BIAFRA NEWS: BIOGRAPHY OF LATE ODUMEGWU OJUKWU

 

Nigerian-born military leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (born 1933) headed the unsuccessful move by Biafra to secede from Nigeria.  THE RESTORATION OF BIAFRA NATION

Oxford-educated Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu joined the Nigerian army, against his wealthy father's wishes, hoping to play an integral role in the nation's affairs once Nigeria had gained independence from Britain. Instead, due to his ethnic loyalties and to political events, he became the leader of the Biafrans during a bloody civil war in Nigeria. Although claiming some early victories, his forces were fighting against troops backed by Britain, Russia, and most of Europe. For three years, Odumegwu Ojukwu fought to keep Biafra from being annihilated. With supply lines cut, an estimated eight million Biafrans slowly starved to death. After the civil war ended in 1970, Odumegwu Ojukwu lived in voluntary exile. He was invited back to Nigeria in 1982, and Nigerian leaders have sought his counsel as the African nation charts its future.

Privileged Child

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was born in 1933 in Zungeru, a community in the northern part of Nigeria, which was then a colony of Britain. He was the son of Sir Louis Philippe Odumegwu Ojukwu, one of the most successful businessmen among the Ibos, the largest ethnic group in Nigeria. Consequently, the younger Odumegwu Ojukwu received the best education money could buy. His primary education was at a private Catholic school in the Nigerian city of Lagos. Before he was ten years old, he was enrolled at nearby King's College as the youngest pupil in the institution's history. Two years later, Odumegwu Ojukwu's father transferred him to a school in Surrey, England, called Epson College, to finish secondary studies. Odumegwu Ojukwu had a natural athletic ability and, during his years in England, he honed his skills on the playing field when not attending classes. In school-sponsored sports he served as captain of the rugby and soccer teams. He also set the All England Junior record in the discus throw.

In 1952, Odumegwu Ojukwu was admitted to Oxford University. He majored in history, graduating in 1955 with honors. As an undergraduate, Odumegwu Ojukwu continued to pursue his love of athletics while developing outside interests in drama and journalism. He served as a leader in the Oxford branch of the West African Students Union during this time. In addition, he was known for his flashy sports cars, which he frequently drove at high speeds between Oxford and London. It was at Oxford that he met a female law student named Njideka; she eventually became his wife.

 

Away from the Sheltered Life

With a degree from Oxford University and a wealthy father, Odumegwu Ojukwu was guaranteed access to the highest levels of British colonial Nigeria. Rather than relying on his father, however, he chose to enter the workforce. Odumegwu Ojukwu was hired by the Nigerian civil service and became the assistant district officer in the town of Udi, overseeing community development in rural areas. He later served in the same position in the towns of Aba and Umuahia. As a community development leader, he gained a reputation for his quick understanding of complex issues and was respected for his fair recommendations.

In 1957, again in an attempt to distance himself from his privileged upbringing, he joined the army. His father was so against this decision that he did not speak to his son for the next two and a half years. Meanwhile, the younger Odumegwu Ojukwu completed officer training in England at the Officer Cadet School at Eaton Hall and was commissioned a second lieutenant. After attending the Infantry School in Warminister, England, the Small Arms School in Hythe, England, and the Royal West African Frontier Force Training School in Teshie, Ghana, he returned to Nigeria in 1958 and was assigned to the Fifth Battalion in Kaduna.

Once Nigeria had gained independence from Britain in 1960, Odumegwu Ojukwu was quickly promoted; he held the rank of major by 1961. As one of his assignments, he served with the Nigerian First Brigade in the Congo as part of a United Nations peace-keeping program. Later, he attended the Joint Services Staff College in the United Kingdom as the first Nigerian officer ever to do so. In 1963, Odumegwu Ojukwu, as a lieutenant colonel, became the first Nigerian quartermaster-general in the Nigerian Army. His first independent command came in 1965; he was assigned as commanding officer to the Fifth Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Kano.

