₦airaland Forum

omohayek:
This puff-piece in praise of Nzeogwu completely ignores the fact that he and his co-conspirators were the ones to institute the culture of coup-plotting in Nigerian politics, thereby short-cutting the course of the country's political development.

As bad as Tafawa Balewa's government was, what Nzeogwu inadvertently introduced in his "revolutionary" zeal was even worse: not just the bloody counter-coup that followed thereafter, or the 3-year civil war which followed on its heels, but also the nearly 3 succeeding decades of extremely corrupt and utterly incompetent military regimes which were only briefly interrupted by 4 years of extremely corrupt and utterly incompetent civilian rule under Shehu Shagari. Seeing as the military regimes proved no better than the civilians they displaced, what did Nigeria gain from being ruled by men in khaki?

It may be that Nzeogwu's coup "saved" the abstract geographical expression that Nigeria was and remains, but I think it's worth asking whether this failed contraption of a "nation" was really worth "saving" through such extreme means, especially considering how the very same questions of Nigeria's legitimacy as a unified state continue to be in the air today. The only things really holding "Nigeria" together continue to be military force along with the desire shared by all elites to participate in the plundering of oil rents. Nzeogwu's coup solved nothing while introducing new problems which continue to fester, and I see absolutely nothing to celebrate in what he did.

You can't compare Nzeogwu's coup to the successive military coups that plagued Nigeria... deny it as much as you want, but existential facts in the annals of history will always herald the first coup as more nationalistic in its ideologies, the overzealous execution itself especially in the South where it failed was of course the problem, and that has been the harbinger of all the issues we face. But many years after the first coup... What has really changed? Nigeria is still been hampered with all the same problems that existed in the first republic before the boys on khaki tried to fix it... The problem isn't about the coup, it's just us Nigerians because we are never truthful to ourselves, we were never supposed to be one Nigeria... all the hydra headed monsters were bound sooner or later to rear it's ugly heads.

babadee1:
What about all the latter coups that were successful? It is foolish to think that the military can ever bring good governance. It is not their place.

Military in politics is an aberration they are dictators but this same military changed the future of some countries outside Africa, countries like south korea. General Park Chung-Hee of South Korea laid the foundation of modern day south korea. Jacobo Arbenz Guzman of Guatemala too had great vision before he was ousted by the CIA because of his communist leaning. Nzeogwu and his colleagues wanted to change Nigeria to communist state and we would have enjoyed so many assistance from the Soviet union. Tech transfer etc. Those guys had big plans so sad the revolution failed

oyebanji44:
No No he didn't destroy the future of Nigeria ..he and his henchmen jerked the nation from its political slumber and naivete.they also offered Nigerians their chance in history to choose by themselves,for themselves and without any pressure from an imperialist power,the type of constitution by which they would live and be governed.Nzeogwu was given"a hero's burial with full military honours"Gowon also paid a tribute to him saying"he was gallant soldier,with principles."many other Nigerians paid tribute to his memory and everybody believed he died a Nigerian,through fighting on biafra side.ofcourse,the federal authority knew that it was they who had confined him inside Biafra,total against his will.If the Gowon Government had released Nzeogwu and his henchmen they would have returned to the place of their choice in Nigeria.Not one of them would have involved in biafra

This is a spirited but pointless effort at rewriting history. Who elected or appointed Nzeogwu as the spokesperson of the people? What was his mandate and where did it come from? The man was acting in his own interests and in the interests of his cohorts, period. He introduced the idea of military dictatorship into the national psyche and dragged this country back 50 years. Till today we still have not recovered to develop our own concept of what democracy is. Even elected officials still act like dictators due to the history of coups in Nigeria. Please don't ever praise this Satanic fellow ever again.

He is the architect of Nigeria's problem. First coup caused the unrest we have in the country till today. Hausa had always trusted Igbos before then and vice-versa, Ahmadu Bello chooses him as his close aide but unfortunately he killed Ahmadu Bello, and other prominent Nigerians that actually fought for our independent. If the founding fathers of Nigeria had stay longer, they would have been NATIONAL PLAN, because they knew exactly what they needed and why they fought for independence.

Till today we don't have that national plan, and what do you expect of a house built without drawings and plans? we will just end up wasting resources, time, and unrest will be experienced.

