What Young Nigerians Think About Biafra And The Civil War

Nigeria commemorated the 50th anniversary of the end of the civil war on January 15, 2020, with several young Nigerians expressing their thoughts on the available details of the war which started in July 1967 and lasted for over two-and-half years.

Historians say at least 100,000 military personalities had lost their lives to the war while Biafran civilians who died of starvation are estimated to be between 500,000 and 2 million, and millions of Nigerians still lick their wounds and rue the decisions that led to it.

Since 1970, stories and tales of the civil war have been told in various mediums, with prolific writer Chinua Achebe’s last book, There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra, being one of the most important pieces of literature serving as the younger generation’s point of reference. But the youth clamour for more.

This sentiment is very well laid bare by Kenny Obinna, a young Nigerian who, in a tweet in commemoration of the civil war’s 50th anniversary, says “I’d love to hear about the Nigeria/Biafra civil war (Academic text or a novel). I want to know what it was like fighting from the Nigerian side. We have to tell our story with the intent to heal, to reconcile and to avoid the events that led us to that evil.”

And though Nigeria has remained resolute in making sure there is no repeat of the war, the younger generation, who have had to depend on the hazy recollections of the major players and the history books, do not hold back in expressing their thoughts on what was and what could have been. In keeping the conversations around the critical time in Nigeria’s history going, some of the thoughts surrounding the 50th remembrance of the war have been expressions of dismay at the Nigerian government’s tight lipped stance on giving a detailed account of the war, as well as discontent at the seemingly brash approach of the Igbo people in telling their side of the story.

British travel specialist, Andrew McCabe while reflecting on the war, had said “Its history and myths have been predominantly written by the losing side”, a situation which he went on to describe as “unusual but not unique” as it is common to strong groups with grievances worldwide.

But several Nigerians believe the Igbos shouldn’t be gaslighted into thinking they’re doing too much of the talking, even if the federal government would rather remain mute.

“I don’t understand why people are mad that Igbos are telling their stories. Your family lost too? Tell your own story. I don’t understand why people feel the need to silence the Igbos. One day Someone will explain what this animosity is about cuz (sic) I don’t get it,” fashion designer, Bibi Adeniyi, says on Twitter.

“Common sense should make you ask why the Nigerian govt always shy and run away from telling the civil war stories. At least someone that won a war should be proud to flaunt the stories of their victories and all. Why are they shying away from talking about it,” another young Twitter user says.

While a number of people have attempted to understand the intricate details of the war, many more others think it was a needless venture that benefited no one at the end of the day.

ID Africa’s Timilehin Adebiyi, a political enthusiast, says “the Nigeria Civil war was a needless war. It was reflective from the start, it was a war of ego rather than for prosperity and development. Sincerely, I believe that both the Head of State; Gen Gowon and Col. Ojukwu were poorly advised and short sighted, both men were out to prove a point and validate their legitimacy. I did not experience the war, but I can still see its effects to this day. Nigeria is a divided nation, and the civil war was the catalyst for the division.”

A tech developer, Laolu Aladejana echoes Timilehin’s sentiments, saying in a tweet, “The ghost of the civil war is still hunting the nation till today. Only the igbo chronicled the story of the event while the Nigerian Govt erases the history. We are now more divided than United because we didn’t address the root cause but to pretend it never happened.”

“The Nigerian Civil War is an annoying topic because we’ve not talked about it enough to understand why it was unneeded or worth it. The fact that many people don’t feel free to give their insider info about the war is a failure of Nigeria’s democracy. We have a long way to go,” another young man says.

Uche Okoye, who thinks the Igbos were provoked into the war, says “Two important information we must not miss while discussing this war. 1. Nigerian Biafran War was not a “Civil War”. Because, Biafra was a country operating on its own before Nigeria invaded. 2. The coup was caused by the Crisis in the South West and Civil war in Middlebelt.”

One of the most intriguing factors around the civil war is the inaccuracy of the number of casualties, leaving many historians to rely on estimates, and this continues to be a point of concern for many Nigerians, seeing that Nigeria, in its 59 years of existence still struggle to compose verifiable data on its populace.

“Today marks 50 years since the Nigerian civil war ended. Till date, there’s no official death toll from starvation and military violence but it’s estimated at millions of people. Never again,” graphic illustrator, Ayomikun says.

Another political commentator, Kachi Oyeka, thinks it’s ridiculous that despite its importance in the country’s history, the end of the civil war is yet to be recognised as a public holiday by any state or federal government.

“The civil war was a Nigerian crisis but Igbos were in the forefront. Igbos have to be at the forefront of commemorating it. If I were governor I wouldn’t need an invitation to declare a public holiday in remembrance of Biafra. This was how Tinubu started June 12 holidays in Lagos,” he says.

Many other young Nigerians have expressed shock on new findings on the civil war, while some have attempted to maintain what can be described as a balanced view on the available details.

Bazil Azubuike, in reaction to claims that every Igbo person who had an account in any Nigerian bank before the Civil War was made to receive 20 Pounds at the end of the war, irrespective of the amount they had in the bank, expressed his shock at what he described as a brutal war strategy by the Nigerian government.

A young woman who simply goes by the name Galileo on Twitter, says “There are no innocent victims in the Nigerian civil war. The minorities in the MidWest carried their own burden as a conquered territory,” while her position was corroborated in a separate tweet by another young man, Osaigbovo who says, “Many people have refused to believe atrocities were committed by both sides.”

“Do you know the horrors the Biafran troops instilled in Benin?” Osaigbovo goes on to query.

Web developer, Ebuka Chris Achonwa, also chimes in: “During the Nigerian civil War, Nigerian soldiers can hardly separate the Niger Delters from the Easterners, they kill, rape and burn houses everywhere they see fit. It’s not only Igbo man who fought the war, Southerners fought with us. But they were captured earlier, before the East.”

In many parts of Nigeria, the Igbos pride themselves as being the most enterprising among the country’s over 200 tribes, and many young Nigerians have attributed the trait to the resilience and determination shown after the war ended.

“Shocking that all of Nigeria wasn’t full of Igbo beggars for a decade after the civil war. We saw the children who were starved, homes and businesses wrecked, yet the country didn’t get overrun by beggars. Really need to study what happened,” Clarence Onyeks says.

For many more young Nigerians, it is indeed time for the country to bury the past, unite as one and shun all actions that could further plunge her into division.

Uthman, a graphics designer, says “After reading about the Nigerian civil war and watching the @tv360nigeria tonight, I feel really bad about the situation and also realise that we’ve not learnt as a nation from the war. Let us all be United. God bless Nigeria.”

“There are so many unresolved issues about the Nigerian Civil War? How will a nation that refuses to look at its past heal?” writer, Laraba says.

But Emmanuel Omotayo has few words for General Gowon, a major player in the civil war who was recently quoted in the media as saying he has no regrets about leading Nigeria to war.

“It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, a civil war is a result of a failed state, you’re indirectly saying you don’t regret failing your people? Don’t even get me started on countless Nigerian souls that were lost on both sides. If man can’t hold you accountable God will, someday.”

Whatever pieces of information on the complexities of the civil war that is available for the new generation’s consumption, they will be hoping that those they have appointed leaders err on the side of caution and ensure history never repeats itself.