₦airaland Forum

Sapiosexuality:
So, how is the 20pounds story a lie? Another problem with some of us. We have this illogical and blind zeal to defend our tribe's leaders. That's why we refer to the forefathers who institutionalized tribalism in this country as heroes.
You owe those men nothing. Awo and Ahmadu Bello were high level tribalists. Ahmadu Bello was worse. For me, there's never been any true Nigerian Hero or model. The only people who come close and believe in Nigeria were Zik and OBJ but still the men were fallible. I don't consider them heroes.

The only problem I had with Achebe's 'There Was A Country' is the tone. It suggests anger and grudge. It was laced with unforgiveness. Besides that, more than 5 books I've read on the War agreed with almost all he said. I've never seen that Nigerian Leader, Dead or Alive, I will absolve of anything.

Can someone please tell me how much Ojukwu's Bank of Biafra refunded to depositors at the end of the civil war?

abes:
"[s]Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either."Albert Einstein

In lieu of the lies and fictionbeing circulated and published as factual Historyby Biafrans about the events during and after the Nigerian Civil War, it is of great pertinence that some questions be examined in the context of real events and facts of reality.

For a very long time, Biafrans, led by their Chief Fiction Writer and Propagandist, Chinua Achebe, have been circulating, what else, fiction about the Twenty pounds giving to the Igbo after the Nigerian Civil War.They have accused the Federal Government of Nigeria of impoverishing all Igbo after the war by not allowing them to have access to their pre-war savings in the Nigerian Banks.

They have particularly accused the revered Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the then Finance Minister of engineering the policy because of his hatred for the Igbo. Though, historical facts showed that he was not the one who set up the panel or had anything to do with it other than just executing the panel's recommendations, the purveyors of lies and blackmail have no regard for such. Just like everything that Chinua Achebe has ever been involved in, this is another lie of the Biafrans that needs examination and exposition so that the world would be able to see the TRUTH.

This propaganda has assumed a life of its own that some members of younger generation have now begun to think that it might probably have been true. Chinua Achebe has been championing the peddling of this particular falsehood among others, for so long that upcoming "fiction" writers have believed him and are already parroting Achebe's lies.

For those who were too young to remember, the Civil War did not start in a sudden manner. There were days, weeks and months leading to the civil war when people from different regions were packing and moving to their homelands. At such time of uncertainty, no one could predict what was going to happen and common sense would dictate that each and everyone would be in control of his or her resources to be able to survive when the war broke out. This would mean that before an Igbo man would leave Kaduna, Lagos or Ibadan, he would have withdrawn all his money before crossing into Biafra. This would not just be dictated by common sense, survival instinct would have also required and demanded it too.

But Chinua Achebe and his corterie of liars would want the world to believe that this did not happen. They want the rest of us to believe the Igbo who lived in other parts of Nigeria were generous and kind enough to leave their monies in Nigerian banks to do business. They want the world to believe that our Igbo brethren left all their wealth in Nigerian Banks because of their "love" for Nigeria as opposed to their new Nation called Biafra. How could that have happened? Does that make sense? How could you have left your resources and wealth back in a place where you are not likely to return to? How could you avail a country called Nigeria, which you hate with passion, with your resources no matter how small or big? Does this allign with reason?

In a moonlight tale written by Chimamanda Adichie under the title "We Remember Differently," she had written that Awolowo "was the man who, in the words of my uncle, 'made Igbo people poor because he never liked us.' At the end of the war, every Igbo person who had a bank account in Nigeria was given twenty pounds, no matter how much they had in their accounts before the war.” Adichie is an upcoming writer to whom some intellect is being ascribed. What effort did she make to verify the tales of her uncle? Did she do any research to confirm the moon tales she was told?

