Admin

Friday, 28 February 2025 11:56

[OPINION] The History Woman - Donu Kogbara

I am chatting online, via zoom, with Zeinab Badawi, the Khartoum-born doyenne of British broadcasting and President of London University’s School of African and Oriental Studies.

We are discussing her book – AN AFRICAN HISTORY OF AFRICA FROM THE DAWN OF HUMANITY TO INDEPENDENCE – which became an instant bestseller when it was published in the UK last year and has been shortlisted for the Nero Book Prize (the winner will be announced on March 5th).

“Everyone is originally from Africa and this book is therefore for everyone,” is its bold opening line.

Badawi proceeds to inform her audience that: “Until 8,000 to 12,000 years ago, all humans were dark-skinned. Pale complexions, fair hair and light-coloured irises only evolved as humans migrated beyond Africa and adapted to different climates, which over time led to the varied racial characteristics we see today.

“Our lineage, Homo, and our place in it, is the subject of much study, conjecture and disagreement. There is growing evidence that archaic humans originated in different parts of Africa.

“However, what we can say with absolute certainty is that 99 per cent of our evolutionary history occurred on the continent. Everyone today is either African or the descendant of an African migrant.”

I say that I can imagine white supremacists (some Trump fans, for example) being absolutely outraged by this claim that even they have black ancestors.

She chuckles and adds that creationists who are wedded to the Biblical Adam and Eve tale are as unwilling to accept Africa as the cradle of all humankind as they are to accept Charles Darwin’s insistence that we are all descended from primates.

But after a couple of centuries of often heated scientific and religious rows about the origins of species and races, “the debate,” she says, “is settled”.

Naysayers are now massively outnumbered. “The Chinese were,” she says, “the last to capitulate, in 2016, and concede that they too originated in Africa.”

Badawi visited over 30 countries to research this book, an easily digestible masterpiece that provides us with numerous panoramic glimpses into the kaleidoscopic history of the oldest inhabited continent on earth.

Like an especially eloquent griot, she takes us on a series of fascinating guided tours around Maghreb and sub-Saharan countries.

We are educated about wars and defeats and victories and ancient civilizations and mediaeval superpowers and the Eastern Arabic and Transatlantic slave trades.

We hear about Great Zimbabwe, a sprawling stone complex and archaeological site so advanced that Cecil Rhodes and his settler successors not only refused to credit bygone Shona natives with its construction but punished academics who dared to do so.

This dishonesty, Badawi says, was driven by a determination to establish the “empty land” myth that nothing existed in Africa until white folks arrived.

We are told about artefacts that were stolen from Great Zimbabwe, Benin and elsewhere, then shipped off to foreign museums and private collections.

Badawi clearly relishes the task of introducing her readers to a colourful cast of larger-than-life characters:

Icons, villains, movers, shakers, victims, visionaries, sophisticates, resistors, designers, intellectuals, designers, disruptors, saints, liberators, female warriors, Jews, Christians, Muslims, animists plus numerous pharaohs and other legendary royals.

Asked to name her favourites, she doesn’t hesitate:

Piankhi (a principled 8th century BCE Kushite monarch), Mansa Musa (a Malian potentate who bestrode a three-decade segment of the Middle Ages like a colossus) and Yaa Asantewaa (a formidable Ghanaian queen mother).

“Piankhi was Sudanese and very morally upright. When he defeated the princes of Egypt, he was offered their women as spoils of war. And he said ‘no,’…

She also has a soft spot for Mansa Musa, reckoned to have been the richest individual to have ever lived and worth an estimated $430 billion in today’s terms.

Best known for his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324-25, Mansa Musa set off with 12,000 followers, 600 silk-clad servants and countless camels. On the way back, he stopped in Cairo and spent so much money and gave away so much gold that its price plummeted for more than a decade, losing 25 per cent of its value globally.

Badawi says that she particularly likes this story “because it shows how Africa, even in the medieval period, was plugged into the global economy…

“He proves that it simply isn’t true that there are people who stand on the sidelines of history and those who make it. At a time when Europe was suffering from the Black Death, he had a flourishing kingdom.”

Mansa Musa also established centres of learning, imported scholars and transformed his domain into what Badawi describes as “a really buzzy place” that housed a great library (in Timbuktu) and attracted the attention of Abraham Cresques, a famous Catalan cartographer (Mansa Musa was one of only five big personalities depicted on his 1375 map of the world).

