Let the truth be told. The People involved in that so called 1966 “Igbo coup” were:
1. Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu (Midwest Region Igbo)
2. Major Adewale Ademoyega (Western Region – Yoruba), author of “Why we struck”
3. Capt. G. Adeleke (Western Region – Yoruba).
4. Maj. Ifeajuna (Midwestern Region – Igbo).
5. Lt. Fola Oyewole (Western Region – Yoruba), author of “The reluctant rebel”.
6. Lt. R. Egbiko (Midwestern Region – Ishan).
7. Lt. Tijani Katsina (Northern Region – Hausa/Fulani).
8. Lt. O. Olafemiyan (Western Region – Yoruba).
9. Capt. Gibson Jalo (Northern Region – Bachama).
10. Capt. Swanton (Northern Region – Middle Belt).
11. Lt. Hope Harris Eghagha (Midwest – Urhobo).
12. Lt. Dag Warribor (Midwest – Ijaw)
13. 2nd Lt. Saleh Dambo (Northern Nigeria -Hausa)
14. 2nd Lt. John Atom Kpera (Northern Nigeria-Tiv).
The reason for calling the 1966 Coup an Igbo exercise is because subsequent governments of Nigeria have refused to teach Nigerian History in our schools. And the core North have been busy misinforming Nigerians that the 1966 coup was an Igbo coup.
This article has no tribal sentiments. Please add your own facts if you have any. History will always tell us what happened.
1. Azikiwe defeated Awolowo to become the first Nigerian Premier of Western Nigeria (present Southwest plus Edo and Delta States). Awolowo instead of forming Opposition, rather formed Egbe Omo Yoruba and used it to intimidate Yorubas that won election on NCNC platform to cross carpet and join him against Azikiwe. This was the first parliamentary coup in Nigeria.
2. Awolowo from then on, started indoctrination of Yorubas against the “threat of Igbo domination”. That is how the incurable seed of fear of the Igbos was sown in the psyche of Yorubas which Yorubas later sold to other groups through Yoruba control of the media for decades.
3. Alhaji Tafawa Balewa , Nigeria ‘s first Prime minister could not tolerate Awolowo’s treacherous and inordinate ambition of acquiring political power by all means and at any cost. So, he threw Awolowo into prison for treason.
4. Samuel Ladoke Akintola who replaced Awolowo as Premier of Western Nigeria tried to destroy Awolowo’s political grip on Yorubaland by forming a party to takeover Western Nigeria in alliance with the Hausa-Fulani oligarch who Awolowo despised as a backward race. Consequently, Yorubaland went ablaze in revolt against Akintola’s plot. Law and order completely broke down in Western Nigeria. Wole Soyinka wore a mask and forced announcers at Western Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation to declare that Akintola’s government was a fraud.
5. Yet, Tafawa Balewa refused to declare state of emergency in Western Nigeria in order to keep Akintola as a proxy for Hausa-Fulani interest. This was the MAIN reason Yoruba graduates in the Army were the real brains behind the coup.
6. As Wole Soyinka and even Obasanjo acknowledged, Nzeogwu ‘s coup was widely accepted by a vast majority of Nigerians across regional, religious and ethnic divides.
7. But the dissatisfied Hausa-Fulani oligarchy who had majority in Nigerian Army infantry used their puppets, Yakubu Gowon, Theophilus Danjuma and co to overthrow General Ironsi.
8. In order to win support of Yorubas, Gowon released Awolowo from prison. The Hausa-Fulani knew Awolowo’s fear of Igbo as the only group that stood against his ambition to power. Gowon therefore quickly made a deal with Awolowo which in effect was that power would rotate between the North and the West (Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba) in post war Nigeria if Awolowo convinced Yorubas to join the North in fighting Igbos.
9. The Nigerian Army was consequently split into two divisions: the northern sector division commanded by Hausa-Fulani and the southern sector division, commanded by Yorubas.
10. Lagos, a city built largely by Igbos and were Igbos invested heavily, was also ceded to Yorubas as a State even when there was no Abuja at the time (1967).
11. Awolowo was made Vice Chairman of Federal Executive Council and Finance Minister. All federal government owned banks in Nigeria at the time which included the Central Bank and First Bank, were under Awolowo and Yoruba management. It was a deal Awolowo could not resist. The man was an unscrupulous Machivellian anyway.
12. The Igbos were eventually defeated and Yorubas became champions of nationalism.
13. Awolowo tried to make sure no Igbo man or woman would ever be more than a financial destutute let alone have the financial resources to rival a Yoruba
14. To achieve his objective of permanent Yoruba supremacy, Awolowo insisted that every bank account owned by an Igbo, regardless of how much was in it before the declaration of Biafra, would only be replaced with twenty pounds! He instructed Yoruba Permanent Secretaries who took over the Federal Civil service when Igbos left, to make sure that Igbo senior civil servants were not reinstated but to rather retire those who could not be dismissed as rebels. The same policy obtained in the Armed Forces of Nigeria and Police .
