"Positions which stand as a follow-up to my comments on a clear case of prejudice and bias wearing the gown of truth was published here some days ago but some duties have affected my desire for some comments on the comments. I am glad I now can.
First, let me acknowledge the fact that Kadiri collaborated with one of my principal claims that an Igbo army officer was also killed in the coup with his submission that "Major Anuforo killed Lieutenant Colonels Arthur Chinyelu Unegbe". To other claims made let me provide some response.
Kadiri:"Traditionally and culturally, the Southeast is composed of the minority Diala (Slave Masters) and majority, Osu (Slaves)".
Ugwuanyi: Diala in Igbo is interpreted to mean Son of the soil. The Igbo term for what Kadiri in his uniformed imagination calls Slave master is Nwa Amu literary meaning "free born". What is held to be slaves in Igbo context is miles away from this articulation of the idea. Many of the Osu are those dedicated to deities for falling short of one demand or the other from the deity. The predominant feature of the slavery in Igbo context, at least judging from the Igbo world I very well know is discrimination in matters of leadership and marriage.
Kadiri: "Now, let me respond to your diversionary comment. Contrary to your claim, I did not assert that the Majors staged Igbo coup, rather, I stated that their coup was stolen by the Dialas and I did not mention the Igbo".
Ugwuanyi: Except you are merely figurative here- this is a fearful ignorant assertion. A good number of those who have held political power and influence in Igbo land are believed to have come from the Osu world. Many of them were believed to have been sent to school earlier as a form of punishment but it turned out a blessing in disguise!
Kadiri : "Although Dialas are Igbo, just like Osu, stealing of the Majors' coup by Dialas would not make the coup theft of 1966 a theft by all Igbo".
Ugwuanyi :Refer to my earlier reply above.
Kadiri : "You wrote that the young officers that staged the coup were beyond one ethnic group. Personally, I am not interested in the ethnic composition of the planners of the coup but their political ideology.
Ugwuanyi: How do I know except by reading your ideas. It does not suggest otherwise at least with the effort to misuse Igbo words to your favour! You might, if you wish, do a study of majority of your claims in this forum or elect someone else to do so, and see how far it can be seen to be something different from ethnic sentiments!
Kadiri : "Since you are interested in the ethnic composition of the coup planners of January 15, 1966,Major Patrick Chukwuma Nzeogwu led the coup in the then capital of Northern Region, Kaduna. He was assisted by Major Timothy Onwuatuegwu and Captains Ben Gbulie and Goddy Ude. Major Nzeogwu killed the Premier of the North Ahmadu Bello and two of his wives, while Major Onwuatuegwu killed Brigadier Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun as well as his eight months pregnant wife in their bedroom. He also killed Colonel Ralph Shodeinde and wounded his wife fatally in their bedroom. Captain Gbulie led troops to take command of strategic buildings in Kaduna. Thursday night, 13 January 1966, Captain Goddy Ude was issued with a .38-calibre pistol and ample live ammunition in Kaduna with instruction to proceed by road to Kano. He was to kill the commander of the 5th Battalion Kano, Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu but on getting there, Goddy Ude turned pacifist and did not want bloodshed, understandable, of a fellow Igbo man.
In Lagos, the capital and seat of government at that time, Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna led the coup in the South. He was assisted by Majors Adewale Ademoyega, Humprey Chukwuka, Don Okafor, Chris Anuforo, John Obienu, Chude Sokei as well as Captains Emmanuel Nwora Nwobosi, Ogbo Oji, and G.S. Adeleke.
Major Ifeajuna captured Prime Minister Balewa and Finance Minister Okotie-Eboh. While he killed Balewa, Major Anuforo killed Okotie-Eboh. Major Don Okafor was assigned to kill Brigadier Maimalari but exchange of fire between Okafor's men and the guards around Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari's house provided him the opportunity to escape through the backdoor. While Maimalari was walking towards Doddan Barracks, he saw Major Ifeajuna and beckoned to him to stop. Ifeajuna stepped out of his car and gunned him dead. Major Anuforo killed Lieutenant Colonels Arthur Chinyelu Unegbe and Arbogo Largema. Major Humphrey Chukwuka killed Lieutenant Colonel James Yakubu Palm and Colonel Kuru Mohammed. Major John Obienu was assigned the duty of coming to Lagos with armoured cars to neutralise the 2nd Battalion, Ikeja. He reneged and linked up with Ironsi who had infiltrated the coup plotters with his men and had monitored their movements all along. Captain Emmanuel Nwora Nwobosi killed the Premier of Western Region Samuel Ladoke Akintola. Major Adewale Ademoyega was to lead and assign troops to occupy and control all strategic locations in the Federal Capital, such as Police Headquarters, Post and Telecomunication, Telephone Exchange, Parliament Building and Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. He was to be assisted by Captain Ogbo Oji. Captain G.S. Adeleke was to provide arms and ammunition.
In Enugu, Major Chude Sokei was assigned the duty to kill Premier of the East, Michael Okpara, and Premier of the Midwest, Dennis Osadebay. He was to be assisted by Lieutenant Jerome Oguchi. Both Sokei and Oguchi turned pacifists that did not want bloodshed."
