Dons Eze
IBB’s “A JOURNEY IN SERVICE”: THE MISSING LINKS AND REPERCUSSBY*PROFESSOR B. CHIMA ONUOHA
Introduction
God in His infinite mercies blessed Nigeria with enormous human and natural resources. Regrettably, this nation is plagued with a bad and poor leadership, and docile citizenry since independence in 1960. This state of affairs leaves as its corollary, poor governance, steady under-development and a good measure of irrelevance in the global community. This is sad and pathetic, to say the least.
It is often desirable for statesmen to write their memoirs or autobiographies. They serve to teach present and future leaders the way to go. They are reference and historical materials for students and scholars. They should have one essential criterion – full disclosure. In other words, they should be detailed, and sincere or honest. Any form of dishonesty, is a disservice to the people and humanity.
Given the “strategic,” sometimes nefarious roles, General Ibrahim Babaginda played in the checkered history of this country, Nigerians will be naïve or wrong to expect him to be sincere or exhibit full disclosure in his recently launched autobiography. Some of these roles included, but not limited to serial coup plotting resulting in disruption of governance, retardation of development, introduction of warped values in the society, needless deaths and destruction of properties, due to the annulment of June 12, 1993 elections, introduction of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) that weakened the nation’s economy till date, etc. Having studied him for decades, I am not surprised or disappointed in his posturing in the book. There are many missing links in the book – biasedly treated issues, half-truths, ego trips, glorification of betrayals, and matters of human and national interests not discussed at all. However, General Babangida made some revelations which will benefit the country now or in the near future.
He is an expert in the tactic of the “use of cat paw.” After all, Babangida called himself “an evil genius” (See: Exclusive Interview, Tell Magazine, Saturday, February 12, 1995). Honestly, it will not be wrong to say that he has lived out the self-imposed title. In the said interview, he proudly stated that “on June 12, I have no regrets.” That was a very insensitive remark. How about the billions of Naira spent on his endless transition, especially, two gigantic buildings in each of the 774 LGAs for both National Republican Convention (NRC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) and state head offices – 2 in each state capital?
Nigerians call him “Maradona,” a name after the legendary Brazilian footballer – ostensibly a political Maradona, because of his unending disingenuous political transition programmes covering years. In this case, he dribbled… and dribbled… and eventually dribbled himself back to his town – Minna, in a cowardly chickening out manner.
It is important to state here that IBB has charisma, and he is as well a highly detribalized person, unlike few Presidents after him.
The question to ask – haven’t politicians and successive administrations in the country copied this deceitful and manipulative leadership style? For example – laws are made with loopholes for multiple interpretations and escape routes, via what lawyers and judges term “technicalities.” Two different judgments can be secured on the same matter. The Nigerian judiciary, currently, is in a shambles. Nigerians should be worried about the political and judicial rascality, going on presently in Lagos and Rivers States, two strategic States in the country. If not nipped in the board, they will be the albatross of democracy in Nigeria. I am only thinking aloud… Note, “Professors are prophets.”
There is one crucial area commentators and Nigerians are glossing over in IBB’s historic book launch where over N17b was raked in … still counting for a library. The book reviewer was Prof. Yemi Osibanjo – an erudite lawyer and scholar, and former Vice President of Nigeria. Let me quote parts of his speech… “Many of the key figures in this book and who shaped the history of our country are here with us today… and that tells another story all by itself. And that is something truly unique about Nigeria, our ability to move beyond the past, no matter how bitter and no matter how adversarial our past relationships may be and still come together…” For me, the import of these statements is the fact that the nation’s political class (military or civilian) routinely play chess games with Nigerians, and with our resources. They are not permanent enemies. They will always find means of reconciling and continue milking our patrimony with their children, families and cronies.
Nigerians should take judicial note of the fact that what Prof Osibanjo did was to directly and successfully list some of the personalities who ruined this country; took her terribly backward; and who ordinarily should be executed or in jail; yet guests present were clapping sheepishly for them. They also have their counterparts in the private sector.
