The 3 Founders and a troubled National State

The trouble "Nigeria" faces today started from these three founders representing the three major ethnic groups, and who collectively agreed to form a union of different nationalities without realizing its consequences. They were called the "founding fathers of Nigerian nationalism." Except for Obafemi Awolowo who had earlier envisioned as the heated debate on independence dragged on, arguing that Nigeria was only a mere "geographical expression."

Since independence, Nigeria has been marked with internal power struggles among the three major ethnic groups and other ethnic minorities. A nation of over 250 ethnic groups joined together. The question here is, can the country survive as a one united nation under the pressure of power tussle and political rivalry? It is a sad reality taking a closer look at the chronological list below and the events that follows suggesting the country still lacks a sense of direction, meaning we are still in bondage.

October 1, 1960: The Founding Fathers vigorous fight and nerve wrecking debates with the colonists would bring along with it an independent nation. The Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) wholly supervised by the Sarduana of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello, and its overwhelming victory in the general elections would under the directives of Bello, elect Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Prime Minister of the First Republic.

1962 Election: A power tussle between Obafemi Awolowo's Action Group and samuel Akintola's defection would result to chaos in the Western Region. The mayhem was code-named "Wild Wild West," for its brutality.

1962-1966: Political thuggery, party conflicts, economic instability, lawlessness, bribery and corruption would be the order of the day and the nazcent democracy of the First Republic would be jeopardized.

May 1965: Confusions in the military. Rumors of attempted military coup by top military officials did not hold water and would be overlooked as a rhetorical balderdash. A nation in turmoil would follow.

January 15, 1966: The first military coup and the casualties. Among the casualties are: Abubakar Tafawa balewa, Prime Minister; Ahmadu Bello, Premier of Northern Region; Samuel L. Akintola, Premier of Western Region; Festus Okotie-Eboh, Federal Finance Minister; Bigadier Zakari Maimalari, Nigerian Army; Lt-Colonel Abogo Largema, Nigerian Army; Brigadier Sam Ademulegun, Nigerian Army; and Lt.-Colonel Arthur Unegbe, Nigerian Army.

Meanwhile, the coup would be foiled. The Senate President, Nwafor Orizu, would declare a state of emergency and would hand over power to the highest ranking military officer GOC Major General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi Ironsi as Head of State and Commander-inChief of the armed forces.

May 24 1966: Ironsi's regime would enact Decree 34, also called "Unification Decree," which nullified federalism. Riots would erupt in the North on the complexities of the unification decree. Igbos massacre would swiftly commence.

July 29, 1966: On the orders of Major Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, Ironsi would be flogged, kidnapped and murdered in the most brutal way. The most miltiray officer, Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe supposedly to have succeeded Ironsi according to seniority would be compelled by the coup plotters to leave for London paving way for Lt-Colonel Yakubu Gowon to succeed Ironsi.

July 1966-December 1966: Anarchy, Mayhem, rape, Lynching, arson, etc. would be the order of the day. Unborn children would be removed from their mother's womb and sliced. Churches would go up in flames all over the North. The hausa-Fulanis would be blood-thirsty and their victims would be Nd'Igbo. Thousands of Igbos, a Christian people wit unique tradition and cultural heritage would be murdered by Islamic Jihad rioters in the north, with some beheaded and some buried alive.

January 4-5, 1967: Ghana's Commander-in-Chief, Lt.-General J.A. Ankra would chair a meeting in Aburi, Ghana, between Gowon and Ojukwu regarding the crisis. The issue was resolved and was known as the ABURI ACCORD.

However, the Aburi Accord would not be implemented as Gowon and his delegates returns home to carry out a full blown assault on the Igbo nation.

May 27, 1967: Gowon declares a state of emergency and issues a decree which would divide Nigeria into twelve states carving out Rivers State and Cross River State as a strategy to isolate and liquidate the Igbo Nation.

May 30, 1967: Chkwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu would declare the Republic of Biafra as a result of not implementing the Aburi talks and the continuous annihilation of Igbos all around the country. The civil war would follow and Biafrans would be desperately starved, humiliated, outnumbered and conquered. Over 200,000 infants and children would be wiped out from the face of this Planet in Gowon's genocidal campaign against the Igbo nation.

Benjamin "Black Scorpion" Adekunle taking his war songs to the bank would meet the press and utter the following statements: "I want to prevent even one Ibo having even one piece to eat before their capitulation. We shoot at everything that moves, and our forces march into the center of Ibo territory, we shoot at everything, even at things that do not move."

Nevertheless, the war dragged on and Biafrans fought with everything within its reach until Awolowo's initiated 'economic blockade' that starved Igbo women, infants and children which weakened the Biafran force.

Awolowo, in his own words said: "All is fair in war and starvation is one of the weapons of war. We should not feed our enemies fat in order to fight us harder." This actual verbatim quotation was just a tiny fraction of what was to come.

August 17, 1969: Nnamdi Azikiwe would pay a surprise visit to Gowon, and the two would take a flight to Monrovia, Liberia, for more discussions on the civil war. Zik would later defect and support a one united Nigeria at a press conference in London.

January 11, 1969: Ojukwu leaves for Ivory Coast as he slept all the way through.

January 12, 1970: Major General Philip Effiong announces the surrender of Biafra on Broadcasting Corporation of Biafra.

January 15, 1970: Armistice Day; Gowon accepts surrender and declares war "no victor, no vanquished." Ojukwu would be declared wanted.

The 30-month civil war took an estimated 1 million casualties.

January 1970-August 1975: Gowons regime, reconstruction and widespread scandals of bribery and corruption within the bureaucracy.

Though revised, this article was first published March 17, 2000 at Kilima and in related group mails.