In early October 2012, long before the
latest work of scholarship ‘There was a Country’ by the internationally
respected Novelist, Essayist and the critically acclaimed original father of
African indigenous literature Professor Chinua Achebe hit the book stands in Nigeria,
I was worried to my marrows about the emerging trend of highly misinformed
criticism targeted against the renowned author by some persons masquerading
about as leaders of the Yoruba nation over a comment in this 333 pages
well-crafted and beautifully produced book on the infamous role of General
Gowon and late Obafemi Awolowo who imposed economic and food blockade on the
then Biafra.
latest work of scholarship ‘There was a Country’ by the internationally
respected Novelist, Essayist and the critically acclaimed original father of
African indigenous literature Professor Chinua Achebe hit the book stands in Nigeria,
I was worried to my marrows about the emerging trend of highly misinformed
criticism targeted against the renowned author by some persons masquerading
about as leaders of the Yoruba nation over a comment in this 333 pages
well-crafted and beautifully produced book on the infamous role of General
Gowon and late Obafemi Awolowo who imposed economic and food blockade on the
then Biafra.
I was worried because of the emerging pattern of hardline ethnic
coloration that these so-called critics who have never set their eyes on the
book gave to the author of the book ‘THERE WAS A COUNTRY’ Professor Chinua
Achebe who rightly recorded these historical facts of the thirty months brutal
and uncivil war waged against the then Biafra Republic headed then by popularly
acclaimed late General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu by the then military
dictatorship of General Yakubu Gowon in whose war cabinet the late Cief Obafemi
Awolowo, one of the finest politicians out of South West of Nigeria, served
then as the Federal Commissioner for the Economy/Finance.
I was very worried not because Professor Achebe is incapable
intellectually wise or otherwise to defend himself against these ethnically
charged emotional outburst by a section of the South West of Nigeria against
his claim in the book that Chief Awolowo’s decision to impose economic blockade
created some of the World’s most atrocious genocide and mass hunger that led to
the untimely and gruesome killings through a range of health challenges such as
malnutrition/kwashiorkor of phenomenal dimension, of over three million
Children, Old Women and elderly civilian men who had nothing to do with the
then Nigeria/Biafra civil war since they were not involved in the war fronts in
combat against the Nigerian troops supported actively by Britain, Russia and
other major world powers who were scheming for the vast Nigeria’s Crude oil
reserves.
intellectually wise or otherwise to defend himself against these ethnically
charged emotional outburst by a section of the South West of Nigeria against
his claim in the book that Chief Awolowo’s decision to impose economic blockade
created some of the World’s most atrocious genocide and mass hunger that led to
the untimely and gruesome killings through a range of health challenges such as
malnutrition/kwashiorkor of phenomenal dimension, of over three million
Children, Old Women and elderly civilian men who had nothing to do with the
then Nigeria/Biafra civil war since they were not involved in the war fronts in
combat against the Nigerian troops supported actively by Britain, Russia and
other major world powers who were scheming for the vast Nigeria’s Crude oil
reserves.
Why will I be worried about the above sentiments I have
expressed since even the metaphysical import of the author’s name ‘CHINUA’
means GOD FIGHTS MY BATTLE? Achebe as well as millions of lovers of truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth will fight for his freedom to express his
opinion as opposed to the position of the reactionary forces who would rather
prefer that he maintained conspiratorial silence about that bloody genocide of
the then military Government against the then Biafran civilians. Sadly, even
the main actor in that mass killings of civilians General Gowon regrettably
stated recently here in London, United Kingdom, that he has no regret to have
taken that brutal action that created the worst human misery of modern World.
expressed since even the metaphysical import of the author’s name ‘CHINUA’
means GOD FIGHTS MY BATTLE? Achebe as well as millions of lovers of truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth will fight for his freedom to express his
opinion as opposed to the position of the reactionary forces who would rather
prefer that he maintained conspiratorial silence about that bloody genocide of
the then military Government against the then Biafran civilians. Sadly, even
the main actor in that mass killings of civilians General Gowon regrettably
stated recently here in London, United Kingdom, that he has no regret to have
taken that brutal action that created the worst human misery of modern World.
