NCNC. Besides, the idea in the narrative of the manuscript was also used to coopt necessary collaborators outside the NCNC circle!

Hand it to the NPC leaders who saw through the charade and reacted six months later with an upgrade.

Awolowo had nothing to do with the coup.

1 Like

Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by PabloAfricanus(m): 10:39am On Jun 17, 2015
Volksfuhrer:


The aftermath of every war always brings out a lot of emotions that could persist for years without end, and that of Nigeria's Civil War isn't any different.


Firstly let me invite you to realize the discussion is about politicians...scheming, devious politicians, of which Awo and Zik
were prime examples. Its not about defending the honor of any ethnic leader per se. These guys had ambitions and did whatever
they could to actualize them. They are not really the saints we make them out to be.
Having said that, have you considered the background to January 1966?
The crass british screw up of the whole democratic process? The open supply of intelligence to the favoured north by the british?
It seems you imagine Awo and his camp did not have access to some measure of intelligence.
Or you think they were just sitting at Ibadan making merry and watching events unfold...maybe wondering what the whole noise
was all about?
Cmon bro, these men were politicians who could read political moves and understood the latest trends.

Volksfuhrer:


Let me be blunt. The pogroms in the North need not have resulted in the secession of the Eastern Region at the time it did. The decision was only a visceral reaction to an injustice, Biafra was simply not ready!

Accepted, Biafra on her own was not ready for any military engagement for two reasons, lack of secured funds to finance any war and lack of support from a great power that could counter the British. After all Nigeria was in the British sphere of influence and no foreign power was expected to interfere in her affairs.

Volksfuhrer:

You said Awo was contacted and offered "support", was the "support" not conditional. Did Ojukwu meet his own end of the "bargain"? Well, he didn't! And if that was the case, are you now suggesting it was okay for Ojukwu to break his promise but wrong for Awo to turn his back on him? What type of logic is that?
I'm guessing you are Yoruba by your defense of Awo.
Lets look at some facts...Awo had been blunt about Nigeria's unreadiness for independence, cos he clearly saw the British
plans in progress to hand over power to their beloved North. He saw through the game the British were playing with so-called educated South.
Literally, the British were humoring Awo and Zik, in my opinion, Awo was more conscious of that fact...and that prevented him from
going along with Zik's nationalists fantasies.
He never really wanted to be in the same country with the North, cos being a Yoruba he knew the jihadists for who and what they were.
Centuries of interaction with the Sokoto jihadists and the Oyo army had left the Yorubas distrustful of any so-called alliance with the
implacable Hausa/Fulani.
Zik on the other had no such historical antecedent, he was at best a political dreamer...albeit a highly accomplished one.
He was a dreamer in the sense that he thought he could acquire power without conquest and force of arms.

My point? Awo had been scheming for the West not to be found in the same country with the North and if possible
with the domineering Igbos. He was ready to sacrifice gunning for power at the center to play opposition...just to maintain some level
of political and economic space for the West.
When the opportunity came, he chickened out.
With the results of 15 January 1966, the murders of Ironsi and Fajuyi, the counter coup and the order for all officers to move back to their regions,
it was a golden opportunity to make his move. The SW was ripe for new leadership.Who held his hands?
Ojukwus offer was firstly to Ogundipe to stand his ground and take control of the army after Ironsi's and Fajuyi's assassination.
He was offered support in terms of recognition of army seniority and his right to head the army in Ironsi's absence.
That one too chickened out and ran to London.

Volksfuhrer:

Awo's decision had nothing to do with any foreign envoy or power, please. I've had that listless argument before. Awo wasn't just the type to pander to the whims of any foreign power. In Awo's estimation, the Western region was just not ready at the time.

