Now my fellow Biafran lets analyzed our relationship with our southern neighbors the yorubas. From 1963 to 1967 the Yorubas were shouting about how the North is dominating Nigeria and how they want change. Then in 1967 Emeka Ojukwu had a meeting with Late Chief Awo. Awo encouraged Ojukwu to declare Biafran Republic that he will do the same as Oduduwa Republic. What happen chief Awo Betrayed Ojukwu and get rewarded with a Finance Minister for it.

Again during Abacha time the Yorubas started their usual noise again, Now this time they get one of their son as the president even though they never supported him. Their noise evaporated. Thirdly now is the turn of the South South Eastern Minority to learn lesson on Yoruba betrayal 101. The Governor of Lagos called for southern Governors meeting and a meeting was held in Lagos. The Southern Governor agreed to take the Federal Government to Court. However before they could do it Obasanjo Pleaded with Akwa Ibom Governor to ask his fellow Governor to soft pedal on the Law suit instead to negotiate. Instead of Negotiation that was a ploy by Obasanjo to buy time while his AG a yoruba named Bola Ige to prepare his law suit. Today Governor Victor Atta is feeling Betrayed by Obasanjo.

Fouth, Today Southwest Governors are backing away from resource control fight only the the SouthEastern Governors are still standing behind Niger Deltans for resources control. Listen to what some Southwest Governors have said about Resources control, Governor of Osun State, "I don't understand what resource control is I understand derivation. Come on people who is fooling whom. The Yoruba again have abandoned the Eastern Nigeria again after encouraging them to stand tall.

So my Question to you my fellow Biafrans do we need a school teacher to come and write it for us on the Black board before will we realize not to trust the Yorubas. How many times will it happen to us before we learn our lesson. Do we want to be Nwa evele ako or do we want to be his brothers.?

I am also expecting our yoruba brothers on this board to contribute to this particular thread, maybe there is something we are missing here?
it's about time this is discussed in the open.
Silence will only fan our fears!!!

Thanks for this volatile topic. Although I agree that this is a very sensitive and difficult topic, I however beleive that this issue needs to be discussed, we sometimes need to confront each other honestly with our innermost feelings before we can successfully resolve the barriers to our brotherly relationship.

My own contribution to this topic is also to wonder loud about what happened b/w 1964 - 1970. Indeed historical data I gathered and also recently confirmed by Ojukwu indicates that the original intention of Nzeogwu and the five majors who toppled Balewa's govt. was to release Chief Awolowo from prison and install him as premier over Nigeria. Recall that when this action took place the whole Western Nigeria was conflict ladden with the wetie operation and the Akintola-Awolowo saga. The entire eastern region was peaceful.

Yet when the tide turned against the Nzeogwu Coup and later against Aguiyi-Ironsi and Ojukwu (incidentally both of whom opposed and foiled Nzeogwu's coup) and Igbos were massacred and made scape goats since Nzeogwu's coup was branded an 'Igbo Coup' chief Awolowo collaborated with the oppressors when his moderating voice was most needed. Uptill this day I can't still believe some of the statements and actions credited to Awolowo such as 'Starvation is an instrument of war', 20 pounds for all returning Biafran refugees etc.

I couldn't have put it any better than you did. yes this issue is a very sensitive one. however if we are going to discuss southern solidarity this issues have to be address, and addressed truthfully. The root of Igbo miss trust of the yorubas dates back to the 1950s Stating from the time Zik was dumped in the western House in favor of a Omo yoruba. Even though Zik's Political mentor was a yoruba named Herbert Marculley.

Then the 1966 coup and political debacle which Awo deceived the Igbos. Remeber that Ojukwu is the one that released Awo from Calaber Prison and gave him Igbo Escort from Enugu to Okenne. Getting back home what did Awo do he Joined Gowon's Federal Government to starve Igbos to death. Until his death chief Awo never apologized for his sin. Then how can any body tell the Igbos to trust the Yorubas in order to promote southern solidarity. A solidarity without trust will not work.

I ask when will you people learn not to trust the yorubas. As much as some of you perceive us Northerners as the enemy, However if you go back to memory lane and check every time Igbos have allied with the North it produce a better result for Nigeria and the Igbos. That is something you my Igbo brothers & sisters can not say about your southern solidarity. Every time Igbos pitched their tents with the yorubas it brings you heart breaks and upset stomach. My Question to you is when are you people going to realize that Yorubas are cowards who will run and left you holding the bag once there is a sign of problem.