The reason for my well-considered apprehension was because of
the fact that the attitude of some and/or all of the trenchant critics of the
book ‘THERE WAS A COUNTRY’ in which case most of these ignorant critics that
colored their thoughts published extensively in the print media in Nigeria with
heavy political and ethnic sentiments is precisely because it is an act of
anti-intellectualism of the most primitive dimension for someone to seek to
deny historical body of evidence regarding the Nigeria/Biafra war that has gone
down in history as the first War in the whole wide World to have been recorded
and televised to the whole World while the atrocities of Nigerian Government’s
imposed genocidal hunger through economic and food blockade against the
civilian populace of the then Biafra took a toll on millions of innocent
Children, Women and the elderly who perished because they were denied access to
basic food reliefs that ought to flow in from the international community.
the fact that the attitude of some and/or all of the trenchant critics of the
book ‘THERE WAS A COUNTRY’ in which case most of these ignorant critics that
colored their thoughts published extensively in the print media in Nigeria with
heavy political and ethnic sentiments is precisely because it is an act of
anti-intellectualism of the most primitive dimension for someone to seek to
deny historical body of evidence regarding the Nigeria/Biafra war that has gone
down in history as the first War in the whole wide World to have been recorded
and televised to the whole World while the atrocities of Nigerian Government’s
imposed genocidal hunger through economic and food blockade against the
civilian populace of the then Biafra took a toll on millions of innocent
Children, Women and the elderly who perished because they were denied access to
basic food reliefs that ought to flow in from the international community.
I was also worried that some of these self -acclaimed political
leaders of the Yoruba race in Nigeria who have expressed anger at the isolated
statement that Professor Achebe made regarding the inappropriate and inhumane
application of economic blockade recommended to the then military junta of
General Yakubu Gowon by his then Finance minister Chief Obafemi Awolowo as a
way of ending the war and actively promoted and defended by the late Chief Awo
and some of his die-hard supporters are actually trying to generate ethnic
tensions between the Yoruba and Igbo peoples of Nigeria.
leaders of the Yoruba race in Nigeria who have expressed anger at the isolated
statement that Professor Achebe made regarding the inappropriate and inhumane
application of economic blockade recommended to the then military junta of
General Yakubu Gowon by his then Finance minister Chief Obafemi Awolowo as a
way of ending the war and actively promoted and defended by the late Chief Awo
and some of his die-hard supporters are actually trying to generate ethnic
tensions between the Yoruba and Igbo peoples of Nigeria.
Fortunately, their diabolical scheming to stoke the embers of
ethnic warfare between the Igbo and Yoruba have backfired since most of them
were the same persons that have consistently betrayed the Yoruba cause at the
national level which as I had earlier stated in my earlier published article
‘Achebephobics, Biafran Story and the Truth’, culminated in the denial of the
democratic mandate bestowed by majority of Nigerian electorate during the
ill-fated 1993 Presidential elections in which the now ‘state’ murdered
politician-Chief Kashimawo Olawale Abiola reportedly won.
ethnic warfare between the Igbo and Yoruba have backfired since most of them
were the same persons that have consistently betrayed the Yoruba cause at the
national level which as I had earlier stated in my earlier published article
‘Achebephobics, Biafran Story and the Truth’, culminated in the denial of the
democratic mandate bestowed by majority of Nigerian electorate during the
ill-fated 1993 Presidential elections in which the now ‘state’ murdered
politician-Chief Kashimawo Olawale Abiola reportedly won.
Some of these half-baked critics of the latest book of Professor
Achebe, indeed conspired with the then military junta of the late General Sani
Abacha to deny the late Abiola of his mandate. Now they are parading themselves
as the new leaders of the Yoruba race and are using the latest World acclaimed
historical autobiography of Professor Chinua Achebe as their launch pad. They
have failed woefully.