At least, if she wanted to be taken seriously as a person who knew what she was doing, she ought to have conducted a research, and at worst, contextualize the tales she has been told. And apart from her uncle, did her father told her any story concerning this? No. All the above questions either did not occur to Adichie or were considered unimportant by her. They would not be necessary because this would undercut the fiction she was trying to put forth. It would expose the falsehood she was trying to peddle just like that of her mentor, Achebe. Yet she would want to revel in the borrowed garb of intellect in which she was being draped. It is a big shame!

In his response to Adichie, S. Kadiri wrote inter alia:

"If Achebe himself had gotten his savings in the bank reduced to twenty pounds after the war would he not have informed Adichie or the rest of the world through his ‘There Was a Country? And if Achebe as a senior executive officer at that time did not have any savings in the bank when he left Lagos for Biafra, what then is the probability that other Igbo people of his rank left money in the bank, in Lagos, while fleeing eastward?

But I still have the following questions for Chinua Achebe:

(a) In which Bank did Achebe have his savings before the Civil War?

(b) Was it at African Continental Bank (ACB) or elsewhere?

(c) Whichever Bank it was, how much was his balance before running to the East?

(d) Did Achebe emptied out his account before running to the East?

(e) Or Did he leave his balance in his accounts in the bank in Lagos or Ibadan?

(f) If he left his money in the Ibadan or Lagos bank, how much was his balance?

(g) What would be his rationale for leaving his money in Ibadan or Lagos when he was going to build a new country, BIAFRA?

(h) Would this mean that he was not a patriotic Biafran?

(i) Why did he not provide the details about this in his "There was a country?"

(j) If he forgot to do so, can he now come out with the last statement of Account?

(k) Did Achebe collect the 20 pound ex-gratia given by Awolowo?

(l) If he did, did he deserve it?

(m) If he did not deserve it, did he think he committed fraud by taking the 20 pounds?

(n) How come Chukwuemeka Ojukwu was able to retrieve his father's millions and other Igbopeople were not able to do so?

(o) What was applicable to Ojukwu that did not apply to Achebe or any Igbo in getting back their savings in the Nigerian banks?

The above questions would also apply to every Igbo who claimed to have had money in Nigerian banks before the civil war.

The bottom line here is that the issue of this 20 pound gift has become an instrument of blackmail in the hands of Biafran leaders like Achebe who would try to avoid responsibility for the harm they caused their own people. They had to look for someone to blame and Obafemi Awolowo came handy for this. How can any Igbo blame others for losing his Bank Statement? If they could not substantiate their claims in regard to their balances, how did they expect to be paid? Or did they think the rest of Nigerians were fools who would rush to pay any spurious claims they make? Granted that the war could have caused the loss of some documents, why would this be the fault of Awolowo? Is this not a sign of irresponsibility on the part of Achebe and other leaders of Biafra?

Chief Ayo Adebanjo had written this in reaction to the lies of Chinua Achebe that Awolowo hated the Igbo:

"It is noteworthy that after the division of the country to 12 states by General Gowon in 1968, the East Central State composed mainly of Igbo people emerged. Awolowo then diligently saved the monthly allocation due to Igbo during the war and released same to them at the end of the war. The African Continental Bank (ACB) and the Cooperative Bank for Eastern Nigeria, the two main financial institutions of the Igbo at the time, which had become moribund during the civil war were rejuvenated by Awolowo by releasing substantial funds to them for active operation."

I am challenging Chinua Achebe and all those who are defending him to come out and deny this factually. They should come out and say this did not happen and produce documentary evidence to this end. This might be another good opportunity to showcase them as liars and purveyors of falsehood if not hate mongers. Achebe's flagrant flippant disrespect of facts in his book has called to question any academic integrity Achebe might lay claim to.

It is one's view that the Igbo sentries who have been peddling this blackmail of 20 pounds payment are ungrateful lot. Apart from the crimes the Igbo have committed against the Yoruba Nation, killing their eminent personalities in politics and the Armed Forces, the Yoruba have tolerated them. They have been patient with the Igbo. The Yoruba have accommodated them. Yet it is daily insults from the Igbo to the Yoruba. It is a stream of lies and fiction against the Yoruba. However, this is a topic for another day. But the fact remains that the Igbo have a pattern of ingratitude, not just to the Yoruba, but also to the Hausa- Fulani and other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.

