"ZIK OF AFRICA AND THE NIGERIAN CHALLENGE. WAS HE PLAIN SELFISH OR WISE?

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was interviewed by the New Nigeria Newspapers

NN: If I may take you on. The principle of what you supported is being vindicated alright. But what actually happened in practice? People say that NCNC was vehemently opposed to the creation of what are now the Cross River and Rivers States. In other words there seems to be a contradiction between principles and practice.

ZIK: That was propaganda. It is wrong. The NCNC supported the creation of Calabar States, Ogoja State and Rivers State but not to lump the three together, because if you do that you will have permanent minorities. Again on the question of secession. In 1953 the NPC under the leadership of my good friend, the late Sardauna, threatened to secede from the federation unless their 6-point proposals were adhered to. I had to use personal diplomacy. We had been personal friends since 1940. So, I saw Sir Ahmadu Bello and prevailed upon him that the unity of this country was greater than himself and myself and the other people too helped so that the North shifted grounds and agreed and so the country was saved. That was in 1953."

So you mean igbos were also unity beggars to the North in 1953?
Igbo Jews would not like this.

"However it would be wrong to state that the two Southern regions were politically or philosophically aligned and there were already discordance between the two Southern political parties.

Firstly , the AG favoured a loose confederacy of regions in the emergent Nigerian nation whereby each region would be in total control of its own distinct territory . The status of Lagos was a sore point for the AG which did not want Lagos, a Yoruba town which was at that time the Federal Capital and seat of national government to be designated as the Capital of Nigeria if it meant loss of Yoruba Suzerainty . The AG insisted that Lagos, a Yoruba city which was situated in Western Nigeria must be completely recognised as a Yoruba town without any loss of identity , control or autonomy by the Yoruba .

Contrary to this position , the NCNC was anxious to declare Lagos, by virtue of it being the " Federal Capital Territory" as " no man ' s land " - a declaration which as could be expected angered the AG which offered to help fund the development of other territory in Nigeria as " Federal Capital Territory" and then threatened secession from Nigeria if it didn ' t get its way . The threat of secession by the AG was tabled , documented and recorded in numerous constitutional conferences, including the constitutional conference held in London in 1954 with the demand that a right of secession be enshrined in the constitution of the emerging Nigerian nation to allow any part of the emergent nation to opt out of Nigeria , should the need arise .( Author ( s ) : Tekena N . TamunoSource : The Journal of Modern African Studies , Vol . 8 , No . 4 ( Dec ., 1970 ) , pp . 563 –584 ) This proposal for inclusion of right of secession by the regions in independent Nigeria by the AG was rejected and resisted by NCNC which vehemently argued for a tightly bound united / unitary structured nation because it viewed the provision of a secession clause as detrimental to the formation of a Unitary Nigerian state .

In the face of sustained opposition by the NCNC delegates , later joined by the NPC and backed by threats to view maintenance of the inclusion of secession by the AG as treasonable by the British , the AG was forced to renounce its position of inclusion of the right of secession a part of the Nigerian constitution . It should be noted that , had such a provision been made in the Nigerian constitution , later events which led to the Nigerian / Biafran civil war would have been avoided . The pre-independence alliance between the NCNC and the NPC against the aspirations of the AG would later set the tone for political governance of independent Nigeria by the NCNC/ NPC and lead to disaster in later years in Nigeria ."

freshest4live:
So you mean igbos were also unity beggars to the North in 1953?
Igbo Jews would not like this.

Lol.

In 1959, NCNC had the most votes, The AG had the second highest votes and the NPC had the LEAST number of votes.
And about 160 seats were needed to form the government.

Awo then offered Zik the Prime Minister position with an NCNC/AG Coalition, which Zik rejected opting rather to be a ceremonial Governor General on an NPC/NCNC Coalition, for reasons best known to him and also being advised by KO Mbadiwe.

In 1978, on NTA, K O Mbadiwe said he will regret the counsel he gave Zik till the day he dies to not accept the offer Awolowo gave Zik for Zik to be Prime Minister at that crucial time in 1959.

Awo being the wise man that he is accepted the position of finance minister, following the Chancellor of the Exchequer British parliamentary model who is in effect next most powerful after the prime minister.

As I had forecast,the NPC won the majority of seats in the House of Representatives.The NCNC came next in the number of seats won and the Action Group came last.There followed political manoeuvres for the formation of a new federal government.

The Action Group sent emissaries to the NCNC and a four man team of the Action Group arrived at my home in Asaba at about 2 O'clock one morning, informing me that they had been sent by their party to meet Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and the NCNC to discuss a coalition government between the NCNC and Action Group.

I was to lead them to Dr Azikiwe who was then at his home across the River Niger at Onitsha.I telephoned Dr Azikiwe and at about 6am ,the Action Group delegates and I crossed the Niger by ferry to Onitsha (the Niger Bridge had not yet been built).

After a short discussion with Zik in his home at Onitsha an NCNC Central Working Committee was summoned to meet at Onitsha.During the ensuing discussion on a possible coalition with the Action Group in the Federal Parliament,Sir Ahmadu Bello,Sardauna of Sokoto and the leader of the NPC phoned Dr Azikiwe from Kaduna and informed him that he had with him Action Group emissaries who were asking to form a coalition government with the NPC.

Dr Azikiwe informed Sir Ahmadu that the Action Group were at Onitsha with us too.That was too much for the NCNC and NPC and it was decided that the coalition must be between the NPC and NCNC.The NPC/NCNC coalition government was accordingly formed.

The Action Group became the Opposition in the Federal Parliament and Chief Obafemi Awolowo became the leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives.

Building a Nation by Dennis C.Osadebay

Page 79-80

https://www.nairaland.com/3780719/politics-first-coalition-govt-nigeria

I understand that Yorubas are yet to come to terms with the dawn of the ICT era, where the hitherto power their Lagos -Ibadan media propaganda machine falsehoods wielded with impunity had been rendered useless by just a click.

Is it that you don't know the difference between persuasion and prevention?

Of course you know the difference, but as a fallen demon from the west, you must distort open truths and peddle lies to your gullible westerners.

Anyway, just check pazienza's comment up there.

It shows that contrary to your lie, both zik and bello booted AG out due the west's culture of treachery and deception. The exact same thing you folks are doing now on nairaland. It did not start today. It's in you.

salford1:

Lol.

In 1959, NCNC had the most votes, The AG had the second highest votes and the NPC had the LEAST number of votes.
And about 160 seats were needed to form the government.

Awo then offered Zik the Prime Minister position with an NCNC/AG Coalition, which Zik rejected opting rather to be a ceremonial Governor General on an NPC/NCNC Coalition, for reasons best known to him and also being advised by KO Mbadiwe.

In 1978, on NTA, K O Mbadiwe said he will regret the counsel he gave Zik till the day he dies to not accept the offer Awolowo gave Zik for Zik to be Prime Minister at that crucial time in 1959.

Awo being the wise man that he is accepted the position of finance minister, following the Chancellor of the Exchequer British parliamentary model who is in effect next most powerful after the prime minister.

pazienza:
I understand that Yorubas are yet to come to terms with the dawn of the ICT era, where the hitherto power their Lagos -Ibadan media propaganda machine falsehoods wielded with impunity had been rendered useless by just a click.

pazienza the outspoken.

I AM JUST SURPRISED AT HOW IT SUDDENLY BECOME DIFFICULT FOR IGBOS TO EMBRACE THE BIAFRA OF THEIR DREAM AFTER THE QUIT NOTICE.
It is only madness that makes one thinks that he could break out of partnership business and continue to profits from the business.
Take Biafra out of Nigeria and go completely.
three months is enough to make move pls.

freshest4live:
So you mean igbos were also unity beggars to the North in 1953?
Igbo Jews would not like this.

Nnamdi Azikiwe was a pan-Africanist, anyone who knows of the man would've known that. He believed in the unity of Nigeria as he saw it, like many people at the time, as Africa's great hope. I wouldn't call him a 'unity beggar' at all. At that time, it was actually logical to want Nigeria to be united.

I am of the belief that Zik like most Pan-Africanists of his generation were larger-than-life proponents of idealism but shambolic expedients of realism.

That said, it would be unwise to single out one party for making grave mistakes in the Nigerian project.

The NPC (Northern party) opposed independence led by the Sardauna. In fact, a pretext to the '66 progrom occurred in '53 with the Kano riot where extremists muslim youths mainly from the muslim-dominated Fagge area made clashes in the igbo-dominated Sabo gari area. They targeted Southerners in general, but expectedly most of the more than 40 deaths were Igbos. The reason was the Igbo-Yoruba push for independence.

Then NCPC (Eastern party) made the mistake of not allowing AG (Yoruba party) to insert secession clause into the constitution, simply because they wanted Lagos to be termed "no-mans land." Even though, they knew the antecedents of the Northerners.

