Yes, I Will Fight Again if… - Chukwuemeka Ojukwu

  ✍ Tell Magazine, Monday, 05 December 2011 12:22 

Sent by Nevbechi Nwoye Emma Anazövba

(Excerpts of interview the Ikemba granted TELL magazine in March, 1993, over 18 years ago, after he was disqualified to contest the presidential primary election of that year)

You have said that some people, cynical of your candidacy, accused you of going to only fight for the Igbo cause…?

 Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu 

Isn’t that bunkum? It is, it is. In 1966, when General Ironsi died, I opposed Gowon because I said the next person should take over, Ogundipe fled and moved to England. I continued opposing, saying that the next person should take over, Adebayo, a Yoruba. I moved on, we fought a war.  At the end of it, I went into exile. I came back. I am accused of having worked with a Hausa man, Shehu Shagari, in the NPN, a Hausa-Fulani. In this ongoing exercise, the first person I supported totally was Dr. Olusola Saraki, Yoruba of Kwara origin, Yoruba-Fulani. I came to the Island Club, Lagos, to talk about the East, and the West finding an understanding. This is the arch tribalist that really fights for the Igbos and nothing else? When (MKO) Abola gets up and he is considered a candidate, nobody says he is Yoruba. But when Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu gets up, he is a tribalist, he is always fighting for the Igbos. I am proud to fight for the Igbos because somebody must fight for them. I am as Igbo as you accused me of being. If you forget accusing me of my Igboness, I will be forgetfully a Nigerian completely. I cannot be intimidated out of this country. I have put in so much into this country, I cannot be intimidated. 

Do some people wish you were outside?

Oh yes, of course.

Can you give an example?

Wouldn’t you even consider 13 years exile enough punishment for anything? But there were Nigerians that went round barracks trying to mobilise troops to mount a coup d'état (against my return in 1982). There are people today who refuse that I should have opinion on anything Nigeria.  

You talk of mounting a coup d'état to prevent your return?

Oh yes, yes.  

You haven’t said anything about the politics against or about your return to the country. Could you seize this opportunity to do that?

I was in exile, there was a negotiation with my host, President Felix Houphouét-Boigny. I was invited at a certain stage, we discussed and we came back. On returning, I understood that there were very many movements, individual movements against my return… The fact is that it has been said in many, many publications that General (Theophilus) Danjuma opposed my return. You can take it over from there…  

How did you feel at that moment?

How did I feel? How would you feel? It was the highest point of one’s career. Exhilaration, so many emotions all crowded in. You saw but you didn’t see, you felt but you didn’t feel. You were sort of being transported on a sea of heads. And more than that, you found yourself floating on a bed of love. People who have come in to say to you, “Onye Ije Nnoo: welcome.”  

Did you feel it was the ultimate justification for whatever cause you have led in the past?

1966 coup plotters planned to make Awolowo Head of State — Olutoye

 50 years after, Oba Olutoye, participant in Nigerian Civil War tells the world that Nzeogwu coup was meant to install Awolowo

1966 coup plotters planned to make Awolowo Head of State — Olutoye

The Owa of Ido-Ani, Oba Olufemi Olutoye, is a retired Major-General in the Nigerian Army. In this interview with PETER DADA, he shares his experiences as a soldier and his level of involvement in the 1966 military coup

Can you share your background with us?

My name is Olufemi Olutoye. I was born in Ido Ani town, Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State. I spent the early part of my childhood days in Benin City, Edo State, when my father was the headmaster at St. James’ Primary School, Benin City. From there, I went to Government College Ibadan in 1945. I completed my secondary school education in 1949. I then gained admission to the University of Ibadan in 1950 and I graduated in June 1954. I also went to Cambridge University and concluded my course there in 1955. When I returned to Nigeria, I started teaching at the Olu-Iwa College, Ijebu Ode, (now Adeola Odutola College). Later, I left teaching to join the Nigerian Army in 1957 and I retired in 1977.

What informed your decision to join the army, when you were a university graduate?

I believed then that I had attained the height of the teaching profession because teaching then was different from what we have now. I worked in a private school and I believed I had already reached the limit and that there was nothing to look forward to again. Secondly, I wanted adventure.  I taught briefly in a public school in England where there was a Cadet Corps, where young boys were given uniforms. I asked myself then that why couldn’t we have such kind of school in Nigeria? I was the acting principal for a year, so I had to leave after that. That was when I got to the army where I rose through the ranks to become Major General before I eventually retired in 1977.

You were in the army when the first coup happened in Nigeria. Can you tell us about your experience?

I hope that I will have time to write more about that coup but I am doing something on it right now. The coup was led by Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu. He was a Major in rank and of course, I was a Major then too but I was his senior. So I knew about that coup. I can say that now but I could not say that then because, in the army, the mere knowledge of a coup is a problem. We were together in India. So, he informed me about it and I enquired more about how he hoped to carry out the plot. When he told me that it would involve killings,  I told him to count me out. I told him that I did not join the Nigerian Army to kill Nigerians.

