AN ANALYTICAL STUDY ON THE HISTORY OF THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR: 1967-1970
ABSTRACT
The study seeks to appriase the history of the Nigerian civil war of 1967 to 1970 within the mould of a revolution. In achieving this aim, the study necessarily explores the theory of revolution and at the same time carries-out a comparative analysis of civil wars that later morphed into revolutions within the international political system. The Nigerian civil war has never been referred to as a revolution. Rather, the military coup d’état of January 15, 1966, a first in Nigeria’s history, has been erroneously referred to as the closest thing to a revolution in Nigeria. This paper will not only correct the misrepresentation, it will also establish the theoretical line that separate a revolution from a coup d’état. Thus, the central thrust of the paper is that as a revolution, the Nigerian civil war was meant to be a means to an end for Nigeria; the end being the attainment of nationhood for Nigeria. This conclusion is arrived at after careful and critical evaluation of the significant role revolution played in the formative years of some of the most successful nations within the international environment. The countries used in the course of the analyzes include the United States of America, France and Spain. Some of the theories of revolution that readily capture the essence of the Nigerian conflict are also highlighted.
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The Nigerian civil war was a cataclysm that rocked the emergent Nigerian state from 1967 to 1970. The 30 months civil war was preceded by a configuration of pre-independence and post-independence crises (Thomas, 2010). The Origins of the civil war could be located in a complexity of factors ranging from the remote which includes the military coups d’état of January 15, and July 29, 1966. Other remote factors are the regional election crisis in Western Nigeria in 1965; the Tiv riots of 1964; the Federal Elections of 1964; the killing of the Igbos living in Northern Nigeria from May to September 1966 (Cervenka, 1972; Oyeweso, 1992); the structural imbalance of the Nigerian federation; and, most impor-tantly, the asymmetrical distribution of power among the various ethnic and geopolitical groups (Adeleke, , 2008). Lieutenant Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu’s declaration of the state of Biafra on May 30, 1967, was the immediate factor responsible for the civil war. Before this declaration, the Nigerian polity was geographically divided into 3 regions. These are the Northern, W estern and Eastern regions. The Igbos are of Eastern extraction. Ojukwu’s declaration will effectively excise the eastern part of Nigeria out of the federation. Thus, it was the effort of the federal government of Nigeria to truncate the east’s secession from the federation and Ojukwu’s desire to ensure the survival of Biafra that started the civil war in 1967. Like all civil wars, the Nigerian civil war was unique in the context of the nation’s history. This is because it was the most vivid expression of a country turned against itself. As with civil wars in other countries, the Nigerian civil war can be analyzed within the context of a revolution. As a revolution, it is very unique in the context of Nigerian history; it is the only revolution that has ever occurred in Nigeria’s checkered existence. Thus, the assertion that the Nigerian civil war could be taken to be a ‘revolution’ is not farfetched if one is to consider revolution as a concept and revolutions in history.
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