Yaa Asantewaa also won Badawi’s admiration for feistily rejecting British colonial rule despite being elderly and for shaming Asante men into helping her raise a 20,000-strong army to fight the invaders.

“She kept them at bay with a siege in 1900 that lasted seven long months. And she was one step ahead of the Brits, having hidden the sacred golden stool they wanted.

“She transcended her community’s significance, not just for the Asante, but for all Ghanaians. And it is not surprising that Kwame Nkrumah honoured her as a national heroine when Independence came in 1957 and featured her on postage stamps, coins and so on.”

And so, I ask, what has dwelling on the past taught you about the present and the future? What conclusions have you drawn about Africa’s current reality?

“The colonial legacy dealt Africa a bad hand culturally and economically. But African rulers have made a bad hand worse, in many cases. And I would like them to embrace good governance, address corruption and so on. We need to say ‘we are where we are and we have to make the best of it and try to turn the tide.’”

As for the future, she has a lot of faith in Africa’s youngsters and thinks that the African Union should actively encourage a Pan African approach to the teaching of history. Her book is already being used in schools and she’s writing a version for 8-11 year olds.

Her parting shot is a wistful observation, being that thanks to problems caused by poor political leadership – poverty, religious extremism, ethnic militias, criminal gangs, etc – “the fortunes of the Sahel have changed so much since the glorious days of Mansa Musa.”

THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN AFRICA REPORT MAGAZINE (www.theafricareport.com).

Published in OTHERS' VIEWS

Tagged under

Friday, 28 February 2025 11:54

Who is Sophia Egbueje, Nigerian socialite and businesswoman?

Sophia Chinwe Egbueje is a distinguished socialite, model, and entrepreneur.

With a strong presence in the fashion industry and a remarkable influence on social media, she has carved a niche for herself in the Nigerian entertainment and business landscape.

Sophia Egbueje: Early Life and Education

Born June 1, 1996, in Lagos State, Nigeria, into the Egbueje family, Sophia hails from Umuoji town in the Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State. Raised in a closely knit household, she shares a strong bond with her siblings.

Academic Pursuits

Sophia Egbueje attended Covenant University in Ogun State, where she earned a degree in Accounting. Her educational background provided her with essential business acumen, which would later fuel her entrepreneurial ventures.

Career Journey

Sophia’s passion for fashion was evident from an early age. Determined to make an impact in the industry, she launched her own fashion company, curating and promoting exclusive fashion pieces that resonated with a diverse clientele.

Her strategic use of social media, particularly Instagram, propelled her into the limelight. By showcasing her impeccable fashion sense and luxurious lifestyle, Sophia Egbueje cultivated a strong following, significantly boosting her brand’s visibility and success.

Beyond her personal brand, Sophia Efgbueje has collaborated with various fashion labels, solidifying her reputation as a trendsetter. Her ability to blend global fashion trends with Nigerian aesthetics has positioned her as a major influencer in the fashion and lifestyle space.

Vanguard News

Published in FEATURES

Tagged under

Friday, 28 February 2025 11:52

Supreme court annuls Rivers LG election

The Supreme Court has nullified the local government election held in Rivers state on October 5, 2024.

In a unanimous decision on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court ruled in favour of an appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

More to follow…

[TheCable]

Published in News

Tagged under

Friday, 28 February 2025 11:49

[OPINION] My Path to Afenifere (I) - Akin Osuntokun

The journey started with being born to Chief Oduola Osuntokun, cabinet minister, Western regional government from 1955 to 1966 straddling the government of Chiefs Obafemi Awolowo and Ladoke Akintola. This biological fact was reinforced with being portentously named Akintola. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this name until the Action Group, AG, crisis broke out in 1962 and rapidly degenerated into a supremacist struggle between Awolowo and Akintola. It subsequently skyrocketed into the January 15th 1966 coup and the breakdown of the first republic. Thus a four years old innocent was thrust into the vortex of a political crisis.

At the break out of the AG crisis my dad cast his lot with Akintola (who won his sympathy on account of the ridicule Akintola endured in apologising to Awolowo flat on his belly). The top Nigerian media figure Lade Bonuola is alive so he can verify what I’m about to say. He told me that in his last encounter with Awolowo (with whom he enjoyed a close relationship) in which the latter expressed regrets that he didn’t forgive Akintola. He said they were age mates and Akintola prostrated before him seeking forgiveness and wondered aloud what more could Akintola have done.