The Igbo did not have to be given any money after the civil war. It was not compulsory. For some of them to continue to make claims which could not be substantiated that they left money in the Nigerian banks and had to be paid back would amount to fraud of the highest order. It could not have been anything other than sheer dishonesty on the part of those Igbo brethren insisting to be paid what they could not prove. It should be an offence punishable under the law if any person makes that kind of claim and he or she was not able to substantiate it. It is time an end was put to this kind of blackmail and falsehood.

More so, who paid the orphans and widows in the Mid-West as well as Yorubaland that were victims of Biafran soldiers? Who indemnified them for the loss and destruction of their properties by the Biafran soldiers? Who paid the victims of Biafran bombers at Lagos, Ibadan, Kano and Kaduna? Who would pay for all those? Who would pay for the deprivations of the widows and orphans in Ore?

It is a fact that Achebe's life is irretrievably intertwined with fiction. Evidently, a major part of his life has been fictitious. Thus to write and peddle fiction by him would be convenient and easy. Achebe has done this for so long that he is no longer able to distinguish fiction from reality and facts. As Albert Einstein pointed out above, "Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either." Achebe could no longer be trusted. He is an incorrigible purveyor of lies and falsehood. But he could not and would not be allowed to continue to get away with falsehoods woven in the tapestries of fiction.

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22841


Remi Oyeyemi, Dec 19, 2012[/s]

Shameless Afonja. Awolowo himself never debunked this himself, nor has Wole Soyinka and other Yoruba intellectual ever did. Then why is this riffraff all of a sudden, out of epephiny denying this without proof as the useless article never cited any convincing or evidence based proof. Yoruba should be very careful with their revisionist articles of truth obfuscation not to make Biafraa a perpetual enemy.

sean1000x:
Shameless Afonja. Awolowo himself never debunked this himself, nor has Wole Soyinka and other Yoruba intellectual ever did. Then why is this riffraff all of a sudden, out of epephiny denying this without proof as the useless article never cited any convincing or evidence based proof. Yoruba should be very careful with their revisionist articles of truth obfuscation not to make Biafraa a perpetual enemy.

Can someone please tell me how much Ojukwu's Bank of Biafra refunded to depositors at the end of the civil war?

They have come again o.

Christistruth00:
Can someone please tell me how much Ojukwu's Bank of Biafra refunded to depositors at the end of the civil war?

I don't know. But was Bank of Biafra a bank where people deposit their Money to be collected later or a bank created within the period to sustain the war through foreign and local donations?

If i follow your analogy then every eastern adult was given 20pounds because everybody will claim to have money in the bank.


History revisionist in this Internet age

Origamist:
what the author of the article is saying is that 20 Pounds were given to those who could not provide evidence of having money in Nigerian banks.

But the widely held belief is that every Igbo received 20 Pounds regardless of their savings.

"The bottom line here is that the issue of this 20 pound gift has become an instrument of blackmail in the hands of Biafran leaders like Achebe who would try to avoid responsibility for the harm they caused their own people. They had to look for someone to blame and Obafemi Awolowo came handy for this. How can any Igbo blame others for losing his Bank Statement? If they could not substantiate their claims in regard to their balances, how did they expect to be paid? Or did they think the rest of Nigerians were fools who would rush to pay any spurious claims they make? Granted that the war could have caused the loss of some documents, why would this be the fault of Awolowo? Is this not a sign of irresponsibility on the part of Achebe and other leaders of Biafra?"

The excerpt above sums it up.

Sapiosexuality:
I don't know. But was Bank of Biafra a bank where people deposit their Money to be collected later or a bank created within the period to sustain the war through foreign and local donations?