 

Fragile Independence

The early years of Nigerian independence were difficult for the country. Political turmoil, riots, and ethnic rivalries resulted in a civil war in the latter half of the 1960s. Members of the largest ethnic group, the Ibos, were murdered in great numbers during the chaos, and more than a million (some sources say over four million) survivors fled back to their homeland in eastern Nigeria. Odumegwu Ojukwu, the military governor of the region, assumed control in the mid-1960s in an attempt to strengthen the bargaining power of the Ibos. He first argued against secession from Nigeria by the Ibos and, instead, urged easterners to accept a loosening of ties with the rest of Nigeria. A 1968 article in Time magazine stated, "[Odumegwu Ojukwu] was a calm and reasoned voice pleading for a united Nigeria long after other powerful Ibos had angrily given up hope of preserving the union." Critics felt that because most of Odumegwu Ojukwu's inheritance from his father was in Lagos, he had a personal stake in keeping Nigeria together.

Odumegwu Ojukwu changed his stance, however, and sided with the separatists on the issue of safety for the Ibos. At one point, he and Nigerian army chief of staff Yakubu Gowon, also in control of the central Nigerian government, appeared to be nearing a compromise that would have allowed the Ibos a measure of autonomy while staying within the Nigerian federation. But Gowon was unwilling to let the eastern region maintain a separate army, and Odumegwu Ojukwu was unsure of the ability of the Nigerian central government to protect the Ibos. Odumegwu Ojukwu reluctantly demanded independence for the easterners. He formally proclaimed the independent Republic of Biafra on May 30, 1967, during a reception in the regional capital of Enugu. At the time, he also hinted that the Nigerian central government had played a role in the genocide of the Ibo people. He then built up his army and expelled northerners from Biafra, telling them that, because of the flood of Ibo refugees, non-easterners should leave for their own safety.

 

Civil War

At the onset of conflict in 1967, Odumegwu Ojukwu received little sympathy or support from the international community. Nigeria, however, was backed by Britain, the Soviet Union, and most of Western Europe. The Nigerian central government first established a naval blockade along the Biafran coast then sent troops, composed mostly of Muslims from the northern part of the country, to the east where they were met by Odumegwu Ojukwu's rebel forces. Initially, the Biafrans took control of strategic points in the midwestern region of Nigeria and the oil-rich Niger River delta. The central government retaliated by sending in more armed forces, which escalated the conflict into a full-blown civil war. Odumegwu Ojukwu directed the overall strategy for Biafra in the war, but he left most of the tactical decisions to his brigade commanders and often sought advice from Ibo elders. He downplayed his role in the civil war, although the Nigerians frequently called the conflict "Ojukwu's war" and depicted the military leader as a power-mad Hitler who was shattering the unity of the new Nigeria. Odumegwu Ojukwu told New York Times Magazine reporter Lloyd Garrison, "Independence is not one man getting up and declaring it. Freedom without substance is meaningless."

By the end of 1967, Nigerian forces had regained control of the midwest and had cut off Biafran access to the sea. Although they had encircled the Biafrans, they were unable to penetrate the Ibo heartland. The Biafrans, however, were crowded into mangrove swamps and hardwood forests, unable to provide themselves with the materials of daily existence. Meanwhile, Soviet-built warplanes, many flown by hired Egyptians and British pilots, cut supply lines and inflicted heavy casualties during raids on Biafran urban centers.

Consequently, Biafrans were starving to death at a rate conservatively estimated to be approximately 1, 000 people a day, according to Time. Other sources estimate that as many as 8, 000 people a day died of starvation in the region during this time. Despite the hardship, the Ibo people continued to support the war effort. Odumegwu Ojukwu thus began waging a public-relations campaign to receive badly needed supplies from the rest of the world. He sent out press releases and photos showing starving Biafrans. He persuaded several countries, including Czechoslovakia, The Netherlands, and Belgium, to cut off weapons supplies to Nigeria. Odumegwu Ojukwu hoped for airlifts, which he considered a symbol of the world helping a besieged people. But by October of 1969, realizing that he would receive little foreign support, he appealed for United Nations mediation to obtain terms for a cease fire and to begin peace negotiations. The Nigerian central government, however, was not inclined to accept anything less than surrender and seemed to consider starvation a weapon of war that would preclude its having to send soldiers into battle. At about this time, Odumegwu Ojukwu told Time correspondent James Wilde, "What you are seeing now is the end of a long, long journey. It began in the far north of Nigeria and moved steadily southward as we were driven out of place after place. Now this path has become the road to the slaughterhouse here in the Ibo heartland." By the end of the year, 120, 000 Nigerian troops had divided Biafra in half. The rebel nation collapsed in January of 1970.