This man killed Nigeria of our dreams.

seguntijan:
He is the architect of Nigeria's problem. First coup caused the unrest we have in the country till today. Hausa had always trusted Igbos before then and vice-versa, Ahmadu Bello chooses him as his close aide but unfortunately he killed Ahmadu Bello, and other prominent Nigerians that actually fought for our independent. If the founding fathers of Nigeria had stay longer, they would have been NATIONAL PLAN, because they knew exactly what they needed and why they fought for independence.

Till today we don't have that national plan, and what do you expect of a house built without drawings and plans? we will just end up wasting resources, time, and unrest will be experienced.

This man killed Nigeria of our dreams.

What kind of lie is this
The same ahmadu bello whose igbophobic interview is legendary on youtube?
The same nzeogwu who was an intelligence officer and NMTC(later changed to NDA) aide to bello?

VBCampaign:
Remembering Kaduna Nzeogwu

By: Deji Yesufu

January 15th is Nigerian Armed Forces Remembrance Day. It is also the day Major Chukwuma “Kaduna” Nzeogwu and his colleagues in the military carried out the first coup in Nigeria. Fifty three years ago, about the time of my writing this essay, the revolution had been completed. Notable politicians, particularly those of northern extraction, had been killed. It was not a particularly joyous moment for the mutinous soldiers because except for Kaduna town, where the revolutionaries had taken out the most influential politician in Nigeria, the Sarduana of Sokoto – Sir Ahmadu Bello, the revolution had failed in other parts of the country. Nzeogwu had been cut with a dagger by one of the guards of the Sardauna and was being attended to by a Physician. In a few moment, he would be live on radio to announce the success of his putsch in Northern Nigeria. Here is an excerpt from my book Victor Banjo on Kaduna Nzeogwu:

“Ckukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu was a Sandhurst-trained military officer. He was brilliant. He was the first Nigerian officer to be trained in intelligence. Nzeogwu was a son of a civil servant; he was born in Kaduna town and was nick named “Kaduna” because of his fluency in the Hausa language and his understanding of the culture. Nzeogwu joined the army simply for revolution. He was not sure he would survive it and so he never got married, for fear of leaving behind a widow and fatherless children. Those who knew him said he maintained a high standard of morality and was not one of those officers given to drinking or womanizing. He was a devout Catholic. Nzeogwu never hid his revolutionary ideas. He shared them openly, although only a few people knew how exactly he sought to carry them out...”

By 1963 Kaduna had met Adewale Ademoyega and Ifeanyi Ifeajuna, and the trio began the planning the coup in earnest. While the coup was successful in Kaduna, it failed in Lagos because the mutinous soldiers could not arrest Aguiyi Ironsi, the most senior military officer at the time. The coup was about to kick-start in East before the mutinous soldiers there were rounded up by soldiers loyal to Ironsi.

One might want to ask: is it worth remembering Kaduna Nzeogwu, considering that this man’s actions plunged the country into political instability and finally into a civil war? I think he is worth remembering because history has not been kind to his name. At the time when the coup occurred, many people praised the efforts of the revolutionaries; including people in the international community. A few months after the revolution had occurred, Nzeogwu’s senior in the army, Victor Banjo, who himself had been falsely implicated in the coup, said this about the coup: “These men ... were the ones who gave this country a new lease of life, and their actions were acclaimed by the people of this country and by the world...” He made this statement some six months after the coup, to show that it was not just mere euphoria that usually follows the take over of governments in Nigeria. Until the counter-coup of June 29, 1966, the Nzeogwu coup was regarded as popular and it was the reason the government of that time could not execute the mutinous soldiers.

Only recently did I learn that the great Tai Solarin named the road that led to his Mayflower Schools in Ogun State “Kaduna Nzeogwu Road”. I understand that before the coup, Nzeogwu was a frequent caller at Mr. Solarin’s home. He would usually go and listen to the sage talk about humanities and how to make Nigeria better. Most people who worked with Nzeogwu had a high regard for him. No less a person than former President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote a voluminous book on him titled “Nzeogwu”.

Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emeka Ojukwu were not friends at the period of the coup. The coup had failed to go beyond Kaduna town because Ojukwu, who was the military garrison officer in Kano, refused to cooperate with Kaduna – an officer he considered junior to him in the army. Ojukwu would later go to Lagos and join forces with Ironsi. So in March 6th, 1967, when Ojukwu released all the mutinous soldiers under his region, the East, he did not release Nzeogwu. But students of the University of Nsukka carried out demonstrations and roused public sympathy on Nzeogwu’s behalf. Nzeogwu was subsequently released but Ojukwu did not entrust any command under him when Biafra went to war with Nigeria.