Biafrans deposited their money in the Bank of Biafra and a top Biafran government official described in his autobiography how despite all his frantic efforts fleeing Biafran officials stole and left the country with the money(mostly in foreign currency) just before the collapse of Biafra.The foreign reserves of the Bank of Biafra were also stolen.
In short the Bank of Biafra paid it's depositors nothing,they lost all their money!

Or rather it was stolen by Biafran officials who fled the country just before Biafra collapsed!

Christistruth00:
Biafrans deposited their money in the bank of Biafra and a top Biafran government official described in his autobiography how despite all his frantic efforts fleeing Biafran officials stole and left the country with the money just before the collapse of Biafra.
In short the Bank of Biafra paid it's depositors nothing,they lost all their money!

What is the name of this top official and the name of his autobiography?

Sapiosexuality:
What is the name of this top official and the name of his autobiography?

Arthur Mbanefo former partner of Akintola Williams Chartered Accountants he was also a senior government official in Biafra during the civil war.
In fact he also stated that much of the money Ojukwu spent on buying weapons were from the deposits in the Bank of Biafra.

Christistruth00:
Arthur Mbanefo former partner of Akintola Williams Chartered Accountants he was also a minister in Biafra during the civil war.

Sorry, one last question. What is the name of the autobiography?

Sapiosexuality:
Sorry, one last question. What is the name of the autobiography?

Arthur Mbanefo--War and Peace

Christistruth00:
Arthur Mbanefo--War and Peace

Okay. I will look for it and read.

But does it make sense?

I mean, how can people deposit money in a bank that was created to donate to the war and make international transactions?

Except he meant that the money deposited was siphoned by the Biafran army members guarding the place whenever they moved.

And this bank only has a branch which was always moved with each Nigerian army airstrike.

Have you heard of Biafran bank account number? So many questions I'd need to see his exact quotes. You have a copy?

Sapiosexuality:
Okay. I will look for it and read.

But does it make sense?

I mean, how can people deposit money in a bank that was created to donate to the war and make international transactions?

Except he meant that the money deposited was siphoned by the Biafran army members guarding the place whenever they moved.

And this bank only has a branch which was always moved with each Nigerian army airstrike.

Have you heard of Biafran bank account number? So many questions I'd need to see his exact quotes. You have a copy?

Read his book it will clear all your doubts.

Christistruth00:
Read his book it will clear all your doubts.

I will but it is not a question of clearing my doubt but logic. The Bank of Biafra I read about was created to fund the war through donations and making currency transactions in buying weapons. How can someone now claim that some persons lost their money there? Does it make any sense to you? Except he meant that some of the money donated were stolen and not used to fund the war. Do you have a copy? Where did you get the book?

I came into this thread to see facts backed with data only to end up reading trash...

Go to google, and ask. Ojukwus father has his own bank

SonofDevil:
Incase you don't read

How come ojukwu was able to recover his father properties and savings in bank account and other biafrans collect 20pounds

Sapiosexuality:
I will but it is not a question of clearing my doubt but logic. The Bank of Biafra I read about was created to fund the war through donations and making currency transactions in buying weapons. How can someone now claim that some persons lost their money there? Does it make any sense to you? Except he meant that some of the money donated were stolen and not used to fund the war. Do you have a copy? Where did you get the book?

Those who held the Bank of Biafra war bonds how much were they paid back? Not to talk of depositors who were given Biafran pounds.

QueenOfNepal:
If i follow your analogy then every eastern adult was given 20pounds because everybody will claim to have money in the bank.
History revisionist in this Internet age

You read the article didn't you?
The 20 Pounds was given to them ex-gratia.Extrapolate whatever meaning you want from that and you'll get your answer.

How many Biafrans kept their Nigerian bank documents till the end of the civil war?
And do you expect Awolowo as the Finance Minister to allow the swapping of Biafran Pounds(a currency not recognised globally) for their Nigerian equivalents?

