It has been a subject of controversy that the 1966 coup detat in Nigeria was orchestrated and sponsored by the Igbo speaking extraction of Nigeria.
This allegation has been handed over from one generation of leadership to another in Nigeria political horizon.
While the argument continues, Peter Chekwube Ezema , a public affairs commentator on national issues has voiced out his opinion following the launching of Babagida’s book that revealed a lot of hiding truth.
Let us read what he has say through ourworldgist.
“Major Adewale Ademoyega first revealed the true nature of the 1966 abortive military coup.
Now, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has echoed the same truth regarding the events of that fateful period.
In his book Why We Struck, Major Ademoyega who participated in the ill-fated coup stated that the coup d’état was executed in the best interest of Nigeria. He asserted that there is no evidence to suggest it was “an Igbo coup,” as is widely believed.
Fast forward to two days ago, General Babangida, who was also a soldier during that time, reiterated Ademoyega’s exact words in his book A Young Officer and a Gentleman.
He confirmed that the coup was not “an Igbo thing,” as it was previously portrayed.
General Babangida went on to clarify the true reasons behind the coup, which included establishing genuine federalism in Nigeria and planning to release Obafemi Awolowo from prison to install him as prime minister.
He emphasized the involvement of officers from various tribes across Nigeria.
Among these were Adewale Ademoyega, a Yoruba and the author of Why We Struck; Captain Ganiyu Adeleke; Lieutenant Fola Oyewole; Olafimihan; and many others from Northern Nigeria.
Additionally, some senior Igbo officers, such as Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Chinyelu Unegbe and Major Chris Anuforo, were also among the victims, along with many others who lost their lives during the coup.
According to General Babangida, the coup was ultimately quenched and crushed by another Igbo man, Major John Obienu.
With the truth now out in the open, the pressing question remains: when will Nigerian state actors and citizens admit their errors and issue an apology, along with appropriate compensation, to the Igbo people for the decades of suffering caused by these long-circulated falsehoods?
It has long been believed that the so-called “Igbo coup” was an invention of foreign players, promoted by media giants such as the BBC. Some sources have stated that these foreign elements were afraid of a rising giant from their own continent Africa which they allegedly despised and disdained.
These elements purportedly spread lies and fomented ethnic tensions to destabilize the newly independent nation, an action that later led to conflict and ultimately resulted in the death of more than three million Igbo people.
It is regrettable that such narratives have persisted for so long, even as the BBC and other media outlets continued to propagate these untruths.
Both General Babangida and Major Ademoyega, two living witnesses of these tragic events, agree that the January 1966 military coup was a complex event with multiple contributing factors.
It is therefore unjust to label it as an “Igbo coup” or an “Obafemi Awolowo coup.”
The established truth is that the coup was driven by widespread dissatisfaction with the political situation, rampant corruption, deep-seated grievances, and the individual ambitions of the officers involved.
In light of these revelations, it is suggested that Nigerian state actors and the nation as a whole offer an unreserved apology and provide appropriate compensation to the Igbo people for the injustices they have suffered over more than five decades due to these widely accepted lies.
