APCLyingBastard:


Ojukwu was a charismatic individual but not in any form a good commander and leader.

He became very paranoid during the course of the war but we can't blame him totally because there were too many Marxists within the Biafran ranks who were against Biafran indepence chief of which was Ifeanjua.

As for the minorities, the Igbos h cause to worry about their loyalty because the advancung Federal forces played a game of hearts and minds when they occupied those areas by pampering them with food, medicine and retuning life back to normal. But this stopped when the federal forces took over any Igbo area as the policy was to bring in the Gwodo-Gwodo Chadian jihadist to kill and rape to their hearts desire.

You should also factor one very important fact and that is the Biafran declaration did not consider the views and opinions of the minority tribes in eastern Nigeria.

The minorities had no need to fight for what they saw as an Igbo war. After all the Igbos did suppress the Adaka Boro Ijaw insurgency towards seccesion, Igbo "dominance" also saw Western Cameroun plebiscite and Enugu which replaced the more historic and economical relevant Calabar as an Igbo plot to further concentrate power to themselves. This is akin to how we southerners cry over Abuja and Fulani dominance of governance.

Stop spreading lies.
Enugu never replaced Calabar. Calabar was at no point the capital of Eastern region.
Rather it was Lagos that replaced Calabar in 1906 as the capital of Southern Nigeria, when Lagos colony (modern day SW) was joined to Southern Nigeria (Modern Day SS and SE) by Sir Eggerton and the capital of Southern Nigeria shifted from Calabar to Lagos in same 1906. This was before the 1914 almagamation that ended up with Lagos not only being the capital of Southern Nigeria, but the capital of both Southern and Northern Nigeria.
Lagos thus moved from being just the capital of Lagos colony (SW), to capital of Southern Nigeria in 1906, when SW was added to Southern Nigeria (SS and SS) , to becoming the capital of entire Nigeria in 1914 when Southern Nigeria was united with Northern Nigeria.

It was not until 1939, 33yrs later since Calabar lost it's capital status to Lagos, that Eastern region was created by Bernard Bourdlion, with Enugu as the capital of the region. At same time Lagos stayed the capital of Nigeria, while the capital of Western region became Ibadan.

Moreover, Enugu produced coal that was the economic mainstay of the Eastern region, it was like the crude oil of today. In fact, Port Harcourt only exists today because of the coal that was discovered in Enugu and need to transport it to the nearest point of exit to the Atlantic. There were no bigger economically important city in the entire Eastern region as of 1939 when Eastern region was created than Enugu the coal city.
So how can you say that Calabar was at that point in time, more economically relevant than Enugu? Were you sleeping when you typed this?

How exactly did the Biafran declaration not consider the views of minorities in the East, when the very name Biafra itself was suggested at an assembly of all Eastern ethnic groups by an Ijaw man from modern day Bayelsa, named Frank Opigo?
An Ebonyi man can as well come and claim that Biafra declaration didn't carry them along, since no person from Ebonyi played a leading role in Biafra hierarchy.

pazienza:


Stop spreading lies.
Enugu never replaced Calabar. Calabar was at no point the capital of Eastern region.
Rather it was Lagos that replaced Calabar in 1906 as the capital of Southern Nigeria, when Lagos colony (modern day SW) was joined to Southern Nigeria (Modern Day SS and SE) by Sir Eggerton.

It was not until 1939, 33yrs later since Calabar lost it's capital status to Lagos, that Eastern region was created by Bernard Bourdlion, with Enugu as the capital of the region.
Moreover, Enugu produced coal that was the economic mainstay of the Eastern region, it was like the crude oil of today. In fact, Port Harcourt only exists today because of the coal that was discovered in Enugu and need to transport it to the nearest point of exit to the Atlantic.
So how can you say that Calabar was at that point in time, more economically relevant than Enugu? Were you sleeping when you typed this?

How exactly did the Biafran declaration not consider the views of minorities in the East, when the very name Biafra itself was suggested at an assembly of all Eastern ethnic groups by an Ijaw man from modern day Bayelsa, named Frank Opigo?
An Ebonyi man can as well come and claim that Biafra declaration didn't carry them along, since no person from Ebonyi played a leading role in Biafra hierarchy.

I am the OP and from ND and I truly do sympathise with the past and present Biafran cause but we must be honest, the Igbos back then had a very condescending and paternalistic view on minority peoples of the then eastern region.

Enugu did not in any way help the Igbo cause.