Achebe, indeed conspired with the then military junta of the late General Sani
Abacha to deny the late Abiola of his mandate. Now they are parading themselves
as the new leaders of the Yoruba race and are using the latest World acclaimed
historical autobiography of Professor Chinua Achebe as their launch pad. They
have failed woefully.
So, in the last twelve days that I have being on brief holiday
in the United Kingdom, I have taken the liberty of my presence in London to
procure copies of the book ‘THERE WAS A COUNTRY’ and I have also digested the
contents and have also found out that these critics of this latest work of
scholarship are the worst species of anti-intellectuals who only feasted and
still feast on the gullibility of some Nigerians from their own part of the
Country to play on ethnic passions even when the author exercised his poetic
and literally license and freedom to record these historical facts which he
rightly titled his personal history of the Nigerian/Biafran War which also find
support extensively in various recorded accounts of some the World’s finest
scholars and journalists who were active participant/observers during those
dark days of the Nigeria/Biafra war of 1967 to early 1970. Even the first black
African winner of the Nobel Prize for literature Professor Wole Soyinka told
journalists recently in the United Kingdom that he believed that the Igbos
suffered genocide during the Nigeria/Biafran war.
in the United Kingdom, I have taken the liberty of my presence in London to
procure copies of the book ‘THERE WAS A COUNTRY’ and I have also digested the
contents and have also found out that these critics of this latest work of
scholarship are the worst species of anti-intellectuals who only feasted and
still feast on the gullibility of some Nigerians from their own part of the
Country to play on ethnic passions even when the author exercised his poetic
and literally license and freedom to record these historical facts which he
rightly titled his personal history of the Nigerian/Biafran War which also find
support extensively in various recorded accounts of some the World’s finest
scholars and journalists who were active participant/observers during those
dark days of the Nigeria/Biafra war of 1967 to early 1970. Even the first black
African winner of the Nobel Prize for literature Professor Wole Soyinka told
journalists recently in the United Kingdom that he believed that the Igbos
suffered genocide during the Nigeria/Biafran war.
As can be read from several accounts and also reflected by
Achebe in his latest work, in the estimation of General Gowon, Nigeria only
suffered the death in active combat of about one hundred thousand soldiers but
international observers have widely recorded that the then Biafra made up of
the South East and parts of South/South suffered huge losses of human beings
put conservatively at three million and also the massive destruction of public
utilities and the infrastructure of the entire region of the South East [that
were never repaired soon after the war] that came under intense bombardments by
the well armed then Nigerian soldiers and AirForce that callously threw bombs
at market places, hospitals and red cross relief centers inside the then
Biafra.
Achebe in his latest work, in the estimation of General Gowon, Nigeria only
suffered the death in active combat of about one hundred thousand soldiers but
international observers have widely recorded that the then Biafra made up of
the South East and parts of South/South suffered huge losses of human beings
put conservatively at three million and also the massive destruction of public
utilities and the infrastructure of the entire region of the South East [that
were never repaired soon after the war] that came under intense bombardments by
the well armed then Nigerian soldiers and AirForce that callously threw bombs
at market places, hospitals and red cross relief centers inside the then
Biafra.
In page 231 of the book ‘THERE WAS A COUNTRY’, the then United
States President Richard Nixon categorically branded the strategies adopted by
the Gowon-led brutal war time military regime against Biafra as genocide even
as the Catholic Pontiff at that time Pope Paul vi branded it as some of the
worst cases of agony and mass killing when he addressed the Ugandan Parliament
in the summer of 1969.
States President Richard Nixon categorically branded the strategies adopted by
the Gowon-led brutal war time military regime against Biafra as genocide even
as the Catholic Pontiff at that time Pope Paul vi branded it as some of the
worst cases of agony and mass killing when he addressed the Ugandan Parliament
in the summer of 1969.