A lot of issues were raised in the book, particularly from the author’s experiences and perspectives. I will only address few issues which are of interest to me, and probably to my race – Igbo. Other commentators and scholars are presently addressing some other contentious issues in the book.
The 1966 Coups
Refer to my article “Gowon’s Fake 3RS and the Repercussions” (June 12, 2024). In that article, I wrote interlia “A group of young military officers cutting across all tribes in Nigeria, organized a coup in January 1966, led by Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, a Deltan Igbo from Okpanam in the present Delta State, in what they called a revolution to remove corrupt leaders and to usher in good governance in the country. And one of their goals was to release and install Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was in prison, as the Prime/President of the country. One of the key coupists was Major Adewale Ademoyega, a Yoruba. His book – “Why We Struck,” is one of the most objective and accurate narratives of the events of January 15, 1966.
The list of the other key plotters and participants of the January 1966 coup included:
- Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu (Midwest Region – Igbo, the ring leader)
- Major Adewale Ademoyega (Western Region – Yoruba), author of “Why We Struck”
- Maj. Emmanuel Ifeajuna (Eastern Region – Igbo).
- Capt. G. Adeleke (Western Region – Yoruba).
- Capt. Gibson Jalo (Northern Region – Bachama).
- Capt. Swanton (Northern Region – Middle Belt).
- Capt. Ben Gbulie (Eastern Region – Igbo)
- Lt. Fola Oyewole (Western Region – Yoruba), author of “The reluctant rebel”.
- Lt. Robert (Bob) Egbiko (Midwestern Region – Ishan).
- Lt. Tijani Katsina (Northern Region – Hausa/Fulani).
- Lt. O. Olafemiyan (Western Region – Yoruba).
- Lt. Hope Harris Eghagha (Midwest – Urhobo).
- Lt. Dag Warribor (Midwest – Ijaw)
- 2nd Lt. Saleh Dambo (Northern Nigeria -Hausa)
- 2nd Lt. John Atom Kpera (Northern Nigeria-Tiv), etc.
In an attempt to achieve predetermined objectives of suppressing and annihilating Igbos, it was termed an “Igbo Coup.” This was immediately followed by the counter coup of July, 1966 with Yakubu Gowon as a key participant and beneficiary; this led to the killing of many Igbo military officers across the country, particularly in Abeokuta and Ikeja cantonments. This was immediately followed by what was known as pogrom in the northern parts of the country – the reprisal on Igbos was pure carnage on a large scale. What the northern officers termed the “July Revenge” was simply a ploy to decimate a people who have done nothing.
Recall that the Eastern Region was rated as the fastest growing economy in the world in the 1950s/1960s, far ahead of the Asian Tigers. Again, the Igbos occupy about 60 percent of senior positions in the public service and they were also doing marvelously well in the other sectors of the economy. So the envy and resentment of them were and are still real. There was this perception that they are domineering. Nobody was interested in studying and emulating those qualities that make them excel and visible.
It is therefore noteworthy that many commentators and writers, including yours sincerely, have written extensively in articles and books that the January 1966 coup was just a military coup, but was maliciously called an Igbo Coup. According to General Babangida, “the Igbo coup narrative was fabricated to fuel ethnic tension.” In other words, General Babaginda is only re-enforcing or re-echoing what everyone already knows, in his book. Recall that the coupists also killed Lt Col Arthur Unegbe, an Igbo officer during the January 1966 putsch. The fabrications of the Igbo coup narrative have deliberately obliterated his role in quelling the coup, alongside John Obielu, Aguiyi Ironsi, and Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.
The Biafran Civil War
The events of January and July of 1966 resulted in tensions and war was imminent. There was a meeting in Aburi (Ghana) to sort out the problems at the negotiating table. This was initiated by Lt General Joseph Arthur Ankrah, then Ghana’s Head of State. What came out was known as the Aburi Accord, which suggested some form of confederation and its implementation could have prevented the Biafran Civil War. On returning to Nigeria, for personal ambition, and relying on poorly thought-out counsels of some technocrats (known as Super Perm Secs), and the conspiracy of Western imperialists, Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon (as he then was) reneged on the Accord. On the other hand, Lt. Col. Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu (of blessed memory), his co-traveler in the conflict/political struggle insisted on the implementation of the Aburi Accord. Consequently, to parody Achebe, “the clouds have gathered and there was nothing to expect but a storm.” The war broke out in July, 1967.