Was he the one that personally approached you to inform you about the plan?

Yes, he personally came to inform me about it in 1964 when we were in India and the coup was carried out in 1966. Few other things happened which we cannot say now until the time is ripe.

OBASANJO'S BBC HARDTALK: WHY IGBOS ARE ANGRY WITH NIGERIA: Response

The Republican News
www.twitter.com/RNNetwork1

My friends who are not from the East of Nigeria where Igbos come from often ask me why there is so much anger in the East and among Igbos. Some wonder why, despite the famed Igbo” wealth’ and enterprise all over Nigeria, the people still complain that Nigeria is unfair to them. Some insinuate that the anger comes from the loss of the 2015 election by Jonathan who the Igbos heavily backed.

And why is it that the current generation of Igbos are so angry as to contemplate carrying arms against the country? With lots following Nnamdi Kanu of IPOB with his secessionist message. Those not following Kanu may despise his antics and rhetoric but are sympathetic to his underlying message. And what is that message? That Igbos don’t feel wanted in Nigeria. That decades of official marginalization and discrimination should be stopped or they should be allowed to take their chances in a new nation.

First, for those who think this is all about Jonathan and Buhari. It is not. Igbos were disappointed that Jonathan did not win. But those whose candidates lose elections lick their wounds. It is allowed. It happens when your candidate loses election. Why did the Igbos invest so much emotions in Jonathan, a non-Igbo from Ijaw? It was more because of the fear of their experience in the past 50 years. Nigeria has placed an embargo on any Igbo man becoming Nigerian president and Igbos understand this.

Jonathan was the next best thing. Other parts of Nigeria have supported their sons to the presidency. Some have bombed Nigeria into submission to get their sons to Aso Rock. Igbos have little capacity to blackmail Nigeria to the presidency. They chose Jonathan as their “Igbo”. But that’s not to say that they are angry enough because he lost to contemplate going to war on his behalf. Jonathan was not really the model of a President the Igbo would go to war for. And even his Ijaw people have accepted his loss. So?

Igbo anger has been building up in Nigeria since the 70s. As kids, people made choices in other parts of Nigeria school years based on the narrative of the Igbo place in Nigeria. They knew about the glass ceiling against Igbos.

After the civil war, despite the “No winner, no vanquished” program, Nigeria placed glass ceilings and no-go areas for Igbos. The war reconstruction program was observed more in the breach. There was the “abandoned” property program that was introduced to drive a wedge between components of the former South-East Nigeria. While the country was too embarrassed to put the discrimination program down in an official gazette, it was there for anyone who cared to look. It was evident in the Igbo police officer who stayed in one position while less qualifies juniors progressed to become his bosses. It was evident when no Igbo qualified to become the Inspector General of Police, or lead any division in the armed forces. It was there when "sensitive" or "lucrative" positions were shared in Nigeria and Igbos were conspicuously absent.

It was there when Igbos were only fit enough to be made Minister of Information until Obasanjo administration came to power. And even recently, it was there when Buhari appointed 47 people to man the critical roles in his government and no one from the South east was there.

Benin people 'owned' Lagos, Aworis paid royalties to them -Erelu Abiola Dosunmu

Written by CHARLES KUMOLU
~Vanguard Nigeria. Tuesday, December 12, 2017.

Erelu Abiola Dosunmu

Her Royal Highness, Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos, Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, in this interview, shares her
perspective on the controversy over the 'ownership' of Lagos and declares that the former federal capital was an extension of Benin Kingdom. She explains that there are no ambiguities regarding the ancestry of the aborigines of Lagos, saying they are predominantly Benin. Abiola Dosumu maintains that the Awori ,after settling in Lagos, paid royalties to Benin people. Excerpts:

Are you not concerned about the controversy over the true aborigines of Lagos?

I would not say I am concerned because I know the truth. The history of Lagos is not obscure, it is very clear. If people are going to say the truth, we all know what the truth is.

A friend was saying to me if I was not sure there is no third party trying to take the rights of Lagos through this raging controversy. We all know the story of Lagos from childhood.

Even a play was staged about the beginning of Lagos last year. I just know that the truth will surface after this raging controversy because a lot of the gladiators are being miserly in some of their discussions.

Can you give clarity on some of the things you consider not to be factual among those that have been said so far?

The territory of Lagos has always been an extension of the Benin Kingdom in the sense that they used it as a passage to the port for their trading and interaction with foreigners. We all know that foreigners visited the Benin Empire long before colonialism and signing of the treaty of Lagos. This is their passageway and hunting ground.

As soon as strangers came to settle down, they would pounce on them and make them pay royalties. Like all human beings, when you settle in a place for a long time, it is expected that you will have the right of ownership.

And the foreigners were not ready to be subservient and refused to pay Isakole (royalty) and the Benin king did not take kindly to that. He sent an expedition and subjugated the foreigners and set up his own administration in form of a kingdom.

Therefore, when I say that we are purely and predominantly Benin, it is the truth. The royalty of Lagos is predominantly Benin.