Achebe wrote in page 231 of the beautifully colored and
error-free book thus; “In what is likely to be the most compelling statement of
the era from the American President,Schlesinger provides this powerful extract
from Richard Nixon’s campaign speech of September 10th, 1968: ”Until now effort
to relieve the Biafran people have been thwarted by the desire of the central
government of Nigeria to pursue total and unconditional victory and by the fear
of the Igbo people that surrender means wholesale atrocities and genocide. But
GENOCIDE IS WHAT IS TAKING PLACE NOW-and starvation is the grim reaper. This is
not the time to stand on ceremony, or to ‘go through channels’ or to observe
the diplomatic niceties. The destruction of the entire people is an immoral
objective even in the most moral of wars. It can never be justified; it can
never be condoned”.
error-free book thus; “In what is likely to be the most compelling statement of
the era from the American President,Schlesinger provides this powerful extract
from Richard Nixon’s campaign speech of September 10th, 1968: ”Until now effort
to relieve the Biafran people have been thwarted by the desire of the central
government of Nigeria to pursue total and unconditional victory and by the fear
of the Igbo people that surrender means wholesale atrocities and genocide. But
GENOCIDE IS WHAT IS TAKING PLACE NOW-and starvation is the grim reaper. This is
not the time to stand on ceremony, or to ‘go through channels’ or to observe
the diplomatic niceties. The destruction of the entire people is an immoral
objective even in the most moral of wars. It can never be justified; it can
never be condoned”.
Achebe simply expressed his view which is a notorious fact among
right thinking rational human beings around the World regarding the eternal
evil that the economic blockade imposed by General Gowon under the watchful
eyes of his trusted Cabinet member Chief Awolowo on the people of the then
Biafran Republic. On page 233 of the critically acclaimed book ‘THERE WAS A
COUNTRY’ Achebe wrote thus; “It is my impression that Chief Awolowo was driven
by an overriding ambition for power, for himself in particular and for the
advancement of of his Yoruba people in general. And let it be said that there
is, on the surface, at least, nothing wrong with those aspirations. However,
Awolowo saw the dominant Igbos at the time as the obstacles to that goal, and
when opportunity arose-the Nigeria/Biafra War-his ambition drove him into a
frenzy to go every length to achieve his dreams. In the Biafran case it mean
hatching up diabolical policy to reduce the numbers of his enemies
significantly through starvation-eliminating over two million people, mainly
members of future generations”.
right thinking rational human beings around the World regarding the eternal
evil that the economic blockade imposed by General Gowon under the watchful
eyes of his trusted Cabinet member Chief Awolowo on the people of the then
Biafran Republic. On page 233 of the critically acclaimed book ‘THERE WAS A
COUNTRY’ Achebe wrote thus; “It is my impression that Chief Awolowo was driven
by an overriding ambition for power, for himself in particular and for the
advancement of of his Yoruba people in general. And let it be said that there
is, on the surface, at least, nothing wrong with those aspirations. However,
Awolowo saw the dominant Igbos at the time as the obstacles to that goal, and
when opportunity arose-the Nigeria/Biafra War-his ambition drove him into a
frenzy to go every length to achieve his dreams. In the Biafran case it mean
hatching up diabolical policy to reduce the numbers of his enemies
significantly through starvation-eliminating over two million people, mainly
members of future generations”.
This writer is of the opinion that whomsoever denies the fact
that millions of innocent lives of Children, Women and the elderly of the then
Biafran Republic were callously wasted by the impact of the economic and food
blockade of the then military regime of General Gowon is in the same frame of
mind as the HOLOCAUST DENIERS like President of Iran Mr. Ahmadinejad and the
other anti-Semitic writers who oppose sacred facts of life as recorded in
history.
that millions of innocent lives of Children, Women and the elderly of the then
Biafran Republic were callously wasted by the impact of the economic and food
blockade of the then military regime of General Gowon is in the same frame of
mind as the HOLOCAUST DENIERS like President of Iran Mr. Ahmadinejad and the
other anti-Semitic writers who oppose sacred facts of life as recorded in
history.