Let me quickly state that Col. Ojukwu considered himself superior to Gowon, by all standards material. First, he had a far better family background. His father, Sir Louis Ojukwu, was a billionaire, and was nationally and continentally visible. Gowon was intellectually inferior to him. Ojukwu schooled at Kings College, Lagos and Eton College (an elite school for the children of the rich and aristocrats in UK) and finally at Oxford University, where he read modern history. He was also oratorically gifted. Though both were Lt Cols in 1967, Gowon was his junior in the military. Somehow, he underrated the craftier, dove-like, and unassuming, but steely Gowon, who was also a lackey of the northern oligarchy and Western capitalist world. I often advise people orally and in some of my write-ups to avoid proxy wars and ego battles, for they usually end up in Pyrrhic victory.
During the conflict, the present South-East, the major Igbo enclave, was the theatre of war, leading to the killing of over three million people and the complete destruction of all infrastructure. It is important to emphasize that majority of children, particularly in the South-East, lost three years of schooling.
Ironically, the proposed beneficiary of the 1966 January coup, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was appropriated by Col. Gowon during the civil war. He became his chief hatchet man. He did heavier blow to the Eastern region than the military commanders in the field. He was the initiator of a number of obnoxious policies against the region, with clearly know targets – the Igbos. Some included: the “blockage policy” that led to hunger, starvation and kwashiorkor kwashioikor that killed thousands and millions of civilians, particularly, children, including Biafran soldiers. When the war ended in January 1970, he (Awolowo) also engineered a number of anti-Igbo policies. Some included: (a) the £20 policy, (b) the abandoned property policy, (c) the indigenization policy, among a myriad of other vexatious programmes. All these were aimed to retard progress in South-East, but failed colossally, to God’s glory.
And by the time the war ended in January 1970, there have been an avalanche of choking anti-Igbo policies and programmes. Again, refer back to “Gowon’s Fake 3Rs…” as mentioned above to see the myriad of these anti-Igbo programmes. They are there till date, including Igbophobia. All Igbos outside South-East, except Delta Igbos that smartly avoided identity crisis, have been brainwashed to deny their Igboness.
The questions begging for answers are:
a. Has anyone apologized to the Igbos for the falsehood/misrepresentation (the evil catchphrase of Igbo coup), killings and the destruction of their assets all over the country?
b. Why did Gowon not implement his nebulous 3Rs – Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of South-East after the war? Or to assuage all the injustices meted out on Igbos? How about his fake “No Victor, No Vanquished” mantra? He and the country refused to take advantage of the technological and scientific ingenuity of the Biafran Armed Forces. His regime decided to throw the baby away with the bath water. Regrettably, Nigeria has remained backward, technologically. See my article – “What Nigeria Would Have Been Technologically: Missed Opportunities,” (June 28, 2023).
c. Why was there no comprehensive plan similar to the Marshal Plan, named after the then US Secretary of State – George C. Marshall, in 1945, to rebuild the war ravaged Western Europe after the Second World War, to equally rebuild the war torn South-East that was the epicenter of the civil war? Ndigbo rebuilt their communities and towns. Federal government’s presence is abysmal till today.
d. Why were many public servants not reabsorbed into the system, including majority of armed forces personnel after the war?
e. What efforts are being made to reconcile the Igbos and their brothers outside the South-East for the misinformation, propaganda, brainwashing, distrust and discord, deliberately implanted in them, for denying their Igboness. Is this not necessary in order to restore the harmony hitherto existing between them before the civil war?