The offer was likely made for Awo to take up the challenge and join the massacred East in declaring their freedom from the artificial state of the British.
They would jointly recognize each other and pursue their own destinies as they saw fit.
There was really nothing Ojukwu stood to offer Awo apart from legal recognition and joint military teamwork in case of a Northern advance.
The price was real independence from colonial control...of which Awo was more knowledgeable than Ojukwu.
Awo was already dealing with the British High commission and envoys, they knew the West held the ace card.
He could not have been left out in all the talks and meetings happening in Lagos with Gowon and the army high command.
Because if Awo chose secession, not only would the North lose access to the sea, the entire British devious game plan in setting up the North
to rule Nigeria and thereby secure their interests would be foiled.
Awo too was made offers by Gowon and the British...you have to acknowledge that.
Gowon and Awo were made aware of the strategic importance of oil and gas in the Eastern Region...why the Eastern Region would render their cocoa,kola,textile and groundnut revenues irrelevant in the West African regional scheme of things.
It was as it turned out to be...an oil war. They must have been presented with a picture of things to come with Eastern oil revenues
and the Igbos being a regional power in West Africa.
And no, the Yorubas could have mobilized enough fighting men to defend their land if it came to that...dont give me that line of unreadiness.
They lost leaders too! I think Awo and his crew were cowered or coerced into submission by the British.
It could not have been about readiness cos the SW had fighting men too, who had a history of wars and battles that Ojukwu's
Biafra never experienced before the British arrived. They knew it was war or submission.
As I have noted earlier, when the British made funds available...Yoruba soldiers led the attack on Biafra.

Volksfuhrer:

Besides, if Biafra could show through the decisions of her supreme commander that Awo could not be trusted, Awo owed Biafra nothing.
My humble submission.
Sorry but Awo owed Ojukwu and the Igbos a few things...revenge for the crass murders of Yoruba officers, support for the secession bid
as Ojukwu knew he needed to gain recognition (it was Awo's privilege to give or withold support), and sympathy for the plight
of the Igbos...if you read up what happened the pogroms were brutal.
Awo could really not have played indifferent. He was involved in the Nigerian project.
Awo played both sides...he kept Ojukwu second guessing and kept the British and Gowon making more promises.
Ojukwu knew better than to talk smack with Awo, as he held him in high regard and wanted his support.
Ojukwu was likely banking on his knowledge of Awo's desire for Yoruba land for Yorubas and Awo's desire to get back at the
British for screwing him up.
Awo chose the easier way and in my opinion chickened out.
If he had opted for secession, the British could not have done much about it...except if they had plans to recolonize.
The North would have had no option but to head back to the North, even Murtala had been shouting for secession after they had exacted
their revenge.
The British and the North were the only ones who stood to loose.
Lagos would have gone back fully to Yoruba control and the SW would have had their destiny in their own hands.
The only alternative explaination for Awos refusal to opt for secession was if the British promised the North aid in occupying
Lagos and the SW...and then sponsored military action against Ojukwu.

Finally, mention must be made of Ojukwu's naivety. He completely underestimated the British.
He must have felt in typical Igbo fashion that he was "equal" to the British cos he was educated too...and all that.
The British would never have suffered any African colony to stand up to them in global politics...if they allowed it, that would
send a wrong signal of weakness to competitors and antagonists.
Ojukwu would have eroded British influence in West Africa had Biafra succeeded, and even more, totally blockaded the North
from having anything to do with the Atlantic.
The British could not have allowed Biafra to succeed, that would have created a new axis of power in Africa...very attractive to the
Soviets and Chinese...who would not waste time in offering support to undermine European influence in Africa.
Mind you Africa provided the cheapest source of funds for the colonial masters...even after the so-called independence.
They would not let go of that easily.
Ojukwu never really understood the game of power...and it is probable that Awo saw through that and decided not to entrust the
safety of the Yorubas to some inexperienced neophyte in power politics.
It is even more probable that Awo was not sure if the Oyo vs Ijebu rivalries and intra regional squabbles would stand in the way
of Yoruba unity...who knows?

1 Like

Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by PabloAfricanus(m): 11:45am On Jun 17, 2015
Volksfuhrer:


The facts do not support your proposition that Awo was the likely sponsor of the coup. I believe the covert sponsors of the coup were the NCNC! Nzeogwu and co were mere pawns in the hands of Ifeajuna and the NCNC.

Zik was mysteriously away.

The NPC Alliance lost their key leaders.

No NCNC leader was killed, except Okotie-Eboh whom they regarded as a turncoat because he got too close to Balewa.

Ironsi was an NCNC man.

