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A Word of Advice to
"Osita H. Olisa:"
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A Repy to
"NDIGBO, OJUKWU & BIAFRA: WHERE DID WE GO WRONG"
by
Osita Chiagorom
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Mr. Osita H. Olisa, kindly lend me your ears with regards
to your article on "GAMJI.COM." Although I agree with some of the things you said with regards to Ojukwu,
I quite disagree and totally reject some of your points. At the same time, the objectivity of your article at this
time is doubtful. The Zik/Ojukwu feud is a long forgotten issue, so I wonder why you are digging up the matter.
Ojukwu and Zik must have quarreled. But they reconciled a long time before Zik died. Their quarrel was like that
between a son and the father, which was later resolved. Are you not aware that Ojukwu wanted to be the Chairman
of Ziks burial committee, which was later given to Dr. Alex Ekwueme? Is it possible for someone to seek to be his
enemy"s burial commitee chairman?
Ojukwu has never competed with the great Zik. That was not the relationship between Zik and Ojukwu, and Ojukwu
never set himself up as competition against Zik. Also, I find it very disturbing that you have suddenly chosen
to re-write history by insinuating that Ojukwu forced the East to secede as Biafra.
My brother, I want to humbly inform you that in the process of your rush to castigate Ojukwu, you have ended up
insulting the whole Igbo and human race. You wrote as if you are not aware that there was a pogrom against Easterners
in 1966 and 1967. Maybe your family did not feel the pain of losing relatives who are amongst thousands of Easterners
massacred in the northern part of the country and had no alternative than to go back home.
We are still witness to what JUNE 12 and the death of MKO Abiola could have done to Nigeria if not for the God
sent Abdulsalam Abubakar who healed wounds. We know that the 1966/67 experience was far more serious. Were you
not informed that Ojukwu was initially accused of being against secession? Tongues started wagging that he did
not want to lose his father's investments outside the East. This was used to blackmail him to declare Biafra.
At the time time Biafra was declared, there was no alternative to secession. Secession was on everyone's lips long
before Ojukwu was dircted to declare Biafra. The war was not Ojukwu's making. Ojukwu did not kill thousands of
Easterners in the North. Ojukwu was not the one that sent blood thirsty vandals who raped pregnant women and opened
their wombs. Ojukwu was not the cause of that nightmare that forced them home. It was an act of providence that
he found himself as the governor of the East at that time.
Remember, he was a very young man under great pressure. My brother, do you think it is easy? He must have made
his mistakes with regards to the prosecution of the war. I see Ojukwu as a human who has his own faults. Also,
I want to tell you that it's not for the general interest of Nd'Igbo who you claim to love that you wrote such
an article for the whole world to see how you "insult your elders." The Igbos are known to be republican
in nature, which has always made them to utter their personal views despite the majority view and general belief
on certain issues. My brother, are an Igbo? I can see some of that republican trait in you. But, remember also
that it's abomination to insult your elders.
Personally, Ojukwu had never been my idol. But, I felt so bad the way and manner that you savaged him. I don't
know how old you are. But, I believe that Ojukwu must be older than you. You wondered why Yorubas never contemplated
secession from Nigeria without adequate and prominent role or involvement of the most revered Chief Pa Obafemi
Awolowo. Again, I want to remind you that you will never see a Hausa or Yoruba castigating their leaders in the
public as you have just done. Why must you wash your dirty linens in the public?
If Ojukwu is "Eze wuru wuru," then do you think you will be better than him with the way you are going?
Can you insult your own father in the public? You might be right on Ojukwu on some issues. But the way and manner
you addressed him goes beyond reason. As far as facts are, the only crime that Ojukwu committed is that he led
his people to a war that they could not win. But, the Nigerians declared the war and Ojukwu and Biafrans had no
opportunity to weigh the chances of winning the war before they entered it.
As you said, he was only rhetorical and not practical. Maybe, its because he was not a combatant soldier and to
make things worse he was not ready to listen to advice and many people who came close to him complained that he
has traces of arrogance. Maybe there might have been a different situation if Biafra had experienced combatant
soldiers like Col. Njoku or Madiebo at the helm of affairs.
Among all the points you gave that made the seccession of Biafra impossible, I can say that it's the issue of oil
that really played a role. It's because of economic interest that made the British and their allies to assist Nigeria
to crush Biafra because they felt it would be easier for them to exploit the oil if it remains in Nigeria. Remember
Nigeria was created by Britain to suit their own needs and not to suit the needs of Nigerians. May I ask you...did
the US fight the GULF WAR of 1990 to protect Kuwait or protect their economic interest? Why did Britain panic and
attack Abdel Nasser's Egypt when it nationalized the SUEZ CANAL on the 26th of July 1956?
My brother,to put you right, the EAST as a region had every moral justification to secede from Nigeria as of that
time. It was a collective decision and action and not Ojukwu's. Please take note of that.
Osita Chiagorom
Changchun, China
A Word of Advice to "Osita
H. Olisa:" A Repy to
"NDIGBO, OJUKWU & BIAFRA: WHERE DID WE GO WRONG"
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