Interestingly,while you'll vilify Awolowo over the 20 Pounds saga you and your likes will never acknowledge Awolowo's efforts towards the recovery of the Eastern Region that even SG Ikoku the Commissioner for Economic Development in the East Central State attested to.Why?Selective amnesia?

Christistruth00:
Those who purchased the Bank of Biafra war bonds how much were they paid back?

Isn't that like asking how much those, Like Jay Jay Okocha, who had money in Savannah Bank got when it liquidated? But what's the point you are trying to make with the above question?

Are you reasonable? Yorubas are criminaly minded.so with my account name and account number, you can't check how much is in my account? Today Igbos are better than yoruba

Origamist:
what the author of the article is saying is that 20 Pounds were given to those who could not provide evidence of having money in Nigerian banks.

But the widely held belief is that every Igbo received 20 Pounds regardless of their savings.

"The bottom line here is that the issue of this 20 pound gift has become an instrument of blackmail in the hands of Biafran leaders like Achebe who would try to avoid responsibility for the harm they caused their own people. They had to look for someone to blame and Obafemi Awolowo came handy for this. How can any Igbo blame others for losing his Bank Statement? If they could not substantiate their claims in regard to their balances, how did they expect to be paid? Or did they think the rest of Nigerians were fools who would rush to pay any spurious claims they make? Granted that the war could have caused the loss of some documents, why would this be the fault of Awolowo? Is this not a sign of irresponsibility on the part of Achebe and other leaders of Biafra?"

The excerpt above sums it up.

Sapiosexuality:
Isn't that like asking how much those, Like Jay Jay Okocha, who had money in Savannah Bank got when it liquidated? But what's the point you are trying to make with the above question?

Arthur Mbanefo stated in his autobiography that Biafran Officials stole and fled with the remaining money of the Bank of Biafra.
The foreign reserves of the Bank were also embezzled.

He stated that the money belonged to the people of Biafra and should have been returned to them.

Christistruth00:
Arthur Mbanefo stated in his autobiography that Biafran Officials stole and fled with the remaining money.

Exactly what I thought but which money? The one donated for the war or?

Sapiosexuality:
Exactly what I thought but which money? The one donated for the war or?

The deposits of the Bank of Biafra. The people's money.

Christistruth00:
The deposits of the Bank of Biafra.

What deposits? Can one have a bank account with Central Bank of Nigeria? What do you think is the scope of Bank of Biafra?

Sapiosexuality:
I will but it is not a question of clearing my doubt but logic. The Bank of Biafra I read about was created to fund the war through donations and making currency transactions in buying weapons. How can someone now claim that some persons lost their money there? Does it make any sense to you? Except he meant that some of the money donated were stolen and not used to fund the war. Do you have a copy? Where did you get the book?

Months prior to the war, Biafrans that relocated from other parts of Nigeria withdrew their money from their Nigerian bank accounts (sounds logical) , they had to exchange those Nigerian pounds for Biafran pounds (Biafran banks were buying Nigeria pounds from them and selling Biafran pounds to them, I believe the Nigerian pounds bought were used to finance the war).
After the war, those Biafra pound notes became worthless, they needed to exchange back to Nigerian pounds, there was nobody to buy those worthless notes from them (not Awolowo's fault), that was the reason for the policy, which is to buy a maximum of 20 worthless Biafran pounds in exchange for Nigerian pounds. That is the 20 pounds story.

Note 20 Nigerian pounds was equivalent to 10 British pounds those days, and 10 British pounds as at 1970 is worth 145 British pounds in 2017, which is about 53000 naira today. That means for each 20 Nigerian pounds exchanged , the Nigerian government lost N53000.

Jonathan39:
Are you reasonable? Yorubas are criminaly minded.so with my account name and account number, you can't check how much is in my account? Today Igbos are better than yoruba

Biafrans never thought they would be returning to Nigeria.
Such details were hardly committed to mind.
Most emptied their accounts before relocating.

