Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, a First Republic
Minister of Aviation and elderstatesman has
said that Chief Obafemi Awolowo tricked the
Igbos into fighting the Civil war.
Speaking in a recent interview, Chief Amaechi
called for the restructuring of Nigeria, claiming
that it was the only way forward for Nigeria.
He said : “It was a betrayal because in his
(Awo’s) private discussions with (Chukwuemeka
Odumegwu) Ojukwu, he encouraged Ojukwu to
secede and made it public that immediately
Biafra seceded, Yoruba land would follow.
“Well, I wouldn’t know what he reported to
(Yakubu) Gowon who sent him to meet Ojukwu
at Onitsha, but it would appear that what he
reported to Gowon was that ‘if Biafra was
allowed to secede, then Yoruba would also
secede’; which means that everything must be
done to stop Biafra seceding. It is quite a
different thing from saying immediately you go,
we will follow.
“That was a double talk and a betrayal. Be that
as it may, in Nigerian politics, the Igbos and the
North had on major democratic dispensations
worked together. In the First Republic, the NCNC
of Dr. (Nnamdi) Azikiwe worked in a coalition
government with the Northern Peoples Congress
(NPC) of Sardauna of Sokoto.
“This working together was peaceful until 1964
when a faction of the Action Group lead by
Akintola opted to go and work with the Sardauna
of Sokoto in displacement of the NCNC.
“And it appeared that Sardauna welcomed the
idea, the crisis that followed Awolowo’s
imprisonment and the crisis in the Western
House of Assembly and ‘Operation Wetie’
incident in the West led to a major split and
crisis. Eventually, the military took over the
government of the country.”
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