By: Ukachuchwu Okorie
“A million children starved to death. I’m haunted by the images I saw there – and by the complicity of the Wilson government.”
Frederick Forsyth wrote the above statement in an opinion piece in the British Guardian Newspaper on January 21, 2020.The article, Buried for 50 years: Britain’s shameful role in the Biafran war, was an exposition of the character of the British establishment by one of their best. Facts are stubborn, they cannot be wiped out. Great Britain became rich on the back of slavery and exploitation of others.
A popular saying informed that the Igbo was among those the British Empire feared during their height of colonial power. However, the fright is not out of military inferiority, but the indomitable spirit of republicanism and unwavering reverence to the most high God the creator.
The fact is that Britain detest Igbos for two reasons as a result of the clash of their culture, philosophy and civilization. First, Igbos have continuously rubbished the British propaganda of black Africans being inferior, which was propagated by their ‘armchair historians’. Even though some of their early explorers expressed positively their views of Igbo civilization, but they chose to ignore it, and went as far as using all within their powers to fabricate lies. Secondly, the Igbo’s total rejection of feudalism and all that is associated with it appears to annoy the British establishment. The British followed fellow Europeans on their unfounded views and bias against black Africans even after enslavement and exploitation. Discoveries on the Igbo organised society, spirituality and general way of life dressed down what the enslavers brought in, even at gun point. The British have always sought for a way to erase the Igbo way of life, but failed woefully. Even during slavery, the Igbo slaves prefer to commit suicide or rebel in order to send a signal that they can go further length to achieve freedom. Records show that slaves bought from the bight of Biafra in Bonny and Calabar are costly, but risky. So the British has always sought for a way to stop Igbos from achieving self determination, prompting the creation of Oil Rivers when they forced their way into the hinterland, and other colonial and post independence policies.
A declassified document has shown the signatories to the southern and northern amalgamation of 1914. The document showed the Fulani were three out of six Africans among the twenty-eight that put pen on paper to support the decision. The rest were all British citizens. No Igbo was part of the signitories to the amalgamation document. Frederick Lugard as the first governor general led the Amalgamation (he was the one to propose it first) and the final signature was his. The six were;
- HRH Maiturare Sarkin Mussulumi andSultan of Sokoto.
- Usuman Dan Maje – later became Emir of Kano.
- Sir Kitoyi Ajasa – lawyer.
- HRH Oladugbolu Alaafin of Oyo.
- HRH R Henshaw (Obong of Calabar).
- Abubakar Shehu of Borno.
Even though the Igbo raced to meet up and overtake others in acquiring western education during colonial times, the British craftily skewed policies to deprive them the driving seat in post Independece politics. Instead, they favoured the migrant Fulani Sahelians, who practiced similar feudalism over conquered indigenous Habe Hausa and other tribes. Events that led to the Nigeria vs Biafra war presented another opportunity for the British to exhibit their anti Igbo attitude. They mobilised their ever willing Fulani tools, who were given total control of the north, whereas the south became partitioned. After the counter coup of 1967, a non Fulani, and Christian, Yakubu Gowon was appointed to present a united north as colonial masters, Britain, ensured so it can win the propaganda battle against the easterners, especially the Igbos.
Britain never forgot how the Igbos refused to accept colonialism. The British Empire was taught a bitter lesson during the pre-colonial conflict. The Igbos formed the most formidable opponent interest in Africa. Through the Ekumeku movement, which originated in western Igboland, the British fought an unconventional war, something they are not used to. Squabbles over the throne between Kosoko and his uncle Akitoye provided the opportunity for the annexation of Lagos in 1861. Weaker Yoruba kingdoms had little strength to contain what was coming from the British after the collapse of the Oyo Empire. At the end of Oyo Empire, its power blocks in the Oyomesi like Laderin, basedin Ilorin, and Yamba in the capital at Oyo-Ile battled for supremacy. The further loss to Islam through Mallam Shehu Alimi, and sponsored by the Aare OnaKakanfo, Afonja, a descendant of Laderin, the founder of Ilorin, in 1817 made matters worse. Then the end of Ovonramwen powers in Benin in 1897 cleared the way as the British thought. But they were rattled by consistent and rebellious attitude of the republican and stateless Igbo nations scattered across the length and breadth of the east of the Niger and Atlantic Delta.The British found it difficult to handle the Igbos and their kith and kin, and this fact made them detest the Igbo, and became afraid that they were going to shatter the categorical believe, which they want humanity to believe, that black Africans never had any civilization. In his letter to Walter H. Lang, in 1918, Lugard described the three major tribes in Nigeria, saying:
“After spending the best part of my life in Africa, my aim has been for the betterment of the people, for whom I have been ready to give my life for. Hausa; He is a fatalist, spend thrift(spends money extravagantly) and a gambler. He is gravely immoral and is seriously diseased. He is a menace to any community he finds himself, he has no ambitions.
Igbo; They are fiercely rebellious with no regards for authority. They are very industrious and highly religious.They can be highly dangerous to be trusted with power.
Yoruba; I can freely say that the Westerns are the lowest, very seditious and very disloyal people. They are the most purely prompted by self-seeking money motives of any people I have met throughout my stay.
The British never trusted the indigenous people of their Nigeria possession especially the Igbo for economic purposes, hence their pact with the Fulani. The situation of todays Nigeria says more and the emergence of Biafra is a nightmare. See full article on www.theafricaninternational.com
