New Tax Regime To Protect Low, Middle Income Earners

The Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru earlier in the week shed some light on the new tax regime in Nigeria, product of the  Personal Income Tax (Amendment) Act, which came into effect on June 14, last year, compelling the president and his deputy as well as governors and their deputies to pay tax on their earnings. 

According to the FIRS boss, the law was conceived to bridge the gaps identified in the old Act, especially with respect to its impact on the take home earnings of low and middle income earners, which is the band within which most of us fall.

The tax agency by this singular action is lending weight to opinion shared by several tax experts that “Productivity declines as the tax rate increases, as people choose to work less.

The higher the tax rate, the more time people spend evading taxes and the less time they spend on more productive activity. So the lower the tax rate, the higher the value of all the goods and services produced.”

As if the  FIRS management had seen in advance the many burdens Nigerians would bear this year; higher petrol cost resulting from the partial removal of petrol subsidy and the attendant higher cost of goods and services, hence the repeal of the Personal Income  Tax Act which was last reviewed in 1993.

With the new Act, Dr Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, said the government has demonstrated it has listening ears and has reduced the overall burden on low and middle income earners, while recouping the reduction from high networth individuals, who could bear higher burden given their level of earnings.

Not a few commentators have described the action of the FIRS boss as courageous  given the caliber of persons the new law is targeting.

The new law will put more money in the hands of those in the middle class and the poor. Observers of trends in Nigeria have often wondered why in the past, Nigeria could not attempt to bridge the gap between the super rich, by making them  pay higher taxes as it is done in other developed and emerging economies. 

Beyond using progressive tax to ensure wealth is evenly distributed and ensure the poor are protected in free market economies, this tax type can also be used to dematerialize the value system and compel the citizenry to strive for such virtue as the collective good of all as opposed to the exploitation of the majority by a few privileged capitalists. 

In climes where the rich and poor can aspire to similar heights, the hatred for the rich by the poor is minimal and nonexistent in some cases, more so, when everyone knows and believes all heights are attainable.

Sociologists have argued that in a near just society, the expression of hatred against a social arrangement which enriches a few and pauperises the majority, which sometimes  takes the form of crime is minimal. It is a matter for debate.

On how the agency would  ensure that President Jonathan complies with the provision of the Act, Omoigui-Okauru noted that since the President gave the directive, he would not need anyone to force him to comply.

According to Omoigui-Okauru, the president last year processed his tax clearance certificate accordingly in order to win other taxpayers’ confidence.

In fact, the President, the Vice-President, Governors and Deputy Governors have been paying tax on all their incomes as done by every taxpayer in the country, the FIRS boss told Journalists in Abuja.

She said: "Review of income exempted from tax under the Act, includes in f official emoluments of the president, vice-president, come from bond issued by government and corporate entities in tax exempt income and the removal of governors and deputy governors from income exempted tax under the Act.

With these new provisions, the president, vice-president, governors and deputy governors of states will now pay tax on all their income as is done by every other taxpayer."

Local govts lose power to collect levy
Omoigui-Okauru said part of the recommendations made by the Joint Tax Board for the reform was that the local government area councils would no longer have the power to collect taxes, noting that such power will be ceded to the state governments.

The idea of the local government shedding tax collecting power is to enhance a centrally co-ordinated collection to eliminate multiple taxation.

"In short, one of the recommendations I remember is that the local government should have no taxing power. Whatever revenue to be generated should be done on behalf of the local government by the state,"she said.

She said the state governments have to come with a working code with which they can collect on behalf of the local governments, adding that following the amendment, the JTB is working out a tax calculator for taxpayers to compute their income tax once they feed their correct income into the website.

This, she said, could aid taxpayers to challenge the tax collectors in case of any disparity. She recalled that the Personal Income Tax Act was reviewed and passed into law in 1993, which led to the removal of obsolete, unrealistic and outdated reliefs and allowances from the Act.

With the amended Act, she said there was a simplified process of voluntary compliance and enhanced penalties and sanctions for violation of the Act.

Omoigui added that other provisions introduced into the new Act include a consolidated relief allowance of N200,000 plus 20 per cent gross income as deductible allowance from one’s income before computing tax on the balance.

She said the new income tax rates and income tax table in the Act provide closer income bands and lower income tax rates leading to reduction in tax payable by low and middle income earners.