But we have all intermingled and have since inter-married with people from Yoruba land and people from other places. And we are enjoying the two cultures. We are even enjoying more because we now have Igbo, Hausa and other tribes settling in Lagos. We are not enjoying the Yoruba influence alone, we are also enjoying other influences.

Prior to the institution of the royalty with Oba Ado as the first king, who were the people that the Benin met on the ground?

The Benin has always known about Lagos because they considered it as part of their territory and they used it for many purposes. And when the Awori came from Ife to settle in the areas of Lagos, the Benin quickly got them to pay royalties. Benin was landlocked but, as Benin Empire, they were interacting with people from other parts of the world.

Buhari using state instrument for ethnic revenge -Odumakin, Afenifere's publicity secretary

~Punch Nigeria. Sunday, March 26, 2017.

National Publicity Secretary of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, in this interview with GBENRO ADEOYE, expresses surprise that the Federal Government and the police that have failed to arrest suspected Fulani herdsmen killing people across the country were able to quickly parade only Yoruba people as suspects following the clash between Yoruba and Hausa communities in Ile-Ife, Osun State

From your own position, what would you say led to that crisis in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where some people were said to have been killed?

Anybody that knows Yoruba people very well will know that we are very hospitable and accommodating. A Yoruba man is the only person that will vacate his bedroom for a visitor while he goes to sleep elsewhere. That shows you how hospitable we are. We are accommodating; we don't engage in fights as first resort, we only fight when we don't have a choice. We would rather take the option of resolving a matter through mediation when that option is available. That has made those who don't understand us to think that we are cowards and that they can trample on us like grass. For the Ile-Ife crisis, it was caused as a result of a dispute between a Yoruba woman and a Hausa woman. The former said the Hausa woman always littered her shop and then took her up on the matter. In the process, the Hausa woman's husband slapped the Yoruba woman and she slapped him back. The Yoruba woman was beaten and of course, she told her husband what happened and he went to find out why his wife was assaulted. A fracas occurred. That happened on March 7, 2017. Then the Ife traditional authorities went to report the matter to the police and asked them to look into the matter and settle it. I think the police did not respond as they should. 

The following morning, the Hausa/Fulani people in Ile-Ife went out on a revenge mission. The first Yoruba boy that was killed by the Hausa people was put in a wheelbarrow. The next casualty in the crisis was also a Yoruba boy, who was hit by a stray bullet from the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad division. Their vehicle was marked 109. But the one that provoked the outrage was the killing of the third Yoruba boy. He was a vulcaniser and his head was said to have been severed and put on a pole which was paraded round the town. That was what incensed the Yoruba people and a free for all started between the two groups. In the process, the death of the 46 people that the police said were killed occurred. At this stage, we cannot determine the identities of the 46 people as many of them were burnt beyond recognition. No DNA has been conducted and until that is done, nobody can say that the Hausa community had a higher casualty figure or not. But for the first three deaths that led to the crisis, two were caused by the Hausa/Fulani people and one was caused by the police. And the Yoruba were never the aggressors in this fight; the Hausa/Fulani were the aggressors.

You and some others have said that a Yoruba vulcaniser was beheaded and the severed head was paraded on a pole. How come this is different from the account of the police that said the problem started after one Kuburat Eluwole slapped a Hausa man during an argument? Which do we believe?

Well, the account given by the police is exactly the account of the Hausa/Fulani in this conflict. And it is understandable. The leadership of the Nigeria Police today is Hausa/Fulani. And this is what we have been saying that this government cannot concentrate all the appointments of the Nigerian security team in one section of the country. We have the Inspector General of Police from the North, the Director-General of the Department of State Services from the North, Minister of interior from the North, and so on. This is the danger we pointed out when all these appointments were being made. 

Nigeria's unfairness to the Igbo, a ticking time bomb – Nnia Nwodo

Written by Mike Ebonugwo, Clifford Ndujihe, Gbenga Oke & Yinka Ajayi
~Vanguard Nigeria. Sunday, February 12, 2017.

NDIGBO TALKS TOUGH: Biafra becomes an inevitable answer if… •

PRESIDENT-GENERAL of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and two-time minister, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, does not want to witness another civil war in the country because of the nasty experience of the first one between 1967-1970. Consequently, he wants all sections of the country to truthfully air their grievances to enable Nigerians fashion a constitution themselves that will give rise to a true federation. Speaking for the Igbo, he said there is urgent need to address age-long maltreatment of the Igbo, which gave rise to agitation for Biafra Republic by Igbo youth, stressing that Nigeria's unfairness to the Igbo is a ticking time bomb. He spoke to an editorial team of Vanguard in Lagos on Thursday.

One month after your election as President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, how has it been?

It has been humbling and this is because the result of the election was an overwhelming mandate. To be unanimously chosen by your people is a phenomenon and it has been challenging in terms of rising up to accepting the unanimous decision. The expectations are very high because I was elected at a time of extreme national concern for our national cohesion and very strong apprehensions.

