₦airaland Forum

"No. Infact what attracted me to Nzeogwu at the early stage when the coup was being planned was that I asked him if he was going to make himself the Head of State and he said no. He said he was going to bring a civilian who was more knowledgeable and who had what it took to make Nigeria great. I then asked him who that person was and he said the man was in Calabar prison. I said is it Chief Obafemi Awolowo? He said yes. That was why I gave him my support but when he told me it was going to involve killings, I said no I was not interested again."




The ones who knew the truth can tell you it was a coup to favor the Yorubas more.

Guestlander:
You think Nigerians are so dumb that they didn't know the mastermind of the coup was Emmanuel Ifeajuna. It wasn't even Nzeogwu.
Banjo and some Yorubas later fought for Biafra did that turn to Yoruba and Ibo secession?

Owa of Ido-Ani, Oba Olufemi Olutoye
INTERVIEW
1966 coup plotters planned to make Awolowo Head of State — Olutoye
Published
July 31, 2016
The Owa of Ido-Ani, Oba Olufemi Olutoye, is a retired Major-General in the Nigerian Army. In this interview with PETER DADA, he shares his experiences as a soldier and his level of involvement in the 1966 military coup

Can you share your background with us?

My name is Olufemi Olutoye. I was born in Ido Ani town, Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State. I spent the early part of my childhood days in Benin City, Edo State, when my father was the headmaster at St. James’ Primary School, Benin City. From there, I went to Government College Ibadan in 1945. I completed my secondary school education in 1949. I then gained admission to the University of Ibadan in 1950 and I graduated in June 1954. I also went to Cambridge University and concluded my course there in 1955. When I returned to Nigeria, I started teaching at the Olu-Iwa College, Ijebu Ode, (now Adeola Odutola College) . Later, I left teaching to join the Nigerian Army in 1957 and I retired in 1977.


What informed your decision to join the army, when you were a university graduate?

I believed then that I had attained the height of the teaching profession, because teaching then was different from what we have now. I worked in a private school and I believed I had already reached the limit and that there was nothing to look forward to again. Secondly, I wanted adventure. I taught briefly in a public school in England where there was a Cadet Corps, where young boys were given uniforms. I asked myself then that why couldn’t we have such kind of school in Nigeria? I was the acting principal for a year, so I had to leave after that. That was when I got to the army where I rose through the ranks to become Major General before I eventually retired in 1977.

You were in the army when the first coup happened in Nigeria. Can you tell us your experience?

I hope that I will have time to write more about that coup but I am doing something on it right now. The coup was led by Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu. He was a Major in rank and of course, I was a Major then too but I was his senior. So I knew about that coup. I can say that now but I could not say that then because, in the army, the mere knowledge of a coup is a problem. We were together in India. So, he informed me about it and I enquired more on how he hoped to carry out the plot. When he told me that it would involve killings, I told him to count me out. I told him that I did not join the Nigerian Army to kill Nigerians.

Was he the one that personally approached you to inform you about the plan?

Yes, he personally came to inform me about it in 1964 when we were in India and the coup was carried out in 1966. There are few other things that happened which we cannot say now until the time is ripe.

Did he specifically tell you that the coup was going to be bloody ?

Yes, that was why I told him to count me out. When I joined the Nigerian Army it was called West Africa Frontier Force. We were part of the Colonial Army. I did not join to kill fellow Nigerians. So, I told him I would not be a party to any military exercise that would result to loss of lives of any Nigerian. So, that was why I did not participate in the coup.

The coup seemed to have been targeted at military officers from a particular part of Nigeria and it was also tagged, ‘Igbo Coup’. Why?

It later turned out to be so, although all the six majors who plotted it were Igbos except one — Major Adegboyega from Remo, Ogun State. I want to assure you that, that was not Nzeogwu’s intention. As I told you, the coup was planned as far back as 1964. Maybe between 1964 and end of 1965, he changed his mind. I can’t say why he did so but those that showed interest in the coup turned out to be Igbos. Even his utterances when the coup took place on January 15, 1966, showed that he didn’t mean it to be an Igbo affair but unfortunately, it turned out to be so that an Igbo man could also become the Head of State.

Did he tell you that he planned the coup to become the Head of State?

"No. Infact what attracted me to Nzeogwu at the early stage when the coup was being planned was that I asked him if he was going to make himself the Head of State and he said no. He said he was going to bring a civilian who was more knowledgeable and who had what it took to make Nigeria great. I then asked him who that person was and he said the man was in Calabar prison. I said is it Chief Obafemi Awolowo? He said yes. That was why I gave him my support but when he told me it was going to involve killings, I said no I was not interested again."

Those were the exact words of Owa of Ido-Ani, Oba Olufemi Olutoye

phelonrays:
lol......but-wait oo

this story was transferred to you by your parents who were the actual beneficiary of the bad leadership then..... but you did little/nothing to see an end or get a revenge....the same way your parents felt then; because the told you the story; you follow suit ....telling or "baptizing" your children with the same story would make them more depressed than you are whenever the story pups up in your mind... so let the children be.................