The minimum tax rate for the lowest possible income earners which was previously 0.05 has been increased to one per cent.

The new Act will enhance administrative powers to tax authorities especially in the States with the provision of statutory qualifications for appointment as chairman and members of state Boards of Internal Revenue and provisions of basis for funding through them the retention of a percentage of tax collected.

Okauru also said the new Act introduced a presumptive tax regime for the informal sector and other persons whose incomes are not easily verifiable.

Other provisions in the Act include enhanced penalty provisions and sanctions for violation of the provisions of the act; provision of powers to the Minister of Finance to make regulations for the administration of the Act.

Why We Can't Build Refineries In Nigeria – Shell

Shell Petroleum, a multinational oil company in the country said yesterday that it did not bother to build refineries in Nigeria because there was surplus of capacity of refineries in the world producing surplus of refined products available in the world that can meet the needs of countries.

"Actually, it is a global business. So, it isn't essential for every country to have their own refineries to do all the capacity they need in today's world because there is surplus available and therefore it means you can get that capacity and those refined products.

As long as that trade is well and disciplined and well controlled. There is a surplus of refined products available in the world that can meet the needs of countries", out-going chairman of Shell, Mr. Malcom Brinded stated.

But President Goodluck Jonathan challenged Shell Petroleum to actively participate in the federal government’s efforts at infrastructural development, especially power supply.

Speaking when he led a delegation of Shell,  Upstream International on a farewell visit to President Jonathan at the presidential villa, Abuja, the Executive Director of the oil firm noted that Shell was divesting refineries all over the world because there was a surplus of refineries, and as such, it no longer owns any refineries, even in the United Kingdom.

FG Makes Fresh Move To Sell NITEL/MTEL

The National Council on Privatisation (NCP) has approved ‘guided liquidation’ as the strategy for the privatisation of Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd (NITEL) and its mobile arm, M-TEL, in view of the huge liabilities of both companies.

The Bureau Of Public Enterprises (BPE) revealed in a statement yesterday that the council had directed the management of Nitel and Mtel to submit detailed financial reports and other relevant information on the proposals for the resuscitation of both companies to the technical committee of the NCP.

Recall that BPE in June last year, terminated the sale of Nitel to Omen International Consortium, and since then nothing has been heard of the privatisation process.

At its first meeting for 2012, the Council approved that the technical committee and legal committee, two standing committees of NCP, work closely to determine the modalities for handling Nitel/Mtel’s guided liquidation, BPE said.

The Bureau added that the technical committee have been tasked to consider the submissions by Nitel/Mtel management and submit its recommendations to the next meeting of NCP.

The committee had recommended that ‘guided liquidation’ should be adopted as the strategy for the privatisation of NITEL/MTEL in view of the huge liabilities of both companies and that there was no viable financial alternative presented by the management of Nitel/Mtel.

The Ccouncil supported the recommendation of the committee that opted for ‘guided liquidation.’

BPE said the Council has also directed that all liquidators that have unresolved disputes with the Bureau be excluded from the process for the appointment of a liquidator for the Nitel/Mtel transaction.

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Senate Accuses NIPP Of Frustrating Power Projects

The National Assembly Joint Committee on Power, yesterday, berated the Nigeria Independent Power Projects (NIPP), accusing them of frustrating government's effort at tackling the problem of power generation in the country.

Chairman of the joint committee, Senator Philip Aduda, who summoned the Minister of Power, the management of NIPP and Cartlark International Limited, over allegation of contract change, pointedly described the executive Of NIPP led by Mr. James Olotu, as having failed in their responsibility to  supervise and monitor about 560 NIPP projects in the country.

They were summoned to the cause of the slow work on the N6.831billion 33KV Ikot- Ekpene/Akwa Ibom S/S (New), Afam/Ikot- Ekpene 330KV DC TL and 330KV Afam S/S (Line Bay Extension).

Aduda expressed worries at what he described as attempts by NIPP to scuttle the Ikot Ekpene power project, which was awarded to Cartlark International Limited at N6.8 billion even though it has not visited the site since it was awarded in 2006 to Cartlark.

On revelation that most of the executives, including James Olotu, were not engineers, Aduda said, “When square pegs are not put in square holes, when you as the head is not an engineer, then there is bound to be problems.