After the civil war, under Gowon's supervision, the Nigerian central government took steps to ensure that the Ibos would be treated as fellow citizens rather than defeated enemies. Programs were developed to reintegrate the Ibos into a united Nigeria. Many Biafran military officers rejoined the central government as part of a general amnesty. Odumegwu Ojukwu, however, opted for voluntary exile and went to the Ivory Coast on the invitation of that nearby African nation's president. He justified his actions at the time by declaring, as quoted in Newsweek, "[W]hilst I live, Biafra lives." Odumegwu Ojukwu was invited back to Nigeria by Shehu Shagari of the Nigerian government in 1982. Since then, the former Biafran leader has become active in the National Party of Nigeria. Although he was unsuccessful in a bid to be elected to the national senate, his advice is often sought by factions of the Nigerian and greater African community. He has encouraged the military to support Nigeria's slow transition toward democracy. In 1993, he publicly supported Nigeria's Republican Party because he thought it would be the best guarantor of eastern interests in national politics.

BIAFRA NEWS: The Zamfara State Governor, Hon. Bello Mohammed Matawalle has described the death of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru as a monumental loss to the country and the Army high command.

 

The Zamfara State Governor, Hon. Bello Mohammed Matawalle has described the death of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru as a monumental loss to the country and the Army high command. Attahiru’s death a national tragedy – Matawalle commiserates with Buhari

Governor Matawalle commiserated with President Muhammadu Buhari over the incident.

The Governor lamented that death of such committed and determined Army Chief was a national tragedy and prayed Almighty Allah to reward his soul and give his immediate family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

He recalled with nostalgia the last Service Chiefs’ visit to Zamfara State in early February, saying that the late Chief of Army Staff assured him of total support and cooperation in the fight against banditry and other criminalities in Zamfara State and Nigeria at large.

“The late Chief of Army Staff was a great leader who led by example in the fight against insurgency, banditry and other security challenges across the State.

“As a gallant, well trained Army officer, he dedicated his life in ensuring the unity of Nigeria and its territory,” he said.

Matawalle further stated that the name of the late COAS would be written in gold in the history of all Nigerian Army formations in the country.

BIAFRA NEWS: Army has announced the burial proceedings for the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS),

 

The Nigeria Army has announced the burial proceedings for the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and others.

Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, Director of Army Public Relations issued a statement in the wee hours of Saturday. Nigerian Army to bury late chief Attahiru, other officers Saturday

The remains of Attahiru and six senior officers who lost their lives in an air mishap in Kaduna on Friday will be laid to rest today.

The funeral will commence at 10:00a.m. at the National Mosque and National Christian Centre, Abuja, the Nigeria’s capital.

The interment for all seven is scheduled for the National Military Cemetery, Abuja, at 1:00p.m.

The Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi called the incident “a rude shock and unfortunate”.

Magashi, in a statement by Mohammad Abdulkadri, his spokesman, said the death of the Army Chief, senior officers and aides “represents a huge national disaster”.

He described Attahiru as a gallant, dogged, disciplined and dedicated security officer who died in the line of duty to his fatherland.

Magashi recalled “his unblemished track records of service,” as Director Army Public Relations (DAPR), Theatre Commander Operation Lafiya Dole and as General Officer Commanding (GOC) which culminated into his elevation.

The retired General noted that although Attahiru died when his service was needed most, his short but eventful tenure as COAS and over three decades of patriotic service will never been forgotten.

BIAFRA NEWS: shocking and suspicious. According to him,

 

Olusegun Bamgbose, Esq., National Coordinator, Concerned Advocates for Good Governance, CAGG, has described the death of Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru as shocking and suspicious.

According to him, this is one death that must be thoroughly investigated, adding that the sad news will certainly pose a serious setback to the fight against terror in Nigeria.  THE RESTORATION OF BIAFRA NATION

 reported on Friday that Lt General Ibrahim Attahiru died in an air crash at about 6:00 p.m. on Friday.

A military Beachcraft 350 carrying him went down at the Kaduna International Airport on Friday, claiming all passengers.

The top military officer was in Kaduna on an official trip.

 gathered that Attahiru’s aides passed away.

Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, Nigerian Air Force Director of Information confirmed the mishap in a statement.

Speaking with  on the development, Bamgbose added, “The just reported death of the Chief of Army Staff this evening is very shocking and almost unbelievable.

“This is most unfortunate and disheartening. His death will certainly pose a serious setback to the fight against terror in Nigeria.