So I have a work which is humbling and challenging and demands energy more than what a 65 year old man can offer. So I look up to God to find a balance and the energy to handle the job.

Concerning the expectations of your people, what are the takeaways from your ongoing consultations across the country?

Well, I won't confine it to my people because I have been consulting beyond my people. I have been receiving calls, letters and congratulatory messages from across the length and breath of this country. Beginning with my constituency, there is an awakening of consciousness already in the existence of Ohanaeze. It will be too immodest to attribute it to myself but our people have an increased resort to Ohanaeze as an instrument for vocalizing their difficulties and in all my interactions, I have vocalized their frustrations with the Nigerian federation.


They have vocalized their expectations from our country. They have harped on the need for consciousness of its leadership to respond to their yearnings and aspirations. So they have set a benchmark for me. Among other Nigerians, it is very difficult to draw a common line. The northern Nigerian traditional rulers through the Sultan of Sokoto sent me a congratulatory letter and the Sultan personally called me. Several former heads of states, former vice presidents including Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, which I have met with, I have extended a hand of fellowship to a lot of these people. I am meeting with the Afenifere tomorrow (Friday), the Niger/Delta people have called me on the phone. My friends in the Middle Belt have also congratulated me. The South East caucus in the National Assembly has also congratulated me. Virtually all the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria have called to congratulate me and various Igbo organisations that have affiliation with Ohanaeze Ndigbo have called to congratulate me.

Why Ugbo people don't marry ladies fair in complexion -Oba Olugbo of Ugbo, Ondo State

~Punch Nigeria. Sunday, September 18, 2016.

Akinruntan

Oba Obateru Akinruntan is the monarch of Ugbo kingdom, Ondo State. He tells Ademola Olonilua in this interview how he emerged the king and the place of his kingdom in Yoruba history

Were you approached to become a monarch or was it a decision you took on your own?

We have one ruling house and four segments in all. To cut the long story short, the stool was monopolised by one of them for a long time without any plan to relinquish the post for others. So the other segments went to court and they won. After the judgement, I was invited to become the Oba. When they invited me, who am I to say no? I was invited.

What has kingship status changed about your life?

Before I became king, whenever I travelled and I saw roasted plantain and groundnuts, I normally stopped to buy them but I cannot do that now. When I was just a business man, I would stop to buy the roasted plantain and I could even sit down with the seller and eat it there but now, I cannot do it, I miss that a lot.

How did you feel when Forbes Magazine ranked you as the richest monarch in Nigeria and the second richest monarch in Africa?

The people that came out with that list know what they saw before they came out with the ranking, I don't know what they saw. I don't know the people that rated me; neither do I know how they came about the rating. Mine is to look at my purse to know whether I am being flattered or not. When you hear such a thing, you will be happy but I do not know the people that came out with the ratings.

But what is your net worth?

I don't know how much I am worth. I would not tell a lie but I do not know what I am worth in this country and in the world but I know that I am living well and I can afford my three square meals a day.

How do you relax?

When I wake up in the morning as early as 6am, I run round the house then I spend some time in the gym doing some exercises. After that, I have my bath and take breakfast. Sometimes I listen to music. I read a lot of books about the Yoruba race and I am very conversant with our ethnic history. I also read international journals.

Recently, you published an excerpt of your book referring to the Ugbo stool as the oldest in Yorubaland. This claim appears to be in contrast with the history of Yorubaland, can you shed some light on your claim?

If you read some of the articles which I wrote, I said it without any contradiction that I am the owner of the Yoruba nation. They claim that Oduduwa is the progenitor of the Yoruba race, yet he met my great-great grandfather, Oba Makin Osangangan, the son of Oraife in Ife. If you go to Ife today, they would testify to it because a lot of books have been written and they acknowledge this fact.

ABC Nwosu: Why North is afraid of restructuring -ABC Nwosu -|- DEVOLUTION OF POWERS: Igbo youths, women, others disagree with ABC Nwosu

Topics:

• Why North is afraid of restructuring -ABC Nwosu
• DEVOLUTION OF POWERS: Igbo youths, women, others disagree with ABC Nwosu

______________________________________

Why North is afraid of restructuring -ABC Nwosu
Written by Iheanacho Nwosu,Abuja

~The SUN Nigeria. Thursday, September 15, 2016. 

Prof ABC Nwosu served as Political Adviser to erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo. He was later appointedminister of Health. In this interview, he spoke on the ongoing debate over restructuring. He argued that those kicking against restructuring are doing so because they are benefitting from the current warped system. He also spoke on the state of the economy and other nationalissues.

Areyou surprised atNigeria's current situation or you expected it?

The current situation ofNigeria was not expected by anybody at the time of last general elections. Neither the PDP which I belong to nor the APC which successfully replaced us, was expecting that more than one year in power, this will be the situation . Andwhat is the situation? Officially, Nigeria is in recession. Politically, we are more divided than ever. The North eastproblem has not quite ended. If it has quite ended, then there would not be IDPs; everybody wouldbe back in the villages contributing to the growth of the country. To make matters worse, the South East feels that it is not a part of Nigeria under the present administration. Whetheryou call it IPOP or MASSOB or any name, it is playing out the typical south East philosophy that a person rejected does not reject himself.