I am surprise that you were busy taking stock and making payment rather than supervising the projects. You have not visited the site of a contract you awarded six years ago.

“We wanted Nigerians to see what we are into and the people hindering us.”

Sen. Gobir, expressed amazement at the fact that most of the executives in NIPP were not engineers. He also decried that the only engineer, Louise Edozie, who was the director of engineering in NIPP was not a certified member of the Council for the Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN) contrary to the provisions of the law.

Derivation: Why North can’t get more money

Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State joined elders and youths of the Niger Delta yesterday in dismissing demands by northern Governors for the scrapping of the derivation principle in revenue allocation just as it emerged that the restoration of peace to the Niger Delta has led to a daily increase of N34 billion into the federal treasury.

Noting that the Niger Delta region was today getting 100% of the pollution and other incidental damages associated with oil exploitation, the stakeholders from the region said it was unrealistic for the North to look at the benefits to the oil producing region without considering the negatives.

Among those who also rebuffed the demand were elder statesman and second republic Senator, Obi Nosike Ikpo; defunct Biafra warlord, Chief Joseph Achuzia; Leader of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ledum Mitee and Presidential Adviser on the Amnesty Programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku.

Answering questions from journalists in Abuja, Orji urged the leaders of the  northern states to look inwards and develop resources in the north, saying that the North has been favoured in the sharing over the years.

“On restructuring of revenue, all of us are saying that it should be re-examined so that more money can be made available to the states and local governments because that is where the major action is.

“Niger State Governor was talking of continental shelf; every state is blessed with one thing or the other. You don’t carry the blessing of one state to the other. If oil has come to Niger Delta, preference should be given to the states in terms of sharing because they also suffer the degradation that comes from the exploitation of oil”.

Senator Ikpo who said he was at a loss over the demand by the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Niger State Governor, Nuhu Aliyu said:
“It is an untenable argument on the part of the northern governors. You cannot take what you don’t have or what you don’t contribute. The oil is in the Niger-Delta; they are the ones that are feeling the effects of the gas flaring, and they are the ones that their environments are being polluted and the ones that have been deprived of their means of livelihood due to oil exploration and exploitation.

“The north is not feeling any impact of ecological degradation; it is because of the sufferings they are facing as a result of the exploitation of oil in their land that derivation is being paid to them.”

On his part, Achuzia famed as Air Raid on account of his accomplishments in the defunct Biafran Army asked rhetorically: “Why should the revenue formula be reviewed? Is it to increase the 13 per cent derivation to 50 per cent, which is the legitimate rights of the oil and gas states or to reduce the paltry derivation”?

He said he was surprised that the northern governors who raised the issue anew could not advance informed reason for their demand, saying, “the true colour of the north is coming out for other sections of the country to see”.

Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Kingsley kuku on his part declared while addressing ex-militants that the current level of funding of the Niger Delta is still insignificant, compared with its contribution to the nation’s economy.

“What you (ex-militants) have given to Nigeria, if you don’t know, I will tell you – because you accepted peace, at the time that Amnesty was offered, crude oil production was 700, 000 bpd; things were tough; things were hard in this country.

“If you didn’t accept amnesty, even if the whole Niger Delta would die, and you said no, maybe Nigeria would be producing no oil today.  But you accepted amnesty; today oil production is at 2.68 million bpd.”

Also speaking on the issue, Leader of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, (MOSOP), Mr Ledum Mitee said if the North is calling for more revenue, they must be ready to share the hazards associated with oil.

In a phone interview with Vanguard, Mitee maintained that the increase in derivation for the South-south was associated with the exploit of resources and the neglect of the area over the years.

His words, “The derivation increase which the Niger Delta or South-South asked for was because of hazards associated with the exploit of resources in their area and the years of neglect. I think the derivation is consistent with justice of this country and one would wonder on what basis the North is asking for more derivation”.

He went further, “If you look at my committee, we made recommendation for an increase in the revenue for the oil producing communities in a manner that also will boost the infrastructural development equivalent to those areas at the same time consistent with a help to boost the national unity”.

“If you are to make an increase in the revenue accrued to the South-South states and you target it in such a way that the increase will be dedicated to improvement or investment in cotton industry, though the revenue from that investment might be accrued to the South- south states, it will also create jobs in the North and these are some of the things that need to be done, it is not enough to just ask for increase just because another person gets” he submitted.