“It’s tantamount to a coup. This is one death that must be thoroughly investigated. His sudden death is highly suspicious.

“Only just recently we heard the news of the death of Abubakar Shekau and the next thing is the death of the Chief of Army Staff.

“There is certainly a nexus. The late Chief of Army Staff could have masterminded the death of Shekau, this possibly could be an act of revenge.

“This has clearly shown that the forces behind Boko Haram are very powerful. No one knows their next target. There is something fishing somewhere.

“His death is not natural. The security architecture of the nation must be overhauled as this is tantamount to a direct attack on the Presidency.

“Nigeria is in danger as this insecurity is taking a dangerous weapon trend.”

BIAFRA NEWS: They said Shekau was killed yesterday

 

Reacting to both incidents, the convener of Concerned Nigerian advocacy group wondered what was going on.

In a tweet, Adeyanju wrote: “They said Shekau was killed yesterday. Today, the Chief of Army Staff died in a plane crash. Dear extremists in Govt, what is going on?”

Deji Adeyanju, an Abuja-based rights activist, has reacted to the death of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru.

Adeyanju questioned the death of Attahiru 24 hours after dreaded Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau was reported dead.

On Thursday, reports emerged that Shekau was fatally injured, after attempting to kill himself to avoid being captured by rival Islamic State-allied fighters

There are also reports that he died by blowing up himself with a suicide vest.

However, the Nigerian Army said that it was probing the reports indicating that Shekau was “badly injured” or “dead”.

Similarly, Attahiru was reportedly killed in a plane crash in Kaduna.

The COAS was said to have been killed alongside 10 others while on his way for an official assignment in Kaduna.

BIAFRA NEWS: EFCC had uncovered humongous amount of money allegedly carted away by the former minister.

 

Six years ago, Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison- Madueke in surreptitious escape, left the shores of Nigeria in a manner that looks like it was a normal overseas travel. THE RESTORATION OF BIAFRA NATION

She ran away immediately former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan lost election.

The conscience stricken Diezani ran away to escape justice in Nigeria over allegations that she looted the NNPC she superintended over during Jonathan’s administration.

With her suspicious escape, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) opened an investigation into circumstances surrounding her alleged shady deals in the country’s apex oil giant.

And it didn’t take a long time before the commission’s former Chairman, Ibrahim Magu announced that the EFCC had uncovered humongous amount of money allegedly carted away by the former minister.

However, and before the exit of the administration of former President Jonathan, the erstwhile Minister was invited by the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) and (Upstream) to explain some financial conundrums observed at the time.

Regrettably, the then Senator David Mark led 7th Senate was on the same page with the government of the day and whatever financial infractions noticed against Deziani was quickly covered up.

Close door session in parliamentary setting is a right of lawmakers in the upper and lower legislative Chambers to discuss issues away from the prying eyes of Journalists and the public particularly if the case in issue, if exposed is considered injurious to the national security.

But often times, the close door doctrine in Nigeria Parliament is used by lawmakers to negotiate personal interest rather than public interest.

Arguable as this view is, it beggars a peep as to why Nigeria continue to lose billions to public officers despite supposed parliamentary scrutiny.

Given statutory legal provisions, the National Assembly can investigate the NNPC (an agency of government) via the following Senate Committees viz: (1) Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream); (2) Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream); (3) Senate Committee on Gas Resources (4) Senate Committee on Finance (5) Senate Committee on Public Accounts which is usually headed by an opposition lawmakers to checkmate activities of possible compromise by the ruling party; and (6) the Senate leadership through a resolution can set up an ad-hoc Committee for purposes of investigation can be set up in the lower and upper Chambers depending on its exigency.

However, six years following the lawmakers charade of investigating the embattled minister, the EFCC Chairman disclosed that the Commission recovered $153 million and 83 houses worth billions of naira from former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

The question begging for answer is how did the scandalous fraud escape the attention of the upper and lower chambers of the national assembly.

In fact, concerns in some quarters have suggested that the parliament is not without shady cloud around it, on this matter.

In as much as the anti-graft agency deserves commendation for uncovering the monumental fraud, one shouldn’t be oblivious of more ‘Diezanis’, who are in fact terrible, surly and mean, and daily milking the nation hollow while taking advantage of a weak system.

It’s incontrovertible, though, to posit that there area many factors responsible for the large scale fraud, ‘authority-stealing’ and salami-slice in public offices.

A conspicuous element in this matrix is what is called ‘operating surpluses’.