Then I can't understand for the life of me why Awo let his rift with Akintola degenerate badly to the point that he had to be arrested.

But most damning of all was why the West and East let their independence alliance break. It didn't have to, even though the pressure was much. The East-West alliance coerced the North and the Crown to get independence. If that alliance had taken power and convinced the Crown of protecting British interests, the North would have been in perpetual servitude. A southern-ruled Nigeria would be have become a Singapore today.

The issue then is the same issue today, all 3 majorities wanted to be the single dominant force. The Sardauna didn't see Zik or Awo as his contemporary, he saw each of them as a means to an end. The same can be said of Zik and Awo. All three of them wanted to eclipse the others. The only people who came out on top consistently since the 50's with this mindset has been the North. And Nigeria has suffered as a result.

To illustrate my point, Zik entered an alliance with Awo to get Independence. Then abandoned the alliance with Awo to become President. Then he conveniently went on a Caribbean cruise while a "revolutionary" coup with significant number of Igbo conspirators sought to seize power from the Northern elements he had an alliance with. It was a road to Igbo dominance that backfired terribly.

BUT

That should've been it. There was absolutely no reason why after the rematch coup of July '66, there had to be an Igbo pogrom. That was unacceptable. The revenge coup should have being the reset. The pogrom and the civil war was excessive. There was absolutely no reason why Gowon had to renege on the Aburi Accord. That was unacceptable.

And it is absolutely sickening that Awolowo used the Igbo pogrom of around 2 million Igbos to forward his personal aspiration for dominance with the Sardauna, Zik, and his arch-rival Akintola conveniently out of the picture. It backfired as well.

Awo had to make a single moral decision by asking himself--if I was Ojukwu, 2 million Yorubas had been killed in the North (with bodies literally littering Northern roads and trailers of bodies arriving the East), and Gowon reneging on a last-minute peace effort, what would I do? Every Yoruba person knows Awo would have seceded, after all he wanted to secede for the single reason that Lagos was called "no mans land." If the North had been at the receiving end, they'd have seceded.

The Biafran war was a just, noble war. It was supposed to be a peaceful secession that the North termed as an insult, with the Nigerian military carrying out the first incursion. And even with the continued atrocities in the 3 yr run of casualties culminating with Northern/Western pogroms of minorities in Asaba, Rivers, and Calabar (no one wants to talk about these unnecessary pogroms of the Aniomas, Rivers minorities, and Efiks), the "No Victor, No Vanquished" stance that signified the end of hostilities was only significant on paper.

The supposed "Igbo" coup in Jan '66 had five Northerners and four Yorubas. In comparison, the revenge coup had only about three Southerners in a coup of over 30 principal conspirators, the rest were Northerners including names that later destroyed Nigeria beyond repair--Abacha, IBB, Buhari, Murtala... And ideologically, the Jan '66 coup was INEVITABLE. The Sardauna and his stooge Balewa were running Nigeria into the ground, both figuratively and literally. In 1964, the Tiv people were already asking to secede and the Sardauna killed them in their hundreds, arresting thousands more. Adaka Boro had already set up his militia demanding for better resource control. Violence spread through the country following the '64 elections. People were already fleeing the country, especially the North and West.

Unfortunately, the Sardauna was a Fulani strong man in every sense of the term, and with the traditional Northern political structure, he was NEVER going to get any resistance from most Northern officers. The West was embroiled in the Akintola versus Awolowo debacle. Only Igbo officers had the necessary regional stability and wherewithal to go at the Sardauna. And they were able to convince several Western and Northern elements to join the cause.

It was the spirit of the times as well. In 1965, Algeria, Benin, DRC, and CAR already had their coups. The only issue with the coup was the implementation. Although, I am of the school of thought that even if the coup plotters killed Ironsi, Okpara, and Zik, and all of the conspirators had been executed; there would still have been a "retaliatory" coup, the pogrom would still have occurred, and the informal consensus of no Igbo person ascending to the #1 seat would still stand. The North always wanted to be at the helm of affairs and were prepared to make an example of any group that threatened their hegemony.

This is why they killed Igbos in their tens in the 50's for simply being pro-independence.

It is terrible that the problems we had prior to independence still persist to this day. The counter coup of July 66 was not enough for the North to seize back power and maintain their control. No, they wanted to decimate any vestiges of the perceived Igbo threat. And they had to kill 3 million people in 5 years to pass their point across. And they have consistently pursued this pillage and plunder tactics for everyone including the Middle Belt Minorities and Niger Deltan minorities (until the rise of militancy).

Even after the end of the Biafran war, the North has consistently marginalized the East often with willful connivance of the West. It is astonishing that both regions feel that grief cannot morph into anger and from anger to aggressiveness.

How can a sitting President of Nigeria warn an entire ethnic group that he is prepared to "do whatever it takes (including killing as many people)" to preserve the country. How can the North expect to continue passing the message of "we'd continue marginalizing you because we can, and if you say you're no longer interested, we'd kill as many of you as we can for sport."

It is deeply revolting that a letter from the Arewa groups would call the killing 3 million Igbos a 'lesson to Igbos.' That the Northerners do not see a pogrom that killed 2 million people as excessive, unwarranted, and unjust, even after 50 years speak volumes. Whenever the East talk about marginalization and secession calls, instead of a conciliatory "we'd do better" tone, you'd hear a "it seems you want another pogrom" tone.

I'm from the SS, former Mid-West, and formerly Western region and this is sickening. This has to END. The tone has to change and it has to start with restructuring the country both politically and economically. It shouldn't even be an "if," but a "when." In fact, we should have a time-table.

Because if the North and West think just rolling the tanks and killing as many people as possible would be the end of this, they are sorely mistaking. We are no longer in 1967.

This is not simply about the Igbos defending Biafra, it is about most other ethnic groups tired of the big 2 telling other ethnic groups to either eat sh*t or die.

A blockade that would make hundreds of thousands of kids starve would not stand in a world where 2+ billion people are on social media, and news have a latency period of less than 5 minutes.

Britain today is a shadow of The British Empire of 1967. They've left their Libyan Rebels to their fate.

The USA would not be neutral like they were in 1967. Nixon was a closet Biafra supporter, but the US had to respect the position of the her British ally. A repeat of a Northern Muslim progrom against a Southern Christian population in a world where the West battles Islamic terrorism would not last for 4 odd years.

Northern Nigeria would not have free access to SS oil like they had in 1967. The military can't even win the oil war in peacetime, I wonder what they'll do during a conflict which the SS would exploit to further our cause.

With federal presence distracted in the West, the Ondo and Lagos pipeline vandalizing, kidnapping, armed robbery syndicates would have a field day in the West.

The Fulani herdsmen terrorist group (the 4th most deadliest terror group in the world) would attempt to carve out a territory in the North Central.

Boko Haram, inspired by ISIS and with influx of hardened Jihadist fighters from the Middle East, Libya, the Maghreb; would expand their territory in the North East like ISIS did in Syria, Iraq, and Al Qaeda is doing in Yemen.

Iran would have their pay-back by arming revolutionary Shiite groups that'd use the political instability to further their cause and enact revenge.

In fact, unlike 1967 where the idea was to have a Nigeria and a Biafra. Any widespread national conflict in this decade would signal the end of Nigeria. With a population of 180 million as against the 52 million in 1967, the impact of any conflict would destabilize the entire West African sub region. Extra-judicial killings like what happened in Asaba, Calabar, and Rivers in 1967 would be unforgivable, perpetrators would end in the Hague.

The Southern Propaganda would make the 1967-70 Biafra propaganda sound like a rehearsal. The state of the country with another civil war in 21st century Nigeria would make hell look like a childrens' playground. Lawmakers are already been kidnapped in Kaduna and only released after paying a ransom; pregnant women are being hacked to death in Lagos; herdsmen are having a field day in the SS, SW, and NC; BH are not resting on their laurels in the NE. Yet the war never start. When the war start, it'd be a free for all with general insecurity everywhere, and na everybody go hear am, not only Igbos.

E no go funny for any tribe. Not Igbos, not Yorubas, not Fulanis. The Igbos already have accepted the reality that someone on the ground should not be scared of falling.

So as the North and West are warning the Igbos of another round of genocide, you all should know this time around, water go pass garri. The North would never recover from the shock they'd receive. If you are ready to kill people for asking for their rights, be ready to die for denying them their rights.

We can still salvage the situation before it'd be too late. Take heed and do what's right.

-Lord

yea, that was when there was total equity and fairness....
now what the igbos are experiencing is parasitic relationship and a fatal marginalization..
i heard some northern so called elders are calling for war in this 21 century where things is achieved through democratic path.. what did u expect from people who breed terrorists and herdsmen

that middle belt guy was here....

interesting and mature analysis by LordAdam16 devoid of the idiotic chest beating and buck passing by the usual culprits.