15. The Igbo were not only made pariahs but also financial destitutes.
16. Every house and industry in Igbo cities was destroyed by war. Schools were closed for 3 years and many were razed to the ground.
17. Awolowo masterminded the indiginization policy by which Yorubas bought over all foreign companies in Nigeria using money readily made available to them by the banks under their control. The Igbos were excluded.
18. They rejoiced and relaxed and complaisantly asked: “How could Igbos ever rear their ugly heads up again”? Sure, if that had happened to Yorubas or any other ethnic group, that would be their end. But as Awolowo rightly feared, we happen to be Ndi Igbo.
19. The shooting war ended 45 years ago and we are still here. We have survived all policy shenanigans contrapted by treacherous Yoruba masterminds and executed by their Hausa-Fulani allies.
20. In frustration, they have realized that we are who we are. Imagine their frustration! Never mind all Yoruba masterminded psychological attacks on Igbos disparaging us in any way they could.
21. Yes, Federal government policy has made them the tycoons of oil and gas, telecommunications, insurance and manufacturing. Oh, their Hausa-Fulani cum military allies gave Nigeria to Obasanjo for 8 years in keeping faith with their alliance.
20. Bola Tinubu is struggling for Awolowo mantle by forming an alliance of etho- religious jingoistic to ensure power keeps rotating between Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani.
So where is the position of the Igbo and other tribes in Nigeria.
What is your sincere opinion?
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
There are some Truths in what you have Written BUT… I am a very active Participant in all these and Cannot be Fooled by your known Igbo Phobia :
1) How many Igbo Monacs do you have Prio to Slavery and Slave Trade? You copied YORUBA political organization and You abused it.
2) If Nnamdi AZIKWE had not been influenced by Igbo attitude of False self Opinion and Insatiable GREED, WHY wold a Nascent NIGERIA have Igbo Premier in the West and Igbo Premier in theEast while the Civil Service was Massively Populated by Incompetent and Ekini a NI and IKEJI A NI IGBO MENTALITY.???
3) IGBOS are masters of Fraud. This you always called Business ??? IGBOS have carried Faking to the Jewish Level!!! ABRAHAM , Moses, Issack and Jacob to mention a few IJEBU attitude.
3) How did Nnamdi AZIKWE and Okpara escape Death from the Coup while AKINTOLA and Sadauna were Murdered with Maimalari, etc. Why did that YORUBA senior, Later made Ambasador escape to a waiting Ship?
3) What was THe True activity of WOLE SHOYINKA in the pre Coup actions and post Coup actions and That Famous Meeting with Ojukwu durring the BIAFRA War???
4) What was Dropped inside River Ethiope by Sapele Bridge???
5) WHAT…. And WHAT……..???
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Adenle S A, you lied. You can not be an active participant. Although it is within your prerogative right to disagree with the writer but you should not be peddling or throwing insults and conspiracy theory around.
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“3) IGBOS are masters of Fraud. This you always called Business ??? IGBOS have carried Faking to the Jewish Level!!! ABRAHAM , Moses, Issack and Jacob to mention a few IJEBU attitude”.
A professor in looting calling an graduate assistant in fraud is a blibical example of hypocrisy
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Highly informative article and an obvious food for thought. Welldone!! A bitter truth is always better than a sweet lie. Furthermore. truth is always straightforward and cannot be hidden just like an advanced pregnancy. Methinks it is not time for trading blames or justifying the unjustifiable but it is actually the time for a deep retrospective introspection so that a repeat mistake(s) which by the way will be more consequential is / are not made again. A stitch in time save nine and a word is enough for a Wise man. Here I stand and always on the path of the truth no matter whose Ox is goed!!
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Some true facts and some false facts……the writer saw the coin sides closely but made some error in judgment cos of his position…..better on the side of truth by stating known fact than assumptions.
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Until we all agree to recreate a New Nigeria that we guarantee hope and find a consensus on how we can correct all the past misdeeds of the so called founding fathers,true development will continue to elude us. There has never been five year at a stretch in this Country without crisis of ethnic flavour. No doubt in the face of continuous tension resulting from form the present political order ,the country appears to be a mushroom arrangement. People make a Nation base on consensus and not the compulsion.
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I feel you. Thank You, you said it all
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Where is the no victor no vanquish slogan for? If this is the new Nigeria we clamour for, every ethnic groups need to be given the opportunity to excel even the right to rule.