If Calabar had been maintained as capital, the then Eastern region would have been more integrated and economically viable.

Enugu was declared capital in 1959 by an act of the eastern parliament which the Igbos were a super majority.

These subtle event and so many to mention here caused anti Igbo sentiments that were fueled by Nigerian propaganda.

APCLyingBastard:


I am the OP and from ND and I truly do sympathise with the past and present Biafran cause but we must be honest, the Igbos back then had a very condescending and paternalistic view on minority peoples of the then eastern region.

Enugu did not in any way help the Igbo cause.

If Calabar had been maintained as capital, the then Eastern region would have been more integrated and economically viable.

Enugu was declared capital in 1959 by an act of the eastern parliament which the Igbos were a super majority.

These subtle event and so many to mention here caused anti Igbo sentiments that were fueled by Nigerian propaganda.

There is no evidence to prove that Igbos looked down or oppressed the Eastern minorities.

Igbos naturally are competitive and even amongst Igbo tribes, it would appear we look down on Igbo clans perceived as lagging behind others. This competition transends even to family settings.
That's how the Igbo society works.

Ndiigbo was fair in our dealings with the Eastern minorities. The Willink report confirmed this.
I currently have a book on the sittings of major projects across Eastern region by the Eastern region government, and it could be seen clearly that the distribution of projects and their completion were done on equity and fairness for all parts of the region.
The same was applicable in employment and scholarship programs.

Eastern region was created in 1939, where was the capital in 1939?
It would appear to me that the only time Igbo- eastern minorities union work is when Igbos are the ones taking the backseat and the minorities are the ones taking the driving seat, like when GEJ was the president with Igbo full support. Whereas whenever an Igbo takes a front seat, the minorities will never grant us support but would start screeching Igbo domination from roof tops, like when Zik contested for president in 1979 and 1983, he got the least amount of votes from the then Eastern minorities states of Rivers and Cross Rivers, while Shagari and Awolowo got more votes than Zik from those ends, simply because to them, to support an Igbo simply means Igbo domination.

This is why personally, I'm in support of independent Niger delta republic and vehemently against a Biafra with Eastern minorities, because it would appear that such Biafra will be another Nigeria 2.0, where Zik(Igbo) had to become subjugated to minority Fulani, just to woo them to remain in Nigeria and to prove to them that he(Zik)/Igbo have no domination agenda.
If we accept such Biafra of Igbo perpetual subjugation in other to accommodate the minorities, then a future will come when Igbo generations unborn would again have to fight again for their freedom from the minorities,as we the current Igbo generation are currently doing against the Fulanis and their lackeys.

APCLyingBastard:


I am the OP and from ND and I truly do sympathise with the past and present Biafran cause but we must be honest, the Igbos back then had a very condescending and paternalistic view on minority peoples of the then eastern region.

Enugu did not in any way help the Igbo cause.

If Calabar had been maintained as capital, the then Eastern region would have been more integrated and economically viable.

Enugu was declared capital in 1959 by an act of the eastern parliament which the Igbos were a super majority.

These subtle event and so many to mention here caused anti Igbo sentiments that were fueled by Nigerian propaganda.

Well I think so to. Calabar as capital would have done a lot of good to the unity of the eastern region. Minorities would have really felt a sense of brotherhood and even the southern Cameroon's would have voted to remain with us. Everything just happened so fast and before you could say Jack the spanner had found itself in the wheel.
I feel the eastern region was getting there before the arrival of Zik from the west. People now understood that Zik return to the Eastern region destroyed the fabrics that held us as a people. Eyo Ita's premiership would have taken us to greater heights. Zik should have remained in the federal and slug it out with Awolowo and Balewa and not coming home as a crybaby to seek for relevance. Even if he had return, it shouldn't be at the mercy of the leadership of the Eastern region. It's just a pity we lost the plot.

pazienza:


There is no evidence to prove that Igbos looked down or oppressed the Eastern minorities.

Igbos naturally are competitive and even amongst Igbo tribes, it would appear we look down on Igbo clans perceived as lacking behind others. This competition transents even to family settings.
That's how the Igbo society works.

Ndiigbo was fair in our dealings with the Eastern minorities. The Willink report confirmed this.
I currently have a book on the sittings of major projects across Eastern region by the Eastern region government, and it could be seen clearly that the distribution of projects and their completion were done on equity and fairness for all parts of the region.
The same was applicable in employment and scholarship programs.

