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In every conflict, the first victim is the truth. Thus it is not, or should not be a surprise that the Nigeria-Biafra war years after, continue to be subject to biased speculative opinions and wild revisionisms. Given that Nigeria achieved what appeared to be a pyrrhic victory, many commentators and erstwhile enemies have continued to align their opinions to suit the paymasters of the subsisting Nigerian geographical expression.
The question of whether Ojukwu is a hero should not even arise. Any man who fights for the freedom of his people is definitely a hero by universal standards. Ojukwu was a victim of circumstances who found himself trapped by the premeditated orgy of bestial killings of 50,000 Easterners in the North by the Northern establishment which included Army officers, Police officers, politicians, traditional rulers and other government officials who ordinarily should be responsible for providing security. In the face of such unimaginable blatant assault, Ojukwu would have been a cowardly villain if he had surrendered to the genocidal government that had orchestrated the slaughter of thousands of innocent civilians because of a political coup carried out by 5 officers in the military who had acted entirely on their own.
It is a historical fact, that Yakubu Gowon reneged on the exact terms of Aburi accord which could have prevented conflict by introducing obnoxious clauses that technically rubbished the absolute autonomy which the Aburi accord was supposed to grant at least in the interim, until such a time when proper security and trust had been re-established. Given the genocidal killings of Easterners and other barbarities displayed in the North and other parts of Nigeria by government forces, common sense dictates that Ojukwu and the Igbo in general could not in the least have trusted Yakubu Gowon and his genocidal Northern forces under a diluted constitutional arrangement that could have made it possible for Ojukwu to be removed, a state of emergency imposed, and possibly an invasion of Northern troops to the East to continue their unfinished business of genocide.
Under such a circumstance of absolute hatred, displayed genocidal intentions, suspicions and distrust, only an accord that guaranteed regional autonomy could have been acceptable on an interim basis, until security and trust is sufficiently re-established. Some believe it would have been ideal for Ojukwu to have accepted the diluted accord, but idealism and reality are two different things. And the reality on the ground at that time sufficiently supports the common sense approach of having an accord with enough guarantees of autonomy, which was the wise approach Ojukwu adopted.
It is also a historical fact that Yakubu Gowon fired the first shot in the war. Ojukwu exercised the fundamental rights of security of life and property, and the right to self determination of the Eastern region peoples under his control, since their life and security could no longer be protected or guaranteed under Nigeria. The best Gowon should have done was to let them go since he couldn’t protect their lives and property, or organize for a plebiscite to determine who wanted to go with Biafra and who wanted to remain in Nigeria. Yakubu Gowon had no right to sponsor the genocidal massacre of thousands of innocent civilians and turn around to insist on one Nigeria by attacking Biafra, this amounts to eating one‘s cake and still wanting to have it.
It is also important to pause and remember the often ignored fact, that the North had originally intended to secede as they staged their so called counter coup christened “araba.” Yakubu Gowon who himself had already proclaimed that there was “no basis for Nigerian unity” preparatory to Northern secession acted the cheap opportunist he was, when he did a policy somersault to insist on one Nigeria on the prompting of the British.
Perhaps this fact and background makes it easier to understand why the North had embarked on such orgy of killings. They themselves had calculated their exit from Nigeria as they staged the bloody genocide, knowing fully well that after such bestialities, it would be impossible to co-habit in the same nation with their victims.
The question now arises for those who have consistently questioned Ojukwu’s rationale for declaring Biafra: What if the North had seceded as originally planned? The answer to this question would perhaps introduce a fresh perspective into understanding the dynamics of the 1966-1970 events.
The shooting war was forced on Ojukwu, but even in deciding to fight back, Ojukwu did the right thing. The beginning of any war is predictable, but the end can never be predicted. America went into an easy war with Iraq thinking they would ride roughshod and strike an easy victory, today the war drags on, so also was Vietnam. Though Biafra may have been ill prepared at the outset of the war, changing circumstances and dynamics could still have helped them win the war. The surprise push to Lagos by Lt.col. Victor Banjo could well have changed the dynamics and won the war quite easily if Banjo had followed through swiftly as planned. Massive foreign support with heavy sophisticated equipment could also have been negotiated for Biafra in the course of the war etc unfortunately none of this materialised.
But Ojukwu demonstrated an unusual courage and resilience when he held out for almost 3 years against all odds. In the end he had to leave Biafra a hero, yes a hero! Contrary to what many ignorant folks have continued to insinuate, leaving Biafra was not an act of cowardice. Many great heroes in history have left their nations in times of war or crisis. Gen. Charles de Gaulle left France and went to Great Britain on exile after the fall of France during the 2nd world war, he has never been considered a coward either by the French or by historians for fleeing France. The Dutch government, Belgian government and practically all the heads of government that fell to Germany took up exile in Great Britain. Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran also famously spent his exile years in France. Had Britain fallen to Germany, Sir Winston Churchill would probably have left on exile to the United states of America.
Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and some other ANC leaders were on exile until the fall of Apartheid, none of them have ever been considered cowards. History is replete with political leaders that fled a war or crisis situation and returned as heroes. Ojukwu is one of them.
Finally the war may have been won, but the bones continue to creak. Ojukwu has been vindicated over and over again by the continuing rot in Nigeria. From Northern “born to rule domination” to Gideon Orkars secessionist coup, to the cancellation of Abiola’s election, to Sharia, to OPC, to the killing of Saro Wiwa, to the various periodic massacres I.e. Odi, Zaki-biam to the ongoing Niger-Delta insurgency, to MASSOB, to the organisation of the worst election in human history, to human corpses on the streets, to the absence of basic infrastructure, to massive poverty etc what has become of Yakubu Gowons Nigeria is no doubt a jungle of unending crisis, misery, and a disgrace to the Blackman all over the world.
Nigeria remains a nation whose future is etched in quicksand. The fear of disintegration has remained a recurring decimal, and like the cat with nine lives, the Aburi accord has ironically come back to haunt a nation in denial. Ojukwu has been further vindicated by the fact that both friends and erstwhile foes have reintroduced the Aburi accord into the national question, and now hold it as the only trump card that can guarantee Nigeria’s survival.
At the end Ojukwu has triumphed as a visionary and hero who saw tomorrow. What he saw more than 30 years ago, remains today the only panacea to cure Nigeria’s ills or face outright disintegration. Yakubu Gowon’s temporary victory only served to postpone not stop the evil day. You cannot force nationhood on the point of a gun.
As the bones of discontent continues to creak, Ojukwu’s Aburi accord vision has triumphed as Nigeria’s “final solution.” He is thus a man of history, a visionary and a vindicated hero!
Comrade Lawrence Chinedu Nwobu
Email: lawrencenwobu@yahoo.com
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Posted by Robot| 20.10.2007 00:09