-(« BIAFRA WAR »-« SOUTH EAST » (NIGERIA), ONCE UPON A TIME, (50 )YEARS AGO »):(« FEEDBACK ON THE EMERGENCE OF AN UNPRECEDENTED BLOODY WAR » IN (1967-1970)!(« EDITORIAL » FROM THE « CHIEF AND MANAGING EDITOR »)(YVES T BOUAZO)
(REMINDER OF FACTS):
IN THE SIXTIES NAMELY IN (1967-1970), INDEPENDENT AUTONOMOUS GROUPS DID EVENTUALLY EMERGE IN THE (BIAFRA) NIGERIAN (SOUTHERN EAST REGION) LABELLED AS A TREASURE OF HUGE OIL RESOURCES!IN FACT, THEY PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN CHALLENGING THE NIGERIAN CENTRAL POWER, JUST TO PAVE THE WAY OF AN INDEPENDENT NATION NICKNAMED THE (« BIAFRA INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC »)!THAT EAGER WILL WAS GROUNDED IN REGIONALISM AND ETHNIC BONDS, AS FAR AS THE « IGBOS » ARE CONCERNED IN (NIGERIA)!DOWN THE LINE, THE MAIN AIM WHICH STIRRED THE (IGBOS) NIGERIAN CITIZENS TO ACTION WAS TO CONTROL THEIR OWN HUGE OIL RESOURCES AND TO CLAIM AN INDEPENDENT « BIAFRA » NATION AS WELL!
-(« CHIEF OJUKU », THE LEADER OF THE « BIAFRA REBELS » INTHE SIXTIES »)!
(CHIEF OJUKU) LED THE (BIAFRA) REBELLION IN AN AUTONOMOUS REGIONAL SPIRIT, BACKED UP BY FRENCH HEAD OF STATE (GENERAL DEGAULLE )AND IVORIAN PRESIDENT (FELIX HOUPHOUET BOIGNY), LABELLED AS A FRENCH SATELITE IN WEST AFRICA IN THAT PARTICULAR CONTEXT IN THE SIXTIES!
-(« ECONOMIC REASONS(HUGE OIL RESOURCES), THE MAIN FOCUS OF « BIAFRA WAR » IN THE (60S)!
THE NIGERIAN (BIAFRA) REGION WAS A TREASURE OF HUGE OIL RESOURCES SO IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR FRENCH (GENERAL DEGAULLE) TO EXPLORE WAYS AND STRATEGIES TO GET A PIECE OF NIGERIAN WORTHY CAKE CLOSELY THE FRENCH DIPLOMATIC INTERNATIONAL NETWORK! IN FACT, IT PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN CHALLENGING THE NIGERIAN CENTRAL POWER:IN RETURN, THE (BIAFRA) CITIZENS PAID THE PRICE(MORE VICTIMS IN A SAD CONTEXT OF STARVATION) WHEN LOSING THAT BLOODY WAR GRADUALLY!
-(« THE WITHDRAWAL OF « CHIEF OJUKU »!
UNFORTUNATELY, THE (BIAFRA )WARRIORS PLAYED LOSE IN THAT BLOODY UNPRECEDENTED WEST AFRICAN WAR IN THE HISTORY OF (NIGERIA)! IN CONSEQUENCE, (BIAFRA) WAS HEADING FOR DISASTER ,AS A RESULT THE TWO INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC SPONSORS(FRENCH GENERAL DEGAULLE AND HOUPHOUET BOIGNY) OF (CHIEF OJUKU) ADVISED HIM TO WITHDRAW THROUGH DIVERSE AIR SHUTLE FLIGHTS IN (GABON) (CENTRAL AFRICA)(FRENCH AIR FORCES)…
-(« THE « IGBO » COMMUNITY)(REFUGEES) IN « IVORY COAST » SINCE THE (67S)!
DOWN THE LINE, (« IGBOS ») FROM (« BIAFRA-NIGERIA ») WERE BEING WELCOME WARMLY IN( IVORY COAST) STEP BY STEP,AFTER THE FORMAL WITHDRAWAL OF (CHIEF OJUKU) WITH HIS (IGBO) COMMUNITY!IN THE SAME WAY, IVORIAN HEAD OF STATE (HOUPHOUET BOIGNY) BUILT AT THAT TIME, SOME URGENT SHELTERS TO WELCOME THEM IN AN AFRICAN HOSPITALITY SPIRIT,NAMELY IN THE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT CALLED (« COCODY CAMPUS-MERMOZ ») IN THE ECONOMIC CAPITAL CITY (ABIDJAN)!DEFINITELY, EVEN IF PAN AFRICAN REGGAE SUPERSTAR (ALPHA BLONDY) SUNG INTHE (85-86S) (« COCODY ROCKS »)(INTERNATIONAL HIT) IN HIS OWN WORDS, THE DISTRICT OF (COCODY) STILL ROCKS TODAY AFTER MIDNIGHT CLOSELY THE « IGBO COMUNITY » TOUCH IN (IVORY COAST):A LONG STORY TO COMMENT ON TILL NOW BECAUSE THE (IGBO) COMMUNITY HAS GROWN UP(AROUND (500.000) (IGBOS) IN (IVORY COAST) IN THE (2000S) …BUT IN( 1988), FIRST BIAFRA LEADER (CHIEF OJUKU) RETURNED HOME (NIGERIA) AND PASSED AWAY SOME YEARS AGO!
(« EDITORIAL » FROM THE « CHIEF AND MANAGING EDITOR »)(YVES T BOUAZO)