I'll come back to dissect it when I get time later as I might not agree with some of his conclusions but the underline is that you'll always reap what you sow and when the sh!t hits the fan, even chest beaters from every angle will have it in full measure

finally a 'largely neutral' write up by a true SS who knows he was formerly Mid western and even Western region before that unlike the shameless chest beating impostors that litter this site opening stupid threads upandan

LordAdam16:
I am of the belief that Zik like most Pan-Africanists of his generation were larger-than-life proponents of idealism but shambolic expedients of realism.

That said, it would be unwise to single out one party for making grave mistakes in the Nigerian project.

The NPC (Northern party) opposed independence led by the Sardauna. In fact, a pretext to the '66 progrom occurred in '53 with the Kano riot where extremists muslim youths mainly from the muslim-dominated Fagge area made clashes in the igbo-dominated Sabo gari area. They targeted Southerners in general, but expectedly most of the more than 40 deaths were Igbos. The reason was the Igbo-Yoruba push for independence.

Then NCPC (Eastern party) made the mistake of not allowing AG (Yoruba party) to insert secession clause into the constitution, simply because they wanted Lagos to be termed "no-mans land." Even though, they knew the antecedents of the Northerners.

Then I can't understand for the life of me why Awo let his rift with Akintola degenerate badly to the point that he had to be arrested.

But most damning of all was why the West and East let their independence alliance break. It didn't have to, even though the pressure was much. The East-West alliance coerced the North and the Crown to get independence. If that alliance had taken power and convinced the Crown of protecting British interests, the North would have been in perpetual servitude. A southern-ruled Nigeria would be have become a Singapore today.

The issue then is the same issue today, all 3 majorities wanted to be the single dominant force. The Sardauna didn't see Zik or Awo as his contemporary, he saw each of them as a means to an end. The same can be said of Zik and Awo. All three of them wanted to eclipse the others. The only people who came out on top consistently since the 50's with this mindset has been the North. And Nigeria has suffered as a result.

To illustrate my point, Zik entered an alliance with Awo to get Independence. Then abandoned the alliance with Awo to become President. Then he conveniently went on a Caribbean cruise while a "revolutionary" coup with significant number of Igbo conspirators sought to seize power from the Northern elements he had an alliance with. It was a road to Igbo dominance that backfired terribly.

BUT

That should've been it. There was absolutely no reason why after the rematch coup of July '66, there had to be an Igbo pogrom. That was unacceptable. The revenge coup should have being the reset. The pogrom and the civil war was excessive. There was absolutely no reason why Gowon had to renege on the Aburi Accord. That was unacceptable.

And it is absolutely sickening that Awolowo used the Igbo pogrom of around 2 million Igbos to forward his personal aspiration for dominance with the Sardauna, Zik, and his arch-rival Akintola conveniently out of the picture. It backfired as well.

Awo had to make a single moral decision by asking himself--if I was Ojukwu, 2 million Yorubas had been killed in the North (with bodies literally littering Northern roads and trailers of bodies arriving the East), and Gowon reneging on a last-minute peace effort, what would I do? Every Yoruba person knows Awo would have seceded, after all he wanted to secede for the single reason that Lagos was called "no mans land." If the North had been at the receiving end, they'd have seceded.

The Biafran war was a just, noble war. It was supposed to be a peaceful secession that the North termed as an insult, with the Nigerian military carrying out the first incursion. And even with the continued atrocities in the 3 yr run of casualties culminating with Northern/Western pogroms of minorities in Asaba, Rivers, and Calabar (no one wants to talk about these unnecessary pogroms of the Aniomas, Rivers minorities, and Efiks), the "No Victor, No Vanquished" stance that signified the end of hostilities was only significant on paper.

The supposed "Igbo" coup in Jan '66 had five Northerners and four Yorubas. In comparison, the revenge coup had only about three Southerners in a coup of over 30 principal conspirators, the rest were Northerners including names that later destroyed Nigeria beyond repair--Abacha, IBB, Buhari, Murtala... And ideologically, the Jan '66 coup was INEVITABLE. The Sardauna and his stooge Balewa were running Nigeria into the ground, both figuratively and literally. In 1964, the Tiv people were already asking to secede and the Sardauna killed them in their hundreds, arresting thousands more. Adaka Boro had already set up his militia demanding for better resource control. Violence spread through the country following the '64 elections. People were already fleeing the country, especially the North and West.

Unfortunately, the Sardauna was a Fulani strong man in every sense of the term, and with the traditional Northern political structure, he was NEVER going to get any resistance from most Northern officers. The West was embroiled in the Akintola versus Awolowo debacle. Only Igbo officers had the necessary regional stability and wherewithal to go at the Sardauna. And they were able to convince several Western and Northern elements to join the cause.

It was the spirit of the times as well. In 1965, Algeria, Benin, DRC, and CAR already had their coups. The only issue with the coup was the implementation. Although, I am of the school of thought that even if the coup plotters killed Ironsi, Okpara, and Zik, and all of the conspirators had been executed; there would still have been a "retaliatory" coup, the pogrom would still have occurred, and the informal consensus of no Igbo person ascending to the #1 seat would still stand. The North always wanted to be at the helm of affairs and were prepared to make an example of any group that threatened their hegemony.

This is why they killed Igbos in their tens in the 50's for simply being pro-independence.

It is terrible that the problems we had prior to independence still persist to this day. The counter coup of July 66 was not enough for the North to seize back power and maintain their control. No, they wanted to decimate any vestiges of the perceived Igbo threat. And they had to kill 3 million people in 5 years to pass their point across. And they have consistently pursued this pillage and plunder tactics for everyone including the Middle Belt Minorities and Niger Deltan minorities (until the rise of militancy).

Even after the end of the Biafran war, the North has consistently marginalized the East often with willful connivance of the West. It is astonishing that both regions feel that grief cannot morph into anger and from anger to aggressiveness.

How can a sitting President of Nigeria warn an entire ethnic group that he is prepared to "do whatever it takes (including killing as many people)" to preserve the country. How can the North expect to continue passing the message of "we'd continue marginalizing you because we can, and if you say you're no longer interested, we'd kill as many of you as we can for sport."

It is deeply revolting that a letter from the Arewa groups would call the killing 3 million Igbos a 'lesson to Igbos.' That the Northerners do not see a pogrom that killed 2 million people as excessive, unwarranted, and unjust, even after 50 years speak volumes. Whenever the East talk about marginalization and secession calls, instead of a conciliatory "we'd do better" tone, you'd hear a "it seems you want another pogrom" tone.

I'm from the SS, former Mid-West, and formerly Western region and this is sickening. This has to END. The tone has to change and it has to start with restructuring the country both politically and economically. It shouldn't even be an "if," but a "when." In fact, we should have a time-table.

Because if the North and West think just rolling the tanks and killing as many people as possible would be the end of this, they are sorely mistaking. We are no longer in 1967.

This is not simply about the Igbos defending Biafra, it is about most other ethnic groups tired of the big 2 telling other ethnic groups to either eat sh*t or die.

A blockade that would make hundreds of thousands of kids starve would not stand in a world where 2+ billion people are on social media, and news have a latency period of less than 5 minutes.

Britain today is a shadow of The British Empire of 1967. They've left their Libyan Rebels to their fate.

The USA would not be neutral like they were in 1967. Nixon was a closet Biafra supporter, but the US had to respect the position of the her British ally. A repeat of a Northern Muslim progrom against a Southern Christian population in a world where the West battles Islamic terrorism would not last for 4 odd years.

Northern Nigeria would not have free access to SS oil like they had in 1967. The military can't even win the oil war in peacetime, I wonder what they'll do during a conflict which the SS would exploit to further our cause.

With federal presence distracted in the West, the Ondo and Lagos pipeline vandalizing, kidnapping, armed robbery syndicates would have a field day in the West.

The Fulani herdsmen terrorist group (the 4th most deadliest terror group in the world) would attempt to carve out a territory in the North Central.

Boko Haram, inspired by ISIS and with influx of hardened Jihadist fighters from the Middle East, Libya, the Maghreb; would expand their territory in the North East like ISIS did in Syria, Iraq, and Al Qaeda is doing in Yemen.

Iran would have their pay-back by arming revolutionary Shiite groups that'd use the political instability to further their cause and enact revenge.

In fact, unlike 1967 where the idea was to have a Nigeria and a Biafra. Any widespread national conflict in this decade would signal the end of Nigeria. With a population of 180 million as against the 52 million in 1967, the impact of any conflict would destabilize the entire West African sub region. Extra-judicial killings like what happened in Asaba, Calabar, and Rivers in 1967 would be unforgivable, perpetrators would end in the Hague.