Even Chief Awo during his life time never denied the negative
impacts of the economic blockade but sought to justify it by claiming that
Biafran soldiers were stealing the food reliefs meant for civilians. Papa Awo
also believed that in war every action taken to bring it to an end is
justifiable.
impacts of the economic blockade but sought to justify it by claiming that
Biafran soldiers were stealing the food reliefs meant for civilians. Papa Awo
also believed that in war every action taken to bring it to an end is
justifiable.
But this claim has been debunked by lots of scholars and even
the Geneva Convention is clearly against this sort of class genocide through
bad economic embargoes as were practiced by the then Gowon-led military
dictatorship under which the late Papa Awo served as Finance Minister during
the war.
the Geneva Convention is clearly against this sort of class genocide through
bad economic embargoes as were practiced by the then Gowon-led military
dictatorship under which the late Papa Awo served as Finance Minister during
the war.
Also in this book, Professor Achebe addressed the inefficiency
of the hierarchies of both the United Nations and the then Organization of
African Unity [OAU] now renamed African Union [AU] to effectively and impartially
mediate in war situations to bring conflicts to an end. The United Nations is
still very weak and incapable of saving the civilians of Syria from the bloody
attacks of the brutal dictatorship of President l-Assad who is backed by Russia
and China. The African Union is at best a mere contraption that has stood by
watching Somalia and Mali collapsed into relentless state of anarchy.
of the hierarchies of both the United Nations and the then Organization of
African Unity [OAU] now renamed African Union [AU] to effectively and impartially
mediate in war situations to bring conflicts to an end. The United Nations is
still very weak and incapable of saving the civilians of Syria from the bloody
attacks of the brutal dictatorship of President l-Assad who is backed by Russia
and China. The African Union is at best a mere contraption that has stood by
watching Somalia and Mali collapsed into relentless state of anarchy.
This weakness of the United Nation led to the genocide that took
place not more than two decades ago in Rwanda under the watchful eyes of the
United Nations so-called peace keepers.
place not more than two decades ago in Rwanda under the watchful eyes of the
United Nations so-called peace keepers.
On page 212, Achebe wrote thus; “…but as the humanitarian
catastrophe worsened, leading ultimately to the starvation and death of
millions, even the most committed anarchists would have expected greater United
Nations involvement. That did not happen, and I and several others believe that
had the United Nations been more involved, there would not have been as many
atrocities, as much starvation, as much death”.
catastrophe worsened, leading ultimately to the starvation and death of
millions, even the most committed anarchists would have expected greater United
Nations involvement. That did not happen, and I and several others believe that
had the United Nations been more involved, there would not have been as many
atrocities, as much starvation, as much death”.
Also as a good objective observer of history who actively took
part in the Nigeria/Biafran war, Achebe also carried the views of General
Yakubu Gowon/Awo in the page 236 of the four segments 333-pages book and he
also laid the groundwork on how Nigeria can get it right by extensively canvassing
moral revolution and aggressive anti-corruption war devoid of partisan
politics, the type that both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and
ICPC are waging to the consternation of most right thinking Nigerians.
part in the Nigeria/Biafran war, Achebe also carried the views of General
Yakubu Gowon/Awo in the page 236 of the four segments 333-pages book and he
also laid the groundwork on how Nigeria can get it right by extensively canvassing
moral revolution and aggressive anti-corruption war devoid of partisan
politics, the type that both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and
ICPC are waging to the consternation of most right thinking Nigerians.
On page 249 of the book where he treated corruption and
indiscipline, Achebe stated unequivocally and rightly so that ”Corruption in
Nigeria has passed the alarming and entered the fatal stage, and Nigeria will
die if we continue to pretend that she is only slightly indisposed.”
indiscipline, Achebe stated unequivocally and rightly so that ”Corruption in
Nigeria has passed the alarming and entered the fatal stage, and Nigeria will
die if we continue to pretend that she is only slightly indisposed.”
Only recently, the Nuhu Ribadu-led Crude oil Revenue probe panel
found out that several hundreds of millions of United States Dollars of
Nigeria’s public fund were stolen by those Government officials who are running
the Petroleum sector in the last ten years including the current
administration.
found out that several hundreds of millions of United States Dollars of
Nigeria’s public fund were stolen by those Government officials who are running
the Petroleum sector in the last ten years including the current
administration.