When Abiola claimed that he won June 12th elections instead him to stay home and fight for his so called mandate what did he do?. He ran oversea to live in the lap of luxury while the poor masses burn. The Socalled Nadecco didn't all of them ran oversea when going gets tough. How many Igbos did see ran. Dr Alex Ekwueme stayed home to Form the G34 which eventually became PDP. what did Yoruba Opportunist like Obasanjo do? He came out of prison to rigg his way to Aso rock.

what are you trying to do divid the southern resolve as your brothers have been doing. Yes I admit there is going to be some bumps on the road to southern solidarity. However it will be very sad for the south to let those bumps to create a rift in the southern solidarity which will allow the Northern Oligarchy like Muda kaduna to come in and take advantage.

May God keep blessing you, and thank you for shedding more lights on this topic. As sensitive as this topic is, we can not shy away from it. sometimes truth hurts but it still remain the truth. Like Muda pointed out also Most core Igbo leaders stayed behind to protest Abacha junta while most Yoruba leaders either joined Abacha junta or ran to oversea to live in the lap of luxury.

Well fellow Biafrans, my name says it all. I am not here to please any yellow bellies [Yorubas]or the parasitic/repellant skunks[Hausas]. The facts and stats is there for us to learn our damn lesson once. We will trust them after Biafra has been actualized or only when OPC is able to recapture Ilorin internally colonized by the Hausas. That would be a plus in their tainted record of cowardly acts.

"I am appealing to my Igbo brothers to wait and lets see how thing transpire. Is too early to panick right now. if we start to panick now with first sign of trouble, the North will take advantage and both Igbos and yorubas will lose."

You are right Brother, I think we Igbos have learned our lesson. that there is nothing like southern solidarity. It is just a ploy the Yorubas invented for Igbos and southern minorities to help them to achieve their selfish aim. Think about it during the election in 1999 the Yorubas completely abandoned Obasanjo, However immediately he was selected as Nigeria President he became one their own.

how can they accept that Igbos were wrong when they directly benefit from Igbos misery. I think most of the focus have been on how the North fought with Igbos. However there are issues which have not been addressed. For example most Igbos who were corporate managers or Executives in corporate Nigeria before they war were all replaced by the Yorubas.

First Bank & Union Bank for example because Awo was the Finance Minister during and after the war he made sure that all juicy positions were taken by yorubas. So after the war when Igbos came back some of the clerks under them prior the crisis were after the war now their boss. Yet Most Igbos in some of this corporation are today retired because they counted those three and half years of war as part of the services term. Which now made them eligible for retirement without really puting in the required number years of services.

Luckily, the Biafrans are beginning to revisit the practice of the Biafra of the mind. The consciousness and practice of it will achieve the inward look toward home and the rebuilt of Biafra. We are all sitting on oil and other natural resources. Most of all, Biafra is situated on the HALLOWED GROUND. Her endowment is not an accident. It is a clear eyed deliberate blessing from the Creator. If you take a look at other sites about the Igbos/Biafrans, including WEMSA.COM, you'll realize that they are a great people known over the world due to the way they are created.
This is why, in the case of Biafra, it is known that you can delay history, but you can't prevent it from happening.

I actually have some yoruba friends who were really(truly)ignorant about all these issues, due to their age and so on....but now they are beginning to ask questions....

This is not about Yoruba bashing or blaming the Yoruba for Igbo problems. All some of us are saying is that we cannot trust the Yoruba. It will be stupid to plan anything at all with them, and we should look elsewhere for allies.

When we as Igbos decide to do anything, we can do it, either alone or in cooperation with others, other than the Yoruba. We have a Yoruba president and he is the first Nigerian president ever to be appropriately dubbed an Igbo hater. Remember that even the mass murderers Murtala and Abacha were also heads of state. No one has ever called Abacha or Murtala an Igbo hater for conduct done while either man was head of state.

On the contrary, the two most prominent Yoruba leaders, Obusonjo and Awolowo, are/were undeniably Igbo haters.

I don't know whether you fail to understand some of the opinions and posting by members of this board? Or whether you understand and choose to ignore it. There is no Yoruba bashing going on here, a question was put forward whether Igbos should trust Yoruba or not considering our history with them. Those are legitmate questions. There are talks about southern solidarity going on right now, before Igbos should participate in such movement or solidarity don't you think that certain questions have to be addressed. if addressing those question to you means Yoruba bashing so be it.

That has always been what is wrong with you Nigerians you always shy away from the tru