When Orizu (NCNC chieftain and Acting President) was asked to swear in Dipcharima (NPC) as acting Prime Minister, he refused but instead prefer to swear in Mbadiwe (another NCNC chieftain) as Prime Minister!

When the Mbadiwe kite didn't fly, Orizu (NCNC) handed over power to Ironsi (NCNC)!

The January 1966 coup was a resounding success because it was meticulously planned and carried out by Ifeajuna. IBB and co are small boys compared to this man! I know you would want to ask me about Ifeajuna's Manuscript, which was only written to get the scent off the NCNC. Besides, the idea in the narrative of the manuscript was also used to coopt necessary collaborators outside the NCNC circle!

Hand it to the NPC leaders who saw through the charade and reacted six months later with an upgrade.

Awolowo had nothing to do with the coup.


My statement was based on the fact that Awo had already been convicted and imprisoned for treason/coup plotting.
It would be too much hero worshipping to judge Awo incapable of that move.
Zik had a highly developed political intuition as noted by Harold Smith and must have sensed blood in the waters.
Or as noted by all, Ifeajuna must have tipped him off.
It is improbable that Zik would sponsor the killings just to spite the North or the Yorubas...as the murders held no promise
of high political office heads or tails. He had already been burnt out by the British and barely escaped jail.
The Igbos clearly implicated themselves, but I think you give them too much credit.
Ironsi clearly had no clue as to the reality of what had taken place or what to do as the new executive.
He seemed lost and confused.

As for the Orizu saga,the Igbo politicians also seemed to have no plan and acted to prevent the outbreak of any backlash.
If Orizu had handed power to the Northern rep, the results would likely be more disastrous for the Igbos.
With the power of state machinery any level of follow up vengeance could have been exacted and officially denied.
You know the pogroms escalated after Ironsi's elimination...they must have read the handwriting on the wall.
They were not just subtle about the refusal to hand over power as mandated by law.

I refuse to believe Igbo politicians acted in concert with Igbo military officers to murder the leaders of other regions.
It was needless as the Igbos were indirectly in power...being the teeth arms of both the military, foreign and civil service.
Even the education sector which the Yorubas dominated were facing stiff bumper to bumper competition from the Igbos.
They obviously had nothing to gain.
No matter that their politicians had been neutralized by the British, they still indirectly administered the economy and government albeit
without executive powers.
An Igbo sponsored coup would have a credible follow up plan...including allies in both regions.
The plan could not have been to hand over power to the military...the play of events after Jan 1966 does not support that.
The great mistake as pointed out by Harold Smith was the sparing of Zik and Okpara, which would have balanced the losses.

Awo had a silent vendetta against Akintola who challenged and ousted him, against Balewa who humiliated and jailed him and
against the British who made sure his dreams were never actualized. They feared what the far thinking Awo would do if given a
free hand to run the affairs of the young country.

Just read up on the Northern instigated crisis in the West and how chaos had returned to the Yoruba land...after Awo's carefully
constructed political machine for the development of the SW was dismantled before his own eyes.

Desperate men are known to take desperate measures and Awo not knowing if he would survive prison...and knowing there was no way
Akintola and the Oyo gangup would let him rise to prominence again in the Western region...also knowing he had nothing to loose apart from his
life after having being rubbished by people he considered inferior...must have had considered his options.
He would forever be a convict and have limited chances of political relevance if he were to survive prison.
Covert support from prison for the young turks was an option with nothing really to lose for him...and I venture to opine it was probable
he got involved.

Dont take my analysis too seriously oooo...I might be completely flat out wrong!
Its based clearly on hindsight and my own perception of the personalities involved and the backgrounds to the events that played out.
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by Shymm3x: 12:28pm On Jun 17, 2015
PabloAfricanus:


Doesn't it sound funny listening to the Brits tag a politician as "utterly corrupt" and label him as "bad" cos he "enriched himself using public finances"?
Like seriously? A lion judging hyenas for hunting antelopes in the same jungle? That's utterly ridiculous.
All politicians are corrupt and opportunists...its the currency of the game. You are literally forced to double speak and compromise. The silly BBC idiat interviews did not bring a new revelation...its just the same old self serving posturing of the British.
These devious thieves wrote the bible on corruption and bribery. They ruled the waves through every form of chicanery, theft, piracy, posturing, falsification and badness known to man.