Ugwuanyi: This is perhaps the most informative effort you have made and supplied. However I am not sure you are aware that the story about the coup and the war is believed to have been summarily burnt after the war as volunteered by an eminent historian a year ago at a lecture in a Nigerian University. Since this position became a public knowledge, it has become clear to me why any story can make round about the coup and the war. Hopefully historians will further probe this issue and institute intellectual criminal proceedings against this historical evil. Now this does not mean that we should dismiss all available stories about the war but perhaps be curious and scholarly in seeking and sifting the truth about what happened-by at least citing our sources and the collaborations about the sources. In the light of this one would have expected you to supply all your sources on this matter. To point an illustration: Compare these two positions you provided:
"In Lagos, the capital and seat of government at that time, Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna led the coup in the South. He was assisted by Majors Adewale Ademoyega, Humprey Chukwuka, Don Okafor, Chris Anuforo, John Obienu, Chude Sokei as well as Captains Emmanuel Nwora Nwobosi, Ogbo Oji, and G.S. Adeleke."
"In Enugu, Major Chude Sokei was assigned the duty to kill Premier of the East, Michael Okpara, and Premier of the Midwest, Dennis Osadebay. He was to be assisted by Lieutenant Jerome Oguchi. Both Sokei and Oguchi turned pacifists that did not want bloodshed."
Kadiri:The revolutionary Majors did not plan Igbo coup but Ironsi infiltrators that consented only to killing non-Igbo soldiers and civilians and the way Ironsi stole the coup of the Majors turned it to an ethnic coup.
Ugwuanyi: Who could these Ironsi's infiltrators be, except perhaps the one that is reported to be against his death- as supplied by you. Is it Chukwuka who went to kill him or the one who was in Kano to kill Ojukwu. If they were against the lives of Igbos why would they agree to go for these mission in the first place. How do you balance this with your claim that "Major Anuforo killed Lieutenant Colonels Arthur Chinyelu Unegbe", both of whom are supposed to be Igbos!
Kadiri :First of April Nigerian intellectuals continue till date to claim that Ironsi quelled the Major's coup. He stole the coup of the Majors and supplanted them.
Ugwuanyi: This is merely re-enforcing a position that is not founded. It is wrong to believe that anyone who got power in Nigeria wanted it! You might refer to the famous phrase "not my will" by then young Gen.Obasanjo with reference to assuming the Head of State in 1976! Without a good knowledge of the antecedents of Gen. Ironsi it is significantly wrong to hold this position. You need to provide more solid facts on Ironsi e.g his personal love for power to hold this view. For example if you had read Ironsi's biography Ironside written by Chuks Iloegbunam and have grounds to support your view with books such as this or from any psycho-analytic narrative on this matter it will make more sense. For now these views are groundless hypothesis!
Kadiri : I had expected a Professor like you to correct me if the Igbo led NCNC had not advocated unitary form of government for Nigeria since inception in 1943. You should have contradicted me that Major General Aguiyi Ironsi did not promulgate Decree No. 34 of 24 May 1966, in accordance with the recommendation of his one-man commission of enquiry on unitary form of government headed by Francis Nwokedi, that abolished regions.
Ugwuanyi:I am afraid that you are aligning Zik's NCNC with Ironsi .This is may mean that you don't share the view that the military have a different disposition with Civilians and that even if both are Igbos these are different institutions capable of shaping thoughts differently.
Kadiri: Instead, you responded that I am not properly educated because of my asserted views.
Ugwuanyi: I had cause to question the education that leads to a thinking that subverts truth and abhors the rigour and pains involved in searching for it. The simple answer to this would have been to outline the schools attended in which case you might not be at fault as much as formation received. Assuming that one's education is heavily ideological-chances are that faults with views canvassed can easily be located-in which case understanding where the person is coming from (interpreted to mean knowledge, ideas and ideals received ) becomes a way of understanding how and why he or she could hold some views.
Kadiri :In Nigerian daily experiences, properly educated Nigerian Professors are not able, to generate and distribute electricity (they generate and distribute darkness), to refine crude oil (they export crude oil and import fuel and even get money for fuel subsidy without importing fuel), to mine iron ores at Ajaokuta and work them into metals, to construct and maintain motor-able roads etc. With those demonstrated popular qualities of properly educated Nigerian Professors, I cannot but thank my Creator for not being properly educated and for not being a Professor.
Ugwuanyi: You have labelled me a Nigerian Professor on the ground that I am lecturing in a Nigerian University. I thought you could have imagined that I may well be a non-Nigerian working in a Nigerian University in which case it will only be safe to locate me as a Professor in a Nigerian University. Furthermore, would you for a while rethink the clause "properly educated Nigerian Professors". Is this not a big class covering nearly all Professors that are Nigerians including perhaps those working outside Nigeria but are Nigerians! Are you safe enough to allow this broad category to be covered by your claims? Now assuming that you narrow it to Nigerian Professors of Nigerian University, my simple worry is whether you can provide any idea of University that locates the job of a Professor as to "generate and distribute electricity… to refine crude oil …to mine iron ores at Ajaokuta and work them into metals, to construct and maintain motor-able roads etc." Can you make reference to any theory of a University and University Professorship that supports your claim? What is your idea of a University and your idea of a University Professor? Yearly or so there is always this South African conference that eminently theorises on the idea of the African University, the latest of which was held some months ago. I hope it is not wrong for one to recommend that you attend this conference. Perhaps your claim here could lead you to search more about the University idea and the idea of a University Professor through such conference.
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