Some years ago I chanced upon the account of the eulogy the latter paid his principal when he turned fifty years old in 1959. “As a political leader, Chief Awolowo is miles ahead of his colleagues. His sincerity of purpose, his democratic leadership and inspiring example are yet to be equaled by any of the leaders of other major political parties in the country…Awolowo is the nearest approximation to Mahatma Gandhi. He is a good blend of Gandhi’s philosophy and Nehru’s dynamism and the only hope for democracy in Africa”.. After making allowance for the obligatory flattery, it was still a measure of the cordial relationship between the two political juggernauts.

Akintola’s first son, Yomi Akintola recalled “I went to England for a course, when I came back, I was informed that Olusegun Awolowo had died. For you to know how close Olusegun and I were, Segun, may his soul rest in peace, and I did spend our holidays together. Also, his immediate younger sister (Mrs. Tola Oyediran), was also very friendly, and did come to Dublin to also study, met her husband, Prof. Oyeniran in my house”.

I forwarded a copy of the Akintola eulogy to Dr Tokunbo Awolowo Dosunmu. She expressed a deep regret that the great prospect and promise of the partnership between the two political giants was cut short in such a brutal manner.

The biggest contradiction of my father’s life was that he was a model public servant whose exemplary accomplishment in office would be dwarfed by the politics of his bitter fallout with Awolowo.

In the words of a leading Nigerian journalist, Dare Babarinsa ‘Chief Osuntokun was the Minister of Works and Housing in the old Western Region (which is now Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Edo and Delta states). It was under Osuntokun that the Ikeja GRA, Ilupeju Industrial and residential housing estate and the Bodija Estates were created among other landmarks. He was minister for 11 years until the military seized power in 1966. Then he went back to his teaching job and was appointed Principal of Amoye Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti”.

At his departure from Amoye Grammar School in 1973, the students said this of him

“’You did not only succeed in inculcating in us the peerless habits of honesty, dedication, charity towards others, you provided us all the gadgets with which we could reach the almighty God and be at peace with him. The physical structure of the school was transformed by you..You built both hostels for students and houses for masters. Academically, you did not leave us in the wilderness. It was a two stream school on your arrival but at your departure it had become a well blended three stream school. All the excellent contributions you made toward the growth of this school will stand as monuments of pride to you”

In the funeral oration for his brother, Professor Akinjide Osuntokun noted ‘If the First Republic Politicians were corrupt there certainly were a few whose honesty and integrity were transparent. Osuntokun was one and stood apart like a beacon of hope.

Most significant of all was his (singular) judicial gazetted exoneration by the Justice Kayode Eso panel established by the reformist first military Governor of the Western region, late Adekunle Fajuyi to probe the preceding leadership of the government in 1966.

Yet, at the age of four years, the first lesson I was made to learn of Nigerian politics was the horrific spectacle of arsonists putting our residence to the torch by a wetie mob for standing against Awolowo.

Our residence consisted of two big storey buildings which brimmed with nuclear and extended family members, family friends, political associates and sundry drifters all day and all night long; It was the melting pot for social and political activities in the small town, Okemesi and the larger Ekiti district.

Located on the outskirts of the town, the hurly-burly atmosphere increasingly gave way to desertion and desolation as the Western regional political crisis gathered momentum. It ultimately culminated in the arrival of the day we all knew and feared was coming.The peculiarity to our experience though, was that the arson attack was choreographed and led by a friend and protege of my father, a man named Ayeni Bata from Ado-Ekiti.

“It was the second day the Army took over power, January 17th, that both my houses, one built in 1954 before I became a Minister and the other in 1960-were attacked by the A.G arsonists, led by my erstwhile friend, Ayeni Bata”

Willy nilly, I became a student of Nigerian politics but not at a time and circumstances of my choosing. It was not really a choice. It was the story of how my childhood was stolen from me by events beyond my comprehension.

Given the encumbrance of this heritage, I had to grow up fast and develop a healthy skepticism towards the conflicting narratives I was provided. I readily challenged received wisdom and sundry distortions of history. It was no surprise that I was drawn to a political science course of study at the University and a rich career in journalism. With this pedigree and training, I came prepared.

I was privileged to write a newspaper column for more than thirty years and thereby afforded the latitude and opportunity to put my understanding of Nigerian politics in a broader perspective.

