Why the Federal forces won the Nigerian Civil War
First,
the Federal superiority in manpower was a major factor. By the end of
the war Federal forces totalled 120 000, whereas the Biafrans found it
difficult to replace mounting casualties except by conscription and
even press-ganging.
Secondly, the Federal army was able to call upon many reservists and
rely on heavy voluntary enlistment of veterans of the Second World War
Burma campaign. The veterans in particular with emergency commissions
and as NCOs produced an immense improvement in discipline. In contrast,
the Biafrans had few officers of experience, many having been killed in
July 1966, and very few trained NCOs, Their army was untrained, and
they lacked experienced infantry and artillery.
Thirdly, the Federal forces received massive aid from Britain, which
wanted to influence federal war policy, and the Soviet Union, which
wanted to gain an economic foothold in Nigeria. The Federal army had a
considerable amount of foreign reserves with which to buy weapons.
Disparity in military equipment clearly favoured the Federals, with
their abundant armour, fire-power and ammunition, over the Biafrans, in
spite of French aid to the latter.
Fourthly, there was opposition to secession in the East. The minorities
there, although they also suffered from violence in the North in 1966,
were much less enthusiastic about the concept of 'Biafra' than were the
Ibos and readily co-operated with Federal forces when they were
'liberated'. Dr Azikiwe understood what drove Ibos to secession but he
was very unhappy about it and from 1968 he supported the Federal side
openly. Ukpabi Asika, a political science lecturer who kept his
original vision of 'One Nigeria' throughout the traumatic events of the
second half of 1966, was willing to serve as Federal administrator of
East-Central State.
Opposition from the Ibo elites. The move to secede was greatly opposed and undermined by Ibo intellectuals.
Military aid from Egypt.
Economic blockade. The federal government surrounded
Biafra, captured
Port Harcourt and cut Biafra off from the external world.
Famine. Equally true, the federal government forces blocked all the local routes into Biafra.
The indiscipline of Ibo forces also led to Biafran failure to secede. During war, they concentrated on looting and raping.
The indiscipline of Ibo forces also led to Biafran failure to secede. During war, they concentrated on looting and raping.
Effective military strategy. Nigeria's commanders such as Mohammed
Murtala, Olusegun Obasanjo were very effective. They made a strategy of
cutting off Biafra from supplies, concentrated on aerial bombings.
Determination to control oil wealth.
The final factor in the Federal victory and Biafran defeat was the food
shortage resulting from the Federal blockade, the presence of two
million refugees and the need to concentrate on feeding soldiers first.
After the Biafran surrender there was no genocide, but instead a relief
programme mounted by the Federal Government and administered by the
Federal army under Obasanjo and by Asika's state civil servants.
Gowon's Code of Conduct for federal troops was already in operation,
and before the surrender he had allowed Red Cross supplies into the
rebel enclave. Only a few Biafran officers were imprisoned, and all
were later released, Many Ibos were reabsorbed into the Federal
administration, some in the jobs they had held before the war, as part
of Gowon's forward-looking policy of binding up the nation's wounds.
Yakubu Gowon achieved much for Nigeria, mainly in the period of the
Civil War. His division of the country into 12 states considerably
weakened the old division of the country into 'three Nigerias' and
helped to destroy ethnic nationalism. He won the Civil War and kept
Nigeria one. He did much to reconcile the defeated secessionists with
the nation as a whole.
National Movements and New States in Africa