The Truth About Biafra II

I'm very sorry for not keeping to my promise,it was due to situations that were beyond my control.I'm sorry,please pardon me.I also want to express my condolence to the political realm of Kogi state that has lost a very important politician...especially the political family of All Progressive Congress,the A.P.C..May the soul of Prince Audu rest in perfect peace.Having said that,it's time to continue the story of Biafra.

The Aburi Confrence
After the announcement made by Col. Ojukwu of the secession plans of the East,the rest of Nigeria became tensed and refused to accept the secession plans as they were ready to keep the East even at gun point.The Chairman of the Ghana National Liberation Council -Lt.-General J.A. Ankrah wasn't happy about the development and was ready to do whatever it takes to forestall the rather impending war.
In an attempt to quench the tension via peaceful means,he hosted both the Nigerian F.G. delegates as well as the Eastern Nigeria regional government at Aburi in Ghana to iron things out.The Delegates are as follows:

• Lt.-Col. Yakubu Gowon - Head of State
• Lt.-Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu - Governor Eastern Region
• Major Mobolaji Johnson - Governor Lagos State
• Lt.-Col. Hassan Katsina - Governor Northern Region
• Lt.-Col. David Ejoor - Governor Mid-Western Region
• Commodre Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey - Vice President of Nigeria
• Colonel Robert Adewale- Governor Western Region
• Alhaji Kam Selem
• Mr. T. Omo-Bare

Others as follows:

• N. Akpan Secretary to the Military Governor-East
• Alhaji Ali Akilu Secretary to the Military Governor-North
• D. Lawani Under Secretary, Military Governor's Office-Mid-West.
• P. Odumosu Secretary to the Military Governor-West
•  S. Akenzua Permanent Under-Secretary-Federal Cabinet Office

After deliberations,the following points were agreed upon and were later known as the Aburi Peace Accord:

• "Members agree that the legislative and executive authority of the Federal Military Government should remain in the Supreme Military Council, to which any decision affecting the whole country shall be referred for determination provided that where it is possible for a meeting to be held the matter requiring determination must be referred to military governors for their comment and concurrence.

• Specifically, the council agreed that appointments to senior ranks in the police, diplomatic, and consular services as well as appointment to superscale posts in the federal civil service and the equivalent posts in the statutory corporation must be approved by the Supreme Military Council.

• The regional members felt that all the decrees passed since January 15, 1966, and which detracted from previous powers and positions of regional governments, should be repealed if mutual confidence is to be restored.

 

In Response...
The F.G. abrogated  one notorious decree 8 then...just for peace to reign and secession plans be put away and forgotten! But,unfortunately,the sacrifice was NOT enough to appease the Easterners as they had their own interpretations of the Aburi Peace Accord. War was inevitable and it finally broke out in 1967 following the declaration of the Biafra as a country.
The Biafran War
Ojukwu didn't only declare a sovereign nation but also raised her flag and minted her currency! He meant business and didn't hesitate to show that to the Nigerian government.From the statement of Col. Ojukwu after the war,he knew that he wouldn't be able to win the war by himself...he was hoping for help from the international community,which unfortunately didn't come their way.The British and the Russians along with some North African countries backed the Nigerian government with ammunition and air-force strength while the U.S. merely watched the war unfold and only kept records of the war and France condemned the war in favor of Biafrans but didn't support them with any form of aid.The Biafrans were left stranded without food
and arms.

Another thing that the Igbos were hopefully counting on was the possible secession move by the Yorubas. Awolowo has just returned from prison having served 10 years imprisonment for his involvement in the conflict that swept across the West and claimed numerous lives during elections.
The Igbos hoped that he would lead the Yorubas out of the country Nigeria.But,to their dismay,Awo accepted a ministerial appointment from the Military Junta instead of condemning the regime as expected by the Igbos.In fact,it is believed that in some quarters that he facilitated the defeat of the Biafrans when he suggested that the food supply routes of the Biafrans be blocked.
Hence,the war became so burdensome to the Biafrans. The Biafrans ran out of arms and food supply.Yes,they made their own guns and military vehicles and wares,but they still lacked adequate support from the international community.
Ojukwu's speech while in exile says it all!
"As a people we have endured as only giants endure. We have fought as heroes fight. We have dared as only gods dare. We are disillusioned by the world's insensitivity to the plight of our people. Yet because our cause is just we believe we have not lost the war, only that the battlefield has changed. We are convinced that Biafra will survive. Biafra was born out of the blood of innocents slaughtered in Nigeria during the pogroms of 1966. Biafra will ever live, not as a dream but as the crystallization of the cherished hopes of a people who see in the establishment of this territory a last hope for peace and security. Biafra cannot be destroyed by mere force of arms. May I take this opportunity to thank all those persons and organizations that have sacrificed that we might live - that we assure them that their sacrifice will not be in vain. Biafra lives. The struggle continues. Long live the Republic of Biafra."
This is why I maintain the stance that the War was a BIG mistake. It was the negligence of the Federal government that seem to have kicked off the crisis, but in all fairness,the whole thing began with the 1966 aborted coup de'tat.
Ojukwu's Blunder
Honestly,I think he had made a vital point by bravely declaring a republic in the face of sheer terror the Igbos were facing then. However,I think he already made a point with the Aburi conference he attended. That was enough. The world already heard their cry,why on earth did he still went ahead with the war knowing fully well that they can't fight long enough to win the war.BIAFRA WAS A NECESSITY BY WHICH THE IGBOS WERE HEARD NOT JUST BY THE GOVERNMENT BUT THE WORLD AT LARGE.THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO GO TO WAR! GOING TO WAR WAS A TERRIBLE MISTAKE!
.