BOMBSHELL: Yoruba Planned 1966 Coup, Not Igbo, Says Amucheazi, Secretary, Igbo Leaders of Thought
Pioneer Director-General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Professor Elochukwu Amucheazi, an octogenarian, is the Acting Chairman of Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT).
One of the few in this clime that could still call a spade by its name, the globally acclaimed political scientist, in this no-holds-barred interview in Enugu, spoke on the intractable security challenge in the South-East, the plight of Ndigbo in Nigeria, the Bola Tinubu Presidency and other issues. He also delved into history, asserting that the Yoruba, not Igbo, actually planned the 1966 coup.
What’s your impression about Nigeria today?
The Igbo, I think, it is time for reflection. And the reflection should be an ongoing exercise. We can say from the word go that we have been in the forefront of the struggle to create Nigeria. With Nnamdi Azikiwe’s return to Nigeria in 1937, he got into the struggle of Lagos with Akinsanya and Ernest Ikoli. That was when we really started thinking of Nigeria. He took people to America and came back. Oyibo Odinammadu, K.O. Mbadiwe, Nwafor Orizu, and on their return, they moved on. That’s when politics really started in Nigeria. Although in about 1922, you had Herbert Macaulay creating a party NNDP but it was Nnamdi Azikiwe’s entrance and formation of party and struggle for Nigeria that even Macaulay surrendered to him. He soon died and Azikiwe took over. So, it was Azikiwe who started the whole thing. And it is Ndigbo who supported him.
I think that was when the British started hating Ndigbo. But before then, there was struggle in every village in Igbo land. There was a struggle to conquer Ndigbo. In fact, many Igbo communities swore an oath not to have anything to do with the British. Yes, I know my town did and it was only a few years ago that they absolved themselves from that oath. It’s been like that and we’ve never enjoyed the support of the British. The myth they created was that everything was okay in London but it was when we grew up that we saw that they also had beggars and so on.
In the 50s, there was a struggle. Obafemi Awolowo said, let’s split this country because it was a mere geographical expression. The Saduana said the same thing. But Zik kept on fighting. Even the Zikists were humiliated, banned and imprisoned. The struggle was Ndigbo but they kept on killing us with genocidal intentions, so to say, to wipe us out everywhere in the North. But our people were resisting, fighting and going everywhere. They populated everywhere to see what they could do for the good of this country. Zik and co kept encouraging people to stay back. And then you look at the 1966 coup and they kept on talking about Igbo Igbo Igbo. How many Igbo were there? It was the Yoruba who planned the coup. Adegboyega and the rest of them were the ones who planned the coup. But ultimately Ifeajuna had to lead it. If you listen to the Oputa Panel, you will get the feeling these people expressed shows you the bitterness, particularly the Fulani. These are the strange elements who came in 1803 and took over the North and destroyed their empire and appointed their leaders Emirs, spiritual heads and as religious leaders. And then you have the peasants. That is why you have poverty in the North.
I have travelled throughout the country as a pioneer Director General of the National Orientation Agency. I’ve gone to virtually all the local government areas of this country to see things for myself. The way they look down on these people and now they have faced the South. They name the airport in Lagos after Murtala Muhammad and even the Second Niger Bridge, they said they are naming it after Muhammadu Buhari. Even the Ebonyi man wanted to name his airport after Buhari. This is to show you the background of how we have been trudging on to survive. I saw what Dr. M.I. Okpara did – his educational and economic policies. I am always full of admiration. I am a beneficiary. The way he sponsored education in those days, everyone who went to Ibadan, UCI was on scholarship. It is either true mission scholarship or the government was sponsoring it. And we rose. Prof Kenneth Dike became vice-chancellor; Prof. Eni Njoku became vice-chancellor. Ezeilo, Onuaguluchj, Edoziem, Mbaemesia, Chinua Achebe, real academic giants came up. So, we fought hard against forces that tried to exterminate us. Buhari was said to have shed tears at Onitsha. Because he saw Awada and he was saying is this not the Onitsha that we destroyed? Because when you get to Onitsha, you will never believe that there was war there. That is why he contested four times, he became president and thought there would be a massacre in Igboland. He was provoking the youth, thinking there would be a massacre. Even Haruna said he wouldn’t apologise, but Gowon really apologised for what they did; the genocide. Is it through bitterness that you can unite a country? Is it true bitterness you can carry the country along?
No one is happy about the pace of development and about the way the country is set up. We need to move forward. Look at how people get into power now. Look at who and who are in power. People just get up and go into power whether they are qualified or not. Many of these leaders, the money they stacked outside this country is so much that they have come back in the National Assembly and in the Senate. Isn’t it painful? Are they really thinking of the country? This is not the way we were brought up at Ibadan. We were thinking about this country. We asked ourselves what we should do to move this country forward. We never thought of coming back to the East to marry. It was clear that we were thinking about Nigeria. I think that Ndigbo, I must confess, have done quite a lot. So, when you review all these things, it will make one angry. I pray that there will be a real change of heart for all of us to see what we can do.
Then on the issue of Nnamdi Kanu. Why should he be detained? For what reason? How was he arrested? He was arraigned in the night. It was during vacation that they used a vacation judge and since then he has been incarcerated. Look at the Boko Haram issue. How many of them are killing people in millions, waging war against the country; kidnapping people and so on. No one has banned any of them. Look at what is going on in Kaduna and Zamfara States. These are the people who opened the gate and they came in and are killing people. These are the people expected to invade the East. Anybody who thinks he can suppress Ndigbo is wasting his time. The people are determined. If care is not taken, things will not be okay for this country. As time go on, nations review themselves. Where is Czechoslovakia? Where is even Britain? Where is Yugoslavakia? They are not even as large as Anambra State and not talking of the entire East Central States. Gaddafi advised Nigerians and Jerry Rawlings also did the same. They said split Nigeria and you will be united. There is this conspiracy against the Igbo but they cannot drive them away. They are holding on. The Lagos people are not there yet. Were all these people from Lagos? Look at the Oba of Lagos threatening Ndigbo that he would drown all of them in the ocean. What was his background? Are we all ignorant of how things happen in Nigeria? Tinubu gives him a lot of money every month and he’s comfortable and so all his needs are met. It is our people who came together to make Lagos what it is. Where we go, we buy properties and we develop them. Now they want to drive the Igbo away. There are constituencies where the Igbo must win in Lagos. You cannot do anything about it.
In 1964, the Deputy Mayor of Lagos was an Igbo man. An Igbo was in the House of Assembly. I remember that NCNC won in the West. It was Awolowo who changed it and somebody like Fani Power (Fani Kayode) said that whether you vote for them or not, they would win. And they are the people who caused all these problems. It started in the West and then when they start talking, they say it is Igbo. Why are they against us? If we buy land, we develop it. How many of them come here to buy land? I know some Army fellows who were given land by governors. Did they develop them? They sold them.
I fought the war and I know how we moved down and the sacrifices we made. The struggle after the £20. How did we survive? I congratulate you young chaps in Igboland. Their determination to survive and their survival, no one can suppress us. It is only these fellows who don’t want to understand the Igbo thinking. I am not asking people to come home to the East because they threaten you. That is not the way. If Azikiwe and co think we need to be in Nigeria, then let’s be in Nigeria.
Credit: Saturday Sun (Excluding headline)