It is a deliberate policy to discourage the study of history in our schools (primary and secondary). We cannot run away from our past. Parents, particularly Igbo parents, should encourage their children to read the following books on the civil war (1967-1970) to understand where we were coming from and to appreciate where we should be going to. And above all, to understand that their race is constantly endangered simply because of their God-given traits or qualities. These books include:
i. Achebe, C. (2012). There was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra. Penguin Books.
ii. Ademoyega, A. (1981). Why We Struck: The Story of the First Nigerian Coup. Evans Brothers Nigeria Publishers Limited.
iii. Ezeani, E. (2013). In Biafra Africa Died: The Diplomatic Plot (2nd ed.). Vertas Lumen Publishers.
iv. Forsyth, F. (1991). Emeka. Spectrum Books.
v. Forsyth, F. (2007). The Biafra Story: The Making of an African Legend. Barnsley: Pen & Sword.
vi. Gbulue, B. (1981). Nigeria’s Five Majors. Benlie Publishers.
vii. Ikeazor, C. (1998). The Ethnic Factor – A Treatise and a Tale. New Millennium.
viii. Madiebo, A. A. (1980). The Nigerian Revolution and the Biafran war. Forth Dimension Publishers.
ix. Nwankwo, A. (1980). Nigeria: The Challenge of Biafra (4th ed.). Fourth Dimension Publishing Company.
x. Onuoha, B. C. (2018). The Jews and Ndigbo (Postscript 2) in B. Chima Onuoha (editor), Okrika Nweke Our Beloved Community: A narrative of Ezeship Tussle in Igboland, Port Harcourt: African Entrepreneurship and Leadership Initiative.
xi. The Aburi Accord document.
Annulment of Presidential Elections of 1993
We have earlier read the reasons for the annulment of 1993 elections from Prof Omo Omoruyi’s book – “The Tale of June 12: The Betrayal of the Democratic Rights of Nigerians.” Again, General Babangida repeated them in his new book. According to him some military top brass and Northern Emirs forced him to annul the freest and fairest election Nigeria has ever had. The most disgraceful aspect of it, was that he chickened out as a big coward, because of the threats of his subordinates. Remember that he was the self-styled President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Some of these military men were Sani Abacha, David Mark, and Joshua Dangoyaro.
Imagine releasing the results 32 years after and shamelessly declaring that MKO Abiola indeed won the Presidential Elections. All these revelations obviously raise a number of worrying issues in nation building.
(a) By “stepping aside” for the fear of being killed by his subordinates, is one of the dangers and consequences of the politicization and ethnicisation of the nation’s Armed Forces. This has remained a major challenge or impediment in tackling insurgency and insecurity in the North-East and North-West geo-political zones. Can a Colonel in German, French, British or American Army, talk less of a General, just run away like Babandida did during the trying moments of this nation? Imagine, soldiers trained to be courageous, brave and patriotic?! No, Nigeria has political Generals who were/are very wealthy to the extent that risk taking or dying for just causes or for the nation is not worthwhile. Worse still, Babangida was the architect of the whole problems.
(b) According to the election figures, the total votes were 14.2 million. Out of this, NRC, with its candidate – Tofa, got 5.95 million; and SDP represented by Abiola got 8.26 million. Another interesting revelation was that of the entire 14.2 million, the Northern Nigeria’s votes were 6.49 million, and Southern Nigeria’s votes were 7.72 million. These data have show-cased other manipulations and inanities going on in this funny country. The claim that Northern Nigeria has more population than Southern Nigeria is a fallacy. It is only in Nigeria that landmass, as against population density is used for revenue allocation or sharing. It is also in Nigeria that a few scattered hamlets are created as local government areas for the purpose of monthly federal and VAT revenue allocations.
Nigeria is a nation of paradoxes and aberrations. During the collection of voters card in 2023, states in North East and North-West with devastating security challenges and internally displaced persons (IDP), with IDP camps, posted higher collection records than those in Southern Nigeria that had not such security challenges. Correspondingly, states in the desert also posted higher votes in the 2019 and 2023 elections more than densely populated states in Southern Nigeria. Obviously, the implication is that Sahel States often perform electoral miracles.