As a full-time occupation, my last station in journalism was the Guardian newspaper from 1996 to 1998. Anyone who knew my father would not be surprised at the way I write-the audacity, objectivity and truthfulness. I inherited his flair for writing. He once wrote to me when I sat for my A level examination and said “read as if you are going to live forever. But when you reach the saturation point (in geographical parlance) or diminishing returns (in economic parlance) take out time to refresh yourself”.

At the peak of the Sani Abacha murderous dictatorship in 1997, the Newswatch magazine ran a cover story on the most iconic figures standing against the Abacha dictatorship. I made the list of the ‘notorious’ thirteen categorised as such.

On the occasion of my uncle’s 80th birthday, Babarinsa wrote him a tribute including the acknowledgement that “At the home front, one of Osuntokun’s nephews, Akin, had become a member of the Editorial Board of the prestigious The Guardian newspaper, where he maintained a weekly column churning out regularly bristling criticism of the military regime”.

A few days ago, my egbon, Supo Shonibare repeated his admiration once again: “Waaaow, this fellow sha (Lasisi Olagunju). Always has the most apt treatise to meet live issues. That was how we used to look forward to so many known columnists on a weekly basis during the Military; particularly during the Abacha regime when many were fearful. Although these fellows were not physically with us in the struggle, we felt they were comrades in arms, as they always reflected the demands contained in our agitations in their weekly columns. That was why one of them was on our list for the Senatorial seat in Ekiti. When I was asked by 2 of the Leaders what I thought of him, although I had never met him, his reputation as reflected by his writings had preceded him & had for me, attested to his being deserving of the position, although was not an Afenifere card carrying member. I hold this Olagunji fellow in very high esteem too”. (Supo Shonibare). I suspect I was the one ‘on the Afenifere list for the Senatorial seat in Ekiti’

As the leader and driver of Afenifere, they don’t come better than Chief Ayo Adebanjo. One of his predecessors, Senator Abraham Adesanya used to counsel “iwa buburu koni ka ma d’agba ka d’arugbo, sugbon ojo a ti sun lebo” (you may evade accountability on your misdeeds while alive. The day of reckoning dawns at your departure from this world). It is the day your true measure will be brought to light.

Pa Adebanjo didnt know how to do things in half measure, he goes all the way. He would not just accept an invitation, you can easily mistake him for the celebrant in some occasions.

I invited him to the ceremony of my induction into the Nigeria Academy of letters, FNAL. After the ceremony, he overheard me whispering about an after-event nighttime gathering of the ‘boys’ (if you know what I mean).

I was mortified when he suddenly moved nearer and asked for the venue. I tried to explain the nature of this thing to him. He cut me off and angrily asked if I want him to attend or not? That was how baba came to partake of the ‘disco’!

Before I got to know him and while still at the Guardian, I wrote a saucy piece titled ‘the young shall grow’ to criticise the gerontocracy proclivity of the Afenifere. Surprisingly, I received an emissary from him the following day summoning me to come and help in the remedy of the tendency I had identified

Taking cognisance of the effusive and widespread goodwill and identification attendant on the announcement of his transition to immortality (including the high and mighty, friends and foes) we can unequivocally assert: he has fought the good fight, he has finished the race and has kept the faith and the crown of glory awaits him in heaven.

Published in OTHERS' VIEWS

Tagged under

Thursday, 27 February 2025 15:40

Nobody made me a star – Funke Akindele brags

Nollywood actress and producer Funke Akindele has described herself as self-made.

The movie star stated that she owes her success in the film industry to none other than God.

Speaking at the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria, MIPAN, 2025 Media Sales Conference in Lagos, Akindele explained that her success in the film industry was due to her hard work and dedication.

She, however, admitted that veteran singer D’banj played a significant role in her career success.

She said, “Nobody made me a star, only God. I wrote my script, and that was it. The first ‘Jenifa’ was released in 2009, and that was the turning point.

“Amidst the buzz, a club owner reached out to host me at his club, and I met D’banj there. He asked what I was doing with the ‘Jenifa’ brand. I said, ‘I have moved on. I will do another thing.’ He said, ‘No. You have to milk it. It should not go like that. That’s a brand. Go and write another script.’ He gave me some money, and I went back and continued writing.”

Funke Akindele came into the limelight after starring in the popular sitcom I Need to Know, which ran from 1998 to 2002. Her big break came in 2008 when she starred in the movie Jenifa.