The fact was that Zik was setup. As Awo was.
There was little or no legal avenue to finance the NCNC political machine than through the routes those two took.
They just didn't see through the legal loop holes in the laws guiding the running of those regional offices.
The Brits had knowingly put them there knowing their self conceit and their self flattery won't allow them think strategically.
Those tricks would not have worked with the Northern emirates cos a legal Islamic system of taxation was already in place before the Brits forced their way in. They'd have seen through the whole "legal", "constitutional" and "court/judiciary" nonsense game...which was a Brit ploy to replace their native laws and authorities with Britished-coined legal nonsense.

Zik was totally gamed and he even facilitated it by his self conceit and lack of exposure to proper state politics.

I don't know if the 1996 coup was sponsored by Zik or not.
Arguments could be made that Awo was already trying to achieve what the young turks of 1966 did before he was caught and jailed. And he even reportedly tried it again during IBB's era and as they said chose the easy way out.

The new nation was looking to implode sooner than later...the British had carefully crafted a Northern hegemony. The sardauna was to use the office of the prime minister in whittling down the Igbo presence in the officer corps, foreign and civil service. The Yorubas had already been sold out by Akintola,Ademulegun and crew. The sardauna was getting ready for a showdown with the Igbos...as the West had already experienced their own wetie...with Balewa ordering the military to the streets of Ibadan.
And ofcourse the govt in Lagos was run by the North. Zik and Ironsi were largely ceremonial figure heads.
Zik found out to his chagrin what "executive" powers really mean. Awo knew the game but was too selfish and cunning to compromise with Zik.
I think its more probable that Awo had a hand in the 1966 coup than Zik...the hits could only favor an Awo return. Zik being an Igbo stood nothing to gain...as the aggrieved North and West would not live to see him usurp their positions...after the cold blooded murder of their leaders.

The January boys ultimately turned out to be revolutionaries who did not understand the game...and ended up confusing good intentions with doing the right thing at the right time.
I think they were used...and between Zik and Awo...the later was the more likely culprit.

I could be wrong though.

I'm sorry, what you posited here has to be one of the most ridiculous thing I ever read. You dismissed eye witnesses, who made a documentary to slag the British colonial government for entrenching election rigging into Nigeria, and the documentary was about how the colonial government had a hand in the destruction of Nigeria. And also to petition both the British government and MI6 to declassify the rest of the files. These are old folks who have nothing to gain from antagonising anyone. So why do you think they would paint Zik of Onitsha, who had a cordial relationship with them, as "utterly corrupt" - yet never said the same thing about Awolowo, who they couldn't stand?

Also, the way you keep extolling Zik, who was the biggest opportunist ever, while admonishing Awolowo, also shows what your true intentions are. You believe Awolowo was "cunning and selfish", yet a Zik who was a perpetual opportunist and continually played the opportunist card from the Independence conference in London; to the Western house; to the Eastern house where he dislodged Eyo Ita; to the election rigging in the Eastern region and charges of corruption; to how he miraculously escaped the 1966 coup; to switching sides during the Biafran war; etc., was the selfless and straight-forward one, no? Why would anyone want to trust someone as unstable as that and someone whose politics/leaning is an opportunistic one?

I believe you just want to hypothesise ya own fantasies to placate ya own ego. However, if you're going to do that, make it sound plausible. Anyway, I'll ask you a few questions:

1). You asserted that "The Sarduana was getting ready for a showdown with the Igbos" yet in the same breath believe that "its more probable that Awo had a hand in the 1966 coup than Zik...the hits could only favor an Awo return. Zik being an Igbo stood nothing to gain". Isn't that an oxymoron and a case of you contradicting yourself? What did Awolowo, a Yoruba man, locked up in prison on trumped-up charges stand to gain from an onslaught by Sarduana against the Igbos, with Zik as the head of Igbos in the government? And who did the coup favour - Igbos or Yorubas?

2). Why do you think Awolowo would have plotted a coup with Zik's cousin, Ifeajuna (I'm sure you know the coup was an Ifeajuna coup and not a Nzeogwu coup cos the latter was drafted in towards the end), to truncate a government in which his family member was part of, and kill him as part of the targets to be extinguished to "save" the country?