Anyone who reads THERE WAS A COUNTRY by Chinua Achebe with an
open and rational mindset would understand that the writer means well for
Nigeria because it is a mortal sin of monumental proportion that successive
Nigerian Government have failed to teach the younger ones about the events of
the thirty months old civil war and these political actors forgot that any
nation that fails to learn from the lessons of her history is inevitably
condemned to repeat those same blunders on wider scale which is why armed
non-state actors in the guise of Islamic rebels have launched unrelenting war
of attrition against the Nigerian State and have unleashed targeted violence
and terrorism on Churches, Government institutions and also have killed several
moderate Muslims in the North.
open and rational mindset would understand that the writer means well for
Nigeria because it is a mortal sin of monumental proportion that successive
Nigerian Government have failed to teach the younger ones about the events of
the thirty months old civil war and these political actors forgot that any
nation that fails to learn from the lessons of her history is inevitably
condemned to repeat those same blunders on wider scale which is why armed
non-state actors in the guise of Islamic rebels have launched unrelenting war
of attrition against the Nigerian State and have unleashed targeted violence
and terrorism on Churches, Government institutions and also have killed several
moderate Muslims in the North.
Achebe captured this scenario also in his book from pages 250
and 251 whereby he stated the obvious that; “In many respects, Nigeria’s
Federal Government has always tolerated terrorism. For over half a century the
Federal Government has turned a blind eye to waves of ferocious and savage
massacres of it’s citizens-mainly Christian Southerners; mostly Igbos or
indigenes of the middle Belt; and others-with impunity. Even in cases where
their hands were found dripping in blood, the perpetrators have many a time
evaded capture and punishment. Nigeria has been doomed to witness endless
cycles of inter-ethnic, inter-religious violence because the Nigerian
Government has failed woefully to enforce laws protecting its citizens from
wanton violence, particularly attacks against non-indigenes living in disparate
parts of the country. The notoriously [some say conveniently so] incompetent
Nigerian federal Government, and some religious and political leaders, have
been at least enablers of these evil acts.”
and 251 whereby he stated the obvious that; “In many respects, Nigeria’s
Federal Government has always tolerated terrorism. For over half a century the
Federal Government has turned a blind eye to waves of ferocious and savage
massacres of it’s citizens-mainly Christian Southerners; mostly Igbos or
indigenes of the middle Belt; and others-with impunity. Even in cases where
their hands were found dripping in blood, the perpetrators have many a time
evaded capture and punishment. Nigeria has been doomed to witness endless
cycles of inter-ethnic, inter-religious violence because the Nigerian
Government has failed woefully to enforce laws protecting its citizens from
wanton violence, particularly attacks against non-indigenes living in disparate
parts of the country. The notoriously [some say conveniently so] incompetent
Nigerian federal Government, and some religious and political leaders, have
been at least enablers of these evil acts.”
Achebe is one hundred percent correct because only recently when
some prominent politicians from Borno state including the serving Senator
representing Borno Central Senatorial zone was fingered as one of the
financiers of the ongoing terror-related violence in parts of Northern Nigeria,
the Federal Government including President Jonathan, the Commander-in-Chief of
the Nigerian Armed Forces, watched as mere spectators as the indicted Senator
and the immediate past Governor of Borno State dissipate energy engaging in
media war over who is to be blamed for the growth of terrorism in Northern
Nigeria.
some prominent politicians from Borno state including the serving Senator
representing Borno Central Senatorial zone was fingered as one of the
financiers of the ongoing terror-related violence in parts of Northern Nigeria,
the Federal Government including President Jonathan, the Commander-in-Chief of
the Nigerian Armed Forces, watched as mere spectators as the indicted Senator
and the immediate past Governor of Borno State dissipate energy engaging in
media war over who is to be blamed for the growth of terrorism in Northern
Nigeria.
