Ukpabi Asika's 'Boy boy' Prof Ukwu condemns Biafra Restoration movement- It's a pipe dream

Ukpabi Asika's 'Boy boy' Prof Ukwu condemns Biafra Restoration movement- It's a pipe dream

There were a number of Biafrans who sabotaged the first attempt at restoring Biafran Republic. Some of them such as Emmanuel Ifeajuna, Philip Alale were identified, tried and punished. Others however, escaped the justice of the people, but they however, did not escape the judgement of God. Some of these prominent saboteurs include Anthony Ukpabi Asika, General Hilary Njoku, Kingsley Ozurumba Mbadiwe, General Ike Nwachukwu, and Christopher Mojekwu.

Asika was about the most prominent Biafran saboteur. As western-backed Nigerian forces were killing millions of Biafran children and women, Ukpabi Asika was in league with the enemy massacring his people.

At the declaration of the Biafra Republic, Ukpabi Asika was among the few Biafran intellectuals who stayed back in Western Nigeria. He opposed the Biafran Republic, despite the fact that his kith and kin were being massacred all over the country. While the war was raging in his homeland, Ukpabi Asika was in close meeting with the enemy, Yakubu Gowon the then head of State of the Nigerian government.

By the time Enugu fell into the hands of Nigerian forces, Ukpabi Asika was appointed the Administrator of East Central State, in October 1967. Undoubtly, Ukpabi Asika’s lineage were tainted with Hausa blood. According to his son Obi Asika, in an interview with Punch in June 2013, “He [Ukpabi Asika] was born in Barkin Ladi, Jos. My grandfather was born in Zungeru. My grandmother’s father married his wife from Yola in the 1890s and moved to Onitsha. So I had people in my family who spoke Fulfude, till today. So for us, it has always been about Nigeria. That’s the abiding influence.” – Asika’s son

After the war ended in 1970, Asika essentially became the Governor of East Central State, and was responsible for administering a large proportion of the former Biafran territories. Asika was disappointed by the Nigerian government who intentionally starved his government of necessary funds to rebuild the region as he had expected. Nigerian government further disappointed him when it created new states, despite Asika’s strong opposition to it. Asika was the governor in charge when Biafrans, despite millions they had in their bank accounts were each given paltry £20 to start life, after a devastating war.

Asika corrupted Biafran by creating the current set of Biafran elites who currently believe they can only make it in life by becoming lackeys of the Northern Oiligarchy. Because of extreme poverty and hardship in the land after the war, many of those elites were bought over by Asika to work in his government. Such elites were instrumental to the entrenchment of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN),which was a northern Oligarchy party led by Shehu Shagari. The NPN replaced the Ahamadu Bello-led Northern Peoples Congress (NPC). These group of elites have helped in the enslavement of Biafrans in Nigeria. They castigate their people for paltry monetary games. They astutely stand against the emergence of Biafra as they believe they will be made to pay for the atrocities they committed against their land. Most of these Hausa-Fulani lackeys control the so called Ohaneze Ndi Igbo.

Some of the Biafrans who were coopted into Asika's government was Professor Ukwu .I. Ukwu, who fought in the Biafra-Nigeria war. He left as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Biafran army and served in Asika's government as the Commissioner for Trade and Industry, and Finance from 1970 to 1975. 

It is therefore not surprising that in Prof Ukwu's view, the ongoing calls and agitations by the Indig­enous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) is uncalled for and would do no one especially South-Easterners any good. He spoke with HENRY OKONKWO of the Sun Newspaper. 

See Excerpt…

I’m sure you are aware of the prevalent agitation by Pro-Biafra groups in many parts of South-East and South-South. As a war veteran, what’s your view on this development?

Why are they calling for Biafra? It is because they are expecting their circumstance to change but they are not seeing any prospect of immediate change. So, they are protesting going back to a period they know nothing about. Most of these protesters have no knowledge about the civil war, all they have are stories from those there during the Biafra time, and those who have different views for or against the ideals Biafra stood for. So, my advice for those protesters is that they should realise that we live here and now. And if they are to call for Biafra, they should take time to understand it by going back to do a thorough study of history about Biafra, how it came about and how it was run.

However, we must take time to listen to them and find out their problem, and why they are calling back for Bi­afra.

Pan-Igbo group, Ohaneze Ndigbo, South- East governors, and community leaders have all distanced themselves for the calls for secession. How relevant then should these pro-Biafra groups be viewed?

You are trying to simplify complex issues. There has never been a time where there was a general agreement on anything. So, when a situation arises, people take di­vergent positions. When people are taking position, you investigate to find out why they taking such position, and what they really want.