He however said, “For the South-south zone that is getting the 100percent pollution, are we also going to share the hazards associated with oil with the Northern states”.

Gunmen kill 4 cops in Bayelsa

Yenagoa - Gunmen on Thursday opened fire and killed four marine policemen on patrol on waterways in Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's Bayelsa home state, state police spokesperson said.

"We lost four of our officers today in an attack launched by unknown gunmen. The policemen were on patrol on the waterways when they were shot and killed," Emokpae Eguavoen told AFP.

The policemen were killed at the marine police checkpoint on Nembe river in the southern state, he said.

No arrests were made, he said.

In another development, three members of the Joint Task Force (JTF), a military outfit deployed in the region to tackle crime, including oil theft and piracy, were also attacked by unknown gunmen in an ambush, an army spokesman said.

Colonel Timothy Antigha, spokesperson for the JTF, who confirmed the attack, denied knowledge that the three military men were killed.

There had been unconfirmed reports that the three - two soldiers and a naval rating - were killed in the attack.

"I am not aware that the three were killed. I know the attack took place when the team was going from Brass to Ogbia [in Bayelsa state]. They were apparently ambushed. We are still gathering information on the incident", he said.

Osaze, Yakubu, Taiwo, Etuhu play last match for Eagles. We will miss them...

Expectations were high before the match.  Nigerians eagerly awaited Stephen Keshi’s first competitive match. Rwandans hoped for a surprise but were more in large numbers to watch the Nigerian stars that they see on supersport. Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Jo seph Yobo  and Osaze Odenwegie were among the Nigerian stars they admire on television.

They expected so much thrills from the Nigerian team but banked on the underdog element of surprise to shock the Eagles. They almost did. Militi Mitchio, their Serbian coach had given them hope.

And in Nigeria the new Eagles coach and his crew had started building a new national team to accommodate home-based players who, for years now, had no place in the Eagles.

After holding Nations Cup-bound Angola to a scoreless draw in Abuja they went on to beat Liberia 2-0 in another international friendly.

The local boys impressed in the matches and when Keshi had to invite players for the Nations Cup qualifier he invited 11 pros and 11 local players.

Throughout the training sessions Keshi and his crew confided in close friends that the team that beat Liberia could beat Rwanda but said that a combination of local and foreign-based players would be fielded.  Keshi left the pitch in Kigali with a broader picture of what his team should be like and play like.

He could not have fielded an all home-based team when the likes of Ike Uche, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Dickson Etuhu, Taiye Taiwo, Joel Obi, Ahmed Musa, Joseph Yobo, Vincent Enyeama and Sani Kaita were in the team. It would have been termed a gamble. But after 90 minutes in Kigali, fielding 70 to 80 per cent of local players would no longer be a gamble but the right thing.  This is the true statement from the match in Kigali.

“I’ve seen everything now and I know that every disappointment could be a blessing,” Keshi said about their performance. On getting to their Umumbano Hotel, Keshi and his crew quickly went into a long meeting to review the match that ended scoreless but which the Rwandans were unlucky not to have won. Rwanda grew in confidence after Eagles failed to stamp authority. They missed chances.

Keshi did not mention names after the meeting but it was certain that in his time as coach of the Eagles the likes of Taiye Taiwo, Yakubu Aiyegbeni , Dickson Etuhu and Osaze Odewengie played their last match for Nigeria in Kigali. The same decision may also hang on the likes of Joel Obi who may have to show extraordinary performance in their clubs to justify any invitation especially in African qualifiers.

Two reasons are behind this. African football is different and players who lack commitment and the ruggedness of its game will continue to disappoint in Africa as some Eagles players have shown in many of their outings. The second reason is that Keshi has found the quality in some local players.

In the first half Rwanda had bagged four yellow cards and would not want any expulsion. The referee even made to issue a second yellow card to Mugrneza Jean Baptiste but on realising it would end in a red he withdrew his hand from the pocket.  But Eagles could not capitalise on this.