She holds the record for the highest-grossing producer in Nigerian cinema.

[DailyPost]

Published in FEATURES

Tagged under

Thursday, 27 February 2025 15:32

University lecturer bags life imprisonment for rape

An Ikeja Special Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced Kolawole Muyiwa, a former part-time lecturer at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (now Lagos State University of Education), to life imprisonment over rape.

Justice Rahman Oshodi ruled that the prosecution had proven the case of defilement beyond a reasonable doubt.

The crime was committed on October 11, 2021, within the premises of the college in Oto-Ijanikin, Lagos State.

Kolawole was arraigned on October 6, 2023, and pleaded not guilty. However, in delivering the judgment, Justice Oshodi found him guilty, citing the survivor’s detailed testimony and the defendant’s admission of requesting a relationship with her, which he claimed was platonic.

“Kolawole Muyiwa I have found you guilty of rape contrary to section 260 of the criminal law chapter 17 volume laws of Lagos state 2015

“I note that you are a first-time offender with no criminal record, and you are married with three children. You also served as a part time lecturer

However, the gravity of the offense committed cannot be overlooked: “As a part-time lecturer, you occupied the position of trust and authority which you abused.

The victim was a student at the institution where you taught.

“Section 260 of the criminal law describes life imprisonment punishment for your crime, and that is what I shall sentence you to. You shall also be registered as a sex offender.”

During the trial, the survivor told the court that “on October 11, 2021, she arrived early for a departmental meeting scheduled for 10 am. while waiting outside her classroom, the defendant approached and requested her to go get him food. She declined due to her pending meeting.

The court noted that the survivor followed the defendant to get a flask for the food purchase, and he led her to the office.

“When they got inside, the defendant said he no longer wanted food but needed help marking some examination scripts. She added that the defendant went outside, returned, and locked the passage gate and office door.”

She said that the defendant asked if she had a boyfriend, to which she said no.

He suddenly pushed me down the plastic chair I was sitting on, overpowered me and forcefully removed my trousers. I was menstruating at the time, and he removed my sanitary pad and had forceful sexual intercourse with me.

The survivor said that after they had sex with her, the defendant said: “What you refused to give me willingly, I have taken by force.”

The defendant, in his account, told the court that on October 11, 2021, he came to the college to record and submit a script and that he met the survivor on reaching the gate, who offered to help him carry his bag.

He asked her if she could help record scores, to which she agreed. She informed him that she had a meeting.

The defendant told the court that he asked the survivor for a relationship while inside his office, and she accepted. He explained that the relationship meant was,

“To be together, to talk, relate with one another, but not for sexual relationship. He denied rapping the survivor.

His counsel, Dr G.O. Erenta, told the court to discharge and acquit the defendant as the evidence of the survivor was fictitious and no corroborating evidence was established.

But the judge held that the testimonies of the survivor corroborated with that of the legal practitioner and that of the IPO.

[TheNation]

Published in News

Tagged under

Thursday, 27 February 2025 15:29

Kano probes salary deduction, underpayment of workers

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, has set up a committee to probe reports of salary deductions, underpayment, and non-payment affecting civil servants in the state.

He declared such acts as gross violation of workers’ rights and a betrayal of public trust.

This is as he grants the committee a seven-day ultimatum to file its report.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his spokesperson, Sunusi Tofa, Yusuf condemned the irregularities and vowed to hold those responsible accountable.

“Governor Yusuf Orders Probe of Salary Deductions to Kano Civil Servants,” the statement read, emphasising the governor’s stance against the issue.

“This administration will not tolerate any act of injustice against our workers.

“Anyone found complicit in this reprehensible act will face the full wrath of the law,” Yusuf declared.

To address the situation, the governor has inaugurated a high-powered investigative committee tasked with auditing the state’s payroll from October 2024 to February 2025 to determine the extent of the discrepancies.

The committee is expected to identify affected workers, assess the financial implications, and recommend corrective and punitive measures.

The seven-member committee, chaired by Abdulkadir Abdussalam, Commissioner for Rural ans Community Development and the immediate past State Accountant General, consists of top government officials and financial experts.