The notoriously incompetent national police hierarchy has just
issued a propaganda media statement that the indicted Senator including Senator
Mohammed Ndume and the former Governor of Borno State Alli Modu Sherrif are
under close security scrutiny. This is laughable because it is inconceivable
that people considered as security risk to the nation are busy globetrotting
and even attending Government sanctioned meetings and drawing salaries, the
same Nigeria Police is making jest of Nigerians by lying that these same
political elite blamed by a large segment of the Nigerian society for alleged
sponsorship of the armed insurrection are under investigation.
issued a propaganda media statement that the indicted Senator including Senator
Mohammed Ndume and the former Governor of Borno State Alli Modu Sherrif are
under close security scrutiny. This is laughable because it is inconceivable
that people considered as security risk to the nation are busy globetrotting
and even attending Government sanctioned meetings and drawing salaries, the
same Nigeria Police is making jest of Nigerians by lying that these same
political elite blamed by a large segment of the Nigerian society for alleged
sponsorship of the armed insurrection are under investigation.
Nigerians know better that the weak Nigeria Police Force were
the same retrogressive forces that gave way for the total breakdown of law and
order and the near-endless anarchy that has set in in Northern Nigeria.
President Jonathan recently said his government was searching for truce with
the armed terrorists in the North because the perpetrators of these mass
killings are ‘our brothers and sisters’ and only very recently when these armed
terrorists announced their decision to negotiate peace appointing General
Mohammadu Buhari as is head of delegation to discuss with the current Nigerian
Government on possible truce in faraway Saudi Arabia, the Presidential
Spokesperson Dr. Reuben Abati expressed Government’s happiness at this turn f
event. This is a good evidence that Government deliberately tolerates terrorism
for no justifiably reason while allowing millions of victims of these
occasional and intermittent mass killings and terror violence to go leak their
wounds since Government is not ready to give them social justice and the most
desired closure to the violent murder of their loved ones and bread winners by
these armed non-state actors who are beautiful brides of the Nigerian
Government. Sad.
the same retrogressive forces that gave way for the total breakdown of law and
order and the near-endless anarchy that has set in in Northern Nigeria.
President Jonathan recently said his government was searching for truce with
the armed terrorists in the North because the perpetrators of these mass
killings are ‘our brothers and sisters’ and only very recently when these armed
terrorists announced their decision to negotiate peace appointing General
Mohammadu Buhari as is head of delegation to discuss with the current Nigerian
Government on possible truce in faraway Saudi Arabia, the Presidential
Spokesperson Dr. Reuben Abati expressed Government’s happiness at this turn f
event. This is a good evidence that Government deliberately tolerates terrorism
for no justifiably reason while allowing millions of victims of these
occasional and intermittent mass killings and terror violence to go leak their
wounds since Government is not ready to give them social justice and the most
desired closure to the violent murder of their loved ones and bread winners by
these armed non-state actors who are beautiful brides of the Nigerian
Government. Sad.
In the thinking of international scholars including Nadine
Gordiner, Margret Atwood, the influential Time magazine of the United States of
America, Tony Morrison and the global moral leader Dr. Nelson Mandela of South
Africa who wrote copious comments on the back page of THERE WAS A COUNTY, Achebe
is one of the finest thinkers of our contemporary World.
Gordiner, Margret Atwood, the influential Time magazine of the United States of
America, Tony Morrison and the global moral leader Dr. Nelson Mandela of South
Africa who wrote copious comments on the back page of THERE WAS A COUNTY, Achebe
is one of the finest thinkers of our contemporary World.
So, why is anybody unhappy with this wonderful book of
scholarship authored by the World’s respected Novelist Chinua Achebe? We won’t
get tired of defending the truth.
scholarship authored by the World’s respected Novelist Chinua Achebe? We won’t
get tired of defending the truth.
+Emmanuel Onwubiko, Head, Human Rights Writers Association of
Nigeria, wrote in from Sidcup Highstreet, London, United Kingdom but blogs
Nigeria, wrote in from Sidcup Highstreet, London, United Kingdom but blogs