The civil war broke out in earnest in the first week of June 1967. The first theatre of war was the northern region of Biafra – around Nsukka. The Nigerian troops had come in through Makurdi and were met with stiff opposition by the Biafran soldiers. Unfortunately in less than a month of fighting, many of the able men in the Biafran army had been killed. Kaduna Nzeogwu died at war around this time.

The period between 1960 and 1966 was a very tumultuous time in Nigerian history. The British had given the reign of power to the Northern part of Nigeria – a section of the country that was least advanced intellectually. And with the parliamentary system of government, which required that the Prime Minister come to the house of assembly to defend his actions and policies periodically, the Obafemi Awolowo led opposition in the House continually floored the Prime Minister and his party in debates. A Nigerian press that was equally dominated by people from Western Nigeria also brought a lot of embarrassment to the Balewa government.

To save its face, the Balewa government had to carry out a lot of high handed actions. The height of which was imposing treasonable charges on Awolowo and jailing him and a few of his supporters. The Western Region, Awolowo’s stronghold, was plunged in chaos. Out of that chaos came the January 15th, 1966 coup.

With a benefit of hindsight, perhaps unbridled courage was the ruin of Nzeogwu and his fellow revolutionaries. But he cannot be blamed for corruption, selfishness and nepotism, which happened to be the bane of the politicians of those days and today too. Chukwuma “Kaduna” Nzeogwu sought to leave a better Nigeria for all of us. His method was certainly not the right one and clearly must be denounced. He however remains a national hero for many till this day.

Deji Yesufu is the author of the book Victor Banjo. All quotation in this write-up were taken from the book. Yesufu can be reached on newdejix@gmail.com

Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1957249031017964&id=1505609702848568

Good. The killings were however unnecessary as the writer rightly acknowledged.

dermmy:
Military in politics is an aberration they are dictators but this same military changed the future of some countries outside Africa, countries like south korea. General Park Chung-Hee of South Korea laid the foundation of modern day south korea. Jacobo Arbenz Guzman of Guatemala too had great vision before he was ousted by the CIA because of his communist leaning. Nzeogwu and his colleagues wanted to change Nigeria to communist state and we would have enjoyed so many assistance from the Soviet union. Tech transfer etc. Those guys had big plans so sad the revolution failed

All well and good but I'm more concerned about the Nigerian experience and military intervention in the governance of Nigeria has been nothing but a total disaster. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Regardless of the intentions of Nzeogwu and his friends, they set this country up for perennial disaster by introducing the idea of military governance to Nigeria. This country is ungovernable using a unitary top down system which came with the military. Even the colonial powers knew that Nigeria required a unique system of devolution of powers and regional autonomy to function. The military destroyed all of that.

oilPUSSY:
Throw Bomb in Eastern Nigerian today, you haven't touched half population of Igbos because they have penetrated all sections of the globe.
Meanwhile, we know people that have dragged the reputation of Nigeria to mud, they know themselves as well.

Meanwhile, If 3 yr war could not stop Biafran agitation, nothing on earth can stop it again.
You go cry tire. skull searcher, you go search tire.
Igbos are not fighting you, you guys have decided to turn yourselves against each other by determining to mine yourselves into extinction.

Jesus you just murdered this moniker

gidgiddy:
Not true. As I said before, every country in West Africa went through a coup in the 60's, but the did not fight wars over it. Why was that of Nigeria different?

Even if we say that Nzeogwus coup was selective in who it targeted, Nzeogwu and his fellow coup plotters were already in jail. Those who conducted the counter-coup did far worse than whatever they blamed Ironsi or Nzeogwu for doing or not doing.

But when it comes to the civil war, it was not Nzeogwus coup or the killing in the North that caused the war.

What caused the war was Gowons inability to implement the Aburi agreement he signed in Ghana with Ojukwu


If me and you sign and agreement not to fight each other, as long as certain conditions are kept, if you go and break those conditions and we fight, who started it?

Ojukwu and The East already had their minds made up after the pogroms...Aburi Accord was a convenient excuse. Why didn't Ojukwu iron out whatever disagreement he had with Gowon on the implementation of the Accord. Why did he arrogantly go all out for secession? Why didn't he stick with diplomacy if he was truly sincere.

Naajjii:
The coup was not successful due to tribalism and attempt to dominate Nigerians by certain region. Now the table has turned they can only dominate in Biafra never in Nigeria. We were living in peace even though they were challenges until these coup plotters came and upset the structure of Nigeria. No wonder karma is paying back.

you were living in peace?
go and ask any truthful old man in your area about operation wetie and while Awolowo was in prison.