Etuhu seemed to have vowed never to put pressure on them. All his passes went behind or sideways even when there were  spaces to attack in front. Joel Obi was not impressive either and Nigeria suffered in the midfield. It was also terrible in the attack. Ahmed Musa could not lift his game from the right side of the attack. Osaze Odewengie and Yakubu Aiyegbeni who paired in the central attack struggled, ran for the balls but did nothing with them. The midfield play of Joel and Etuhu did not also help matters.

The only incisive play came from Ejike Uzoenyi, the left midfielder from Rangers and Victor Moses who came in for Ahmed Musa. Uzoenyi dazzled, easily slicing through the Rwandans and tormenting them. Two times he came close to scoring and many times he laid precise passes to his teammates in such a manner that Joel Obi was signalling to others to send balls to the Enugu Rangers player.

The injury he suffered in one moment he dropped to defend  slowed him down in the late minutes when he was stretchered out but later returned as Nigeria had completed their three changes.

Even with injury and limping Uzoenyi controlled the ball well, dribbled and passed it well. Azubike, of Warri Wolves, Godfrey Oboabona Itama, Vincent Enyeama  and Yobo were excellent in the defence but had  Keshi not changed Dickson and brought in Reuben Gabriel from Kano Pillars it would have probably been a sad story for Nigeria.

“I now know more and what I can only tell Nigerians is to watch out. We’ll not disappoint them. There are players who we need to build our team around. Those players are at home,” Keshi said.

Some other officials confirmed that Osaze, Yakubu, Etuhu and Taiye are among those who may be allowed to concentrate at their clubs for now.

Amaechi, Odili Reunite At Ojukwu Lecture

The death of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and the public lecture held in his honour by the Rivers State Government in Port Harcourt on Friday 24 February have publicly sealed the reconciliation between Dr. Peter Odili, the former governor of the state, and his estranged political son and incumbent governor, Chibuike Amaechi.

Odili who was the Chairman of the Public Lecture titled “The Eastern Region:Reminiscences,” said that when he was contacted to chair the occasion he accepted because “when a drink sees someone he likes, he agrees to reduce in size.”

Beyond the razzmatazz of the tribute to Ojukwu, the presence of Odili at the ceremony organised by Amaechi’s administration less than 24 hours after the reconstituted election tribunal dismissed the governorship election petition by Celestine Omehia of All Peoples Grand Alliance,APGA, is seen as a perfect political packaging and home coming of the former governor who has been in political limbo since 2007.

Amaechi kicked off the flood of tributes to the late former Military Governor of the defunct Eastern Region of Nigeria, Odumegwu Ojukwu.

Others who paid tributes to Ojukwu at the event included Governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji, and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, O. C. J. Okocha (SAN).

At the auditorium of the Rivers State House of Assembly, venue of the event, Amaechi lauded the character traits and leadership vision of Ojukwu, highlighting Ojukwu’s willingness to fight the perceived injustice against his people.

He said his understanding then of Ojukwu is that he was a man who could not stand injustice, and as a student of art or history, you know that the beginning of a struggle is the presence of an attempt by a group of people to deny the rest their right to existence.

He said Ojukwu felt that he could lead his people out of the injustice meted on them by the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“What all the Igbos and all of us who belonged to the old Eastern Region then are doing now is to celebrate Ojukwu’s achievements as a governor and as leader of his people.”

Amaechi noted that while Ojukwu did not win the Nigerian civil war, he brought political victory to his people.

The Nigerian government may have won the military victory but the political victory was won by the Igbos because they established the fact that they are not a people you can ignore in the Federal Republic of Nigeria anymore.

Also describing him as loving and kind, Governor Amaechi encouraged those in the former Eastern Region to emulate Ojukwu’s laudable qualities that distinguished him in the social and political landscape.

On his part, Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji described Ojukwu as charismatic and eloquent, noting also that the Nigerian civil war had taught Nigerians the true meaning of peace.

Odili also lauded Ojukwu for his foresight and courage, saying that Ojukwu “came in his time, saw way above his time, confronted the challenges of his time, took a stand, made decisions and backed those decisions with action in defence and protection of the future of his people”.

He said “Ojukwu was brilliant, intelligent, focused, vibrant, deep, persuasive, inspirationally and motivationally eloquent. Ojukwu could change your mind on any topic he decided to support.

“Ojukwu was a man who was forthright, he was a man who had no problems with making decisions and when he made decisions he had no difficulty in backing those decisions with executive action.”