Members include:

Abdulkadir Abdussalam – Chairman (Commissioner, Ministry for Rural & Community Development)
Dr. Bashir Abdu Muzakkari – Member (Special Adviser on Digital Economy)
Dr. Aliyu Isa Aliyu – Member (Director-General, Kano State Bureau of Statistics)
Dr. Hamisu Sadi Ali – Member (Director-General, Kano State Debt Management Office)
Hajiya Zainab Abdulkadir – Member (Director, Kano State Computer Centre)
Aliyu Muhammad Sani – Secretary (Director, Research & Evaluation, REPA Directorate, SSG’s Office)
Ummulkulthum Ladan Kailani – Co-Secretary (Senior Assistant Secretary (AGS), Admin. & General Services Directorate, SSG’s Office)

“The committee has been given seven days to submit a comprehensive report detailing those responsible, the scale of financial malpractice, and long-term solutions to prevent future occurrences,” the statement read.

Yusuf reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to transparency, fairness, and timely salary payments, warning that culprits will face severe consequences.

“The era of shortchanging our workers is over. This is a government of accountability, and no one will be spared if found guilty,” he asserted.

The committee was inaugurated by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Umar Ibrahim, on behalf of the governor.

[Punch]

Published in FEATURES

Tagged under

Thursday, 27 February 2025 15:27

[OPINION] A Journey in Service: Babangida enriches Nigerian history, warts and all! - Olu Fasan

For several years, I wondered whether General Ibrahim Babangida would go to his grave without writing his memoir. He played such epochal roles in Nigeria’s history that he would have done a great disservice to this country had he died without writing his biography and documenting those seismic roles. So, you will understand why I was excited when General Babangida recently published his memoir, and why I have read the entire 420-page book.

Whatever anyone may say about the memoir, titled A Journey in Service: An Autobiography, the truth is that General Babangida has enriched Nigerian history by making significant contributions to the body of knowledge about Nigeria’s historical evolution. Babangida truly deserves kudos for not going to his grave with the rich narratives, disputed or not, that he provides in the book. Warts and all, Babangida’s memoir is a collector’s item.

The issues General Babangida covers in the book are so significant that one can’t discuss them in one column. So, I’ll focus here on his take on the chain of events that led to the Nigerian Civil War, a monumentally devastating war that claimed the lives of nearly 100,000 combatants; took the lives of over two million civilians, with about five million people displaced; and, of course, left indelible scars on Nigeria’s psyche and internal wounds on its conscience. Inevitably, the question is: Was the war avoidable?

To answer to that question, one must start with Babangida’s take on whether the January 15, 1966 coup was an “Igbo” coup. This is important because if it was an “Igbo” coup, then history must record that the coup took the genie out of the bottle and led inexorably to the civil war. However, if it was not an “Igbo” coup, then the blame for the devastating war lies somewhere else. General Babangida argued both sides. Unfortunately, that equivocation gave ammunitions to some people to push their preferred narrative. For instance, social media was awash with uncontrolled elation by those who claimed Babangida said the January 15 coup “was not” an “Igbo” coup. Yet, there are people like Femi Fani-Kayode who assert that Babangida called the coup an “Igbo” coup. Fani-Kayode tweeted: “The truth is that the January 15th 1966 coup WAS an Igbo one and I am glad to say that IBB has confirmed it.” He added: “The coup was an ethnic one and that ethnicity were the Igbos.”

But Babangida did not say categorically that it was an “Igbo” coup. True, he said on page 39 that the handling of the coup gave it “an unmistakeably ethnic coloration”, especially with the “heinously callous” murder of Sir Ahmadu Bello and his wife, Hafsatu, “compounded by the fact that there were no related coup activities in the Eastern region.” However, Babangida also said earlier on the same page: “Ethnic sentiments did not drive the original objective of the coup plotters.” For evidence, he cited the following facts: a) the coup plotters had wanted to release Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a Yoruba, from prison and make him “the executive provisional President of Nigeria”, which would be strange if the coup was Igbo-centric; b) some non-Igbo officers, such as Major Adewale Ademoyega, a Yoruba, took part in the coup; c) some senior officers of Igbo extraction were also victims of the coup; and d) it was an Igbo officer, Major John Obiena, who crushed the coup. Babangida concluded by saying: “I admit that my position here may be the naïve insights of an unsuspecting young officer who viewed events from a distance!”