Now, you have the Niger Delta Avengers. You see all kinds of militant groups from the riverine areas. No matter what you make of it, It is a moveborne out of the fact that the people of the area are feeling unjustly treated.

The economic consequence is that we have our oil export atthe lowest level. All these things that I am describing require political solution.

The late President Umaru Yar'Adua applied a political solution and it worked. So, I don't see why we cannot apply political solution of talking with brethren when people are feeling dissatisfied.

So, the state of the nation is not only bad but requires urgent repair.

There are claims that Nigeria actually went into recession in 2014 when your party was still in power, can you controvert such insinuation?

If there's anything I don't agree with, it is a person in charge of a situation finding all kinds of lame and stupid excuses for why things cannot be done. Anybody who goes on that direction means that even idiots can be on power. I am using very strong words deliberately. You don't have to continue the past for the problem you have been elected to fix. You don't have to continue to heap the woes of the country on the military. And if there was any good that the military did, you won't even recognize it .

1966 coup plotters planned to make Awolowo Head of State - Olutoye

~The PUNCH Nigeria. Sunday, July 31, 2016.

The Owa of Ido-Ani, Oba Olufemi Olutoye, is a retired Major-General in the Nigerian Army. In this interview with PETER DADA, he shares his experiences as a soldier and his level of involvement in the 1966 military coup

Can you share your background with us?

My name is Olufemi Olutoye. I was born in Ido Ani town, Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State. I spent the early part of my childhood days in Benin City, Edo State, when my father was the headmaster at St. James' Primary School, Benin City. From there, I went to Government College Ibadan in 1945. I completed my secondary school education in 1949. I then gained admission to the University of Ibadan in 1950 and I graduated in June 1954. I also went to Cambridge University and concluded my course there in 1955. When I returned to Nigeria, I started teaching at the Olu-Iwa College, Ijebu Ode, (now Adeola Odutola College) . Later, I left teaching to join the Nigerian Army in 1957 and I retired in 1977.

What informed your decision to join the army, when you were a university graduate?

I believed then that I had attained the height of the teaching profession, because teaching then was different from what we have now. I worked in a private school and I believed I had already reached the limit and that there was nothing to look forward to again. Secondly, I wanted adventure. I taught briefly in a public school in England where there was a Cadet Corps, where young boys were given uniforms. I asked myself then that why couldn't we have such kind of school in Nigeria? I was the acting principal for a year, so I had to leave after that. That was when I got to the army where I rose through the ranks to become Major General before I eventually retired in 1977.

You were in the army when the first coup happened in Nigeria. Can you tell us your experience?

I hope that I will have time to write more about that coup but I am doing something on it right now. The coup was led by Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu. He was a Major in rank and of course, I was a Major then too but I was his senior. So I knew about that coup. I can say that now but I could not say that then because, in the army, the mere knowledge of a coup is a problem. We were together in India. So, he informed me about it and I enquired more on how he hoped to carry out the plot. When he told me that it would involve killings, I told him to count me out. I told him that I did not join the Nigerian Army to kill Nigerians.

North can't own oil in Niger Delta -Ankio Briggs

~TheSUN, Nigeria. Sunday, June 19, 2016

NIGER Delta activist, Ankio Briggs has said that the claim by some Northern lead­ers that the North owns the oil in Nigeria by virtue of its control of 72% of the nation's landmass, is nonsensical. Briggs in this interview with TONY JOHN in Port Har­court, Rivers state stressed that the oil rich Niger Delta remains the economic livewire of the country. Excerpts...

How do you react to the claim by the North that mineral resources in Nigeria, including oil in the Niger Delta belongs to them because they have the largest landmass?

There is nothing much to say on that, unless if one wants to go into process of argument. It is an irrational claim to re­sources. How on earth does it make sense to anybody, that what is in the Niger Delta belongs to the North? It is so irrational. It is almost foolish for such a claim. There is nothing to input there. I won't waste time to try to prove that they are wrong. All I can say is that, if truly they so believe, let them all come down to the Niger Delta and lay claim to the oil. Federal Government, for instance, is the one claiming ownership by the constitution. So, if they are now say­ing that the oil resources in the creeks and mangroves of the Niger Delta belong to them, they should come down to the creeks and swamps with their cows and herdsmen and plant their onions and tomatoes in the creeks and swamps. It is foolish and quite irrational for anybody, who is an educated person to make such a claim. I think it does not deserve a response.

On the abandoned Confab re­port...?

Sonny Okosuns' last interview unearthed!

Written by Frank Chike

~The SUN, Nigeria. Friday, June 3, 2016

Ozzidi exponent, Evangelist Francis Sonny Okosuns died on May 24, 2008 at the age of 64, but with a pain in his heart. It was the agony of a man betrayed and despised by those he considered to be his 'African brothers' and as a result had committed most of his time and musical works to their liberation.