Do u mean nzeogwu kaduna the man that kill respected leader sir sardauna ?

babadee1:
What about all the latter coups that were successful? It is foolish to think that the military can ever bring good governance. It is not their place.

. If the january coup had been successful, there would have been a better nigeria than that of today cus it involved all the corrupt high ranked officials in the country, from the north to the south west and east but unfuturnately only the north was simi sucessful. if it had been successful all through aguirunsi wouldn't have taken power, ojukwu wouldn't have thought of breaking the east out ibb would not have succeeded and many more.

omooba969:
The painted picture of Nzeogwu & Ojukwu is a typical example of what the igboz are today.

Riding on emotions without critical thinking!

Meanwhile those who claim to have critically voted for APCheat have received mass graves in return.
Receive sense

cc lzaa velocity25

LZAA:
A few errors here though
Ifeajuna was the brains of that coup.nzeogwu was brought in when plans for the coup were at an advanced stage.
The main reason why northerners were murdered in the coup was that they were in leadership positions in both civil and military life
The coup failed in the east cause lt oguchi failed to carry out his duty on a flimsy excuse that the archbishop of cyprus was with the eastern premier
Yes nzeogwu loved revolution but that was not his reason for staying unmarried
Nzeogwu was a TOTAL teetootaler.they tend to be insular and welcome unnecessary interactions the same way u welcome rats into ur home
Other than that nice write up

Exactly, and which ultimately delayed his dispatching of men to Benin before the Ironsi men took over

Atikulate 2019

Atikulate 2019.
#BackToDaura

Ojukwu planned ambush that killed him. One Biafra officers wrote an article in Sunday Concord then , Who killed "Nzeogwu?" He was later begged not to expose how he was killed.

Volksfuhrer:
Ojukwu and The East already had their minds made up after the pogroms...Aburi Accord was a convenient excuse. Why didn't Ojukwu iron out whatever disagreement he had with Gowon on the implementation of the Accord. Why did he arrogantly go all out for secession? Why didn't he stick with diplomacy if he was truly sincere.

We have to go with what happend, not what we assume was in Ojukwus head. The problem with Nigerians is that they don't know Nigerian history because it wasn't taught. So they go with what the hear on the social circle.

Gowon and Ojukwu met in Aburi, Ghana, in January 1967. The aim of the meeting was to restore peace and keep Nigeria one. They reached a 12 point decision which both men signed. Gowon came back to Nigeria and broke his end of the agreement abolishing the 4 Regions.

The Aburi agreement states that Gowon could not make any structural change to Nigeria unless all 4 Regional Military Governors of the time agreed with it.

By breaking the most important part of the Aburi agreement, Ojukwu had no other choice than declare the Eastern Region a separate country and this led to war.

Gowon caused the war by going back on an agreement he signed in Ghana.

theoldpretender:
More like a nickname..he was born and bred in Kaduna town

oh thanks for the info

immhotep:
Meanwhile those who claim to have critically voted for APCheat have received mass graves in return.
Receive sense

cc lzaa velocity25

What's this got to do with the Nzeogwu post?

You need help.

omooba969:
What's this got to do with the Nzeogwu post?

You need help.

I foresee Nzeogwu statues coming up in many places.

Meanwhile vote Atiku/Obi

theoldpretender:
More like a nickname..he was born and bred in Kaduna town

oh thanks for the info

seguntijan:
He is the architect of Nigeria's problem. First coup caused the unrest we have in the country till today. Hausa had always trusted Igbos before then and vice-versa, Ahmadu Bello chooses him as his close aide but unfortunately he killed Ahmadu Bello, and other prominent Nigerians that actually fought for our independent. If the founding fathers of Nigeria had stay longer, they would have been NATIONAL PLAN, because they knew exactly what they needed and why they fought for independence.

Till today we don't have that national plan, and what do you expect of a house built without drawings and plans? we will just end up wasting resources, time, and unrest will be experienced.

This man killed Nigeria of our dreams.

Truth be told, there was nothing rosy about Nigeria then. The coup was long overdue but was cynically executed. Nzeogwu was a nationalist, a true believer in the prosperity and development of Nigeria. However, Nzeogwu was betrayed by co-conspirators who were apparently "tribalistic" in the execution of the coup in the South. In any case, it would be more accurate to assert that Nzeogwu was let down by comrades who were loyal to the NCNC! These traitors spared Ironsi and NCNC politicians but dispatched every perceived enemy of NCNC. Yes, some would object that Okotie-Eboh too was killed, but he was deemed "too close to Balewa!" The coup in and of itself was not the problem; its execution which manifested in selective killings was the disaster.

