PREFACE
The subject matter of this project report deals with the assessment of
the place of Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna in Nigeria’s socio-political
history between January 1966 – August 1967. This topic has agitated
the mind of the author for quite a long time. He was particularly
motivated to undertake this study after reading many books on
Nigeria-Biafra Civil War. He observed with interest the conflicting
reports of these authors on the immediate and remote causes of the
civil war and the role of Major Ifeajuna in the coup of January 15th,
1966? He felt therefore that since the war was a major chapter in the
socio-political life of Nigeria, efforts should be made to assess the
role of Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, one of the key players of the coup
that eventually led to the civil war.
The project is divided into eight chapters. Chapter one deals with the
Introduction which encompassed the abstract, the purpose/need for
the study, scope and limitation of the study and the
methodology/sources/organisation of the work. Chapter two deals
with the literature review. The review of literature for this study cuts
across primary and secondary sources. Chapter Three treats the
background of the man, Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, his origin, his
school days and his military orientation. Chapter Four delves into
Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna’s role in the January 15th 1966 coup and
his leadership role in the coup. Chapter Five discussed the failure of
the five majors in the coup attempt and Ifeajuna’s flight to Ghana.
Chapter Six examines the regime of Major General Aguiyi Ironsi and
the events of the coup during which he lost his life. Chapter Seven
critically analyses Ifeajuna’s role in the Biafra war, particularly in the
Midwestern region. Chapter Eight concludes the study.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page . . . . . . . . . i
Approval page . . . . . . . . . ii
Dedication . . . . . . . . . iii
Preface . . . . . . . . . . iv
Acknowledgement . . . . . . . v
Table of contents . . . . . . . . vi
CHAPTER ONE
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Abstract . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Statement of problem . . . . . . 2
1.3 Purpose for the Study . . . . . . 3
1.4 Scope and Limitation of the Study . . . . 4
1.5 Methodology/Sources/Organization of the Work . 5
1.6 Literature Review . . . . . . 6
Notes . . . . . . . . 15
CHAPTER TWO
3. The Man Emmanuel Ifeajuna . . . . 17
3.1 Background . . . . . . . 17
3.2 Military and Political Orientation . . . . 22
3.3 Prelude to the January 15, 1966 coup . . . 27
3.4. Ifeajuna’s Role in the January 15, 1966 coup . . 30
3.5 Planning, Preparation and Execution of the
January 15, 1966 coup . . . . . 31
3.6 Leadership of the January 15, 1966 Coup:
Ifeajuna or Nzeogwu? . . . . . . 41
3.7 At last came the Burst of the Bubble . . . . .47
3.8 Treachery, Cowardice or Ineptitude among the
Plotters: Ifeajuna’s Role . . . . . . 51
3.9 The views of his childhood friend & his junior brother 54
Notes . . . . . . . . 58
viii
CHAPTER THREE
5. The Failure of the Five Major s: Ifeajuna’s fault? . 61
5.1 Ifeajuna’s Flight into Ghana . . . . . 61
5.2 Whose arrest and detention ended the coup:
Ifeajuna or Nzeogwu? . . . . . . 72
5.3 Ifeajuna’s Revolutionary Credentials: Fake or Genuine? 75
Notes . . . . . . . . 77
CHAPTER FOUR
6. The Gathering Storm . . . . . . 78
6.1 The July 29, 1966 Coup. . . . . . 79
6.2 The Road to Secession . . . . . 81
6.3 Ifeajuna as a Biafran Army Officer . . . . 83
6.4 Nigerian Revolutionary in Biafran Uniform . . 86
Notes . . . . . . . . 89
CHAPTER FIVE
7. The Civil War: Ifeajuna in Biafra . . . . 90
7.1 Ifeajuna’s role in the Mid-Western invasion . . 91
Notes . . . . . . . . 101
CHAPTER SIX
Conclusion . . . . . . . 102
Note . . . . . . . . . 106
Bibliography . . . . . . . . 107
1
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 ABSTRACT
In his biography about Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu, Olusegun
Obasanjo stated that ‘biographies of men who have shaped the
course of human history have been written all over the
world………….Attempts to re-examine the lives of those who have
made contributions to this country may not only provide a better
insight, but offer possible solutions to our many
difficulties……………..”It is in this context that this study of Major
Emmanuel Ifeajuna’s role during the particularly sensitive period of
Nigeria’s political evolution has been undertaken.
This study is by no means a biography. Rather, it is a scholarly effort
to illuminate the misunderstood and maligned role of a man who
shaped a cloudy period of Nigeria’s history. The focus is a reexamination
and analysis of who Emmanuel Ifeajuna was, and what
he did in relation to events in Nigeria between January, 1966 to
August, 1967. A perusal of this study will hopefully contribute to the
expansion of the frontiers of knowledge about this seminal period in
Nigeria’s history. More importantly, the search for national cohesion
and stability is an on-going project which requires effective
dependence on historical guidance. And the understanding of the
roles of the principal actors in the earth-shaking dramas of Nigeria’s
political history during the period under study, will in no small
measure contribute to the attainment of this objective.
2
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Much has been written and said about the January 15th , 1966 coup
and its aftermath. But it is that these accounts are not devoid of
exaggerations and misrepresentation. In some cases, these accounts
are inaccurate. Given the emotional and sensitive nature of such a
development, such stance is understandable. Be that as it may,
there is a call occasioned by social pressure to put the course of
events in its right perception and fill the lacuna in the knowledge of
these events which still remain forty years after these events. While
this study makes no claims to being exhaustive, it seeks to provide
fuller and more accurate insight into the coup and its aftermath by
looking at the deeds of one of its major architects, Major Emmanuel
Ifeajuna.
