By admin
Dear Biafran war reports readers, we’re back again with another report from the pre-war era between Nigeria and Biafra. The topic today follows from a topic brought to you weeks ago about the Ad Hoc Aburi Accord Summit.
let me first say that I’m really happy that Nigerians are utilising the power of social media to spread the knowledge of the Biafran war history, I glad to see many vintage and epic photos from that era and also accompanying articles and stories about the civil war, littered over Facebook, X, TikTok and Instagram etc, this gives me joy, because a lot of lies and falsehoods have been spread over the years and these have even created more divisions amongst the people and it goes on even today unabated. The comment sections of a lot social media platforms are cesspools of tribal and ethnic hatred, borne by misinformations from the Biafran war era.
The above paragraph is why after many years of silence, I decided to bring the archives in my possession to the public, so they can read the history and see the truth for themselves, hence I try to stay as neutral as I possibly can – not an easy task LOL.he
In our last report, the Nigerian Daily Times newspaper editorial, was castigating the Federal government for keeping mum about what happened at Aburi ad hoc summit, it claimed that Nigerians were in the dark 55 days after the meeting – which was crucial to the survival of the nation.
Whilst the Daily Times was correct, and was reporting in the times of those ominous events, the truth is that Col Ojukwu, did actual give a press conference on the 6th of January, just after returning from Aburi. He did this to assuage the fears and misgivings of the people of Eastern Nigeria, and he release the details of the meeting verbatim for all to see.
Col Gowon on the other hand did also give a press conference too, but a bit later on the 26th of January and from his speech, he showed lack of faith by immediately going against much of what was agreed at Aburi – this was because he’d been advised against Aburi by his Perm Secs and British and American diplomats in Lagos.
The two paragraphs above show that Daily Times, was definately angry with the Nigerian federal government and not the Eastern Nigerian government, because if Nigerians wanted to know what happened at Aburi, they only had to obtain the information from the Eastern government, who’d put out the Aburi meeting in vinyl records and printed booklets.
The inaction plus cloak and dagger methods of the Nigerian federal goverment, forced Col Ojukwu to make another press conference on the 25th of February, threatening to take certain actions by the 31st of March 1967, if the Aburi Accord agreement were not implemented in full by the Federal government. Ojukwu then made the now famous slogan – On Aburi we stand.
In response, the governor of the North, Col Hassan Katsina, spoke to the press at Ikeja airport and said that ‘ East May Break Away’, as an implication of Col Ojukwu’s earlier press conference. When pushed on the the federal government’s prevarication on the implementation of Aburi Accord as asked by Col Ojukwu in his broadcast, Col Katsina, claimed that the federal government was doing what was best for the nation.
There were other qustions in this small Daily Times report, but i’ll leave it up to our cherished readers to read for themselves.
Please click on picture to enlarge and read and please leave a comment and share thanks.
