I was going to title this post, “Why didn’t they teach US about Biafra in school?” but I realized that I cannot speak for everyone. Maybe you were taught, but I wasn’t. This past Saturday – January 24th – it was my grandma’s birthday, so Igwe and I bought her a yummy cake and took her out to dinner. While waiting for our food, we somehow started talking about politics. We talked about upcoming election in Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, Buhari, what Nigeria used to be, and then, Biafra.
Grandma told us of how they used to live in Lagos and everything was good. They moved to Port Harcourt because her husband, my Grandpa who was a government employee was transferred. It was while they were in Port Harcourt that the war started and Grandma and all her seven children had to run to the village. Grandpa opted to stay back in Port because he still had to work – although for peanuts. Eventually, things became so bad in Port than Grandma and a bunch of Igbo people had to flee. It took him a few weeks to walk from Port to Adazi Nnukwu (our town in Anambra).
Even while in Adazi, the heat of the war kept coming closer and closer to their house. They considered running away like other villagers, but where were they going to go? There was barely food, and there was definitely no money. When bombs were thrown, some of the debris of its impact fell into Grandma’s house. They hid in the back rooms all days and came into the house to sleep at night. She said she prayed and figured that if it was God’s plan for her and her family to die, then so be it.
Igwe was so into this conversation. The way he was picking Grandma’s brain and asking her all kinds of questions, it was entertaining to see. He asked Grandma if she thinks that Nigeria would be better off if we split. Grandma said she does not think that Nigeria will ever split, but that if splitting will bring about peace, then let’s split and we can get visas when going to other parts of Nigeria. I agree.
Grandma also told us about how the government urged people to bring in all their money into the bank, and when they (Igbo people) did, the bank took their money and gave them N20, regardless of how much they brought in. This made people even poorer and more depressed, and then there were more deaths. It’s unclear to me if the money they took to the bank was Naira or Biafran Pounds.
I don’t know why I wasn’t taught about Biafra in school. I grew up in Jos, Plateau State, and at no time was Biafra taught in school. Igwe grew up in Ogun and Lagos State, and it wasn’t taught to him either. As a nation, how are we supposed to move forward if we do not acknowledge our past? Are there no lessons to be learned from that war? That war is probably part of the reason why there is so much tribal tension within us.
A part of me actually wishes that Biafra succeeded. I’m curious about what life would have been like as a Biafran. Would we (my family) have visited Nigeria? Would the Yorubas and the Hausas and other tribes have stayed as part of Nigeria, or would they have split, too? Would Nigeria have been better or worse off, if Biafra had succeeded?
P.S. Thank you for all your questions. Una fit ask ooo! I’m gearing up to demolish them all.
I was never taught about the civil war in school. All the things I learnt were from my grandparents and my mum
For Nigeria, Achebe said “. A man who does not know where the rain began to fall on him will not know where he dried his body”
I am not praying for war, but it is expedient we learn history to keep them from repeating itself
That is the only reason people will still want to vote for Buhari because they do not know his history.
firstly: my first time on this blog, stumbled on it while on skive streak on my office pc.
My dad fought in the civil, the twice i heard him pour out his heart on events witnessed during the war were when I got back from a tour in Afghanistan and when my younger sister was commissioned a Naval officer. That got me curious…for an unbiased account of the events surrounding the Nigeria civil war – refered to by intl community (Biafran war: Nigerian community) source this book ‘Biafra Story’ by Frederick Forsyth.
Lastly listening to aqitators of war should their candidate fail to win obviously haven’t been in a war. I wouldn’t wish it on my enemy.
The movie Half a Yellow Sun was banned bc it was thought that the movie would incite racial tensions and violence. there is the belief that if the past is not brought up it will be forgotten.Unknowingly the past keeps repeating itself because Nigeria fails acknowledge the history and learn from mistakes. When we learn to come to terms with history maybe then we can move forward, until then we will coward in fear.
Good job Vera for talking about this. I also was never taught in school about the Biafran war. What I knew was from my dad who was about 13years old at that time. It is sad that Nigeria as a country doesn’t teach all our history, it’s like it never happened.
I believe there is power when you speak about issues and bring it to the surface instead of just sweeping it under the rug and let the pile of dirt get bigger. By learning the truth about our history we can monitor growth and we can learn (what to do and what NOT to do) from it and do better in our present and future. My dad always says the best way to predict the future of a nation is to study their past.
Also on a side note, i always feel that we would have been better off if Biafra was a success but we have to remember that the odds were against us. For Biafra to break away from Nigeria would have been a huge slap in the face of the “colonial masters” and their agendas.
ALL I WANT FOR NIGERIA IS PEACE AND PROGRESS.
I don’t remember being taught about Biafra either, but as a child, I was very curious about the war. I read some of my dad’s old books and made my parents take me to a museum in Owerri – dunno if it’s still there. I also used to ask my dad and grandparents about the war – my father’s father went missing/died and was never seen again. Reading Chinua Achebe’s last book made it seem even more real to me.
I too kinda wish Biafra had made it. I wonder what life could have been like.
Berry Dakara Blog
I did Government in Secondary School so It was tought. Not in detail though. I’ve also wondered what would have happened if Biafra had a successful secession
Thanks for this post. If not for our parents(when they were very young) and our grandparents giving us details, i tell you, this event would be as if it never happened..mstcheww
the first time i heard about biafra was in chimamandas half of a yellow sun. then i started googling and asking questions.
i grew up in delta state and lagos and no one ever mentioned it.
i dont think our teachers knew about it sef.
it is supposed to be a banned topic in secondary schools.