In truth, the “ethnic colouration” was one of perception than reality. A professional psychoanalysis of the coup plotters would probably show that they were idealistic young officers who were fed up with the status quo in Nigeria and genuinely wanted to bring about a change and were not motivated by ethnicity. Most educated young officers in those days were ideological. They probably shared Chief Awolowo’s welfarist ideology and were impressed with how he governed Western Region and wanted him to govern Nigeria. But Awolowo later made it clear that he would not have agreed to be a military-imposed leader of Nigeria. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of the January 15 coup, no Northerner was willing to contemplate that the coup was not ethnic, not Igbo!

General Babangida went to great lengths to describe, with impressive details, the pressure that Northern officers faced from the Northern politicians, and even the Northern populace, to retaliate against the January 15 killings. The officers were publicly ridiculed, called “big fools and cowards” and even reportedly denied “conjugal benefits” by their wives! Their response was brutal. On July 28, 1966, at Abeokuta Garrison, junior Northern officers killed several Igbo officers. The next day, on July 29, the actual countercoup took place as Northern officers killed the head of state, General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, and the military governor of Western Region, Lt-Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, among others.

But here’s the point. The conventional wisdom says that the January 15 coup and the July 29 countercoup led to the civil war. Yet, that’s not exactly true. Lt-Col. Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the governor of Eastern Nigeria, did not declare secession because Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Igbo, was killed. In fact, Ojukwu moved on from Aguiyi-Ironsi’s assassination when he said that Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe, the most senior Army officer, should succeed him as head of state. That was not the mindset of someone who wanted to secede. But here’s the truth: the North wanted a revenge so badly and had it in the Abeokuta killings of Igbo officers and in the July 29 countercoup. Yet, that did not appease them. Why?

General Babangida described in gory details the events between May 29 and September 29, 1966, when, according to Official Army Records, more than 213 predominantly Igbo officers and other ranks were killed. In what was described as a “pogrom”, over 30,000 Igbos were massacred and several thousand wounded in the North, while some 50,000 Igbos were forced to flee Northern Nigeria for the East by the end of July 1966. Babangida blamed General Yakubu Gowon, then head of state, for failing to protect the Igbos in the North, adding: “Faced with this intolerable situation, Ojukwu, understandably”, felt Igbos were unsafe in Nigeria. That triggered the secession and the war!

True, the 1966 coup and countercoup were dreadful. But those events were not the proximate cause of the civil war. It was the then Northern politicians’ insatiable braying for revenge against the Igbos, and Gowon’s failure to protect them in the North, that triggered the pogrom, the secession and the war. Those are the great insights from Babangida’s memoir!

Published in OTHERS' VIEWS

Tagged under

Thursday, 27 February 2025 15:18

Lagos Assembly: Obasa presides over 4-member plenary

The embattled former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, is currently presiding over plenary with four other members at the chamber.

The plenary is being conducted after the doors to the chamber were forced open by security personnel.

As at 3.pm, the plenary commenced and was still on-going till about 3.30pm.

Meanwhile, over 26 other members of the assembly were around but refused to enter the chamber in apparent loyalty and support to the substantive Speaker, Mojisola Meranda.

Obasa had earlier, reportedly, announced his return as Speaker, arguing that while impeachment is a constitutional and democratic process, it must be carried out following laid down procedures.

He was quoted as saying, “I’ve never been removed. Impeachment or removal is democratic and constitutional, but in doing that, you must follow due process. I am not against that. If I do that, then I am not democratic.”

Obasa was removed as speaker on January 13 while he was abroad, with Mojisola Meranda swiftly installed as his successor.

He has challenged his removal, maintaining that he is still the rightful speaker of the house.

[Vanguard]

Published in FEATURES

Tagged under

Thursday, 27 February 2025 15:13

FULL LIST: Rema, Mercy Chinwo, D’banj win big at 2025 Trace Awards

Rema, Mercy Chinwo, D’banj, and Ayra Starr were among the Nigerians who won big at the 2025 Trace Awards.

Rema took home two prestigious awards ‘Album of the Year’ for ‘Heis’ and ‘Best Male Artist’ while Ayra Starr was crowned the ‘Best West African Artist’.

Chinwo won the ‘Best Gospel Artist’ award for her soulful and uplifting music while D’banj secured the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.

Other notable Nigerian winners include P.priime who won the ‘Best Producer’ category for ‘MMS’ while Meji Alabi claimed the ‘Best Music Video’ award for Rema’s ‘DND’.

This year’s edition of Trace Awards took place at the Mora Resort in Zanzibar, Tanzania on Wednesday, February 26.

Below is the full list of winners (in bold):

Global Awards

Song of the Year