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An average Nigerian has refused to be wise. The Yorubas have refused to grow more wisdom than Awo and Igbos have refused to be wiser than Zik. To Igbos and Yorubas, Zik and Awo is the limit of knowledge. Beyond them, no further knowledge is necessary. This is why no Igbo man is bigger than Ziz, and no Yoruba man is bigger than Awo. At this 21st century, people are still following orders from 18th dead Zik and Awo. Why wud an Igbo man think that Azikiwe was right or Yoruba man think Awolowo was right. Let me concentrate on Igbos and Yorubas. That we have followed the footsteps of Awo & Zik is the reason the south is divided today, it is the reason, the zombies have continue to dictate who rules the wise. The two wise tribes in Nigeria are locked up in meaningless fight(egoism) while the fool rejoices in comfort. Why wud a 21st century people like us taking heed to 18th century dead people? What knowledge did Awo and Zik have that no Yoruba man nor Igbo man has attained, let alone to surpass? What were there about Awo and Zik that these new generation of Nigerians cannot attain? The problem with East and west is that in the fight to show who has more wisdom than the other, they automatically become fools, the wise man who died at the back yard of a foolish man, the north which ought to be shown the way is now showing the south the light. As for me, even as uneducated as I am today, I have more knowledge than Zik and Awo put together and I will never follow their foot steps, and I will never join Awo nor Zik in my argument as wise people. My people, my friends, my mentors and my leaders today are those who have grown beyond Zik & Awo and those are the real wise Nigerians. The rest who wallow in Zikmania and Awomania will remain the fools and because they are greater in number, we have more fools than the wise and inversely, the country cannot move forward because we are being ruled on the basis of majority carries the vote. Lest I forget, I have never heard the north hinge their prowess on their past 18 century dead people.
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The southern house is divided against itself. With so much intelligence and industry the south has foolishly chosen to mutually self destroy. Witness: the east joined the north to destabilise
Awo’s govt, the Midwest was carved out to checkmate the west. A coup occurred leading to the murder of northern and sw poltical and military leaders by eastern officers. Somehow no eastern political or military officer died in the coup attempt. This to all intent and purpose can’t be a coincidence. The reaction coup followed leading to the killing of igbos as revenge for the Hausas killed in the first coup. Biafra was declared by the east and war ensued. Yorubaland is to become the battle ground. The Midwest was overrun and war was in Ore in ondo state and Lagos the then seat of federal govt was target. Will Yorubas look on while it’s territory is ravaged and destroyed by the war. Yorubas sided with the north to defeat the east and the rest is history. A new opportunity for the two southern tribes to work together politically in 1979 but the beautiful bride (Zik) chose to go with the north. In 2015 the s/w also joined forces with the north and won the presidency. Thus the two supposedly wise and industrious tribes play their game incredibly to the advantage of those regarded incorrectly as morons. Who is fooling who
As long as the southern tribes refused to honestly acknowledge their mistakes and close ranks we shall continue to hand advantage to the north on a platter
Today in the west we have igbos in the Yoruba cabinet position, councilors and even in the Lagos house of assembly and that is a state where Tinubu is the godfather in politics. Yet on daily basis and on social media we have igbos pouring invectives on Tinubu and the Yorubas.
I honestly think it is really reflect honestly on issues and decide to either chart a new path or to continue doing what we have always done the way we have always done it and hope in vain for a different result
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You are a typical Yoruba man. Yoruba sided with the North to slaughter millions of Igbos and in 1979, you expected them to align with you to make Awolowo – the architect of the policy that wasted millions of Igbo life – the civilian president. This is the reason why we call the average Yoruba a SOPHISTICATED MORON
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The writer of the above piece was MISINFORMED AND MISGUIDED IN HIS VIEWS, HENCE HIS ARTICLE WAS MASSIVELY FLAWED! ALMOST ALL OF THE ARTICLE WERE HEAVILY OPINIONATED– A IGBO TYPE FABRICATION BORN OUT OF IGBO HYSTERIA AND DEEP DEFENSIVE EMOTIONAL OUTBURST. EVEN THOUGH IGBO ARE GOOD PEOPLE, MOST OF THE TIMES IGBO SEES ONLY WITH THE WHITE OF THEIR EYES, HENCE THEY SEE NOTHING. IGBO THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS THAT BEST DEFINE IGBO ARE:
(1) IGBO SEE WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE,
(2) HEAR WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR AND
(3) SAY WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY.
Dr. Azikwe NEVER won the election to the WESTERN HOUSE, NOR WAS HE ELECTED AS PREMIER. GO AND CHECK YOUR HISTORY BOOKS. Chief Awolowo NEVER bore deep animosities against IGBOS and THREE. Chief Awolowo NEVER used the Nigeria banks to purchase federal government properties to reinforce YORUBA DOMINATION AND CONTROL. The achievementd in the WESTERN REGION were due to VISION, INSIGHT AND PLANNING. CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO WAS A FIRST CLASS TECHNOCRAT, DR. AZIKWE, SARDAUNA OF SOKOTO AND TAFAWA BALEWA WERE NOT TECHNOCRATS, NOR WERE THEY GIFTED WITH ANY ADINISTATIVE, PLAMNING AND, FINANCIAL AMANAGEMENT SKILLS–THE TRIO OF ZIK, SARDAUNA AND BALEWA WERE NOT DEEP THINKERS; HENCE, THEY FELT OBAFEMI AWOLOWO WAS UPSTAGING THEM. THEY COLLABORATED AND CONSPIRED TO DESTROYED THE WESTERN REGION, AND ALSO SENT AWOLOWO TO JAIL
There were no POSITIVE LEGACIES LEFT BEHIND BY ZIK, SARDAUNA AND BALEWA THAT ANYONE CAN REMEMBER.
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