The Historical Reasons Why I Strongly Support President Bola Tinubu – Reno Omokri
By Reno Omokri
Nigeria gained Independence on October 1, 1960, and, almost like in a fairytale, lived happily ever after in an idyllic union.
Until the coup of January 15, 1966, in which several of our best leaders were killed.
There were initial nationwide celebrations until the dust had settled and the rest of the nation realised that the Igbo coup plotters did not kill their own leaders.
And when an elected Northern Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa, was killed by Igbo soldiers and replaced by an Igbo General, instated of the next ranking member of parliament from the ruling Northern Peoples Congress (which would have been Zanna Bukar Dipcharima), protests broke out.
Sadly, Ironsi surrounded himself with only Igbo advisers, including Chief Francis Nwokedi, Dr. Pius Okigbo, and Colonel Patrick Anwunah. Calls for him to appoint at least one token non-Igbo were brushed aside.
Mr. Ironsi then promulgated Decree Number 34 on May 24, 1966, which ended regionalism and seized all resources, including oil. All resources previously belong to the regions.
Other members of the Supreme Military Council alleged that Ironsi did not consult them before promulgating the decree.
That decree ignited the counter-coup of July 29, 1966, during which Ironsi was killed and replaced with Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon.
All Military Governors accepted him except Ojukwu. Eventually, the then Ghanaian military leader, General Ankrah, invited Gowon and Ojukwu for a peace meeting in Aburi, Ghana, between January 4-5, 1967. Agreements were reached, including that Gowon would broadcast first, AFTER CONSULTATIONS, followed by Ojukwu.
However, upon return, Ojukwu made his broadcast first, which shocked other regions and jeopardised Gowon.
Below are excerpts from a declassified cable by the U.S. State Department in Washington to the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, sent on March 3, 1967, at 5:13 PM:
“1. Ojukwu’s provocative broadcast, release of Aburi documents in Lagos and broadcast of Aburi tape recording in Enugu have heightened Department’s concern.
2. Re Gowon’s appeal of March 1, Dept. concurs in UK view that our response should be in general terms. We would prefer, however, that US response be oral and informal (Lagos 6714)3 particularly since we unwilling respond affirmatively to all Gowon’s requests and he apparently prepared accept oral response (Lagos 6586 para 3 A). Believe Ambassador Mathews’ expected meeting with Gowon on March 4 appropriate occasion and consequently we would wish to give him urgent instructions.”
If you are interested in the entire cable, you can read it on the Office of the Historian of the United States website.
if Ojukwu had proclaimed Biafra with only territories belonging to Igbos, then it might have still been possible to avoid war. But by seceding with the entire Eastern Region, Ojukwu made war inevitable.
My support for President Tinubu is because he is the first Nigerian President to try to bring Nigeria to that utopian state we were before the January 15, 1966 coup.
One of the cardinal principles of President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda was his promise to reform Nigeria by devolving power to the lower levels of government.
We have seen the first fruition of that promise with Local Government autonomy achieved via the Supreme Court on Thursday, July 11, 2024.
Next month, Local Governments will receive funding directly without going through state Governors.
And by the time the Tax Reform Bill passes into law, Nigeria will begin to look more like the idyllic pre January 15, 1966 paradise it was before the serpents, Majors Ifeajuna and Nzeogwu, cast us out of the Garden of Eden.
For the first time since Ironsi’s Unification of Assets decree, we are gradually seeing a return to true Federalism. Leading me to see President Tinubu the father of modern Nigeria.
This is beginning to look like the Nigeria we agreed with the British to have as a country.