The Southern Propaganda would make the 1967-70 Biafra propaganda sound like a rehearsal. The state of the country with another civil war in 21st century Nigeria would make hell look like a childrens' playground. Lawmakers are already been kidnapped in Kaduna and only released after paying a ransom; pregnant women are being hacked to death in Lagos; herdsmen are having a field day in the SS, SW, and NC; BH are not resting on their laurels in the NE. Yet the war never start. When the war start, it'd be a free for all with general insecurity everywhere, and na everybody go hear am, not only Igbos.

E no go funny for any tribe. Not Igbos, not Yorubas, not Fulanis. The Igbos already have already accepted the reality that someone on the ground already should not be scared of falling.

So as the North and West are warning the Igbos of another round of genocide, you all should know this time around, water go pass garri. The North would never recover from the shock they'd receive. If you are ready to kill people for asking for their rights, be ready to die for denying them their rights.

We can still salvage the situation before it'd be too late. Take heed and do what's right.

-Lord

Too much rubbish in favour of Igbo missteps. Let every Nigeria bear the fault of what happened n move on. The mistake your forefather made is what you are about to repeat. War occurred in every part of African strong military rulers ruled like dictator without no recourse to human right. Other nations have moved on Igbo should stop whinning ceaselessly daily in NL n move on.

No one will take the blame of you foolishly leading a coup and after losing out of the military power play chose succession. Until the day every Igbo citizen acknowledge the wrong of leading the first coup, the unconstitutional declaration of succession and tendered an unreserved apology to the Nigerian nation whatever force required to decimated sense into your medulla should be employed.

It does not matter whether Nigeria wins the second civil war or not. What matter is every Igbo understanding because you sabi beat cheat from BiafraLand does not translate to you having your way anytime you desire. You should learn how to let others have their ways too. I know how many time Buhari lost and accepted his fate. Left to me I am for the total destruction of Biafra before it is granted it's autonomy for the following reasons.

1. Not allowing for succession clause at independence
2. Orchestrating the 1st coup when Nigeria was in peace
3. Destroying confederalism

All these is written for Igbos to understand you can not argue neglecting the trauma n destruction you caused others while you expect to be praised for the good ones. It is a two way thing you learn to accept your fault as the federal govt should accept is. You apologize for yours and then maybe you get an apology in return.

If you chose to go the forceful way let everyone meet with at the battle ground. I am yet to see Catalonia call Spain zoo or Ireland calk the UK zoo and if wiping out another dose of 3 million Igbo is what will bring about that sensibility I am all for it simple.

Zik was blackmailed by the British into aligning with the NPC. Harold Smith the colonial officer who confessed that the British rigged our census in favour of the north, shed light on this.

Unfortunately Awo, Sardauna and Sardauna were not saints and had a lot of dirt that was used against them for the benefit of British interests

alizma:
I AM JUST SURPRISED AT HOW IT SUDDENLY BECOME DIFFICULT FOR IGBOS TO EMBRACE THE BIAFRA OF THEIR DREAM AFTER THE QUIT NOTICE.
It is only madness that makes one thinks that he could break out of partnership business and continue to profits from the business.
Take Biafra out of Nigeria and go completely.
three months is enough to make move pls.

You have heard of the effort Zik (an Igbo) put into Nigeria when you were not yet born, so you can take yourself out of his creation first before spilling inanities. Why is that so hard for you?

LordAdam16:


Then NCPC (Eastern party) made the mistake of not allowing AG (Yoruba party) to insert secession clause into the constitution, simply because they wanted Lagos to be termed "no-mans land." Even though, they knew the antecedents of the Northerners.


But most damning of all was why the West and East let their independence alliance break. It didn't have to, even though the pressure was much. The East-West alliance coerced the North and the Crown to get independence. If that alliance had taken power and convinced the Crown of protecting British interests, the North would have been in perpetual servitude. A southern-ruled Nigeria would be have become a Singapore today.

The issue then is the same issue today, all 3 majorities wanted to be the single dominant force. The Sardauna didn't see Zik or Awo as his contemporary, he saw each of them as a means to an end. The same can be said of Zik and Awo. All three of them wanted to eclipse the others. The only people who came out on top consistently since the 50's with this mindset has been the North. And Nigeria has suffered as a result.

To illustrate my point, Zik entered an alliance with Awo to get Independence. Then abandoned the alliance with Awo to become President. Then he conveniently went on a Caribbean cruise while a "revolutionary" coup with significant number of Igbo conspirators sought to seize power from the Northern elements he had an alliance with. It was a road to Igbo dominance that backfired terribly.

BUT

That should've been it. There was absolutely no reason why after the rematch coup of July '66, there had to be an Igbo pogrom. That was unacceptable. The revenge coup should have being the reset. The pogrom and the civil war was excessive. There was absolutely no reason why Gowon had to renege on the Aburi Accord. That was unacceptable.

And it is absolutely sickening that Awolowo used the Igbo pogrom of around 2 million Igbos to forward his personal aspiration for dominance with the Sardauna, Zik, and his arch-rival Akintola conveniently out of the picture. It backfired as well.

Awo had to make a single moral decision by asking himself--if I was Ojukwu, 2 million Yorubas had been killed in the North (with bodies literally littering Northern roads and trailers of bodies arriving the East), and Gowon reneging on a last-minute peace effort, what would I do? Every Yoruba person knows Awo would have seceded, after all he wanted to secede for the single reason that Lagos was called "no mans land." If the North had been at the receiving end, they'd have seceded.

The Biafran war was a just, noble war. It was supposed to be a peaceful secession that the North termed as an insult, with the Nigerian military carrying out the first incursion. And even with the continued atrocities in the 3 yr run of casualties culminating with Northern/Western pogroms of minorities in Asaba, Rivers, and Calabar (no one wants to talk about these unnecessary pogroms of the Aniomas, Rivers minorities, and Efiks), the "No Victor, No Vanquished" stance that signified the end of hostilities was only significant on paper.


It is terrible that the problems we had prior to independence still persist to this day. The counter coup of July 66 was not enough for the North to seize back power and maintain their control. No, they wanted to decimate any vestiges of the perceived Igbo threat. And they had to kill 3 million people in 5 years to pass their point across. And they have consistently pursued this pillage and plunder tactics for everyone including the Middle Belt Minorities and Niger Deltan minorities (until the rise of militancy).

Even after the end of the Biafran war, the North has consistently marginalized the East often with willful connivance of the West. It is astonishing that both regions feel that grief cannot morph into anger and from anger to aggressiveness.

How can a sitting President of Nigeria warn an entire ethnic group that he is prepared to "do whatever it takes (including killing as many people)" to preserve the country. How can the North expect to continue passing the message of "we'd continue marginalizing you because we can, and if you say you're no longer interested, we'd kill as many of you as we can for sport."

It is deeply revolting that a letter from the Arewa groups would call the killing 3 million Igbos a 'lesson to Igbos.' That the Northerners do not see a pogrom that killed 2 million people as excessive, unwarranted, and unjust, even after 50 years speak volumes. Whenever the East talk about marginalization and secession calls, instead of a conciliatory "we'd do better" tone, you'd hear a "it seems you want another pogrom" tone.

I'm from the SS, former Mid-West, and formerly Western region and this is sickening. This has to END. The tone has to change and it has to start with restructuring the country both politically and economically. It shouldn't even be an "if," but a "when." In fact, we should have a time-table.

Because if the North and West think just rolling the tanks and killing as many people as possible would be the end of this, they are sorely mistaking. We are no longer in 1967.

This is not simply about the Igbos defending Biafra, it is about most other ethnic groups tired of the big 2 telling other ethnic groups to either eat sh*t or die.


With federal presence distracted in the West, the Ondo and Lagos pipeline vandalizing, kidnapping, armed robbery syndicates would have a field day in the West.

The Fulani herdsmen terrorist group (the 4th most deadliest terror group in the world) would attempt to carve out a territory in the North Central.

Boko Haram, inspired by ISIS and with influx of hardened Jihadist fighters from the Middle East, Libya, the Maghreb; would expand their territory in the North East like ISIS did in Syria, Iraq, and Al Qaeda is doing in Yemen.

Iran would have their pay-back by arming revolutionary Shiite groups that'd use the political instability to further their cause and enact revenge.

In fact, unlike 1967 where the idea was to have a Nigeria and a Biafra. Any widespread national conflict in this decade would signal the end of Nigeria. With a population of 180 million as against the 52 million in 1967, the impact of any conflict would destabilize the entire West African sub region. Extra-judicial killings like what happened in Asaba, Calabar, and Rivers in 1967 would be unforgivable, perpetrators would end in the Hague.