There are well over 700 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Nigeria including revenue generating agencies.

The operating surpluses allow Heads of agencies to spend revenue generated up to 25% and remit 75% into the Federal Government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Unfortunately, Heads of agencies of government have flagrantly abused this privilege.

Little wonder that recently, Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and who is thee lawmaker representing Lagos West Senatorial District revealed, penultimate week, that the Federal Government of Nigeria has lost over N3 trillion revenue between 2014-2020 to Heads of 60 government agencies.

The Committee which has been investigating activities of government’s owned agencies in the last one month discovered frivolous expenditures that were contrary to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic and the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), 2007.

It was also discovered that ministries, Departments and Agencies of government were substantially not remitting 1% Stamp Duty on all contract awards by the MDAs between 2014-2020.

Piqued by the development, Olamilekan, who is a Chartered Accountant invited the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, the Director General of Budget Office, Ben Akabueze and the Accountant General of the Federation, Idris Ahmed where they were briefed on the rot going on in government circles.

The lawmaker expressed deep concern the more as the law requires all monies to be paid through the Single Treasury Account (TSA) into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) in the Central Bank which regrettably, some agencies still maintain accounts with Commercial Banks so as to have access to government finances.

Some of these agencies have also relied on government circulars issued by Permanent Secretaries above the 1999 Constitution as amended and Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

The world over, it’s only in Nigeria that circulars of Permanent Secretaries who are administrative Heads of government agencies are superior to the nation’s grundnorm – the Constitution and the Acts of Parliament.

The Olamilekan led Committee investigating the activities of these agencies also uncovered undisclosed millions of naira which Heads of agencies paid into the treasury with evidence of receipts for such payment issued to them by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

However, and in the light of the discovery, the committee was cautiously optimistic that the new development would help solve the ugly situation already on ground, and further assist in recouping lost revenues that would substantially finance the 2021 budget.

According to the Senate panel, “there is no gainsaying the fact that if these revenues are paid to the CRF for proper appropriation by the Parliament during budget considerations, we are going to reduce dramatically the size of our deficit and hopefully minimize our borrowing.

We cannot continue to run government business as we used to do in this time when there are huge demands for government to fund needed infrastructure and other socio-economic programmes.”

Senator Adeola further revealed that the investigation has also led to the willing exit of some agencies, notably among them NAFDAC, NIGCOMSAT, NOTAP and NEREC, from the budget of the government.

He added that they now rely on their generated revenue to fund aspects of their operations.

This, the committee explained, will reduce their dependence on federation budget and assist in reducing budget deficits.

Flowing from these, it is convenient to state that the situation has been an absurdity on government finances, as agencies which are funded by government’s annual budgets, also deduct operating surpluses from revenues they generate.

An observation of proceedings of Public Accounts currently Headed by Senator Mathew Uroghide further reveal series of queries by the Office of the Auditor General for Federation (oAGF).

Sad as it is, the clerk of the Senate Committee on Public Account has refused curious journalists monitoring proceedings at the committee from accessing documents that would have shed more light on the shenanigans going in the affected agencies.

Such resistance by the Committee no doubt creates a cloud of conspiracy and complicity, and also raises questions such as, despite the open show of scrutinizing the account of the agencies, no doubt for the television cameras, is the Senate committee given Heads of the affected agencies, the Deziani treatment introduced by the Senator David Mark’s 7th Senate.

Who knows, but given the precedent laid by the 7th National Assembly, the EFCC under Bawa, may like his predecessor, Magu, uncover evidence of humongous sleaze against these agencies.

Sleazes that escaped the supposedly ‘eagle’ eye of the Senator Adeola led committee.

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BIAFRA NEWS: Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has described the military aircraft crash that caused the death of Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim

 

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has described the military aircraft crash that caused the death of Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru as a national tragedy.  THE RESTORATION OF BIAFRA NATION

Malami received the news in Kano while attending to guests in preparation for the wedding ceremony of his second son, Abiru Rahman Malami billed for Saturday.

The AGF described the Attahiru and members of his team as dedicated patriotic Nigerians whose efforts to improve the security situation of the country was manifest.

Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), prayed Allah to grant eternal salvation for all that lost their lives in the air mishap.

The minister also prayed that the family members have the fortitude to bear the loss

He said Attahiru who died in active service to the nation and will always be remembered as a patriotic Nigerian passionate about duty.