ISSUES AND EVENTS THAT CULMINATE THE NIGERIA CIVIL WAR
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as
the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970, was a political
conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of
Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra. The conflict was the result
of economic,
ethnic, cultural and religious tensions among the various peoples
of Nigeria.
The aim here is to highlight the fact
that the involvement of the military in country’s politics has exacerbated the
conflict situation, and the growth of effective political leadership and
governance (B. Ekot:2011)
ISSUES AND EVENTS THAT CULMINATE THE NIGERIA CIVIL WAR OF 1967-1970
Crises In The Republic
The first year of Nigeria independence were characterizing
by severe conflict within and between regions. The three major parties were
the: National Congress of Nigeria and Cameroun (NCNC) Northern Progressive Party
(NPC) and Action group (AG) of the west were ethnically structure and regional
based. Their main focus was the interest and concerns of major ethnic group and
how they could control the federal government after independence. The political
alignment also contributed to the crises, the NCNC and npc formed a colition
and AG was left as the position party (B. Ekot: 2011) the census of 1962 and
1963 : the census here was rejected
because it was discriminated of being partially that the north has much
more population that the total population of the southern region. This
concluded to another census in 1963 and another region was created (the mid
west) and the result was not quite different from the previous in spite of the
opposition from the Emir and premier of mid west. Tafawa Belewa still decided
to make do with the result. The federal election also contributed to the crisis
which was in 1964; NPC and NNPC of Akitola and other minority blocs metamorphosed
into a new party- the Nigeria National Alliance (NNA). The opposition block
which was the remnants of Action group, the united progressive grand alliance
(UPGA), northern element progressive union (NEPU) and united middle belt congress
(UMBC). Election which was conducted in an environment of confusion, boycotts
and violence the result favored the NNA with the post- election government
essentially an NPC government. The UPGA and the southerner’s were shammed of
this result and lacked faith for Belewa administration (B. Ekot: 2011)
This is consequently led to major crisis
in the western region which resulted in arson, looting and massive destruction
of property. The western regional election and the aftermath left the region
shamble. Belewa generally ignore d the situation, saying he has no constitutional
power to intervene against Akitola the premier of the region. Belewa was
accused of operating a double standard. This event nearly broke the federation.
It was clear that there arbitrary used of power which discredited the electoral
constitution distribution between the regions and the people. (B. Ekot:2011) The
environment was becoming conducive for the military to come in because the
military claim to come into power when there is disorderliness, nepotism,
tribalism and tribalism.
1965 Military Intervention
On 15 January 1966 was the 
Very first
time Nigerian experience a coup d’état. The immediate reasons for the
first-coup, however, concerned the nationwide disillusionment with the corrupt
and selfish politicians, as well as with their inability to maintain law and
order and guarantee the safety of lives and property. During the initial
stages, Nzeogwu and his collaborators were hailed as national heroes. But the
pattern of killings in the coup gave it a partisan appearance: killed were the
prime minister, a northerner, the premier of the Northern Region, and the
highest ranking northern army officers; not even one Igbo officer lost his
life. Also killed was the premier of the Western Region who was closely allied
with the NPC. General Ironsi, an Igbo, emerged as the head of state. This made
the northerners begin to suspect that
the coup was a tribal coup for the Igbo’s; saying that he refuse calling the
coup plotter to order. Aguyi as the first military head of state suspended the
constitution and rule by decrees, he introduce unitary system of government,
thereby removing power at the regional level and also dissolved the legislature
and formed the supreme military council. He was seriously opposing the northerners;
this gave rise to the second coup.
The impact of the second coup on
Nigeria political reality was continuous tension and a wave of upheaval between
the north and the south. At this point there was open conflict in the north
where the southerners, particularly the Igbos, were targeted and a good number
were killed. Anti-igbo sentiments also erupted among the civilian population
and in there was widespread of riot in the north, in may, July and September of
1966, thousands of Igbos were killed. There was a mass exodus of the easterners
mostly Igbos from other part of the country, as they were no longer secure. The
general atmosphere was that of instability which gave rise to tense disagreement between the federal government and the administration of the eastern
region.
Aburi Agreement
Gowon and Ojukwu was invited to
Ghan
a in Aburi in an effort by the Ghanaians
did not actually work, because Ojukwu
wanted a confederation system but when
they arrived home Gowon disagreed, Gowon
saw this as an act of indiscipline. It
was seen that particular region was trying to break out from Nigeria. Since the
Aburi agreement could not be hormone, event started to move in a quick
succession. 
There was a threat and counter threat by the Lagos government
headed by Gowon and the eastern region government headed by Ojukwu. These
threat and counter brought tensions and excitement. The tension it brought was
that, it enlivened the horrendous events of the recent past. While its excitement
was that; it brought the expectation of the awaiting independence state of the
Biafra to the fore.
The reason for northerners trying the
invade the Biafra was being that the Biafra also included some oil rich regions
in the southern Nigeria which was a rich source of Nigeria revenue . if it was
agreed by a confederation the northerners
would have received less or nothing from the oil revenue of the south.