Eastern region was created in 1939, where was the capital in 1939?

Well it could have been a case of mistaken Igbo confidence for Igbo Arrogance. I am accused of such attitude as well.

But the Biafran declaration was not based on wide consultation and the minority groups did not see why they should fight a war ove Igbo grievances.

There was also the prospect of gaining full autonomy which Gowon promised the minority people by granting them states - although these states were to be fully under the yoke of centralized military dictatorship for decades.

Don't blame us for not siding with you but also remember we also never fought you as well.

APCLyingBastard:



Well it could have been a case of mistaken Igbo confidence for Igbo Arrogance. I am accused of such attitude as well.

But the Biafran declaration was not based on wide consultation and the minority groups did not see why they should fight a war ove Igbo grievances.

There was also the prospect of gaining full autonomy which Gowon promised the minority people by granting them states - although these states were to be fully under the yoke of centralized military dictatorship for decades.

Don't blame us for not siding with you but also remember we also never fought you as well.

How come the name Biafra was suggested by an Ijaw man if the minorities were not carried along?

Well I learnt that some Igbos denied there identity just to evade the 20pounds policy

Chiwude:
Well I think so to. Calabar as capital would have done a lot of good to the unity of the eastern region. Minorities would have really felt a sense of brotherhood and even the southern Cameroon's would have voted to remain with us. Everything just happened so fast and before you could say Jack the spanner had found itself in the wheel.
I feel the eastern region was getting there before the arrival of Zik from the west. People now understood that Zik return to the Eastern region destroyed the fabrics that held us as a people. Eyo Ita's premiership would have taken us to greater heights. Zik should have remained in the federal and slug it out with Awolowo and Balewa and not coming home as a crybaby to seek for relevance. Even if he had return, it shouldn't be at the mercy of the leadership of the Eastern region. It's just a pity we lost the plot.

I did an article about how Zik was the major hindrance not only to Biafra but to the development of the eastern region.

That man was a Joe Igbokwe.

Let me search for it

APCLyingBastard:



Well it could have been a case of mistaken Igbo confidence for Igbo Arrogance. I am accused of such attitude as well.

But the Biafran declaration was not based on wide consultation and the minority groups did not see why they should fight a war ove Igbo grievances.

There was also the prospect of gaining full autonomy which Gowon promised the minority people by granting them states - although these states were to be fully under the yoke of centralized military dictatorship for decades.

Don't blame us for not siding with you but also remember we also never fought you as well.

I dont blame you at all.

Many minorities stood with Ndiigbo to the end. While many stood with Nigeria. There were Igbos who also stood with Nigeria, talk about Ike nwachukwu, Asiodu from Asaba, Ukpabi Asika, amongst others.

Biafra had no means to defend the coasts occupied by the minorities, and once the FG captured those areas, the people had to denounce Biafra to survive. That can be understood.

What I don't understand is that modern day need to continue falsifying narratives against Igbos, to cast us in mould of vilians, in order to make light of and rationalize their denouncing of Biafra to survive, when simple stating that they simply did denounce Biafra once their towns were captured to survive the genocidal Nigerian Army would suffice.

It needs to stop.

OkirikaDealer:

How come the name Biafra was suggested by an Ijaw man if the minorities were not carried along?

Well I learnt that some Igbos denied there identity just to evade the 20pounds policy

Truth be told, the Biafran consultative forum had just chiefs and divisional heads present. Ojukwu shouldn't have banked on that alone. Knowing how Gowon was playing the divide and rule card and state creation strategy, he should have gone farther than just sitting in Enugu and holding a forum. He should have visited the Island of Bonny, the creeks of nembe, the Ogoni and Calabar fronts to meet with the people in person. Doing this would have countered every gimmicks of the federal government led by Gowon. He would have proven that you a northerner can never have my people's interest at heart than me. Imagine being slaughtered in a northern progrom of which every easterner in the north was targeted, whether Igbo, Ibibio or Ijaw and you still tell me you love us.

APCLyingBastard:



I did an article about how Zik was the major hindrance not only to Biafra but to the development of the eastern region.

That man was a Joe Igbokwe.

Let me search for it

Zik was a big mistake that should have been sent back to the west. The damage he did in the eastern region was far greater than the good.

https://www.nairaland.com/4671575/azikiwes-foolishness-making-enugu-capital

Chiwude, here's the link I told you about Azikiwe's foolishness

Chiwude:
Zik was a big mistake that should have been sent back to the west. The damage he did in the eastern region was far greater than the good.

