CIVIL WAR: HOW US, OTHER WORLD POWERS PLANNED TO HELP BIAFRA – MBU
CIVIL
WAR: HOW US, OTHER WORLD POWERS PLANNED TO HELP BIAFRA – MBU
A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mathew Mbu, has made a
new exposition into the Nigeria Civil War.
The former Minister said United States of America and other
world powers were planning to change the history of the war by eventually
backing Biafra.
Mbu said had the civil war lasted longer, America would have intervened and
come on Biafra’s aide.
According to him, the World Powers had great sympathy for
Biafra but preferred the option of exploring a more flexible federation for
Nigeria.
He said this in an autobiography the he left behind to be
published by his family.
The book entitled “Dignity in Service,” is due for public
presentation on Tuesday next week at the Yar’Adua International Conference
Centre, Abuja.
He wrote, “The regions should have a little bit of autonomy; that was the issue
throughout those 30 terrible months of the civil war.
“The first Biafran cabinet meeting was held and articulated
in Enugu by our head of government, Col. Ojukwu, and after subsequent meetings
in Umuahia and Owerri, he summoned leaders of thought and took a resolution.
“The United States and other major powers had great sympathy
for Biafra.
“One fear that haunted other African nations was that if
Biafra breaks they would also break up.
“Their enormous sympathy for Biafra notwithstanding, they preferred the option
of exploring a more flexible federation for Nigeria.
“Had the war lasted longer, there would have been a major
intervention that would have changed the history of the civil war by the major
powers. It was good it ended when it did.
“The suffering as being portrayed outside, the suffering of
children on humanitarian ground was too compelling to ignore.”