Christistruth00:
Biafrans deposited their money in the Bank of Biafra and a top Biafran government official described in his autobiography how despite all his frantic efforts fleeing Biafran officials stole and left the country with the money just before the collapse of Biafra.
In short the Bank of Biafra paid it's depositors nothing,they lost all their money!

Or rather it was stolen by Biafran officials who fled the country just before Biafra collapsed!
As it is in Nigeria so it was in Biafra.

Sounds like MMM scheme.

the OP just posted an OP. senseless post

abes:
Months prior to the war, Biafrans that relocated from other parts of Nigeria withdrew their money from their Nigerian bank accounts (sounds logical) , they had to exchange those Nigerian pounds for Biafran pounds (Biafran banks were buying Nigeria pounds from them and selling Biafran pounds to them, I believe the Nigerian pounds bought were used to finance the war).
After the war, those Biafra pound notes became worthless, they needed to exchange back to Nigerian pounds, there was nobody to buy those worthless notes from them (not Awolowo's fault), that was the reason for the policy, which is to buy a maximum of 20 worthless Biafran pounds in exchange for Nigerian pounds. That is the 20 pounds story.

Note 20 Nigerian pounds was equivalent to 10 British pounds those days, and 10 British pounds as at 1970 is worth 145 British pounds in 2017, which is about 53000 naira today. That means for each 20 Nigerian pounds exchange, the Nigerian government is losing N53000.

I agree. But your story is not complete. What happened to those who had accounts with Nigeria before the war and the 3R's? Why did restructuring for a war that was fought on Biafran soil begin in Nigeria where pogroms and killing of the same defeated people occurred? Don't you think those who blame him have a point considering he supervised the economic injustice that followed later and the blockade? Or didn't he?

"It is noteworthy that after the division of the country to 12 states by General Gowon in 1968, the East Central State composed mainly of Igbo people emerged. Awolowo then diligently saved the monthly allocation due to Igbo during the war and released same to them at the end of the war. The African Continental Bank (ACB) and the Cooperative Bank for Eastern Nigeria, the two main financial institutions of the Igbo at the time, which had become moribund during the civil war were rejuvenated by Awolowo by releasing substantial funds to them for active operation."

Kudos to the late sage for this very kind gesture. Only very few leaders would have done something as generous as this. Today, nobody talks about this good deed. All they talk about is that he betrayed a Biafra he never subscribed to. Yoruba's should learn from the treatment people like Awolowo, Soyinka, Banjo etc got in the hands of ibos. No matter our good deeds towards them, they will always pay back with hatred and envy.

Sapiosexuality:
I agree. But your story is not complete. What happened to those who had accounts with Nigeria before the war and the 3R's? Why did restructuring for a war that was fought on Biafran soil begin in Nigeria where only pogroms occurred? Don't you think those who blame him have a point considering he supervised the economic injustice that followed later and the blockade? Or didn't he?

Are you sure they didn't withdraw their money from their Nigerian account? How did they get the money they were spending in Biafra Republic? were they given free money in Biafra Republic?
About the blockade, how come none of the Biafran warlords and their men were starved to death, was it not because they were hijacking aids meant for the Biafran people?
A question for you, do you feed an enemy who's ready to kill you at any time?

abes:
Are you sure they didn't withdraw their money from their Nigerian account? How did they get the money they were spending in Biafra Republic? were they given free money in Biafra Republic?
About the blockade, how come none of the Biafran warlords and their men were starved to death, was it not because they were hijacking aids meant for the Biafran people?
A question for you, do you feed an enemy who's ready to kill you at any time?

Logic.

If I am about to start a war with you, will you let me have access to my resources especially when you don't want me to take the decision you advised me against? No.

Of course you don't feed an enemy. It is an unintelligent war strategy to feed your enemy. But another thing is, is it morally right to refuse to allow food into the house of your enemy?

The fact it is a war strategy is understandable and the same thing holds with the grudge the people hold against him. While it also goes against the hypocritical UN red lines, we don't cuss the rapist for hating whoever raped her. Doesn't that make sense?