3). How come Zik wasn't around when the coup was executed, despite the fact that the Doctor he travelled with had returned to the country?
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by PabloAfricanus(m): 1:40pm On Jun 17, 2015
Shymm3x:
*

I'm sorry, what you posited here has to be one of the most ridiculous thing I ever read. You dismissed eye witnesses, who made a documentary to slag the British colonial government for entrenching election rigging into Nigeria, and the documentary was about how the colonial government had a hand in the destruction of Nigeria. And also to petition both the British government and MI6 to declassify the rest of the files. These are old folks who have nothing to gain from antagonising anyone. So why do you think they would paint Zik of Onitsha, who had a cordial relationship with them, as "utterly corrupt" - yet never said the same thing about Awolowo, who they couldn't stand?

Also, the way you keep extolling Zik, who was the biggest opportunist ever, while admonishing Awolowo, also shows what your true intentions are. You believe Awolowo was "cunning and selfish", yet a Zik who was a perpetual opportunist and continually played the opportunist card from the Independence conference in London; to the Western house; to the Eastern house where he dislodged Eyo Ita; to the election rigging in the Eastern region and charges of corruption; to how he miraculously escaped the 1966 coup; to switching sides during the Biafran war; etc., was the selfless and straight-forward one, no? Why would anyone want to trust someone as unstable as that and someone whose politics/leaning is an opportunistic one?


Lol...calm down bro.
I'm not dissing your hero and I'm failing to see in any way how I was extolling Zik in my comment.
I have learnt to put aside emotions and calmly analyze events.
Learn to see through the fog...who benefits?

I maintain that all politicians are opportunists and corrupt...Awo and Zik included.
Also dont tell me you fell for that classic case of British propaganda...making a documentary on British atrocities in their former colonies
years after the involved persons have all died...and with no incriminating evidence that could lead to a press for redress.
There was nothing new revealed or exposed. We know Zik dipped his hand in the public till, same as Awo and Sardauna.
They were all monitored by British intelligence and regularly threatened with evidence to coerce them into compliance.
Pls dont fall for that trick!
You cant win any court case against the British with any of such "exposures" of colonial government badness.
No intelligence or information of strategic importance was revealed...just emotional balm to massage hurt egos in the former colonies.
Just like the so called Snowden exposures of CIA classified intelligence...nothing incriminating whatsoever.
Just routine diplomatic reports with no strategic intelligence.

Shymm3x:
*
Also, the way you keep extolling Zik, who was the biggest opportunist ever, while admonishing Awolowo, also shows what your true intentions are. You believe Awolowo was "cunning and selfish", yet a Zik who was a perpetual opportunist and continually played the opportunist card from the Independence conference in London; to the Western house; to the Eastern house where he dislodged Eyo Ita; to the election rigging in the Eastern region and charges of corruption; to how he miraculously escaped the 1966 coup; to switching sides during the Biafran war; etc., was the selfless and straight-forward one, no? Why would anyone want to trust someone as unstable as that and someone whose politics/leaning is an opportunistic one?

Read up on my earlier responses to Volksfuhrer.
Just bear in mind that what I wrote was an analysis of possible permutations to what had led to the events.
A lot of that was based on hindsight, historical notes...and just my opinions.
I maintain that Awo was cunning and selfish...you noted yourself that the British could not stand him.
What was opportunist about Zik's bid for the Western premiership? Was he not the party candidate and leader?
Get your facts right bro.
Awo literally cut off any hopes of compromise with either the SE or the MW.
You know how the Oba of Benin and co walked out the Western parliament and teamed up with the other groups to
break away from the Western Region.
He even imposed an Itshekiri Olu in Warri!
Read up on the Obaseki saga in the old Benin province where fears of Yoruba dominance through forced membership of the ROF
was trending.
His was a pure Yoruba agenda all the way, Zik even had pretences to a nationalistic agenda.
Awo shared no such sentiments and carefully guarded his "inner caucus" against any alliances that might even
benefit the Western Region. Read up on the history please.
Awo could have capitalized on the work done by the non-Yoruba members of the NCNC in Lagos to build a southern
solidarity against the Northern hegemony sponsored by the British...atleast they had an understanding.
His reasons for making sure Zik was prevented from becoming the Western Premier are clearly understood, but the
way in which the NCNC was sidelined in favour of Odua politics could only back fire in the long run.
You need alliances...and Zik after being booted from the West just ran into the waiting arms of the NPC.
I maintain that Awo stood to gain from a solidarity between the old NCNC Yoruba stalwarts and the Igbo NCNC stalwarts,
they could have reached an understanding to thwart the British efforts at destabilization.
You can see how the British pitted the South against the North...to the loss of both Zik and Awo.
The entire legacy of Herbert Macaulay was rendered useless and sacrificed to further his brand of Odua politics.
I'm sure you know the Oyos didnt particularly find it funny.