Doing all he can to conceal the pains he was battling with that morning, as his health had begun to deteriorate, Okosuns still managed to reveal to this reporter, who was then gathering material for his biography, that the South Africans did not show any iota of appreciation to him after the end of apartheid in 1994 despite his huge contribution to their liberation struggle.

The Edo-born reggae turned-gospel musician was still waiting for an official invitation from the South African government when the cold hands of death snatched him away. It was vintage Okosuns in this exclusive but interesting encounter. Enjoy it.

Not long ago, while you were out of the country, the issue of United States of Africa under one leadership or president resurfaced at the African Union meeting. The Libyan strongman, Col. Muammar Gaddafi was the advocate. As a Pan Africanist, what is your opinion on this issue?

I think I started it after President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, I must say glory be to God for giving me the foresight. Remember many years back, I recorded a song on that which I titled 'Now or Never' and in the video I displayed a placard with a message, 'The United States of Africa' where I wore a military camouflage. I raised my hands like Col. Gaddafi always does, and everybody knew I was mimicking him, and the song was a hit. I think Col. Gaddafi watched the video and that's where he must have gotten the idea for the United States of Africa. It's very right to nurse the idea of United States of Africa, but it must be well planned and well organised so that one country would not dominate the other. I'm saying this because I have travelled all over Africa and I know how Nigerians are badly treated by people of other countries in the continent. They are very much afraid of us, may be because we are well ahead of them on our level of understanding and business consciousness, and I know many of these countries once they see our citizens at their airports or borders, they would begin to panic and do all sort of things to harass you.

Have you ever been treated shabbily in any Africa country?

Yes, of course. I remember during Namibia's independence in the '80s, I went there to perform and I saw a poster in their airport warning people to beware of Nigerians. When I saw it, I was disappointed because their president then and their freedom fighters lived here in Nigeria (Lagos) for many years when we were helping them to liberate their country. I mean Mr. Sam Nujoma, the same thing with South African President Thabo Mbeki. They were all here in Nigeria those days and I remember on one occasion when I performed before them here in Lagos, Mr. Sam Nujoma wept. Then he was not yet a president. In short, that poster at Namibia Airport till date is still a source of worry to me; because I don't know why the people we struggled to liberate could do such a thing to us.

We can get Biafra in one week -Debe, Ojukwu's son

Written by CHIDI OBINECHE

~The SUN, Nigeria. Sunday, May 8, 2016

…Says Ikemba was an only son, his brothers were adopted

DEBE, first son of the late Biafran secessionist leader and Ikemba of Nnewi, Dim Chukuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu opens up on the Biafra struggle, the crises in the family over the estate Ojukwu left behind, Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB leadership, among many other topical issues. Excerpts.

Fulani herdsmen are marauding; killing, maiming and raping people. What should be the permanent so­lution to it?

Personally, I don't think the grazing reserves bill on the floor of the National Assembly is the solution, because the reserves should be in the places where the herdsmen originate from, because we have different cultures, and different means of sus­tenance. People in the South-east and South-south are mainly farmers. You don't graze on their farms, because the farms are their means of sustenance, just like the herdsmen see the cattle as their own means of sustenance. You don't sacrifice one means of sustenance for another. If they feel, for instance, that their means of livelihood in Sokoto or Kano states is cattle rearing, they can set up graz­ing reserves there, which I think is okay. In France and Britain, they have ranches where they shepherd their cows. And they go out and get their feeds. They don't allow the cows to start roaming the streets of London because they need to eat grasses. I believe that grazing reserves should be done with the basic law in the siting of industries which is closeness to the source of raw materials. They should restrict the grazing reserves to the North, and they can come down to the South to buy the things they need to feed their cows, instead of trampling on yam and cassava farms.

Why did the president not react to the carnage in Enugu state the same way he has always reacted to those agitating for Biafra?

The most important thing is to first identify the people. There are various ways of committing crime, and the intelligence of these criminals var­ies from one person to another. You can say that the intelligence of the herdsmen and the collusion with the security agents are more sophisticated than that of the Biafra agitators. There are many Biafra agita­tors of which I am one. I am one, but I subscribe to the legal and diplomatic agitation; not the violent agitation.

I'm proud of Nnamdi Kanu, he's just like me - Father

Written by  IHUOMA CHIEDOZIE - The Punch, Nigeria.

HRM Eze Israel Okwu Kanu

HRM Eze Israel Okwu Kanu, the traditional ruler of Isiama Afara, a community in Umuahia, Abia State, speaks with IHUOMA CHIEDOZIE about his son, Nnamdi Kanu, the embattled Director of Radio Biafra

Who is Nnamdi Kanu?

Nnamdi Kanu is my son. While growing up, he was a very bright boy, very intelligent and brilliant and he was very serious with his studies. He was quite serious-minded for his age, which obviously informed his decision to leave the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he was studying as an undergraduate, for Europe, in order to finish his studies, following delays occasioned by incessant strikes by the university's academic and non-academic staff.