(c) The annulment of the 1993 elections were termed “Abiola Election Imbroglio,” “Abiola Election Saga,” “Abiola Chaos,” or “Abiola Flight.” The Igbos called it Oso Abiola. This annulment led to riots, illegal detentions of pro-democracy activists and journalists, and some going into exile; as well as caused so many needless deaths, accidents and destruction of properties. The Igbos, being egalitarian, entrepreneurial and development-oriented were everywhere in the country. Just like the massive movements to the Eastern Region in 1966, due to the pogrom, the Igbos were mostly and badly affected in Oso Abiola. If Babangida is being eulogized, praised and called a statesman, to boot with N17 billion, for the annulment and other sundry bad behaviors, the onerous question now is – who will compensate those that lost their lives, properties and businesses?
The Consequences of Being Lackeys and Injustices
As individuals, I don’t know if General Gowon and Babangida are happy with their lives. Gowon was a lackey of his Super Permanent Secretaries, the Northern oligarchy and the Western imperialist powers. Babangida was a stooge of his own inordinate ambition, the self-centred military officers mentioned in Prof Omoruyi’s book and his latest book; and lastly, powerful northern emirs. In executing their assigned responsibilities, they committed a lot of injustices against individuals, groups and race (Igbos).
On returning from exile, instead of General Gowon apologizing and asking for forgiveness for war crimes and genocide, he floated a fake religious project – Nigeria Prays. Nigerians saw through this vain glory and the useless project died on arrival.
Dr. Pius Okigbo, a foremost economist and his team, carried out a survey in 1965 that clearly showed that the Middle Belt, presently the North Central geo-political zone, can feed the entire West Africa. On the other hand, notable commentators have been credited to have said that Niger State with a land mass of 76,363 Km2 can feed Nigeria. Both Generals are from the Middle Belt. Are these survey and prediction realizable given the insecurity? During the Civil War, more than 60 percent of the ruthless Commanders and 80 percent of field soldiers were from the Middle Belt. Are they not reaping the fruit of their labour currently via insecurity and deaths? Is karma not at work in the Middle Belt? There were numerous war crimes during the civil war, including the Asaba massacre. Nigerians may have to investigate to find out how the cruelest of these Commanders died. It is either they died tragically or as paupers. Few examples include: Murtala Mohammed, Ibrahim Taiwo, Abduikare Adisa, Benjamin Adekunle (Scorpion), etc. Seek out Adekunle’s interview with a French reporter during the war to know his evil and genocidal mindset. There will always be dire consequences for injustices. And lackeys will always be used and dumped. Simplicita!
Both ruled Nigeria for 16 years cumulatively – 8 years each. What exactly were their achievements? What are the development indices of Nigerians, particularly their own people? I guess that God gave them longevity to enable them witness the full consequences of their actions and inactions, while they were in power.
Conclusion
Nigeria as a blessed nation has lost a lot of opportunities for development and global relevance and respect. This is as a result of poor leadership and lame followership. The citizens do not hold their leaders accountable. The political class – military and civilian, know this lacuna or perennial weakness and do things with brazen impunity. The country is gradually drifting to an absurd level or the tendency of rewarding persons that have through their actions or inactions harmed the society and humanity. All sectors and spheres of the economy and society are embracing warped values with reckless abandon. It is this disturbing trend of “anything goes” in our society, that informs my next article, “The Nigerian University System Mirroring the Public Sector and Society.” We must be careful what we are bequeathing to future generations.
Finally, now that the truths are now in the front burner and public domain – that the January 1966 Coup was not an Igbo Coup, but a military or national coup; that the quest for secession by Eastern region initiated by Col Ojukwu was in self-defence; that the civil war was unjustly persecuted with monumental damages; what next? There is urgent need for a national apology, immediate need to constitute a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the payment of due compensation to the region. And for the annulment, an official or government apology to Nigerians and compensations to the Abiola’s family.
I come in peace.
B. Chima Onuoha, Professor of Management and Development Activist, wrote from University of Port Harcourt (February 28, 2025).