The Guest Speaker at the lecture and former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, O. C. J. Okocha(SAN) described Ojukwu as a man of principle, truth and justice, adding that he was also a philosopher, a great thinker and visionary leader.

According to him, the Nigerian civil war encouraged Biafrans to show creativity and enterprise, and urged Nigerians to rebuild old ties for a stronger, unified nation.

No, Ojukwu Did Not Cause The War Of Secession —Lasisi Lajunwon

It was wrong and belated for anybody to conclude that the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu caused the secession war in 1967. Let us tell Yakubu Gowon that it was the senseless way the political crisis of that era was handled by his northern oligarchy that caused the civil war. But the major contributory factor was the utter denial of the truth of the Aburi agreement, leading to the denial of justice, fair-play, and lack of moral rectitude, exhibited by the same set of feudal rulers from 29 July, 1966 upwards.

It was not a matter of joke when Dim Ojukwu declared that “on Aburi we stand”. This was a peace agreement brokered by the two sides at Aburi, Ghana, through the effort of the then Ghana president, Roy Ankrah, who helped to broker the accord, in order to bring peace and harmony to the people of Nigeria.

However, when Gowon returned to Nigeria, he was forced to reverse the peace accord, which the northern hegemony described as a sell-out to Ojukwu, even though they knew full well that the Igbo, as a race, suffered most, under the army interregnum, leading to a well-planned consistent pogrom and systematic extermination of the people of Igbo tribe in the north. Gowon government became more harsh on Ojukwu and his people. Nevertheless, what measure of condolence would you express to a man whose mother was eaten up by hyena? That was the awkward position, the man Ojukwu was, when he was forced to declare secession in 1967.

Unfortunately, Ojukwu was not fully on ground militarily when he declared Biafran Republic, and that was why he lost the struggle. As a student of history (of which he was), he would have studied how America fought and won independence from British rule, and also about the 7 day war between the Israeli and Arab nations. In three months, he would have ordered for military training of Igbo youths while many others would have been sent abroad for training in tactical and strategic guerilla warfare. Also other Igbo boys would have been sent overseas to train as pilot specialists in reconnaissance flights. With adequate military equipment, and human and other resources, Ojukwu would have been on ground to confront the military might of the then military government successfully. Ojukwu would have adopted the tactical strategy of the Israeli army during the 7-day war with Arab nations in 1967. Israel had very small number of army, compared with the number of the desert rats of the Arab countries involved in the struggle. 30 minutes to the commencement of the hostilities by the Arab armies, Israeli air force bombarded the air military formations throughout the Arab countries involved in the idea of elimination of the Jewish nation from the Middle East. The air incendiary attacks were made consistent to be carried out at 30 minutes intervals. In a short period of time, all the Arab military and commercial planes were virtually destroyed. And within 7 days of hostilities, Arab countries, led by Egypt, were forced to ask for a ceasefire.

Nevertheless, Dim Emeka Ojukwu was a fine and disciplined soldier who tried to see that sanity was maintained in the military hierarchy when the retaliatory counter-coup of Gowon boys took place. He advised that Brigadier Ogundipe be allowed to take over the mantle of leadership as was done after the first coup when he made sure that General Aguiyi Ironsi took over the government. This was rejected by the northern junta because Gowon and his boys had their own plan to make sure that the north ruled Nigeria for a long time, under one form of coups, and counter-coups.

The counter-coup of July 29, 1966, was a retaliatory coup which led to the ethnic cleansing of the Igbo race. Virtually all Nigerians of Ibo extraction were decimated in the north. The blood-letting was extended to Lagos where many Igbo military officers were fished out and slaughtered after the coup. Even the civilian Ibo were not left out of the macabre dance of death. This inhumanity to man of the northern soldiers, forced the majority of Igbos to flee to Lagos after selling their buildings and other properties at give-away prices. Some cursed the day they were born as Igbo. Others died of fear and shock, to tell you that Nigeria was at war against herself. Some even quoted the scripture “that all days are evil because they are controlled by satan, and that the evil sides of the evil days are now the portion of the Igbo”. Therefore the remnants of the northern holocaust of the coup and counter-coup had no alternative but to run back to their ancestral region.