Before he left for Europe, he complained to me about the constant strikes. He was worried that, sometimes, the school would be shut for more than three months due to one strike or the other, and he wondered when he would have time to learn, not to talk of graduating. At that point, he told me that he wanted to travel abroad to continue his studies. I was worried; I asked him, 'Who will you stay with? Do you know anybody there?' He said I should not worry, that there was somebody from our town there in Europe, who would help him. 

Incidentally, the said person knew me and was willing to help Nnamdi because of the relationship we had. He (the man who helped Nnamdi in Europe) said as long as the boy was my son, he would be glad to be of help. He said he would help Nnamdi unconditionally, because, according to him, there was something I did for him in the past which he would never forget.

When he got to Europe, the authorities there were impressed with him and took him up; they gave him admission, noting that he was very brilliant. It was determination that propelled him to move to Europe to complete his studies.

Do you have other children apart from Nnamdi?

I have three sons and two daughters but he (Nnamdi) is the first. The second son is in Germany while the third is in London. But I told him (third son) to come back home because my wife and I are the only ones here with their sisters. He (the third son) is the one we call 'Fine boy.'

Did Nnamdi show any sign that he would grow up to lead the type of movement he is leading today?

My encounter with Ironsi on coup day – Rita-Lori

Written by CHARLES KUMOLU - Vanguard.

Chief Mrs. Rita Lori-Ogbebor was one of the country's leading broadcast journalists at the time of the January 15 coup and was the first Programme Director of the Nigerian Television Service, NTS. On the morning of the coup she encountered the General Officer Commanding of the Nigerian Army, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi near the Parliament Building as he bustled to suppress the uprising.Fifty years after the coup she asserts that the plotters were perhaps not motivated by the lust for power, being that they desired a better society.

As a witness to history, would you say the reasons given by the plotters were sufficient to provoke the coup?

They should come and see what is happening in the country now. These were young people, who came out of the university and went into the army. They had been indoctrinated. They came out of school wanting to see an ideal society. They had their mindset on the right things they felt the country should do. Any other way would not be tolerated. And they swallowed all they read and learnt. They were looking for perfection. It is not that they came out wanting to kill because they wanted positions. They came out to do what they did because they were indoctrinated and they wanted a country that is perfect. But I think also that they may have been used by some greedy politicians.

In every society you must have greedy ones. And they did not know that our country was very fragile, we were all in the process of learning. They themselves were in the process of learning and therefore should not have taken away what we did not have. At that time, we were all learning. From the permanent secretaries to the politicians, we were all learning. So, they may not have known that what they were doing was going to boomerang because they took away our founding fathers, who were just building a new nation.

Let Biafrans go -Dr Junaid Mohammed -|- The Igbo Question: A response to JIbrin Ibrahim

Topics:

• Let Biafrans go -Dr Junaid Mohammed
• Junaid Mohammed and Igbophobia
• The Igbo Question: A response to JIbrin Ibrahim

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Let Biafrans go -Dr Junaid Mohammed

From ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Kaduna

~The SUN, Nigeria. 

…Says they need Nigeria more than Nigeria needs them

Dr Junaid Mohammed, convener of the Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, has called on Nigerians to allow Igbos to go, if they want to, saying that they need Nigeria more than Nigeria needs them.

Speaking in an explosive interview with Sunday Sun, the Kano-based Russian-trained medical doctor turned politician, who described the Igbos as persons who could not be trusted with power and certain key positions in the country, however, said: "...I insist they should be heard and be allowed to secede, provided they are peaceful." Excerpts:

Looking at the dimension the agitation for the sovereign State of Biafra has taken, should Nigerians and Nigeria allow the Igbos go or not?

Yes.

My understanding is that in every society, people will have to be persuaded, to see the benefit of living together. But where that fails, I think people should be allowed to go their separate ways in peace. Now, this question should have been answered earlier, before the independence or even immediately after the Igbo coup of 1966.

Directly, through their own actions, they organised a tribal coup in which political, business and even traditional leaders of other tribes, other than their own tribe were eliminated, leaving their own leaders intact. That shows who they are. However, I am one of those who believe that Nigeria is a very important project not only for Nigerians, but to the entire black race. So it will be a disaster if black people cannot live together in peace. There was a consensus within the generality of Nigerians that Nigeria has to be saved, Nigeria has to be preserved and in doing so you have to use minimum violence. It has to be used through persuasion for those people who don't understand the essence of our being together.

Nigeria has not treated Igbo fairly -Ugwu-Oju …Launches book on Ojukwu's dad

By Chidi Nnadi, Enugu

Ugwu-Oju

Recently, the cream of Igbo entrepreneurs and elite gathered in Enugu for the presentation of a book: "In Quest of Perpetuity," a bio-sketch of the late Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu, who was a foremost African entrepreneur.

The event tagged "Enugu 2015 Ndigbo and Entrepreneurship" anchored by the President of South-East, South-South Professionals, Mr Emeka Ugwu-Oju, was held at the Dome.

