Wednesday 10 October 2012

Chinua Achebe hates Awo and the Yoruba race'

A leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has faulted extracts from Prof. Chinua Achebe’s latest memoirs on the Nigerian Civil War accusing the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo as the initiator of the pogrom against the Igbo.

The memoirs coming 42 years after the war, Adebanjo said, reinforced “Achebe’s pathological hatred for Awolowo and the Yoruba race.”
According to him, the renowned novelist need to be cured of his Awophobia.


Reacting to Achebe’s memoirs entitled “There was a country,” the Afenifere leader in a statement on Tuesday said it was Awolowo who rather tried to prevent the war. He said, “At the risk of his life, and against the advice of his cabinet colleagues, Chief Awolowo made contact with Ojukwu and met him in Enugu to dissuade him from going to war.

In his one-on-one meeting with Ojukwu, Chief Awolowo tried to persuade Ojukwu to come to a roundtable conference with the Federal Government to iron out his differences with the government. “Fair minded persons cannot accuse Awolowo of being part of the intellectual arm of a cabinet that intentionally initiated the pogrom of the Igbo, when in fact the record shows he took positive steps to persuade Ojukwu to avoid the conflict.”

 Adebanjo said when the late politician visited Enugu prison during the war, he was surprised to see malnourished people even when adequate quantity of food were sent through international agencies to the civilians in the areas. Following this, he said the Federal Government stopped the delivery of food meant for the civilian population hijacked by Biafran soldier. He added, “This is what Achebe mischievously called the deliberate starvation of the Igbo.

 I would like Prof. Achebe, if he can; to make reference to any publication where Awolowo made the statement that starvation was a legitimate tool of war. “One would have thought the charge of genocide should have been better directed at the leaders of Biafra who had first hand knowledge of the starvation in the area they controlled, and yet did not as they could, to bring an end to the war sooner before two million people, mainly members of future generations had died of starvation as Prof Achebe claimed.”

On change of currency, Adebanjo said since Biafran soldiers looted Nigerian currency from Central Bank locations in Biafra occupied areas and were using them to buy arms, Awolowo, as the Federal Commissioner for Finance, had to stop that.


15 comments:

Nike said...

Awophobia....hehehe very funny:>

Anonymous said...

Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo,ehh! this is a very sensitive topic you guys are trying to stir up sth,what is really the purpose of this?

Anonymous said...

Achebe and Adebanjo these two shld know better

Anonymous said...

I have not read the book, but from this statement,Awolowo in his grave won't be happy bc what this will only bring is hatred b/w the ibos&yorubas

Anonymous said...

Achebe and Adebanjo sorry to say old age is telling on them,they shld bring up solutions to solving nation's problems which is at hand now,im disappointed

Tochukwu said...

We cannot get past this,the yorubas themselves are traitors,if Achebe hate them so what,why is Adebanjo sounding so annoyed- write your own book naw...abegii VIVIEN bring better gist joor!

Anonymous said...

Do I smell bad belle from Adebanjo? write ur memoir& stop beefing

Anonymous said...

Achebe,i respect so much, he cannot falsify story for what?he only stated the fact,this 40yrs ago we are talking about here people

Anonymous said...

TRIBALISM WILL ALWAYS BE AMONG NIGERIANS

Anonymous said...

Just maybe Achebe is trying2give us a hint ..............nigeria to divide for peace to reign, ds problems we are facing in this country are too much.

Anonymous said...

The truth must be told which Achebe has stated carefully,nobody can beat him in his element.

Mandu said...

More of this writing jare,yorubas 2faced people

Anonymous said...

This is a very controversial writing Achebe,it is too late for all this,there are more important issues that you can write than this.

Anonymous said...

Jobless papas,this is history #Allu which is eminent,

Anonymous said...

Agree with the anony,justice must prevail,Allu must not go free