Ojukwu then faced a pathetic and grave situation. Apart from God, the Igbo looked up to him as their avatar to deliver them from the deadly clutches of the northern oligarchy. At that juncture, he was forced to declare secession from inhuman set of people who didn’t value human lives. In order to find an amicable settlement to the political crisis, the then Ghana president hosted the two warring groups. At the end of the meeting, a peaceful accord was reached. When they got to Nigeria, Gowon reneged on the Aburi declaration.

However, declaration of secession did not mean declaration of war. There was still room for negotiation which was not explored, because the Gowon military government was bent on teaching the Igbo a bitter lesion. It was the Gowon junta that made the first move on mere declaration of intention by starting the civil war on May 27, 1967. There was still room to resolve the contending issues by the federal military government which failed to toe the path of rectitude instead of ordering the police to capture Ojukwu, the military governor of the then Eastern Region.

I was a pupil teacher at Taku Baptist primary school Oyo, in August 1968 when Ojukwu was reviewing the war situation in a rhetoric version around 4pm. He praised the Biafran soldiers for their gallantry, and great commitment to the war effort, and fighting the northern vandals with self-determination to drive them away from Biafran soil. At a stage, Ojukwu affirmed that he did not cause the war which Gowon used to murder the Igbo in cold blood. “And I wept” at that statement. In his final reminiscence on the Biafra struggle. I concluded that the battle had been lost. That the civil war lasted till 30th January, 1970, was a surprise to me.

By the end of the struggle to emancipate the Biafrans, more than two and halve million Nigerians of Igbo extraction were annihilated by Gowon’s soldiers. May their souls rest in peace as a supreme sacrifice to build a better Nigeria.

Please note that during the period of struggle to free the Igbo from total destruction, many notable Igbo politicians, regarded as nation builders ran away for safety, and left Ojukwu, a few respectable ones, and the masses to continue the military campaign until the Efik-born general, Philip Effiong, surrendered, on behalf of Ojukwu on January 30, 1970 to end the Gowon holocaust. Now, the man died, and the only way to commiserate with Nigeria by Yakubu Gowon, was to accuse the dead for causing the secession war. Gowon should be told that:

1. He caused the civil war which led to the death of more than 2 ½ million Igbo;

2. Gowon, Danjuma, Murtala Muhammed, and other northern soldiers of note, made sure that the sane advice of Ojukwu to see that seniority was allowed to prevail when choosing their leaders was discarded to clear the way for northern soldiers to rule Nigeria at any point in time;

3. No wonder, the June 12, 1993 election, which was adjudged the freest and fairest election was annulled by IB Babangida, simply because the winner, Abiola, was not a northerner, therefore he could not be allowed to be the president of Nigeria;

4. The 2011 presidential election did not go down well with northern political leaders and they out-rightly declared that the north should be allowed to produce the president because it was their turn, regardless of the decades they held on to power in the country without meaningful achievements,

5. Also to note that the formation of Nigerian Al-Qaeda Boko Haram, is not for fun; that the north would make Nigeria ungovernable for Goodluck was not an empty threat by the Northern elders. Recently a northern senator was discovered to be one of the sponsors of Boko Haram, the religious/political weapon of destruction; and as long as they are not allowed to govern the country, they don’t mind if the country disintegrates by using Boko Haram to intensify their horrendous activities.

In the final analysis, even in death, Ojukwu looms larger than Gowon who is alive. His praying crusade which he spreads all over the country, has fail to save his Plateau State from intermittent tribal killings which started some years ago. Gowon should intensify his praying prowess. Who knows whether the bloody treatment meted out to the Igbo race 45 years ago is now taking its toll on his people in Plateau State, and some other states in Northern Nigeria. Their fathers ate sour fruits and the mouths of their children have become sour.

And for the great soldier, and leader of men, Ojukwu, if the so-called notable Igbo men had joined you in the struggle, like the German soldiers used to do, instead of scampering for their personal safety, perhaps, the unnecessary war would have been nipped in the bud. Nevertheless, Nigerian nation has learnt a lot from your purposeful leadership. The fact that you were determined to lead your people to the promised land was a success in itself. Giving you state burial is belated, but praise your creator that you are in the heart of all Igbo people and the good people of Nigeria, that is the ultimate recognition by mankind, and forever shall it be.