You are damn right.

He was too comfortable in Lagos like most SE and SS politicians of today to have the interest of the people.

APCLyingBastard:
https://www.nairaland.com/4671575/azikiwes-foolishness-making-enugu-capital

Chiwude, here's the link I told you about Azikiwe's foolishness

I cringe anything I remember the unity of the eastern region post Zik premiership. It was the political disagreement of Zik and Eyo Ita that led to the southern Cameroons voting out their pro Nigeria delegates and electing the pro secession party that gingered their people to vote for union with French cameroons. It was the same disagreement that led to the founding of COR movement.
Zik even though nationalistic was a bad option for our people. He didn't understood the eastern region. Imagine a man born in the north and spent his political career in Ghana and the west, now coming to draw the identity of the eastern region. It was a disaster in the making, that even those who bask in the europhia of his arrival finally regretted it.

Chiwude:
Truth be told, the Biafran consultative forum had just chiefs and divisional heads present. Ojukwu shouldn't have banked on that alone. Knowing how Gowon was playing the divide and rule card and state creation strategy, he should have gone farther than just sitting in Enugu and holding a forum. He should have visited the Island of Bonny, the creeks of nembe, the Ogoni and Calabar fronts to meet with the people in person. Doing this would have countered every gimmicks of the federal government led by Gowon. He would have proven that you a northerner can never have my people's interest at heart than me. Imagine being slaughtered in a northern progrom of which every easterner in the north was targeted, whether Igbo, Ibibio or Ijaw and you still tell me you love us.

That wouldnt have saved Biafra.

What would have saved Biafra was striking the deal with USSR to enable them use their superior navy to secure the coast of Niger Delta and prevent Nigerian soldiers from attacking, seizing, and terrorizing those communities into turning against Biafra in place of becoming exterminated by the genocidal Nigerian Army.

That's what would have saved Biafra. Ojukwu underestimated the importance of those coasts to Biafra. He miscalculated the British. He emotionally thought that the Christian British would surely not support the genocidal Islamic led Nigerian Army. He was too young and had little understanding of the world politics and wouldn't allow the elders counsel him.

pazienza:


That wouldnt have saved Biafra.

What would have saved Biafra was striking the deal with USSR to enable them use their superior navy to secure the coast of Niger Delta and prevent Nigerian soldiers from attacking, seizing, and terrorizing those communities into turning against Biafra in place of becoming exterminated by the genocidal Nigerian Army.

That's what would have saved Biafra. Ojukwu underestimated the importance of those coasts to Biafra. He miscalculated the British. He emotionally thought that the Christian British would surely not support the genocidal Islamic led Nigerian Army. He was too young and had little understanding of the world politics and wouldn't allow the elders counsel him.

Striking a deal is one option. But the idea that one Opigo agreed to the name Biafra, or that one Akpabio supported Biafra on behalf of his people is lame. I insist that Ojukwu should have done more than this to incorporate the eastern minorities into the battle of survival.
Ojukwu made many mistakes we know, but above all is his reluctance to allow civilian eastern region dictate the political pact with european allies.
Had he given more role to the likes of Micheal Okpara just as Gowon did with Awolowo, the embargo that delayed the agreement with the Soviets would have been dusted with. Oil agreement would exchange hands because the politicians are better in political deals than some disciplined Marxists.

Chiwude:
I cringe anything I remember the unity of the eastern region post Zik premiership. It was the political disagreement of Zik and Eyo Ita that led to the southern Cameroons voting out their pro Nigeria delegates and electing the pro secession party that gingered their people to vote for union with French cameroons. It was the same disagreement that led to the founding of COR movement.
Zik even though nationalistic was a bad option for our people. He didn't understood the eastern region. Imagine a man born in the north and spent his political career in Ghana and the west, now coming to draw the identity of the eastern region. It was a disaster in the making, that even those who bask in the europhia of his arrival finally regretted it.

He was never a nationalist for if he was he would have put the Eastern region first above Nigeria.

Nigeria is not a nation but a collection of nations and thus a multicultural entity.

Zik was a neo-liberal with twisted Marxist leanings and had always craved for a more powerful central govt.

I don't really blame him because communism was spreading like wild fire across the globe especially in Africa and S.America. He was an ardent and staunch believer of the mythical African unity as espoused by Nyere and Nkrumah.

