Causes, effects, and interventions in the Nigerian civil war

The Nigerian civil war, also known as the Biafra war, was fought between Nigeria and the secessionist state, Biafra. The war began on July 6, 1967, and ended on January 15, 1970. Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, led Nigeria while Lt. Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu led Biafra.

The war led to the death of over two million Biafran civilians, who were mostly children. They died from starvation after the Nigerian government imposed a blockade that stopped supplies from entering the Eastern region.

The war ended in 1970 after the Biafran armed forces surrendered to the Federal Government. It is a piece of national history that many would prefer to forget. But considering the insecurity situation in the country right now, it is important to revisit the topic.

Table of Content hide 1What caused the Nigerian civil war? 1.1Ethnicity 1.2Education 1.3Lagos, “no man’s land” 1.4Northern–Southern tensions 1.5Economic unrest 1.6Military coup 1.7Igbo Persecution 2Factors responsible for the Nigerian civil war 3Effects of the Nigerian civil war 4Who won the Nigerian civil war? 5What ended the Nigerian civil war? 6International involvement in the Nigerian civil war 7Conclusion

What caused the Nigerian civil war?

Ethnicity

The remote cause can be traced to the colonial amalgamation in 1914 of the Northern protectorate, Lagos Colony, and Southern Nigeria protectorate, later named Eastern Nigeria. The amalgamation was done for better administration for the British colonial masters. However, the act turned out to be for worse rather than good because the colonialists didn’t consider these areas’ different cultural and religious views.

The political systems of these three areas were also different. The Hausa-Fulani operated a complete autocratic monarchy where the Islamic hierarchy consisted of emirs who, in turn, owed their allegiance to a supreme Sultan who is regarded as the supreme political and religious power. The Yoruba also operated monarchy but in a more democratic format where the Oba can be checkmated by his cabinet.

The Igbo and other parts of the Niger Delta lived in autonomous, democratically-organised communities, although they were kings in some areas like Nri and Onitsha. These differing political systems were also reflected in how the people interfered with the colonial masters. While it was easier for the British to operate a successful indirect rule system, it was less successful in the South-West and South-East.

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Education

The Yoruba were among the first to enjoy western education, which produced the first classes of African civil servants, doctors, lawyers, and other technicians and professionals. Western education was also successful in the Eastern region, although the region highly resisted the indirect rule system. But same cannot be said for the Hausa-Fulani, who strongly resisted European influence in the region.

By 1960, the English literacy rate in the region was 2 per cent, a total contrast to 19 per cent in the East and even higher in the West. Hence the new differences in education and economic class between the East and the North also added to the already existing traditional ethnic and religious differences, which were strongly felt by 1966.

Lagos, “no man’s land”

Each region formed its political parties. The North had the Northern People’s Congress (NPC); the West had the Action Group in the West (AG), while the East had the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). Due to the massive size of intellectuals in the western and eastern regions, the Igbos and Yorubas were at the forefront of the campaign against British rule.

However, the two southern regions refused to co-operate because the Yoruba reportedly refused to allow Lagos to be adopted as the Federal Capital Territory. It was viewed as a loss of Yoruba sovereignty by the region’s people. Hence, the AG threatened secession if Lagos was not declared a Yoruba town rather than the FCT. The NCNC strongly opposed the secession as the party viewed Lagos as “no man’s land.” So they merged with NPC, leading AG to drop their secession plans. This would turn out to be a terrible mistake in later years.

Northern–Southern tensions

The first Northern–Southern tension was recorded in the Jos riot of 1945, where about 300 Igbo people were killed. The same thing happened on May 1, 1953, during the Kano riot. However, political parties seemed nonchalant about the crisis, preferring to build power in their regions to control the Federal Government.

Economic unrest

By 1963 when Nigeria gained full independence from Britain, workers were becoming increasingly aggrieved by low wages and bad conditions, especially when compared to the political class. There were constant nationwide strikes by the Labour Union. However, the political class was also not left out in the economic crisis as they constantly fought over the distribution of revenue from the oil sector, which was discovered in the Eastern region.