Despite of these threats, the eastern
region was divided into three states. The creation of these three states was
viewed seriously by the eastern government as an intention by Lt. Gowon in Lagos
to undermine the authority of Ojukwu’s government. However an ordinary Igbo man
on the street does not view the creation of more state as a problem, as this
does not affect his daily existence in respect to his economic pursuit. But the
most painful thing for them was the closure of the Niger Bridge for traffics.
The closure brought commercial activities between the east and other region
halt. The immediate effect of the closure was the sky rocking of the prices of
food stuff in the market. The high prices of food stuff brought with it
smuggling activities. At Erico jetty was the only where most of the smuggle
goods entered Onitsha market for onward distribution to the other part of the
eastern region. At this point passengers and goods were thoroughly screened by
the security by the security operative before allowed into the town. Any body
caught with a smuggled item was torture and his goods confisticated.(C. Edmund
2007)
The massacre of the Igbos in northern part of the country
The renewed massacre of the Igbos in
every part of Nigeria made recruitment into army more imperative .The renewed
killings resulted in more influx of people into the eastern region. They
returned in boats through rivers connecting the Midwest and the region witness
a massive influx of people. The situation looked as if the world was coming to
an end. When the wave of killings of the Igbos spread across the country every
household in the eastern region was mourning for loss or the other. COL. Madiebo
said; “by the end of August 1966, civilian of the southern Nigeria origin
became the mass target of mass killings all over the country”. This was perhaps
because there were no more soldiers to be killed and yet, killings go on
somehow. Very soon majority of the easterners from all walks of life were back
in the eastern Nigeria and many more still returning daily. The spectacle of
those returning with one leg, one arm and black eyes assaulted to the
conscience of any living being including the animals
The soldiers did not have to do all the
killings. They were soon joined by
thousand of Hausas civilians also
rampaged through the city armed with
stones, cutlass, matchet and home made
weapons of
metal broken glass, crying
‘heathen’ and ‘Allah;’ the mobs and troops invaded the Sabongari stranger quarters ransacking,
looting and burning igo homes and stores and murdering their owners .(C. Edmund
2007)
Declaration of Independent State of Biafra
Ojukwu decided on may 30th 1967 to
declare the awaiting republic of Biafra. The declaration of the independent
state of Biafra brought to fruition the long awaiting freedom and succor from deprivations
and depression. As with all life, hardship always precedes enjoyments. There
was thus, an expectation of hardship always and the people’s mind was
conditioned to 
such a hardship. It is better to live in hardship. It is better
to live in hardship ordained by genuine national cause than to live in slavery
and fears ordained by a section of
people who was exploiting the accident of events and history , which maneuvered
them into position of leadership of the country to their advantage.
There expectation of war in the events of declaring
of independent state of Biafra by the eastern region government. The
expectation led to the mobilization and recruitment of the enthusiastic men and
women in the army and the para-military forces. This enthusiasm was evidenced
by a slogan, which was coined by the civilian populace , which says; (in
English) Ojukwu give us gun and matchet to kill Gowon and the Hausas)
The morale of the people was high and
infectious as if the war would bring some invisible dividend to the people. On
personal assessment, the expectation of the war was only an revenue opened to
the easterners to avenge for the massacre they suffered in the hands of the houses.
The blockage impose by Lagos against the easterners was another actions that
elicited hatred on the Lagos government. The announcement by Lt.col. Ojukwu
that ‘no force in black Africa can subdue the biafrans:’ gave another boost to
the morale of the people and elicited their eagerness to fight.
Madiebo capture the enthusiasm of the
people. When he said ‘ there was no difficulty
at all in finding the recruits of the army. Several hundreds of people
turned out daily in front of the first battalion barracks to be recruited. The
majority of these were refugees who were very bitter over the treatment they
had received from their fellow Nigerians and were anxouss for the vengeance.
The rate of the intake by the recruits was unfortunately very slow due to the
inadequacy of the existing training facilities as well as as acute shortage of
weapon and essential administrative support. (C. Edmund 2007) . as early as
april there was war Ojukwu ran to carbon were he his political assignment
Conclusion
All this event were cause by our British
colonial masters, by forcefully amalgamating the southern and northern and
southern protectorate into a federation,
knowing fully that our differences are much more than our similarities. The
southerners were more expose to the western education and civilize than the
northerners, who were not even ready for independent. Also in terms of religion
the south are more of the Christians while the north are more of Muslims. They
both regions differs in culture, religi
on, belief etc. the war was cause due
pressure put on the Igbos in all part of country, the war resulted when it was declared
a federation and decided to fight for their freedom.
Refernces
The Biafran war and the Igbo in
contemporary Nigerian politics ; Edmund chiemenem 2007
Ethnicity and the dynamics of
political transformation in Nigeria bybasil ekot lambert academic publishing Deutschland
Nnoli, o. ethnic politics in Nigeria;
fouth dimension publishing co., 1980
Dare l.” politics since independence
“ in richared olaniyan( Ed), Nigeria history and culture. Ibandan, Nigeria:
longman, 1985
Irunku, J.O. Nigeria at the
crosslands: a nation in transition. London: witherby & co. ltd. 1983
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