He was part of the AU representatives that drew a resolution promoting the invoilibility of colonial borders thereby opposing secession in any means.

His mishandling of the Western Cameroun seccesion led him to adopt the stance of not including a referendum for plebiscite in the constitution.

He never knew the potentials of the then old Eastern region as he was never in anyway an Eastern but only by birth.

pazienza:


There is no evidence to prove that Igbos looked down or oppressed the Eastern minorities.

Igbos naturally are competitive and even amongst Igbo tribes, it would appear we look down on Igbo clans perceived as lacking behind others. This competition transends even to family settings.
That's how the Igbo society works.

Ndiigbo was fair in our dealings with the Eastern minorities. The Willink report confirmed this.
I currently have a book on the sittings of major projects across Eastern region by the Eastern region government, and it could be seen clearly that the distribution of projects and their completion were done on equity and fairness for all parts of the region.
The same was applicable in employment and scholarship programs.

Eastern region was created in 1939, where was the capital in 1939?
It would appear to me that the only time Igbo- eastern minorities union work is when Igbos are the ones taking the backseat and the minorities are the ones taking the driving seat, like when GEJ was the president with Igbo full support. Whereas whenever an Igbo takes a front seat, the minorities will never grant us support but would start screeching Igbo domination from roof tops, like when Zik contested for president in 1979 and 1983, he got the least amount of votes from the then Eastern minorities states of Rivers and Cross Rivers, while Shagari and Awolowo got more votes than Zik from those ends, simply because to them, to support an Igbo simply means Igbo domination.

This is why personally, I'm in support of independent Niger delta republic and vehemently against a Biafra with Eastern minorities, because it would appear that such Biafra will be another Nigeria 2.0, where Zik(Igbo) had to become subjugated to minority Fulani, just to woo them to remain in Nigeria and to prove to them that he(Zik)/Igbo have no domination agenda.
If we accept such Biafra of Igbo perpetual subjugation in other to accommodate the minorities, then a future will come when Igbo generations unborn would again have to fight again for their freedom from the minorities,as we the current Igbo generation are currently doing against the Fulanis and their lackeys.

I agree with you. But do you expect Zik to garner votes in Rivers and Cross River after all the federal propaganda had sank deep into their psyche. He got what he deserve by helping to bring that division in the old eastern region.I would have love to see his regret in seeing foreigners clear his backyard. He should be ashamed of himself in the first place.
Pazienza, you talk about Igbo leadership of the east as against the minorities. But you forgot that when an Eyo Ita was premier, he didn't tamper with our cohesion but rather made sure that the Igbo language was the lingua franca to be spoken by all. The development of the east was not just concentrated in Calabar or Enugu, but also in Port Harcourt, Aba and Onitsha, just as the whites had planned it.
Using GEJ a failed leader in the image of Zik to describe an Eyo Ita is unfair. Eyo Ita understood the politics of the eastern region, only that he became aggrieved when he was dethroned unjustly.
GEJ is simply a nationalist that couldn't identity with the aspirations of his people. Just like Zik he identified himself with northerners than his own. And he paid dearly for it!

Chiwude:
Striking a deal is one option. But the idea that one Opigo agreed to the name Biafra, or that one Akpabio supported Biafra on behalf of his people is lame. I insist that Ojukwu should have done more than this to incorporate the eastern minorities into the battle of survival.
Ojukwu made many mistakes we know, but above all is his reluctance to allow civilian eastern region dictate the political pact with european allies.
Had he given more role to the likes of Micheal Okpara just as Gowon did with Awolowo, the embargo that delayed the agreement with the Soviets would have been dusted with. Oil agreement would exchange hands because the politicians are better in political deals than some disciplined Marxists.

I believe Ojukwu did enough as time permitted to incorporate the minorities.
Many traditional rulers from those zones were carried along.

For example, Asari states that his family lost the leadership of buguma and his grandfather who was king forced to abdicate the throne because he stick with Biafra to the point of posing a risk to the community.

No amount of solidarity campaign would have helped once those minorities areas were left poorly defended and into the hands of FG.
For example, when Asaba (A proudly Igbo town) fell to the FG, the people lined up the streets to welcome FG troops just to save their lives, only for the terrorists to open fire on them.
If the FG and their terrorist army were not hell bent on exacting a pound of flesh on Asaba and environment because they knew Nzeogwu hailed from there, the Asaba people would have done anything possible, including denying their identity, to stay alive, and I would not blame them for it. I would only blame them if they continued the denial post civil, like those in Ika and Ukwuani are currently doing.

