Q: Who made that assertion?
A: Ojukwu. That was why we stayed that long in Bendel of that time or Midwest of that time otherwise it is to walk across and people were waiting including some officers of this side to support. While they were arguing, the federal side got wind of it. Meanwhile Banjo was accused of hobnobbing with the British deputy commissioner in Benin. While they were quarrelling over this, the federal troops got an upper hand and moved into the Midwest.
Q: Between these two instances, were there any other instances when Ojukwu and Banjo quarrelled?
A: I think that is the one I can remember. Before then in the Nigerian army both of them being graduates had an affinity like that. When we were released from Prison, I was released in Enugu. I was brought from Owerri to Enugu where we declared to have been released, they look for houses in Independence layout for us, Banjo lived in Government place – they were so close.
Q: But things fell apart between them,
A: Well it is this question of capturing Lagos and so on. That is all I know. They were very close. It was the question of affinity that they looked down on non graduate officers but that’s something on the back. It is unfortunate.
Q: Going back to the 50 years of the coup, what mistake will you say Nzeogwu and his people made?
A: I will say none. As far as I am concerned, individuals made mistake in the pattern of the people killed. There was something like a mini war amongst us in Kirikiri, ‘why did you do this or that? This was not your instruction, the instruction was to arrest and wait for further instructions, why was this man not given a chance, why did you go to a hotel to adopt and kill people…’
These were silly mistakes, and if that was known, some of the people wouldn’t have taken part and having said that all those detained were southerners. Do you mean, even in the north, it was southerners who did it? Not a single northerner was detained, so Nigeria still has problem.
Q: That takes us back to the first question we asked that Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa were killed…
A: Killed by Nigerian troops and not necessarily Igbo troops. Troops of the Nigerian army.
Q: Nzeogwu went and killed the Sardauna …
A: Were you there? Even me I can’t say who did what. We all knew Sarduana lost his life and it was an aerial operation.
Q: After retirement, what have you been doing? People will be curious to know
A: what will I do at this age – 77?
Q: But you retired a long time ago, between then and now
A: I tried my hand on business, being a career transport officer; I tried running transport business in partnership with a cousin. Later, I joined the Lagos state as a commissioner – local government service commission. When the road safety war was to start, we had a planning committee which I was drafted into because of my experience in transport and supposedly I was doing my best.
Somebody said, oga, it seems road safety corp has become your baby. I was still with the commission, as a certified commissioner in the local government service commission. I said No, but he said you have been appointed as a director.
Q: Was it the time Professor Wole Soyinka set the team up in Oyo State?
A: Soyinka was in Ibadan. In fact I went to Ibadan… Road safety was in Lagos but not every state. It was only Ibadan and Lagos
Q: You did not finish secondary school…
A. I went to City College and I didn’t finish. When the teacher training in 1955 was to start, my father said I should be a teacher, so I became a teacher and at 17 plus I worked for Salvation Army and they decided to make me headmaster and I said am too young to be a headmaster, I must consult my parents.
Q: Was it at that point you joined the army?
A: I joined the army in 1961
Q: Did your parents agree?
A: They didn’t agree. Incidentally a cousin of mine was living with us and he too applied, while I was going through the exam, they wrote him to say he should try some other time because my initials with my father’s initials were the same thing. My father got the letter, opened it and said ahh thank God it has been rejected. That weekend I went to Ibadan for the final selection, I came back and then my father said have you seen your letter, I said yes, it is not mine, it is for my cousin and incidentally I have been away in Ibadan for a week, that is for the military interview and I have been selected. That’s how I joined. By the end of the course, I was nominated to go to England and that’s how I started.
Q: Can you tell us within the war, the day you came face to face with death apart from those who wanted to go and kill you then?
A: Maybe the day I was moving to Oghele from Onitsha. Some people stopped the convoy. I didn’t even know what to do. It was a mere ambush, and then suddenly I assessed the people who were facing me. These rag tag people, they are not soldiers. I told the convoy, go to wherever you are going and I told the assailants, ‘don’t mess around with this convoy’. And that was all, that was the nearest.
Q: And they obeyed just like that?
A: Yes
Q: Perhaps, some people may say being a Yoruba man you used juju to command them!
A: No, no. And other time when I was running away to join the Biafra. In Agbor but I was lucky, they didn’t know me- the troops- and they said common open your booth and I buried my head in the booth and they didn’t see anything and they said go, I passed along four different check points until I reach…
Q: You were leaving this side to go and join the Biafra.
Look at it this way, you don’t have no choice, two the fact is that people are not hostile to you, they were not, I was very well taken care of. Whereas if somebody as high as Chief Awolowo could tell me that he could not guarantee my safety, should I be foolhardy enough to insist by settling in Nigeria. Chief couldn’t and not just me – Banjo, Adeleke and others and papa said for now it is not possible to guarantee your safety.
A: And that’s how I escaped. Mere luck and that was it.
Q: We are still curious about your loyalty to Biafra
A: Look at it this way, you don’t have any choice, two the fact is that people are not hostile to you, they were not, and I was very well taken care of. Whereas if somebody as high as Chief Awolowo could tell me that he could not guarantee my safety, should I be foolhardy enough to insist by settling in Nigeria. Chief couldn’t and not just me – Banjo, Adeleke and others and papa said for now it is not possible to guarantee your safety.
Although by the time I got to Oghele, Warri, I wanted to escape and come to Lagos, I would have done it successfully and people said don’t go, don’t go.
Q: Kindly asses the role played by Soyinka and Solarin during the war. Because Soyinka was punished for having sympathy for Biafra, the suffering masses; even Tai Solarin was seen in a picture with some malnourished children.
A: I know about that because he met us. It is a matter of conscience, what they thought was right and ideal for their courage and of course Soyinka paid for it but he is the happiest and proud man for his actions. He has no regrets and I thank him for that.
Leave a Reply