Lt. Colonel Chukwuemeka Ojukwu: "The East Is At The Crossroads" | Prelude to Biafra | May 1967

Friday, May 26th 1967. Footage of Lt. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Military Governor of the Eastern Region of Nigeria, giving a speech before the Eastern Region's Consultative Assembly and its Advisory Committee of Chiefs and Elders. Themed "The East is at the Crossroads", Ojukwu asserted that the Muslim-dominated Northern Region was bent on imposing a feudal order on Nigeria and that the preponderately Igbo Eastern Region had two choices: The first was to submit to domination by the North. and the second was to ensure "the survival of our people by asserting our autonomy." Transcript of Ojukwu's remarks in the footage: "Our meeting today is very crucial. The east is at the crossroads. Since our last meeting everything possible has been done by the enemies of east to escalate the crisis in an attempt to bring about the collapse of this region. They have failed, and will continue to fail. In 1953 (sic - 1947) the late Sir Abubakar Tafewa Balewa, in a speech in the Legislative Council, said: 'Since the amalgamation of the southern and northern provinces in 1914, Nigeria has existed as one country only on paper. It is still far from being united. The country is inhabited by peoples and tribes who speak different languages; who have different religions; different customs and traditions; and entirely different historical backgrounds, and their way of life, and who have also gained different stages of development. We do not want our southern neighbours to interfere in our development. But I should like to make it clear to you that if the British quitted Nigeria now at this stage the Northern people would continue their interrupted conquest to the sea.' (*) Interrupted conquest. That has always been the Northern intention. Thank God that the East has now awakened to its responsibilities, and with that awakening that ambitious dream will never be fulfilled in this country." (*) Tafawa Balewa's words are recorded in several sources including "Legislative Council Debates", First Session, March 24, 1947, p. 212. After the meeting, Ojukwu was given a unanimous mandate by the Consultative Assembly to pull out of the Federation of Nigeria "at an early practicable date" by declaring the Eastern Region, "a free, sovereign and independent state by the name and title of the Republic of Biafra." Source: Personal Collection. Note: The following day, Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon, the Military Head of State who had succeeded Major General J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi after the "counter-coup" of July 1966, made a broadcast by announcing a State of Emergency and promulgating the division of Nigeria into 12 states. On May 30th, Lt. Colonel Ojukwu formally declared the secession of the Eastern Region from Nigeria. The date was chosen to mark the anniversary of the first of a series of anti-Igbo & Eastern Pogroms in the Northern Region. The first shots of what would become a civil war would occur on July 6th 1967. Starting as what Gowon, now promoted to Major General, would describe as a "Police Action", the conflict would be upgraded to one of "Total War" after the invasion of the Mid Western State by Biafran Military Forces on August 9th.