What we needed was to secure those minority places, that was the only option, we fell to do that, and the minorities did what they could do to save themselves from genocide.

On Eyo Ita Saga, I believe I had done justice to that topic a long time ago. let me quote my posts on it, on this forum in 2015

I can already hear my fellow Igbos puting the blame of Eyo ita saga on Zik. We must desist from doing such as that was never the truth. And worst still, when you put the Eyo ita saga blame on Zik, you see just Zik as an Igbo, but in the perception of an Efik man, Zik is Igbo and Igbo is Zik.
Eyo ita fall will now be twisted by them to represent proof of Igbo oppression and domination of Eastern non Igbo groups, even when no such thing existed.

So when you put Eyo ita fall from Grace on Zik, you have unconsciously put his fall on Ndiigbo.
Perception is everything.

In as much as we want to rebuild our bond with the Eastern non Igbo groups, such bond must not be build on lies that are detrimental to the Igbo nation just to please or soothe the sensibilities of people.

I will repost posts of mine on this Eyo ita saga here.
When I am through, I want all Igbos and non Igbo Easterners here to be the judge.

The problem of our fore runners was that they never cared about non Igbos perception of Ndiigbo, they naively believed that once they keep their hands clean , work hard and work in the spirit of equity and justice, that it would be enough.

Our enemies in the Lagos-Ibadan press capitalized on that weakness and twisted the perception of the entire Nigeria against us.
I have read about the highly Igbophobic "Yoruba ronu" speech of Akintola, the Igbophobic Saraduna speeches and the the toxic and victimizing article by the Oba of Bini, Oba Akenzua the second, on Ndiigbo, but not once did I read strong and violent rebuttal from the Igbo elites of those era against those lies.

They made no effort to debunk those lies and multiple others coming from different angles in the then tribally charged Nigeria, they simply ignored them all, and those lies were repeated often and on unchallenged, until they began to form people perception of Ndiigbo.

That was a grave mistake, that this generation of Ndiigbo must not repeat.

We must not allowour bitter enemies form people perception about us, we must debunk all their lies and evil propaganda and expose them for demons they are.

Perception is everything in the human world.

Dalu kwanu.

Now to the matter of Zik-Eyo Ita face-
off:On the eve of the 1951 elections in
which Azikiwe contested for a seat in the
Western House of Assembly from his
Lagos base, Zik declared that he was not
going to accept a ministerial post in “an
inferior legislature of the colonial type”.
In other words, he was not prepared to
serve as minister (premier or prime-
minister) at regional or national level in
the then premature Nigerian political
system.

His objective, he said, was to
achieve an NCNC majority in the regional
and central legislatures that would act to
“paralyse the machinery of government”
and lead to a reformation of the
Constitution.The Macpherson Constitution
had provided for “semi-responsible
government” at the centre and in the
regions.

The official phrase was “responsible
government within defined limits”. Zik did
not accept this. He wanted total
independence. This was what informed
his declaration above. It was a grand
tactics for national independence that the
Action Group later imbibed.
After the upheavals in the Western House
of Assembly,Zik began to rally his
partymen to the achievement of the
above-stated objectives. This took some
time. Eventually, however, the NCNC
resolved and called its central ministers
to resign in order to actualise the above
independence strategy.

But these ministers were now enjoying
their new stations in life, the perquisites
of ministerial office. Some of them did
not, therefore, want to give up the
positions. In so doing, they were
undoubtedly sabotaging and delaying the
independence struggle that had already
got them to where they were.


Three NCNC central (national) ministers
were the first culprits and were summarily
dismissed from the party. They were
A.C.Nwapa (Igbo), EniNjoku (Igbo) and
Okoi Arikpo(Ogoja).
ONLY DrEndeley (Cameroun) was
supportive of the tactics.Eyo Ita, the Head
of Government Business in Eastern
Nigeria and some of his ministers picked
against the policy and were flabbergasted
when the central ministers were
dismissed by the party. Of course, when
the party asked them to resign, they
equally rebelled against the party and
refused to comply. They became known
as ‘sit-tight ministers’.

Amongst them wereEyoIta (Ibibio),E.I.Oli
(Igbo), S.J.Una (Ogoja), R.I.Uzoma (Igbo),
S.W.Ubani-Ukoma (Igbo) and
S.J.Koripoma (Ijaw). Those who complied
with party directive and resigned were
Dr.M.I.Okpara (Igbo), M.C.Awgu (Igbo)
and S.T.Muna (Bamenda, Cameroun).