Also, prejudice, misconceptions and outright ignorance characterize
knowledge among Nigerians and even foreigners about
developments in Nigerias and even foreigners about developments in
Nigeria politics between the first military coup and the civil war in the
country. Indeed, the roles of leading characters in this period of the
country’s history have been suppressed, misinterpreted and even in
some cases, misrepresented for selfish political, ethics and social
goals. If the purpose of history is to till the truth, then the frontiers of
knowledge on these characters have to be widened, and erstwhile
misconceptions re-examined. Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna is one of
such character whose role in the period of Nigeria history under study
needs to be presented more realistically and dispassionately. It
therefore becomes expedient to expand the frontiers of knowledge on
3
what Major Ifeajuna did, how he did it and why he did it in the course
of Nigeria’s political evolution between January 15, 1966 and August
1967. With that, the role he played during that event in Nigeria’s
history will be better assessed and understood.
1.3 PURPOSE/NEED FOR THE STUDY
This study is not a biography of Emmanuel Ifeajuna. It is a scholarly
examination of the roles of this controversial man in the historic
events during the sensitive period of Nigeria’s history under study.
Using a plethora of historical sources and methodology the study
aims at providing a balanced understanding and predation of
development between Nigeria’s first military coup and the civil war.
This is only possible if the roles of leading participants and actors are
brought to the fore. Emmanuel Ifeajuna’s place cannot be ignored if
this objective is to be fulfilled.
This study also seeks to contribute to the age old national discourse
for stability and political cohesion which Nigeria has been seeking
since independence. This has become necessary by looking at the
roles of leading characters who have radically altered the country’s
socio-political landscape. Hopefully, a historical study of their actions
will contribute to this search for peace and stability in the country.
Finally, this study aims at providing a historical account of what really
happened during the brief occupation of the former Mid-Western
Region by the Biafran forces during August 1967, and the
implications for inter group relations and stability in Nigeria.
4
1.4 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This study is subject to inherent limitations which are worth stating
and taking into consideration. The time frame is a decisive limiting
factor. It restricts the scope of the research to Major Ifeajuna’s role
and events within a definite period, January 15th 1966 to August
1967. The time frame, therefore limits the account to the roles the
subject had played in Nigeria’s history during the period of study. It
can be however, be argued that outside his 1954 exploits at the
British Empire (now Commonwealth) Games, Major Emmanuel
Ifeajuna most essentially captured the attention of Nigeria and the
world from the time the guns blasted Nigeria’s democracy to pieces
on January 15th, 1966.
Another limitation to the study is that it does not provide a sufficient
basis for understanding the entire personality of the subject – Major
Emmanuel Ifeajuna. It is a study of the place and roles of Major
Ifeajuna in relation to a definite historical episode in Nigeria. Thus, the
study may not help those who are interested in unraveling in its
entirety the personality of the controversial historical character under
focus in this work. The study draws attention to aspects of the
subject’s personality which help to analyse the trends of Nigeria’s
politics between January 1966 – August 1967.
The study’s focus on a single character in the earth-shaking historical
events of our study period gives the impression that a mono-casual
factor in history is given an undue emphasis. It is a fact that Ifeajuna
was not the sole character, or even the major causative factor of the
5
coup of 1966 and the outbreak of the civil war in 1967. The
searchlight on Ifeajuna therefore goes to show and directs attention
to the extent major Ifeajuna shaped these events in which he
eventually lost his life, and/or how these events affected him.
1.5 METHODOLOGY /SOURCES/ORGANIZATION OF THE WORK
This research makes use of a plethora of historical methodologies in
the bid to arrive at illuminating interpretations and conclusion.
First, the principal of content analysis is adopted. This involves a
rigorous examinations of the explicit and implicit contents of the
sources used. Although inferences and ‘educated guesses’ are not
ignored, no attempt is spared at drawing conclusions based on extent
evidence.
Secondly, a cross fertilization and synthesis of sources is pertinent in
a study of this nature. The fundamental thesis can be summed up as
the quest for the truth about Emmanuel Ifeajuna’s place in the cloudy
period of Nigeria’s political history between January 1966 and August
1967. The antithesis is a cross-examination of the dissenting
positions on what Ifeajuna did, how and why he did it in relation to the
events of the period of study. The synthesis can be defined as the
conclusions drawn based on the available evidence.
The historical nature of this study necessities a narrative format which
is devoid of ideological or model-seeking paradigms. However,
information and interpretations from non-historical sources are
adopted and subjected to rigorous analyses.
DISCLAIMER: All project works, files and documents posted on this website, UniProjectTopics.com are the property/copyright of their respective owners. They are for research reference/guidance purposes only and some of the works may be crowd-sourced. Please don’t submit someone’s work as your own to avoid plagiarism and its consequences. Use it as a reference/citation/guidance purpose only and not copy the work word for word (verbatim). The paper should be used as a guide or framework for your own paper. The contents of this paper should be able to help you in generating new ideas and thoughts for your own study. UniProjectTopics.com is a repository of research works where works are uploaded for research guidance. Our aim of providing this work is to help you eradicate the stress of going from one school library to another in search of research materials. This is a legal service because all tertiary institutions permit their students to read previous works, projects, books, articles, journals or papers while developing their own works. This is where the need for literature review comes in. “What a good artist understands is that nothing comes from nowhere. All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original.” - Austin Kleon. The paid subscription on UniProjectTopics.com is a means by which the website is maintained to support Open Education. If you see your work posted here by any means, and you want it to be removed/credited, please contact us with the web address link to the work. We will reply to and honour every request. Please notice it may take up to 24 – 48 hours to process your request.