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Military coup

On January 15, 1966, predominantly Igbo military officers led by Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuma Nzeogwu staged a coup and assassinated 30 political leaders, including Nigeria’s Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, and the Northern premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello. Four most senior military officers from the north were also killed. Nnamdi Azikiwe was on an extended vacation in the West Indies and did not return until after the coup.

Thus the coup was suspiciously dubbed the “Igbo coup” which also saw Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Igbo, seize power as Head of State. However, his rule was short-lived as he was assassinated on July 26, 1966, by a group of Northern officers. Also, Nzeogwu and fellow coup plotters were killed while General Yakubu Gowon took over power.

Igbo Persecution

Following Aguiyi-Ironsi’s death, over 30,000 Igbos were killed in the North. Also, resentment against the more prosperous, educated Igbo minority led to violence in the north. About one million fled as refugees to the east.

Factors responsible for the Nigerian civil war

• Corrupt political class in the First Republic
• Rioters in the North
• First Military Coup led by Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuma Nzeogwu
• General Yakubu Gowon vs General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu

Effects of the Nigerian civil war

• Economic effect: Although the two warring parties were affected economically, the Biafran side suffered more as the economy in the region grounded to a halt. Food was scarce; unemployment was high, which led to the death of over two million civilians.
• Increase in crime: During the war, law and order broke down. There was a high level of criminality in the country, leading many to leave Nigeria for safety.
• Religious effect: The war was regarded as Christianity vs. Islamic war, which was wrong.
• Educational effect: Schools were closed down in the Eastern region during the war, which led many young people to either join the war as untrained soldiers or stay at home and starve because there was no work.
• Effect on development: Most infrastructures in the Eastern region were destroyed during the war. After the war, the Nigerian government attempted to reintegrate the war-affected populations, repair the destructions done to physical infrastructure, including health and educational facilities, and restore social services and public utilities to the war-affected regions.

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Who won the Nigerian civil war?

The Biafran troops were defeated in late December 1969 and early January 1970. The army, led by Major General Philip Effiong, surrendered to the Federal Government on January 15, 1970. General Gowon declared the war, “no victor, no vanquished.” But in reality, Nigeria won the war.

What ended the Nigerian civil war?

On January 7, 1970, the Nigerian 3rd Marine Commando Division led by Col. Olusegun Obasanjo launched a final offensive named “Operation Tail-Wind.” As a result, the Biafran town of Owerri fell on January 9, and Uli fell on January 11. Ojukwu fled to Cote d’Ivoire, one of the few countries that acknowledged Biafra as an independent nation. Philip Effiong was forced to handle the surrender to the Nigerian troops on January 15.

International involvement in the Nigerian civil war

Images of malnourished Biafran children circulated in the media in mid-1968. This prompted countries, international organisations, and non-governmental organisations to begin intervention attempts to stop the war. However, countries like the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union supported Nigeria, while France, Israel, and others supported Biafra. The United States remained neutral with the view that Nigeria was UK’s problem. Ireland supported Biafra as many Catholic priests living in Biafra were Irish.

The Nigerian civil war represented the Western notion of starving African children. International bodies and NGOs played active roles by using their various networks to create awareness about the “genocide” in Biafra preferring to use political cartoons to depict the war.

A student at Columbia University, Bruce Mayrock, set himself ablaze at the premises of the United Nations Headquarters in New York on May 29, 1969. He died the following day in protest against the “genocide” in Biafra. Also, music star John Lennon returned his MBE in protest of the British support of Nigeria in the war.

Conclusion

It’s been over five decades since the Nigerian civil war, and the country is still battling to maintain its unity. The South-East is still agitating for secession while many are clamoring for restructuring. This is the time to take a leaf from the effects of the civil war and find a lasting solution to the country’s problem of unity.

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