Ojukwu never wanted war. He was not a war mongerer

Dateline, Friday March 2nd 2012, Femi Adesina wrote and had this to say:

"In December 2009, I was at Aburi, while holidaying in Ghana. We Nigerians call it A-b-u-r-i, but the Ghanaians pronounce it as E-b-r-i. For those who have read widely about the civil war that we fought between 1967 and 1970, Aburi is a significant place. This was what I wrote about Aburi, after returning from that journey:
“Aburi. Beautiful, serene Aburi, set daintily atop a hill. It is home to a botanical garden that is 119 years old. But for us in Nigeria, Aburi goes beyond just nature and its preservation. It is the town where General Yakubu Gowon and Odumegwu Ojukwu met, to try and avert the Nigerian Civil War that lasted between 1967 and 1970. They came out with Aburi Accord, which later broke down. And a shooting war started. You could see the Presidential Lodge on a hill, where the Nigerian leaders had parleyed at the behest of Ghanaian leaders. It all ended in futility.”

As one of the key parties to the Aburi Accord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, returns to mother earth today, it is also apposite to return to Aburi, and look at the letter and the spirit of the accord once again, an agreement that was violated by the Federal side, and which made a bloody internecine war inevitable.

For most part of 1966, the northern part of Nigeria, particularly, had been turned to killing fields. Non-natives, especially Igbos, were killed in thousands. Many fled, many others were displaced. There was complete anarchy in the land. The average Igbo looked up to Lt. Col Odumegwu Ojukwu, military governor of the Eastern Region, to provide leadership and direction. He did not fail. He picked the gauntlet and championed the cause of his people.

By January 1967, the drums of war were loud and clear, reverberating across the length and breadth of Nigeria. But there was a last ditch effort to prevent what was imminent. There was a peace meeting hosted at Aburi, in Ghana, by the then Ghanaian head of state, Gen J. A. Ankrah. At the meeting were Gowon, Ojukwu, all the military governors of the regions, and some top civil servants, both from the Federal side and the Eastern region. The meeting held on January 4 and 5, 1967, and came out with what is popularly known today as the Aburi Accord.

The agenda of the meeting consisted of three crucial issues: (i) Reorganization of the Armed Forces (ii) Constitutional agreement (iii) Issues of displaced persons within Nigeria.

The two-day meeting reached consensus that were acceptable to both sides. Among others, it was resolved that legislative and executive authority of the Federal Military Government was to remain in the Supreme Military Council (SMC), to which any decision affecting the whole country shall be referred for determination provided it is possible for a meeting to be held, and the matter requiring determination must be referred to military governors for their comment and concurrence. What does this mean in simple language? The SMC would run the affairs of the country, but not without consulting the regions as represented by the military governors. This was something akin to federalism, even under a military government.

Other terms of the agreement include that appointments to senior ranks in the police, diplomatic and consular services as well as appointment to superscale posts in the federal civil service and the equivalent posts in the statutory corporations must be approved by the SMC. What does this mean again in simple language? Equity, fairness, true federalism.

Other matters like the holding of an ad hoc constitutional conference, fate of soldiers involved in the January 15, 1966 coup, rehabilitation of displaced persons, etc, were also amicably resolved, and the conferees returned happily to Nigeria. Only for the Federal side to deliver a blow to the solar plexus: the Aburi Accord, Gowon said, was unworkable, and he reneged on all the agreements.
Using the Eastern Nigerian Broadcasting Service, Ojukwu played the tape recording of the proceedings at Aburi repeatedly, to educate the populace on who was playing Judas. Later, he made a broadcast in which he said: “we in the East are anxious to see that our differences are resolved by peaceful means and that Nigeria is preserved as a unit, but it is doubtful, and the world must judge whether Lt. Col Gowon’s attitudes and other exhibitions of his insincerity are something which can lead to a return of normalcy and confidence in the country.

“I must warn all Easterners once again to remain vigilant. The East will never be intimidated, nor will she acquiesce to any form of dictation. It is not our intention to play the aggressor. Nonetheless, it is not our intention to be slaughtered in our beds. We are ready to defend our homeland.”

In a piece I did last December, shortly after Ojukwu passed away, I said he was virtually pushed into war by the infidelity of the Federal side to the Aburi Accord. I still stand by that position. Ojukwu was called ‘warlord’ for many decades, but he was by no means a warmonger. He only did what he needed to do for his people–and for the country.

As his earthly remains are interred today, it is tragic that Nigeria is still submerged in the morass that Ojukwu already identified about 45 years ago. Today, bombs go off like firecrackers in the country. There is agitation for the review of the revenue allocation formula. There are strident calls for the convocation of a sovereign national conference. Even some component parts are threatening to pull out of the federation if anything happened to their ‘son’ who is now in power. Didn’t Ojukwu warn of these landmines ahead? Were all these issues not already settled at Aburi?

Foremost journalist and media administrator, Akogun Tola Adeniyi, in a recent media interview, explained the Aburi Accord this way: “Let every region be semi-autonomous and develop at its own level.” Yes, that was the spirit and letter of Aburi, but which sadly became a road not taken. And is that not why we are still suffering today, living in a rickety and decrepit country that can burst at the seams any moment? I tell you, Ojukwu was a prophet, and like most prophets, he had no honour in his own country. Pity. But whether we like it or not, there’s no way we won’t return to Aburi. Willy-nilly. I only hope it will be sooner than later, before Nigeria goes to grief. On Aburi I stand.

Federal Government was perfidious and duplicitous on Aburi. It is still the same way today. That is why as Nigerians, we are most times disillusioned, dismayed, dispirited, dejected and depressed. When will change come to this land? Our hearts are getting weary.
Last December, I wrote that Ojukwu should be buried like a hero. I’m glad at the rites of passage so far, culminating in the interment today. Yes, bury him like a true hero. An icon, an avatar, deserves no less. This generation will surely not see another like Ojukwu. He fought not only for his own people, but for a true federation founded on justice, fair play, equity and rectitude. Unfortunately, he did not see the Nigeria of his dreams. Will we? Adieu the Ikemba, the Eze Igbo Gburugburu. May your soul rest in peace. Ka nkpur’obi gi zue ike n’adukwa."

This was when Femi was still in the light.....

Article 6 of UN Charter has this caveat “Any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations”.

The UN Charter is clearly explicit. Stop claiming RIght to Self Determination without citing the caveat in the UN Charter.

Devilish iPod Jews will never tell their gullible walking cadavers that bought fake biafrau,d passport.

Ethnic Minorities in Biafra - Both side were Guilty. Different SS groups have vowed not to let any inch of their land be carved into biafra. This must be from the lessons learnt in history.

Ethnic Minorities ( ibibio , Ijaw , Ikwerre , Ogoni and others) made up approximately 40 % of the Biafran population in 1966 . The attitude of ethnic minorities in Biafra towards the conflict were initially divided early in the war , having suffered the same fate as Igbos in the North held the same fear and dread as Igbos .

However , actions by Biafra authorities suggesting they favored the Igbo majority turned these attitudes negative . Great suspicion was directed towards ethnic minorities and opponents of Biafra , with 'combing ' exercises conducted to sift these communities for saboteurs , or 'sabo , ' as they were commonly branded .

This brand was widely feared, as it generally resulted in death by the Biafran forces or even mobs . The accusations subjected entire communities to violence in the form of killings, rapes , kidnapping and internments in camps by Biafran forces . Biafran Organization of Freedom Fighter ( BOFF ) was a paramilitary organization set up by the civil defense group with instructions to suppress the enemy , and engaged in “ combing ” exercises in minority communities .

Atrocities against Ethnic Minorities in Biafra
Minorities in Biafra suffered atrocities at the hands of those fighting for both sides of the conflict. The pogroms in the North in 1966 were indiscriminately directed against people from Eastern Nigeria .
Despite a seemingly natural alliance between these victims of the pogroms in the north , tensions rose as minorities , who had always harbored an interest in having their own state within the Nigerian federation , were suspected of collaborating with Federal troops to undermine Biafra.

The Federal troops were equally culpable of this crime . In the Rivers area , ethnic minorities sympathetic to Biafra were killed in the hundreds by federal troops . In Calabar , some 2000 Efiks were also killed by Federal troops . Outside of the Biafra , atrocities were recorded against the resident of Asaba in present day Delta State by both sides of the conflict.

https://upclosed.com/people/bruce-mayrock/

SuperS1Panther:
Article 6 of UN Charter has this caveat “Any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations”.

The UN Charter is clearly explicit. Stop claiming RIght to Self Determination without citing the caveat in the UN Charter.