They shouldn't forget! People are yet to forget the holocaust

Fortunately for me, my children will be mixed but it doesn't stop me from telling them how Soldiers killed unarmed and defenseless mothers and children, how James Harold Wilson and Britain took money from them Nigerians bought Jets that the Egyptians flew to bomb Biafra land.. How Refuge Camps were targeted. How they call us thieves but rush to attach us with Nigeria once we achieve glory. How a certain individual lied just because bad advisers told him to do so, and how that same individual goes around praying for a country na enwero nmekwata.. They will know who their real enemies are.... Watching Nigeria go thru hell gives me joy..

All these my thoughts and many more shall I use to baptize my children..

Khaleell001:
Yes,of course.
To detonate more truth about Islam that will gbooza off your stupidity and lies.

Lies that your religion is always associated with gboozaa?

xynerise:
But I watched him speaking and I love his sense of humour at the Burial. When did it happen?

It happened immediately you stepped out of your Parlor. Straight up igba na wetin d gods nak am.

He will not die! He will surely live to watch how Fulani Herdsmen resume from where they stopped..

Sometimes death means rest! For the sake of Justice, Gowon will not die till he starts pooing on himself.

There's only one reason why History in the Nigeria School Curriculum is just in shambles. That reason is Gowon..

They're leaving for countries that don't owe salaries.

OyinbowithaTan:
I am a citizen and I vote. What you don't understand that in the USA that politics is a 2 horse race, owned by the same stable. In the modern era there have been non CIA stooges, JFK, Reagan, Carter, Trump etc. The Obama era was literally a Banana Republic.

you just served it to that nobody claiming American. Ask him if you both could meet in the slump-filled Chicago, and you'd see him flee like wave.

Russia? 20bn? Hahaha! They invested NOTHING

Hoodbilonia:
Daz y i ha8 big cars
Im a mature man
I cant hit 5m and use 3.8m to buy benz
I invest bro
Or i no spend am at all
Im waitin till dey nabb my guys wey dey insult me.
Im not in a hurry,in the next 2yrs i go stop G
Fly out,buy house for yankee
No coming back

And someone somewhere takes his time and 'yahoo' you of both your car, house and money. Las Las, u go surely collect ekpoma scamming. What goes around comes around!

Longest serving thieves!

Allah Hu Akbar is a warning to all the people surrounding the person screaming it. It means you have to stop doing whatever you are doing because you have exactly 5 seconds to run as far away as possible from the screaming man in order to have the slimmest chance of survival before a block of C4 denotes and annihilates everyone within a 10 foot radius.

And for strength to detonate more gbooza!

Mtcheew! Education in Nigeria is just like Nollywood. Nothing is real!

Tonto Dikeh Mosquehill is insane!!!
Men make too many mistakes. Mosquehill should've just 'jumped & bypassed' this time bomb of a girl.

Ugosample:
togolese citizen

This is funny

Why's it funny?

ironheart:
Mtchew, madeness. This is the reason lots of our leaders do not care. There children are citizen of other nation. They have stolen enough money to keep them till death. Lets build our nation Nigeria

Nigeria is not and will never be a nation. There's nothing to build...

Ilamina:
A black person can not be racist

Wow! So racism is just for a particular race?

Bayus2020:
i was told by my brother friend that in most cases in abuja interview they dont recommend people that abandon lagos and go to abuja for interview because it will look some how to them that why did you leave lagos to abuja.and because of that you may be send back to your state to go and reapply again...i need you comment

America u mean?

Having lived there for 6yrs, I believe you're a citizen there. Right? If not, just get back to Nigeria, and make use of the High Court in Lagos.. Or didn't you tell the American you're Nigerian?

Whoever supports Yahoo should imagine how tough it is working for years and in just few hours, the money disappears

jaxxy:
So the ones that asked u to reset pin and Atm are greedy too? Call a spade A Spade.

Yahoo has destroyed lives. It shud not be encouraged. Why don’t the yahoo guys still from greedy politicians who stole from the country not hard working innocent citizens.

That one is a fool...... One contacted me to pick up money for him, but I've promised myself he'd be in jail BEFORE 2020.

Whatacountry:
That wasn’t yahoo. Sounds like the regular 419. Not a white scam.. I’m perplexed at the outrage on yahoo when no one in Nigeria has the moral decadence to judge anyone. There are so many pressing issues that needs this much outrage not deceiving whites to collect money. Nigeria has an irredeemable image that not even the demise of internet fraud can change it. Face your leaders. Stupid gal

Those leaders started this way.

stanley000:
So someone that fell for a Ponzi scheme now has yahooboys to blame So you have a right to speak out against fraud and others have no right to defend it?? What is wrong with everyone today

You've never owed money u can't pay.

babadee1:
You are clearly a dunce if you think Trump is a better president than Obama.

Yes he is better than Obama

Ndi Isi Oji!

Oh! Nigeria

lordally:
Temple Temple

Sir