A simple look at those who backed Eyo Ita against Zik will show the non tribal nature of the East. Eyo ita was backed by E.I Oli( an Igbo) S.j una( ogoja), R.I uzoma( Igbo) S.W Ubani-Ukoma( Igbo) and S.J Koripoma( Ijaw).

To suggest that Eyo ita loss was tribally motivated and not ideologically motivated, when we can clearly see that the majority of Eyo ita accomplices were Igbo, amounts to dishonesty and historical revisionism.

The East was united by shared ideology not ethnicity.

pazienza:


I believe Ojukwu did enough as time permitted to incorporate the minorities.
Many traditional rulers from those zones were carried around.

For example, Asari states that his family lost the leadership of buguma and his grandfather who was king forced to abdicate the throne because he stick with Biafra to the point of posing a risk to the community.

No amount of solidarity campaign would have helped once those minorities areas were left poorly defended and into the hands of FG.
For example, when Asaba (A proudly Igbo town) fell to the FG, the people lined up the streets to welcome ten FG troops just to save their lives, only for the terrorists to open fire on them.
If the FG and their terrorist army were not hell bent on exacting a pound of flesh on Asaba and environment because they knew Nzeogwu hailed from there, the Asaba people would have done anything possible, including denying their identity, to stay alive, and I would not blame them for it. I would only blame them if they continued the denial post civil, like those in Ika and Ukwuani are currently doing.

Want we needed was to secure those minority places, that was the only option, we fell to do that, and the minorities did what they could do to save themselves from genocide.

My brother, the deed has been done. If and if led us to entrusting leadership on a marxist and young Ojukwu. The federal forces, had we acted tactically had no business defeating us in that war. All our father's needed do was allow the elders taken seat by guiding Ojukwu, failure to accept that would have pushed him to the back seat while someone else takes the realm. The federal forces would have been decimated with the elders agreeing a deal with the Soviets.
The same thing that panned out then, is still happening now with Nnamdi Kanu. When anybody questioning his pattern is castigated in similar way our father's cheered Ojukwu while chastising the elders.
We seem not to have learnt our lesson and rather following similar path with Kanu.

Chiwude:
My brother, the deed has been done. If and if led us to entrusting leadership on a marxist and young Ojukwu. The federal forces, had we acted tactically had no business defeating us in that war. All our father's needed do was allow the elders taken seat by guiding Ojukwu, failure to accept that would have pushed him to the back seat while someone else takes the realm. The federal forces would have been decimated with the elders agreeing a deal with the Soviets.
The same thing that panned out then, is still happening now with Nnamdi Kanu. When anybody questioning his pattern is castigated in similar way our father's cheered Ojukwu while chastising the elders.
We seem not to have learnt our lesson and rather following similar path with Kanu.

Great post!

With the above ‘sit-tight’ attitude of some of the ministers, it behoved the legislature to orchestrate the requisite action to paralyse government business, which was practically in the hands of the British Lt. Governor.

In the Eastern House of Assembly, the NCNC majority subsequently succeeded in paralysing the constitutional system by voting to defeat or defer every bill before the House. As a last resort, the Lt. Governor was obliged to use his reserve power of legislation, the ultimate proof of colonial rule and subjugation in a politically advanced dependency, to pass the Regional Appropriation Bill into law. On adjournment day, the expelled ministers (Central and Regional) joined with a few other legislators and supporters who had resigned from the NCNC to form a new party, the National Independence Party, with EyoIta as president.

Some 10 weeks later, the Eastern parliamentary crisis was resolved by dissolution of the Eastern House of Assembly following the enactment of an amendment to the Constitution permitting the dissolution of the legislature of a single region. During this period, according to Sklar, the strain on the Constitution was not confined to the Eastern Region, as events of a less dramatic but nonetheless fateful character transpired in the West. Action Group’s hostility to the Constitution was scarcely less than that of the NCNC.

Ultimately, the Macpherson Constitution proved unworkable and collapsed as Zik had planned after 15 months of its operation and was repla
ced with a new Constitution (the Lyttleton Constitution of 1954) that granted residual powers to the regions and provided that apart from the Regional Governor, colonial officials of the administration would be excluded from the Executive Council of the Eastern and Western Regions, amongst other favourable provisions.