Ugwu-Oju took time after the launch to field questions from newsmen on the book presentation, the Igbo nation, the protests by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), and governance in Igbo land. Excerpt:

The book presentation

The book was launched in November but then we needed to do a bit more in terms of letting the entire country, especially the Igbo nation, know more about the late Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu because sometimes we don't seem to remember people in the past, but if you don't remember the past, you won't be able to figure your way out in the future.

So, that led to my desire to go beyond the book launch to give some presentations on his life. So, the leaders in various sectors should try and present the book to the general public so that we shall know more about the man.

Buhari should listen to Biafrans -Annkio Briggs

Written by Willy Eya, The SUN.

Annkio Briggs

HUMAN rights activist, Ms Annkio Briggs has advocated for the self-determination of the Niger Delta people and urged member states of the United Nations to support the demand by people of the oil-rich region for the control of their resources. She argues that the nation has short-changed the region for too long.

In this interview, Briggs who is one of the most vocal activists from the Niger Delta bares her mind on developments in the region.

She spoke to Daily Sun after she addressed a conference entitled: "Nigeria: Equity, corruption and justice" on behalf of a group, Niger Delta Self Determination Movement (NDSDM) in Lagos. Excerpts:

There is a renewed call by the Niger Delta people for the region to be compensated for the devastation of their environment and, they are also calling for self determination; is that not a contradiction?

Right now, the constitution is being governed by the 1999 constitution and whatever they do within the law is based on the 1999 constitution whether they like it or not. The constitution also gives us a leeway to demand for compensation. In terms of compensation for the destruction of our livelihood, the Nigerian government who is a business partner with the oil companies is responsible. The state governments are not part of this business with the oil companies. The other devastation is there and we deserve a right for compensation.

IBB: I'll vote for Igbo president in 2019

Topics:

• IBB: I'll vote for Igbo president in 2019
• Biafra is dead and buried – Chief Richard Akinjide

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IBB: I'll vote for Igbo president in 2019

~ The SUN.

IBRAHIM Babangida, former military president, has said he is ready to vote for an Igbo president in 2019. Speaking with The Interview, a magazine focused on leading professionals and politicians, IBB, as he is fondly called, described agitation for Biafra republic as a distraction.

"We do not need this distraction now," he was quoted as saying, adding that "I will vote for an Igbo president in 2019, if I find one." He also revisited one of the most controversial issues involving him - the death of MKO Abiola, acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 election. He said he received the news of his death with shock but without regret.

Responding to the question on whether he believed that Abiola died of natural causes, he replied: "I should know? I didn't serve the tea...!"

The former military ruler also spoke on his relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari, who had accused him of staging the 1985 coup to save General Aliyu Gusau and himself. Babangida told a story of their 2006 encounter arranged by former Abia governor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, as proof that all is well between him and the president, adding, "one thing you guys in the media want is for us to be exchanging words with each other each time we see."

Ndigbo have forgiven Niger Delta for civil war betrayal - Evah

Written by Charles Kumolu - Vanguard

COORDINATOR of Ijaw Monitoring Group, Comrade Joseph Evah in this interview calls for unity of purpose among political leaders of the Niger Delta extraction. He opines that with a common voice, the long expected development of the region may become realistic.

What is your perception of the state of the nation?

The way the Federal Government is handling the Biafra agitation in the East is very dangerous. They are taking the wrong steps by ignoring the agitations that are going on. For the first time since the end of the civil war, we are seeing an organised agitation. The Igbo man cannot ordinarily abandon his business for something else, but now we are seeing Igbo men leaving their businesses in order to agitate.

That tells you that they are serious. Seeing them sacrificing their time, energy and money, should be enough to make the Federal Government interested in the matter. Threats by the army, are not acceptable. We expect the government to tell us why they are detaining Kanu. Intimidation did not work when we had our Kaima Declaration during the military era. When they threatened us, we became resilient.

Do you think the Igbo man has a cause to protest?

Yes, the Igbo have something to protest against just as the Ijaw man has something to protest against. Why are they denying the Igbo the right of seeing their son, who was arrested? They can't be denied that right. I went to court to stop the dredging of the River Niger during the military era because there was no environmental assessment. The government under Abacha awarded the contract through the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF. I went to my lawyer, Femi Falana and we stopped the dredging through legal process.

If the government had not obeyed the judiciary on the matter, we would have resorted to other alternatives which would not have been in the interest of the government. I questioned the justification for wanting to have a sea port in Baro in Niger State, while our ports in Warri, Koko and Akasa were moribund.

Justification for sea port in Baro

They wanted to dredge the River Niger from Warri to Onitsha and to Lokoja before finally connecting it to Baro, which is close to Abuja. So the government should listen to the Igbo the way we were listened to during the military.

Do you think the Niger-Delta region is fairly represented in Buhari's government?

Niger Deltans are not well represented in the government and we don't know why they are doing that. Maybe it is being done because the region produced the immediate past president.