Devilish iPod Jews will never tell their gullible walking cadavers that bought fake biafrau,d passport.

i really wish that there was a secession or referendum clause could be included in the constitution. I prefer each region go there seperate ways. This union is not working and has never worked. I also believe the ibos have paid the price for Azikiwe's mistake already.
Just as Sanusi mentioned in the extract below:


"Our present political leaders have no sense of History. There is a new Igbo man, who was not born in 1966 and neither knows nor cares about Nzeogwu and Ojukwu. There are Igbo men on the street who were never Biafrans. They were born Nigerians, are Nigerians, but suffer because of actions of earlier generations. They will soon decide that it is better to fight their own war, and may be find an honourable peace, than to remain in this contemptible state in perpetuity.

The Northern Bourgeoisie and the Yoruba Bourgeoisie have exacted their pound of flesh from the Igbos. For one Sardauna, one Tafawa Balewa, one Akintola and one Okotie-Eboh, hundreds of thousands have died and suffered.

If this issue is not addressed immediately, no conference will solve Nigeria´s problems. By Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
Being Excerpts from A Paper Presented At The “National Conference On The 1999 Constitution” Jointly Organised By The Network For Justice And The Vision Trust Foundation, At The Arewa House, Kaduna From 11th –12th September, 1999

I really wish history can be reintroduced into Nigeri's high schools. Still a better course of study than irk or crk.


Lesson On History - Gbenga Adejumo:

"In October 1963, that is about a month after Chief Obafemi Awolowo's conviction on Treasonable Felony, and while his appeal to the Supreme Court was still pending, a Peace Committee headed by the Chief Justice of the Federation, Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, made overtures to Chief Awolowo through a mutual friend, Alhaji W. A. Elias to the effect that if Chief Awolowo would choose to abandon his intention to enter into alliance with the N.C.N.C. which, according to the Committee, was an Igbo Organisation, and agreed to dissolve the Action Group and, in co-operation with Late Chief Akintola, form an all-embracing Yoruba political party which he, Chief Awolowo would lead and which would go into alliance with the N.P.C., then, Chief Awolowo would be released from prison before the end of that year...!

Chief Awolowo, turned down these terms because he was of the considered opinion that no such alliance will augur well for the country, knowing the mindset of Ahmadu Bello and the hidden agenda of the aristocratic northern power mongers...
Chief Obafemi Awolowo then proceeded to utter these famous words:
"kaka ka dobale fun Gambari;
Ka kuku Ku"!
Rather than for him to sheath his pride and genuflect to the Hausa-Fulani, he would rather Die!

So, Chief Awolowo went to jail!
After 3 years, on January 17th 1966 Major General Johnson Thomas Umunakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, the very First African soldier to be made a General became the Head of State and the now famous Obafemi Awolowo's letter to "Ironside" Aguiyi-Ironsi asking for state pardon, largely based upon this discourse was written and submitted to his government.

Many scholars have written to say, Aguiyi-Ironsi was set to release Chief Awolowo during the Ibadan trip that claimed his life together with the life of his host, Col Adekunle Fajuyi...

Upon the same letter was the State Pardon granted Chief Awolowo by the new Head of State Lt. Col Yakubu Gowon on August 3rd 1966, Based!

The Chief Justice Adetokunbo Ademola, died in 1993.
He NEVER REFUTED THESE CLAIMS BY CHIEF JEREMIAH OYENIYI OBAFEMI AWOLOWO..."

salford1:


i really wish that there was a secession or referendum clause could be included in the constitution. I believe the ibos have paid the price for Azikiwe's mistake already.

It is achievable, if they are ready to do the cerebral and brainy work and not the brawn work they prefer doing.

SuperS1Panther:


It is achievable, if they are ready to do the cerebral and brainy work and not the brawn work they prefer doing.

You are correct sir.

if Awolowo can fight for the inclusion of nothern cameroun into pre-independence Nigeria, i see no reason why the ibos can't raise someone (not of the kanu type) to do that for them too.


"The whole of the former Gongola province was called Northern Cameroons.. And was part of the Republic of Cameroon!

Chief Awolowo fought for them to be included into the present day Nigeria. He forced the hand of the British to conduct a referendum, a plebiscite upon which that region later called Sardauna province, which is today Adamawa and Taraba states, chose by poll to be part of Nigeria. The people of that province despite Ahmadu Bello renaming the area, "Sardauna Province", always voted for Awolowo up until 1983!".

I don't think it was due to selfishness on Azikiwe's part. Azikiwe was a Pan-Africanist with grandiose dreams about a United Nigeria. He thought we would all finally get along. He thought we could put aside our differences and integrate ourselves as one Nigeria. He thought our common interests was greater than our initial dislikes.




He thought wrong.

It was simply idiotic.

OAFMods:


Too much rubbish in favour of Igbo missteps. Let every Nigeria bear the fault of what happened n move on. The mistake your forefather made is what you are about to repeat. War occurred in every part of African strong military rulers ruled like dictator without no recourse to human right. Other nations have moved on Igbo should stop whinning ceaselessly daily in NL n move on.

No one will take the blame of you foolishly leading a coup and after losing out of the military power play chose succession. Until the day every Igbo citizen acknowledge the wrong of leading the first coup, the unconstitutional declaration of succession and tendered an unreserved apology to the Nigerian nation whatever force required to decimated sense into your medulla should be employed.

It does not matter whether Nigeria wins the second civil war or not. What matter is every Igbo understanding because you sabi beat cheat from BiafraLand does not translate to you having your way anytime you desire. You should learn how to let others have their ways too. I know how many time Buhari lost and accepted his fate. Left to me I am for the total destruction of Biafra before it is granted it's autonomy for the following reasons.

1. Not allowing for succession clause at independence
2. Orchestrating the 1st coup when Nigeria was in peace
3. Destroying confederalism

All these is written for Igbos to understand you can not argue neglecting the trauma n destruction you caused others while you expect to be praised for the good ones. It is a two way thing you learn to accept your fault as the federal govt should accept is. You apologize for yours and then maybe you get an apology in return.

If you chose to go the forceful way let everyone with at the battle ground. I am yet to see Catalonia call Spain zoo or Ireland calk the UK zoo and if wiping out another dose of 3 million Igbo is what will bring about that sensibility I am all for it simple.

And you call yourself a human being?

What exactly are the sins of the fathers? The coup was understandable at the time and if Awo didn't have to battle with Akintola, Western soldiers would have carried out that coup, after all four Yorubas were part of the Jan '66 coup and they were the most disenfranchised by the 1964 elections. Let the North apologize for destabilizing the First Republic, first with the profligacy, corruption, and nepotism; then with the destabilization of the promising Western region which had the engine of the economy Lagos; then other Nigerians (including the East and because the conspirators of the first coup were from all 4 regions at the time) would apologize for the Jan '66 coup.

Saying because Igbos constituted 40% of the coup members and it was the first coup is irrelevant, and an entire ethnic group should NEVER be condemned because of the actions of 10 young hotheads. Coup d'etats were commonplace in the world. It was only a matter of time for Nigeria. Who would punish the North for overthrowing Shonekan? Or was Murtala not assassinated by his own people?

All the North had to do since they were so aggrieved was to lead the counter coup, then execute all the original coup plotters, and take power as they intended. There was absolutely no reason to kill extra 2 million people. That you think this is acceptable makes you demented. Neither the Sardauna nor Awo would have stayed in Nigeria if 2 million of their people were killed.

THERE IS NO WHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO CONDEMN AN ENTIRE ETHNIC GROUP FOR THE ACTIONS OF A NON-ELECTED FEW.

If that was the case, the British should have turned Benin to dust for the Oba's decision to behead British Emissaries. They simply decimated the Benin Army's resistance, deposed the Oba, and installed a Benin Prince they preferred, without taking it out on the native Benin population.

In India, after Indira Gandhi was assassinated by some of her Sikh guards in retaliation for Indira's orders for the majorly Hindu army to march on Sikh's holiest site. The guards were executed but some Hindu leading figures went too far and ordered for a Sikh pogrom. Many of those leading Hindu figures were tried and hanged by Hindu Judges under a Hindu government.

The same thing happened in Rwanda. Many of the Hutu killers were tried and killed to give respite to the Tutsis. That is what normal human beings do.

In Nigeria, the killers of unarmed Igbos were given garlands.

You and most Nigerians who justify the pogrom of 66 are demons masquerading in human skin.

How can you ask people to move on after killing 3 million of them, without respite, and marginalizing them for 50 years. Are you normal?

Would you be saying the same thing if Yorubas or Hausas were at the receiving end? Or is it because those who died are Igbos, then it is acceptable.

What is your excuse for killing thousands of unarmed Aniomas who were part of the Mid-West and part of Nigeria? What is your excuse for killing thousands of unarmed Efiks, was an Efik man part of the Jan '66 coup?