Shymm3x:
*

I believe you just want to hypothesise ya own fantasies to placate ya own ego. However, if you're going to do that, make it sound plausible. Anyway, I'll ask you a few questions:

1). You asserted that "The Sarduana was getting ready for a showdown with the Igbos" yet in the same breath believe that "its more probable that Awo had a hand in the 1966 coup than Zik...the hits could only favor an Awo return. Zik being an Igbo stood nothing to gain". Isn't that an oxymoron and a case of you contradicting yourself? What did Awolowo, a Yoruba man, locked up in prison on trumped-up charges stand to gain from an onslaught by Sarduana against the Igbos, with Zik as the head of Igbos in the government? And who did the coup favour - Igbos or Yorubas?
Who instigated the anarchy in the West? Who was hobnobbing with the Sardauna and Balewa?
If you can, put aside your emotions for a moment and consider the play of events.
And yes I am not contradicting myself...just seeing events from a different perspective.
It is a well known political strategy to pit two enemies against each other...to destroy themselves.
And yes, revolutions have been launched and won from prison cells...history is your teacher.
Read up on Harold Smith's analysis...the Igbos were next in line for the Sardauna's onslaught and he was quite vocal about it.
Ongoing killings of Igbos in the North had already been taking place. And there were public calls for the suppression of Igbos in
the NPC parliament and their eviction from the North.
He was bent on a total subjugation of the South and Harold Smith's notes even bears that out...that the boys struck a few days to his own
showdown.
Read up on my earlier responses to Volksfuhrer.

Shymm3x:

2). Why do you think Awolowo would have plotted a coup with Zik's cousin, Ifeajuna (I'm sure you know the coup was an Ifeajuna coup and not a Nzeogwu coup cos the latter was drafted in towards the end), to truncate a government in which his family member was part of, and kill him as part of the targets to be extinguished to "save" the country?


3). How come Zik wasn't around when the coup was executed, despite the fact that the Doctor he travelled with had returned to the country?


Read up on my earlier responses to Volksfuhrer.

Finally its possible that the January boys acted on their own accord and took the law into their own hands.
I happen to like exploring possibilities as things are not always what they seem...there are always known and unknown
interests at play.
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by Volksfuhrer(m): 3:48pm On Jun 17, 2015
PabloAfricanus:


My statement was based on the fact that Awo had already been convicted and imprisoned for treason/coup plotting.
It would be too much hero worshipping to judge Awo incapable of that move.
Zik had a highly developed political intuition as noted by Harold Smith and must have sensed blood in the waters.
Or as noted by all, Ifeajuna must have tipped him off.
It is improbable that Zik would sponsor the killings just to spite the North or the Yorubas...as the murders held no promise
of high political office heads or tails. He had already been burnt out by the British and barely escaped jail.
The Igbos clearly implicated themselves, but I think you give them too much credit.
Ironsi clearly had no clue as to the reality of what had taken place or what to do as the new executive.
He seemed lost and confused.

As for the Orizu saga,the Igbo politicians also seemed to have no plan and acted to prevent the outbreak of any backlash.
If Orizu had handed power to the Northern rep, the results would likely be more disastrous for the Igbos.
With the power of state machinery any level of follow up vengeance could have been exacted and officially denied.
You know the pogroms escalated after Ironsi's elimination...they must have read the handwriting on the wall.
They were not just subtle about the refusal to hand over power as mandated by law.

