"In Biafra Africa Died" By Emefiena Ezeana –Book Review
Have you heard the term Biafra before? Or it’s your first time. Well, the book is a perfect article of discourse to disclose the term Biafra. This term is not new to African historians and Nigerians. I have been a lover of history, especially that of Africa, which is why my library is full of books on African history, as well as others. This book by Emefiena Ezeana is one of the books that I cherished so well because of how detailed he went about putting this book together.
After going through this book three times, I have come to realise and understand the socio-political and historical arrangements of Nigeria, in particular,
and Africa at large. The book tells the story of Africa. How Africa was brought to her knees in a war that claims the lives of people, the destruction of property, as well as the displacement of destinies.
According to the author, the glorious and manifest destiny of Africa lay in the land of Biafra; hence, the rising of Biafra would eventually lead to the rising of Africa. In summary, the book talks about the land of Biafra (the eastern region of Nigeria that opted out of the federation to become an independent country). Consequently, this led to a civil war that lasted for 30 months, claiming millions of lives and destroying property.
The book is made up of fourteen chapters, each chapter has a unique title designed to achieve the mind of the writer. The author, however, is so down-to-earth in presenting the facts as they happened. Beyond the Nigeria/Biafra civil war, the book is a reliable material on the history of Nigeria as well.
chapter summary
Chapter one explicitly deals with the history of Nigeria, while chapter two talks about the first coup of January 15, 1966 and the Igbo connection. In this chapter, the author brought out enormous facts to persuade his readers that the first military coup was not orchestrated by the Igbos, as erroneously believed in some quarters. In chapter three, the author took his time to write on the Nigeria-Biafra war (1967-1970) and how the event unfolded. Chapter four talks about the roles played by the British in the Nigeria-Biafra war. In chapter five, the author critically analyses the relationship between the Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani, stating that such a union changed the destiny of Africa, specifically concerning the role the two ethnic groups played during the civil war. Going through chapter six, the chapter also discusses other minority groups in Biafra, and their roles during the war years, groups like the Ibibios, Efiks and many others. In chapter seven, the author talks about Emeka Ojukwu, the leader of the Biafra army. He establishes the fact that Ojukwu's declaration for the secession of Biafra from Nigeria was not borne out of his selfish ambition but for the love he had for his people. In chapter eight, the author also establishes some salient reasons why the North must marry the East/Biafra, explaining that the oil-rich region is mainly for the funding of other regions. Chapter nine focuses on Biafra’s genocide. He added some speeches made by prominent individuals to establish the fact that there was genocide in Biafran land, orchestrated by the Nigerian government. In chapter ten, the author establishes how the British government created an imperial stooge in order to continue to exploit the colony even after independence. The entire chapter eleven focuses on the problem with the Igbo and Nigeria at large. In chapter twelve, the author explores the explorations of the Biafrans in various fields, how they were able to make waves technologically without the help and support of anyone. He also wrote about the sorry state of Nigeria. In the end, the author establishes that, if Biafra had been allowed to stand, it would have brought sunset to Africa and the rest of the world.
Like I said earlier, the book In Biafra Africa Died is complete material on its own. All the information presented in the book is factual, hence it is accompanied by its images, speeches, newspaper articles, and many other things to prove to readers that what he is talking about is true and not a myth.