Meanwhile, with the collapse of EyoIta’s
government in May 1953, a new election
was conducted to elect new members to
the Eastern House of Assembly. Azikiwe
was elected from Onitsha; NCNC
dominated the House and its leader,
Azikiwe, assumed the office of premier or
head of government.

Eyo Ita as leader of the minor party in the
House became leader of Opposition.For
details of these historical facts, see
Richard L. Sklar, Nigerian Political Parties
(1963), pages 115 – 140. Amplifications
of particular points can also be gleaned
from James S. Coleman, Nigeria:
Background to Nationalism (1958).
Given the above prognosis, would it be
wise and correct for anybody to claim
thatZik or the Igbo conspired to oust Eyo
Ita from power? Or that the constitutional
crisis that terminated EyoIta’s government
was tribally motivated? But this is the
verdict or notion that has been
transmitted from generation to generation
in the South-South.


Finally, let me recap that in October 1959,
Professor EyoIta, Head of Government
Business and Minister of Natural
Resources of Eastern Nigeria from 1952 to
May 1953, resigned his leadership and membership of united national independent party ( UNIP) and rejoined NCNC

pazienza:
A simple look at those who backed Eyo Ita against Zik will show the non tribal nature of the East. Eyo ita was backed by E.I Oli( an Igbo) S.j una( ogoja), R.I uzoma( Igbo) S.W Ubani-Ukoma( Igbo) and S.J Koripoma( Ijaw).

To suggest that Eyo ita loss was tribally motivated and not ideologically motivated, when we can clearly see that the majority of Eyo ita accomplices were Igbo, amounts to dishonesty and historical revisionism.

The East was united by shared ideology not ethnicity.

When I said Zik, I was implying that he shouldn't have contested the priemership with Eyo Ita knowing how highly placed the eastern representative viewed him. Zik was a cult hero as at then and should have known the damage Eyo Ita's loss would do to the unity of the east. Was the premiership worth the unity of the east? Was the premiership worth the referendum and subsequent secession of southern Cameroon's to join French cameroun? Was the premiership worth the struggle of the minorities to start clamouring for COR state which was sponsored by outsiders like Ahmadu Bello? It wasn't worth it.
He should have allowed Eyo Ita be in the premiership, while he uses the support of the eastern assembly to launch his political postion as Prime Ministerof Nigeria or President whatsoever.

"So, Eyo Ita fell from Grace to grass, and despite the fact that he enjoyed Igbo support, Eyo ita will descend low to the old tested and trusted " Igbo want to dominate us" mantra, he became the New poster boy for the COR movement, but when that wasn't yielding dividends, because while he was preaching "Igbophobia", NCNC still had henchmen like Mbu from COR area, showing the people the truth.

Eyo ita, will later rejoin NCNC in October 1959. In a typical if you can't beat them, you join them, Nigerian politicians style".

~Pazienza

He had formed the National Independence Party which later merged with Alvan Ikoku’s United National Party to become UNIP. EyoIta proclaimed that he was re- joining the NCNC in accordance with the dictates of his conscience and in obedience to the chiefs and members of his Calabar constituency. These events indicate that the problem between Azikiwe and his compeer, EyoIta, was somehow resolved in their lifetime. Or that Eyo Ita personally resolved that what happened in 1953 did not warrant his taking steps that tore the party and the people apart. Hence, he talked about the “dictates of his conscience” as he
returned to the NCNC.

"And oh! Look, even when Eyo Ita became the poster boy of the agitation for COR, he had the support of men like Alvan Ikoku, but that doesn't matter right?

And ehm... Pa Eyo Ita returned to NCNC with a guilty conscience, he of course knew he had been lying against Ndiigbo too.

And look, the Calabar chiefs and his people were part of the reason he confessed that made him return to the NCNC fold.

Don't forget that while Oba of Bini was relegated to a second class traditional ruler in the Western house, the Obong of Calabar was elevated above Igbo kings like Eze Aro, Eze Nri, Obi of Onitsha, Obi of Obosi, etc Obong was the leader of the Eastern house of chiefs, now how about that? The Igbo belief in equity and justice had no rival, even Eyo ita knew that".

~Pazienza

APCLyingBastard:
'Good morning’ artillery barrage

Biafran nickname for highly predictable Federal Nigerian Army harassing artillery fire aimed at nobody in particular, usually the trees and bushes, but occurring at exactly the same times every morning. Used as an “alarm clock” by Biafran units.

hahaha this 1 funny me die