I refuse to believe Igbo politicians acted in concert with Igbo military officers to murder the leaders of other regions.
It was needless as the Igbos were indirectly in power...being the teeth arms of both the military, foreign and civil service.
Even the education sector which the Yorubas dominated were facing stiff bumper to bumper competition from the Igbos.
They obviously had nothing to gain.
No matter that their politicians had been neutralized by the British, they still indirectly administered the economy and government albeit
without executive powers.
An Igbo sponsored coup would have a credible follow up plan...including allies in both regions.
The plan could not have been to hand over power to the military...the play of events after Jan 1966 does not support that.
The great mistake as pointed out by Harold Smith was the sparing of Zik and Okpara, which would have balanced the losses.

Awo had a silent vendetta against Akintola who challenged and ousted him, against Balewa who humiliated and jailed him and
against the British who made sure his dreams were never actualized. They feared what the far thinking Awo would do if given a
free hand to run the affairs of the young country.

Just read up on the Northern instigated crisis in the West and how chaos had returned to the Yoruba land...after Awo's carefully
constructed political machine for the development of the SW was dismantled before his own eyes.

Desperate men are known to take desperate measures and Awo not knowing if he would survive prison...and knowing there was no way
Akintola and the Oyo gangup would let him rise to prominence again in the Western region...also knowing he had nothing to loose apart from his
life after having being rubbished by people he considered inferior...must have had considered his options.
He would forever be a convict and have limited chances of political relevance if he were to survive prison.
Covert support from prison for the young turks was an option with nothing really to lose for him...and I venture to opine it was probable
he got involved.

Dont take my analysis too seriously oooo...I might be completely flat out wrong!
Its based clearly on hindsight and my own perception of the personalities involved and the backgrounds to the events that played out.




If Nzeogu had masterminded the coup, Awo's involvement would've gained some plausibility. But Ifeajuna who planned the coup was not an Awo man, and it was highly improbable that Awo would recruit Zik's cousin to oust Balewa's government!

I agree that Ironsi was not complicit in the plot, but a few hours after he got wind of the plot the import of the killings dawned on him.

NCNC leaders knew about the coup, but they never envisaged its execution would assume grotesque, morbid dimensions. Even after that fact, they still went ahead for the endgame to install Mbadiwe as Acting Prime Minister!

They could have allowed Dipcharima to be sworn in and Ironsi to stay on as Army head, which would have kept the bloodletting off the streets.
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by pazienza(m): 5:41pm On Jun 17, 2015
All these posts and replies are waste of time. As an Igboman, I have nothing in common with Odua people, let alone the Arewa, except for skin colour.

Awo and Zik are gone, yet the story remains the same. Biafra is the solution.

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Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by pazienza(m): 5:49pm On Jun 17, 2015
What exactly did Zik stand to gain from Nzeogwu's coup?

1. Balewa dies, Akintola dies, the Military boys takes over, sending Zik into early political retirement like they sent Shagari. I don't know how the fact that the military boys were Northerners helped Shagari's political career, so I am really sweating to see how the Igbo military hijacking power works to Zik's favour.

What Awo stood to gain from Nzeogwu's coup.

1. Akintola who had sent him into political irrelevance became dead and gone, Balewa who sought to kill him for attempting to usurp his government became dead and gone. His two arch enemies were obliterated in a blink of an eye, thunder struck the same place twice, really?

2. Awo who would have ultimately rotted to death in prison and forgotten by his people like Abiola, became a free man again.

3. Not only did he become a free man, his political career was revived as Akintola's death left a vacuum that he easily filled.

Co incidence? For a man who unsuccessfully plotted to usurp the government of the day twice, I would say No.

Awo from a neutral point of view, stood to gain more from Akintola and Balewa death than Zik.

1 Like

Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by Ajuran: 10:14pm On Jun 17, 2015
Shymm3x:


Lol, I like the Somali comparison - supremely fearless, though not as skilled as the Somalis, and were never able to build a large empire like the Ajuran Sultanate. I was going to throw Eriteans there - but Eritreans are also very skilled fighters. However, in the Nigerian context - being fearless will always get you to ya destination.

I think the reason why the South doesn't have a rallying point is cos the second larger group never really had rallying point, till the arrival of the Brits. And once that happened, they bursted out aggressively in a domineering nature, and have continued to thrive based on that. Had it been that the Edos for example were the 2nd larger group, it would have been easier to find a common ground.