Yet you guys would call Kanu and the IPOB uncouth and uncivilized, when you guys are worse. What did braininess do for Awo, Abiola, Saro-Wiwa amongst others who felt they were reasoning with humans not knowing they were dealing with sub-humans. Kanu and IPOB are setting a trap for you, and in your haste you'll fall for it. If you think 3 million people of one majority ethnic group would die in today's Nigeria without anything happening to their killers you have lost your mind.

The SS would NEVER let Niger Deltan Oil proceeds fund another genocide. Because present-day SS minorities on both sides of the equation in the last conflict were victims of excesses (case in point the Aniomas and Efiks). And when the conflict ended, the North/West shifted their attention to the SS when we dare asked for better resource control with the late 90's massacres, with the infamous Odi massacre being the preferred case used by the North/West to taunt the SS.

Start another conflict and kiss Nigeria good bye.

-Lord

salford1:
"ZIK OF AFRICA AND THE NIGERIAN CHALLENGE. WAS HE PLAIN SELFISH OR WISE?

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was interviewed by the New Nigeria Newspapers

NN: If I may take you on. The principle of what you supported is being vindicated alright. But what actually happened in practice? People say that NCNC was vehemently opposed to the creation of what are now the Cross River and Rivers States. In other words there seems to be a contradiction between principles and practice.

ZIK: That was propaganda. It is wrong. The NCNC supported the creation of Calabar States, Ogoja State and Rivers State but not to lump the three together, because if you do that you will have permanent minorities. Again on the question of secession. In 1953 the NPC under the leadership of my good friend, the late Sardauna, threatened to secede from the federation unless their 6-point proposals were adhered to. I had to use personal diplomacy. We had been personal friends since 1940. So, I saw Sir Ahmadu Bello and prevailed upon him that the unity of this country was greater than himself and myself and the other people too helped so that the North shifted grounds and agreed and so the country was saved. That was in 1953."

. He was a born bastard like many Biafrans.

SirWere:
I don't think it was due to selfishness on Azikiwe's part. Azikiwe was a Pan-Africanist with grandiose dreams about a United Nigeria. He thought we would all finally get along. He thought we could put aside our differences and integrate ourselves as one Nigeria. He thought our common interests was greater than our initial dislikes.




He thought wrong.

Was he Pan-Africanist? Yes.

Did he have grandiose dreams about a United Nigeria? Yes.

But like most Pan-Africanists, in his dream he saw himself at the helm of affairs and others bowing to him. So, you can't discount his selfishness. Whether it was his primary drive is arguable, but dismissing it in its entirety is just making a saint out of him.

The only Pan-African I can speak well of is Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia. Nkrumah and Zik, for all their achievements, were a disgrace to the ideology. Nkrumah became a dictator and Zik was shockingly inconsistent. In 1967 he was spokesperson for Biafra, couple of months later he had switched to the Nigerian side since he felt the war was not winnable for Biafra. Even after that, he continued contesting for the Presidency until 1983, and only left politics after the '83 coup.

I think it is important to be critical of icons to learn from their mistakes. Everyone so often likes to make people like the Sardauna (who was vehemently opposed to Independence but ironically referred to as one of the principal Nigerian Nationalism figures, even eclipsing Enarhoro who forward the motion for Independence in the House of Rep), Awo, and Zik larger than life because of the roles they played for nationalism. Not to take anything from any of them, but this is counter-productive.

Even though the US celebrate George Washington for his nationalistic efforts, they do not hurriedly forget how he sleazily amassed 52,000 acres of productive land by cheating some of the same soldiers who fought under him.

The ideals vs realities of most of the original Pan-Africanists paint a rather grim picture. Nyerere of Tanzania, Toure of Guinea, Nkrumah of Ghana, and Ghadaffi of Libya were all dictators for all their intelligence, oratory, and beliefs. When push comes to shove, power or even just the promise of it can truly corrupt.

-Lord

LordAdam16:


And you call yourself a human being?

What exactly are the sins of the fathers? The coup was understandable at the time and if Awo didn't have to battle with Akintola, Western soldiers would have carried out that coup, after all four Yorubas were part of the Jan '66 coup and they were the most disenfranchised by the 1964 elections. Let the North apologize for destabilizing the First Republic, first with the profligacy, corruption, and nepotism; then with the destabilization of the promising Western region which had the engine of the economy Lagos; then other Nigerians (including the East and because the conspirators of the first coup were from all 4 regions at the time) would apologize for the Jan '66 coup.

Saying because Igbos constituted 40% of the coup members and it was the first coup is irrelevant, and an entire ethnic group should NEVER be condemned because of the actions of 10 young hotheads. Coup d'etats were commonplace in the world. It was only a matter of time for Nigeria. Who would punish the North for overthrowing Shonekan? Or was Murtala not assassinated by his own people?

All the North had to do since they were so aggrieved was to lead the counter coup, then execute all the original coup plotters, and take power as they intended. There was absolutely no reason to kill extra 2 million people. That you think this is acceptable makes you demented. Neither the Sardauna nor Awo would have stayed in Nigeria if 2 million of their people were killed.

THERE IS NO WHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO CONDEMN AN ENTIRE ETHNIC GROUP FOR THE ACTIONS OF A NON-ELECTED FEW.

If that was the case, the British should have turned Benin to dust for the Oba's decision to behead British Emissaries. They simply decimated the Benin Army's resistance, deposed the Oba, and installed a Benin Prince they preferred, without taking it out on the native Benin population.

In India, after Indira Gandhi was assassinated by some of her Sikh guards in retaliation for Indira's orders for the majorly Hindu army to march on Sikh's holiest site. The guards were executed but some Hindu leading figures went too far and ordered for a Sikh pogrom. Many of those leading Hindu figures were tried and hanged by Hindu Judges under a Hindu government.

The same thing happened in Rwanda. Many of the Hutu killers were tried and killed to give respite to the Tutsis. That is what normal human beings do.

In Nigeria, the Igbo killers were given garlands.

You and most Nigerians who justify the pogrom of 66 are demons masquerading in human skin.

How can you ask people to move on after killing 3 million of them, without respite, and marginalizing them for 50 years. Are you normal?

Would you be saying the same thing if Yorubas or Hausas were at the receiving end? Or is it because those who died are Igbos, then it is acceptable.

What is your excuse for killing thousands of unarmed Aniomas who were part of the Mid-West and part of Nigeria? What is your excuse for killing thousands of unarmed Efiks, was an Efik man part of the Jan '66 coup?

Yet you guys would call Kanu and the IPOB uncouth and uncivilized, when you guys are worse. What did braininess do for Awo, Abiola, Saro-Wiwa amongst others who felt they were reasoning with humans not knowing they were dealing with sub-humans. Kanu and IPOB are setting a trap for you, and in your haste you'll fall for it. If you think 3 million people of one majority ethnic group would die in today's Nigeria without anything happening to their killers you have lost your mind.

The SS would NEVER let Niger Deltan Oil proceeds fund another genocide. Because present-day SS minorities on both sides of the equation in the last conflict were victims of excesses (case in point the Aniomas and Efiks). And when the conflict ended, the North/West shifted their attention to the SS when we dare asked for better resource control with the late 90's massacres, with the infamous Odi massacre being the preferred case used by the North/West to taunt the SS.

Start another conflict and kiss Nigeria good bye.

-Lord

Keep at blaming every one else for your woes. Zik was the perfect Nigerian because he is Igbo and yet he senselessly fought not to have succession clause in the constitution. I am yet to see where he as been tongue lashes for this thoughtlessness and outright foolery. Blame those that strike back after the Igbo unleashed the first coup on Nigeria not the ones that introduced the coup itself. Do you see why I careless if another dose of 3 million of your kind are sacrificed for this line of arguments ?

The long list of nations that forget the program that occur on their land each understood the essence of forgiveness not bragado like the Igbos are demanding. Listen good your demand to be pacified for those lost in the war is what will lead to another war instead of a resolution that will grant you Biafra peacefully or bring about true federalism in Nigeria.

Whatever it is you think Igbos deserve personally I believe Igbo's owe Nigeria a bigger apology for those things I listed previously. Their action were unjust, brash and senseless at each junction. They allowed the hot head among them dictate their destination without careful thought out plan. The same mistake is what you have embarked up with KANU again with your carelessness, selfishness and outright foolishness.

You will plunge the entire country into war, idiots among you will argue that succession is a UN back right like you do not understand the volatility of Nigeria but you all do and when your agitation spiral out of control and you lose like 10 millions Igbo's to a Nigeria that owes a standing army with your defence mounted by only loud mouths such as yourself and other miscreant n tout few years down the line you will blame Osibanjo n Nigeria for genocide like war is like an Olympic event.