AWOLOWO10:
useless man, you go quick die, idiot

I am waiting for you and your entire family to die first , monkey!

omooba969:
The painted picture of Nzeogwu & Ojukwu is a typical example of what the igboz are today.

Riding on emotions without critical thinking!

imagine a skull miner with rotten mouth abusing a whole tribe,without apology Igbo's are by far better than Yoruba's in all ramifications, education sincerity and even accommodating ,you can argue with your destiny if you doubt me.

omohayek:
Wow, what a compelling argument. Maybe you should learn what "argumentum ad hominem" means before making your next comment.

be humble and learn...it is not everyday u come across good people who r ready to call out ur ignorance. my kinds r rare now.

Volksfuhrer:
Truth be told, there was nothing rosy about Nigeria then. The coup was long overdue but was cynically executed. Nzeogwu was a nationalist, a true believer in the prosperity and development of Nigeria. However, Nzeogwu was betrayed by co-conspirators who were apparently "tribalistic" in the execution of the coup in the South. In any case, it would be more accurate to assert that Nzeogwu was let down by comrades who were loyal to the NCNC! These traitors spared Ironsi and NCNC politicians but dispatched every perceived enemy of NCNC. Yes, some would object that Okotie-Eboh too was killed, but he was deemed "too close to Balewa!" The coup in and of itself was not the problem; its execution which manifested in selective killings was the disaster.

I would like to know what positions those spared in d south occupied prior to d coup,and if they were guilty of those things d coup plotters accused the rest of their victims. It is not just enough yo

Volksfuhrer:
Truth be told, there was nothing rosy about Nigeria then. The coup was long overdue but was cynically executed. Nzeogwu was a nationalist, a true believer in the prosperity and development of Nigeria. However, Nzeogwu was betrayed by co-conspirators who were apparently "tribalistic" in the execution of the coup in the South. In any case, it would be more accurate to assert that Nzeogwu was let down by comrades who were loyal to the NCNC! These traitors spared Ironsi and NCNC politicians but dispatched every perceived enemy of NCNC. Yes, some would object that Okotie-Eboh too was killed, but he was deemed "too close to Balewa!" The coup in and of itself was not the problem; its execution which manifested in selective killings was the disaster.

I would like to know what positions those spared in d south occupied prior to d coup,and if they were guilty of those things d coup plotters accused the rest of their victims. It is not just enough to accuse the coup plotters of tribalism if the dynamics never warranted them to kill everybody in d system.

LZAA:
You and who were living in what peace?
The 1957 riots?open igbophobia from the north and west?
Open corruption and the "wild wild west" riots in the west?
Hope u know that the coup was widely applauded even in the north
It was when the dust settled and they saw that no prominent easterner died(col unegbe was the quartermaster general of the army but was killed to stop him alerting maimalari)
Stop twisting facts

Was there a need for coup ? It was a regional government setup if the sitiation in the north was not favourable why not go home? How about those igbos jubilating all over about the coup? you think you are smart no politician of igbo extract killed, no military officer of igbo extract killed what a coincidence. You people were placed from the start to lead and manage Nigeria but what happen smartness and greed set in, you dont have what it takes to govern a multi tribal country like Nigeria.Look at today you are crying of marginalization by less educated people. This is just karma.

Naajjii:
Was there a need for coup ? It was a regional government setup if the sitiation in the north was not favourable why not go home? How about those igbos jubilating all over about the coup? you think you are smart no politician of igbo extract killed, no military officer of igbo extract killed what a coincidence. You people were placed from the start to lead and manage Nigeria but what happen smartness and greed set in, you dont have what it takes to govern a multi tribal country like Nigeria.Look at today you are crying of marginalization by less educated people. This is just karma.

The coup culture was sweeping through the world at that time and the nigerian govt then did not help matters by trying to drag the army into politics
Awolowo himself did not help matters by trying to overthrow the govt
Smartness and greed?bro as an igbo man i can honestly tell u that as long as u leave a level playing ground for everyone and are not a bigot,no igbo person will oppose you
Jubilating about the coup?ffs the whole nation celebrated that coup
Only politicians were mourning and it was only after ppl saw that no eastern politicians died they started reading tribal meanings to the coup
Also apart from the absence of real govt presence in the east,i can tell u that the east is ahead of all regions in nigeria