As for the Yorubas, we're very naive and docile. And in as much as pluralism is one of our strongest points, it's also our weakest - the gift and the curse. Hopefully, one day, we'll be able to have another leader who would have the wit and presence, to rally everyone around a well-defined common cause on where we stand, what we want, and what we should do.

Anyway, I do clown Ibadan folks a lot with banter...but I shall forever be grateful to the Ibadan warriors of yore. Oyo collapsed from within and there was internecine war - yet these warriors were still able to defend their homelands from marauders and a bunch of Judas Iscariots. I doff my hat to them - peace to Ibadan warriors. grin



Please dont compare anyone to us Somalis/Ethiopians/Eritreans. Fulanis are not like Somalis thats why they are Fulanis.
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by noah91(m): 10:37pm On Jun 17, 2015
InyinyaAgbaOku:
Which association?
Friends and family lineage

1 Like

Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by free13: 11:38am On Jul 03, 2015
atlwireles:


Not in my world, when you sell yourself for cheap lipsrsealed. Fulanis should not be blamed for people's stupidityy. Their vote count has not changed since 2003. They just found more ediots to add to their ranch.
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by ExInferis(m): 12:23pm On Oct 11, 2015
What the author is advocating for is godfatherism, which has always been the bane of our politics.

The votes from the southwest is almost evenly split between PDP and APC, with the margin less than 500k for APC. The Tinubu stronghold didnt overwhelmingly vote for APC, so why should Tinubu get both SP and Speaker HoR?

Tinubu ia just being greedy, initially wanting to be VP and then the puppeteer behind the scenes.

We voted for buhari, not Tinubu. We Say no to godfatherism.
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by Nobody: 2:15pm On Oct 11, 2015
livingday:
@ poster, you are a tribal bigot blowing embers of tribal politics, which is doomed to fail.

Yoruba man is Vice-President and Senate President. Are there no other tribes in Nigeria apart from Yoruba and Fulani that you are not satisfied?

Do you think a party leader should dictate how an elected government should conduct its affairs regardless of the wishes of its elected representatives?

Yours is the kind of politics that has held this country back.


Pls saraki is Fulani. He advised


https://www.nairaland.com/311148/saraki-fulani-mali
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by Nobody: 2:17pm On Oct 11, 2015
livingday:
@ poster, you are a tribal bigot blowing embers of tribal politics, which is doomed to fail.

Yoruba man is Vice-President and Senate President. Are there no other tribes in Nigeria apart from Yoruba and Fulani that you are not satisfied?

Do you think a party leader should dictate how an elected government should conduct its affairs regardless of the wishes of its elected representatives?

Yours is the kind of politics that has held this country back.


Pls saraki is Fulani. Be advised


https://www.nairaland.com/311148/saraki-fulani-mali
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by emi14: 10:48am On Oct 05, 2016
When decisions, principles and ideology are not operated from a sound mind the bearers failure is unavoidable.
Re: The Fulani Solidarity And Betrayal Of Bola Tinubu By Remi Oyeyemi by emi14: 10:52am On Oct 05, 2016
pazienza:
What exactly did Zik stand to gain from Nzeogwu's coup?

1. Balewa dies, Akintola dies, the Military boys takes over, sending Zik into early political retirement like they sent Shagari. I don't know how the fact that the military boys were Northerners helped Shagari's political career, so I am really sweating to see how the Igbo military hijacking power works to Zik's favour.

What Awo stood to gain from Nzeogwu's coup.

1. Akintola who had sent him into political irrelevance became dead and gone, Balewa who sought to kill him for attempting to usurp his government became dead and gone. His two arch enemies were obliterated in a blink of an eye, thunder struck the same place twice, really?

2. Awo who would have ultimately rotted to death in prison and forgotten by his people like Abiola, became a free man again.

3. Not only did he become a free man, his political career was revived as Akintola's death left a vacuum that he easily filled.

Co incidence? For a man who unsuccessfully plotted to usurp the government of the day twice, I would say No.

Awo from a neutral point of view, stood to gain more from Akintola and Balewa death than Zik.


What are you saying.

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