Intelligent people lead agitation , the likes of Mandela, Gandhi n co not retarded beings like KANU. Capable leader that will man up and take control of every eventuality. Leaders that their thought process will match that of their adversaries. Leaders who will be responsible n take control when your agitation turn into a civil war. A leader that can build allies to support your cause in the case of any eventuality. A leader that will not lose a war because of the blockade of food by your enemy. Is KANU this kind of a leader ? What brain those KANU have in his head to coordinate a war n am not talking his nonsense Biafra propaganda n the noise on his radio.

In essence Biafra agitation is okay, the first coup the Igbo led, the Biafra war are all okay because they are a worthy cause but what is not okay is not succeeding at those causes. It is crazy only Igbo bliv when you lose a war you deserve equal right with the winners. Germany just finished paying reparation for causing the second world war in 2014 nobody heard them make any noise.

When you go to war or make a case for any agitation you put in a thought process that will ensure it succeed. That is my gross with the Igbos. Effort required to actualize the success of Biafra is wasted on taunting Yoruba on NL. The same Yoruba could be missing piece that can help actualise your desire. The mistake Zik made is about to repeat itself. You want a supporter when you can not guarantee victory who does that ?

OAFMods:


Keep at blaming every one else for your woes. Zik was the perfect Nigerian because he is Igbo and yet he senselessly fought not to have succession clause in the constitution. I am yet to see where he as been tongue lashes for this thoughtlessness and outright foolery. Blame those that strike back after the Igbo unleashed the first coup on Nigeria not the ones that introduced the coup itself. Do you see why I careless if another dose of 3 million of your kind are sacrificed for this line of arguments ?

The long list of nations that forget the program that occur on their land each understood the essence of forgiveness not bragado like the Igbos are demanding. Listen good your demand to be pacified for those lost in the war is what will lead to another war instead of a resolution that will grant you Biafra peacefully or bring about true federalism in Nigeria.

Whatever it is you think Igbos deserve personally I believe Igbo's owe Nigeria a bigger apology for those things I listed previously. Their action were unjust, brash and senseless at each junction. They allowed the hot head among them dictate their destination without careful thought out plan. The same mistake is what you have embarked up with KANU again with your carelessness, selfishness and outright foolishness.

You will plunge the entire country into war, idiots among you will argue that succession is a UN back right like you do not understand the volatility of Nigeria but you all do and when your agitation spiral out of control and you lose like 10 millions Igbo's to a Nigeria that owes a standing army with your defence mounted by only loud mouths such as yourself and other miscreant n tout few years down the line you will blame Osibanjo n Nigeria for genocide like war is like an Olympic event.

Intelligent people lead agitation , the likes of Mandela, Gandhi n co not retarded beings like KANU. Capable leader that will man up and take control of every eventuality. Leaders that their thought process will match that of their adversaries. Leaders who will be responsible n take control when your agitation turn into a civil war. A leader that can build allies to support your cause in the case of any eventuality. A leader that will not lose a war because of the blockade of food by your enemy. Is KANU this kind of a leader ? What brain those KANU have in his head to coordinate a war n am not talking his nonsense Biafra propaganda n the noise on his radio.

In essence Biafra agitation is okay, the first coup the Igbo led, the Biafra war are all okay because they are a worthy cause but what is not okay is not succeeding at those causes. It is crazy only Igbo bliv when you lose a war you deserve equal right with the winners. Germany just finished paying reparation for causing the second world war in 2014 nobody heard them make any noise.

When you go to war or make a case for any agitation you put in a thought process that will ensure it succeed. That is my gross with the Igbos. Effort required to actualize the success of Biafra is wasted on taunting Yoruba on NL. The same Yoruba could be missing piece that can help actualise your desire. The mistake Zik made is about to repeat itself. You want a supporter when you can not guarantee victory who does that ?

Bravo..

I will always say that until Ibo tell themselves the whole truth, only then they will heal and if they don't, they will keep meeting their waterloo. It's not a curse but karma!

You can't blame others for your woe when you caused it in the first place and pulled the first trigger. They should save their manipulative "victim" cry for themselves because no one is interested!

OAFMods:


Keep at blaming every one else for your woes. Zik was the perfect Nigerian because he is Igbo and yet he senselessly fought not to have succession clause in the constitution. I am yet to see where he as been tongue lashes for this thoughtlessness and outright foolery. Blame those that strike back after the Igbo unleashed the first coup on Nigeria not the ones that introduced the coup itself. Do you see why I careless if another dose of 3 million of your kind are sacrificed for this line of arguments ?

The long list of nations that forget the program that occur on their land each understood the essence of forgiveness not bragado like the Igbos are demanding. Listen good your demand to be pacified for those lost in the war is what will lead to another war instead of a resolution that will grant you Biafra peacefully or bring about true federalism in Nigeria.

Whatever it is you think Igbos deserve personally I believe Igbo's owe Nigeria a bigger apology for those things I listed previously. Their action were unjust, brash and senseless at each junction. They allowed the hot head among them dictate their destination without careful thought out plan. The same mistake is what you have embarked up with KANU again with your carelessness, selfishness and outright foolishness.

You will plunge the entire country into war, idiots among you will argue that succession is a UN back right like you do not understand the volatility of Nigeria but you all do and when your agitation spiral out of control and you lose like 10 millions Igbo's to a Nigeria that owes a standing army with your defence mounted by only loud mouths such as yourself and other miscreant n tout few years down the line you will blame Osibanjo n Nigeria for genocide like war is like an Olympic event.

Intelligent people lead agitation , the likes of Mandela, Gandhi n co not retarded beings like KANU. Capable leader that will man up and take control of every eventuality. Leaders that their thought process will match that of their adversaries. Leaders who will be responsible n take control when your agitation turn into a civil war. A leader that can build allies to support your cause in the case of any eventuality. A leader that will not lose a war because of the blockade of food by your enemy. Is KANU this kind of a leader ? What brain those KANU have in his head to coordinate a war n am not talking his nonsense Biafra propaganda n the noise on his radio.

In essence Biafra agitation is okay, the first coup the Igbo led, the Biafra war are all okay because they are a worthy cause but what is not okay is not succeeding at those causes. It is crazy only Igbo bliv when you lose a war you deserve equal right with the winners. Germany just finished paying reparation for causing the second world war in 2014 nobody heard them make any noise.

When you go to war or make a case for any agitation you put in a thought process that will ensure it succeed. That is my gross with the Igbos. Effort required to actualize the success of Biafra is wasted on taunting Yoruba on NL. The same Yoruba could be missing piece that can help actualise your desire. The mistake Zik made is about to repeat itself. You want a supporter when you can not guarantee victory who does that ?

What sort of senseless beast are you?

How can you type this nonsense?

"The long list of nations that forget the program that occur on their land each understood the essence of forgiveness not bragado like the Igbos are demanding."

Tutsi rebels killed a sitting Hutu President. Hutus declared genocide on Tutsis. The killings ended and many of the Hutu killers were tried and executed, with acceptance by the Hutu populace.

Sikh guards killed an Hindu Prime Minister. Hindu leaders called for a Sikh pogrom. When the killings ended, many of these Hindu killers were tried and executed, with acceptance by the Hindu populace.

In Nigeria, young conspirators from each of the major ethnic groups carried out a coup. A counter coup occurred and original coup plotters were remanded in prison, and placed on trial. Yet that wasn't enough, you guys had to orchestrate a pogrom of 2 million Igbos. The killings ended. Ojukwu was even ready to look past that and entered a last-minute Aburi agreement. The North/West still flouted the accord and then proceeded to kill another 1 million plus. None of the killers were apprehended, in fact they were and are still cheered 50 years later.

I am convinced you are a lieutenant to the Devil and have a reserved spot on Hell's Roster.

I would not continue to reply a senseless, marauding beast who is entirely devoid of empathy and fairness.

You talk about Germany just paying off reparations completely in 2014. But you forgot that the US/UK/France created a Marshall plan for Germany and reintegration into Western Europe in the end of the War that laid the foundations for them becoming the largest European economy today. The same thing was done for the belligerent Japan, which set the stage for them to become the World's 3rd largest economy.

In fact, in the same Hawaii where the Japanese Navy hit America hard (during the Pearl Harbor incident that precipitated the twin nuclear attacks) the local population of Japanese Americans is half the population of Caucasian Americans. The Asian population is larger than the Caucasian American population.

How you can compare the North/West to the Western World in integration efforts with a straight face is sacrilegious.

Going by the Nigerian response, Germany and Japan should have become a Somalia not become the largest economies of their respective continents (China eclipsed Japan recently).

I'm done with you.

The Igbos don't need to win the next war, they only need to force Nigeria to start it. And if like in 1967 you guys force it despite the repeated opportunities to avoid it, history would not be kind to you guys. Mark my words. Nigeria would become Africa's version of Yugoslavia.

-Lord