The recurrent killings, bombings and destruction of human
lives by the Boko Haram religious sect in the name of Allah and their demands
for the Islamization of Nigeria was the greatest justification for the foresyth
of the late Odumegwu Ojukwu, President, Commander-in Chief of the armed forces
of the Defunct Republic of Biafra.
Odumegwu Ojukwu, a visionary leader, became the Military
Administrator of Eastern Region after the military coup of 1966. It was Ojukwu
as Battalion Commander in Kano who foiled the northern axis of the Kaduna
Nzeogwu coup of 1966 while Ironsi foiled the Lagos end.
The events that occurred later and the one sided success of
the coup created the wrong impression that it was an Eastern agenda. This
helped to exhume the age old northern resentment of the industriousness of
Nigerians of Eastern extraction. This resentment led to the pogrom, a genocide
where Easterners were rounded up and brutally murdered in hundreds of thousands
all over Northern Nigeria. This pogrom included even the military barracks.
Part of the reasons for the pogrom was the view of the northerner that these
easterners should be slaughtered until they leave us alone to secede from
Nigeria.
The counter-coup of 1966 which led to the death of Aguiyi
Ironsi then military Head of State was to give way for northern secession from
Nigeria. The inheritor of the situation, Yakubu Gowon was eager for there to be
a separation from these troublesome southerners and he was willing to finish
what Sir Ahmadu Bello was agitating for before the independence of Nigeria in
1960.
The north due to no fault of theirs has viewed the
southerners with suspicion. The feudal north wanted to preserve their
monarchial, theocratic and simplistic culture. They detested all dilution
associated with western education, western lifestyles and western radicalism.
They wanted a controlled cultural, religious and political environment devoid
of radicalism and independence mindedness associated with their southern
countrymen.
The north was apprehensive of being forced into a marriage
with the south of Nigeria. The British colonial government had a sway time
convincing the northern oligarchy that being joined to Nigeria was to their
best interest. The north was not convinced citing population, commerce,
religious and cultural differences as part of their fears.
The British colonialists had to organize to divide Nigeria
into three regional blocks, East, West, North knowing that a balkanized south
will be easier to manipulate by divide and rule. They then gave the Ahmadu
Bello government tips on how to use the balkanized south to their political
advantage by fueling divisions and infightings in the south while maintaining
cohesion in the north. This advantage brought about the emergence of Tafawa
Balewa as the Prime minister. The north, against the dictates of their
intuition, decided to follow the advice of the British Colonial masters to go
on with one Nigeria.
With the tensions in 1966, Ojukwu and Gowon met in Aburi,
Ghana , where the roadmap for the loose confederacy of Nigeria was drawn. The
British advisers convinced sGowon that confederation is as good as secession
and as such the Aburi accord should be jettisoned. Gowon, based on British
advice, reneged on the agreement and plunged the nation into a civil war.
The rejection of the Aburi accord and the subsequent
declaration of war on the Biafrans led to the death of three million people on
the seceding side. The federal forces wouldn’t have won that war if not for the
high level military and diplomatic support from Britain. The British Government
was a major supplier of military tactics, arms and support personnel throughout
the duration of the war. The then British Labour Foreign Secretary, Michael
Stewart, while regretting the actions of British Government against Biafra
agonized that "It would have been quite easy for me to say: This is going
to be difficult - let's cut off all connexion with the Nigerian Government,….
"If I'd done that I should have known that I was encouraging in Africa the
principle of tribal secession - with all the misery that could bring to Africa
in the future” That was one of Britain’s official reason for supporting the
genocide.
The fall of Biafra was not a victory by the Federal forces;
it was a victory by the British Forces, British Foreign policy and British
Government. It is laughable to suggest that the NTC rebels in Libya are
responsible for the ouster of Gaddafi. It was foreign powers that aided the NTC
rebels to oust Gaddafi. The same foreign powers led by Britain handed victory
to the Federal forces.
The curse that came upon Nigeria as a result of the 3
million lives wasted for trying to secede is haunting Nigeria now. Britain
would have to grapple with an underdeveloped country whose citizens will be
illegally migrating to its shores in search of greener pastures. Britain would
have to grapple with the fact that the core north they fought so much to defend
will be constantly exporting suicide bombers to British and European
territories in the near future. This marriage forced upon Nigeria by the
British Government, reinforced during Tafawa Balewa and Yakubu Gowon regimes
have created problems of corruption, underdevelopment, murders, diseases,
injustice, poverty and the newest addition suicide bombings.
The British Government should admit to mistakes of ill
advising Sir Ahmadu Bello to go on with one Nigeria. They should equally admit
that it is a mistake to advice Gowon to renege on the Aburi accord. The British
Government should also apologize to the Republic of Biafra for aiding and
abetting a civil war leading to loss of lives of over 3 million people.
It is gladdening that the British government stood by the
Nigerian people during the military dictatorship of Babangida and Abacha. They
supported National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) during the dark days of
Nigeria. They still support Nigeria in areas of human rights, civil society
agitations, capacity building for democracy. The British Government has been
cooperating with Nigeria’s Government of Goodluck Jonathan in the fight against
terrorism. All these are commendable and appreciable. The worst form of
terrorism committed in Nigeria is not Boko Haram whose atrocities is yet to
claim up to two thousand lives but the extermination of millions of Biafran
lives under the supervision and cooperation of Britain.
The British Government should do their image a lot of good
by offering unreserved apology to Biafrans for that foreign policy gaffe and
take urgent steps to undo their mistakes. They should champion the cause of
allowing every geopolitical zone to develop at their own pace holding on to the
values they cherish most and create an exit strategy if the marriage becomes
cantankerous.
By Obinna Akukwe
If tithes picture was not taken by American journalist Nigeria and Britain will say that nothing happened. Now buhari is still killing more biafrans and no one is seeing it.God must punish an evil generation.
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