The Nigerian Civil War

In 1967, a Civil war broke out in Nigeria, the war was between the Nigerian troops and Biafran troops. The head of state as at that time was Gen Yakubu

Gowon Gowon or Go Won may refer to: * Yakubu Gowon (born 1934), head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria 1966-1975 * Kowon County, North Korea * "Go Won", a single formally introducing the eleventh member of Loona * Go Won, singer in South Kore ...

and the Biafran troop where lead by Col Chukuemeka Ojukwu. The war lasted for three years, beginning from 6 Jul 1967 to 15 Jan 1970. Gowon had just been chosen as the Head of State after a coup d'état on January 15, 1966, which left the first Military Head of State Major General Johnson

Ironsi Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi (3 March 1924 – 29 July 1966) was the first military head of state of Nigeria. He seized power during the ensuing chaos after the 15 January 1966 military coup, which decapitated the country's leadersh ...

assassinated. There was widespread chaos and tumult, lots of people from Eastern Region of Nigeria predominantly of Igbo descent were targeted and attacked in Northern Nigeria so they fled. Ojukwu reassures the people and encouraged them to go back to their business in other parts of the country. To mitigate all this occurrences and keep the peace, the federal military government chose delegates to meet with those of the eastern region met at Aburi, a Ghanaian town, where the popular Aburi Accord was signed. The Decree No. 8, which was passed which was mainly an embodiment of the accord but shortly after that to what seemed like a contradiction, General Gowon announced the creation of 12 states on May 27, 1967, breaking the Eastern State. This was the major reason for the secession by Ojukwu subsequently a declaration of independence. A new legal tender was introduced and the old one withdrawn, new Nigerian pound.

The Creation of States

General Yakubu Gowon created twelve states out of the four regions that existed at that time appointing a governor to head them. This move was seen by Col Chukwuemeka Ojukwu as a ploy to weaken the Eastern Region and a breach of the Aburi Accord. The following were the governors: *

Bendel State The Mid-Western Region was a division of Nigeria from 1963 to 1991, from 1976 being known as the Bendel state. It was formed in June 1963 from Benin and Delta provinces of the Western Region, and its capital was Benin City. It was renamed a pro ...

: Colonel Samuel Ogbemudia * Benue-Plateau State: Police Commissoner Joseph Gomwalk *

Cross River State ) , image_map = Nigeria - Cross River.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location of Cross River State in Nigeria , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint ...

: Colonel Udoakaha Jacob Esuene * East Central State: Colonel Chukwuemeka Ojukwu *

Kaduna State Kaduna State ( ha, Jihar Kaduna جىِهَر كَدُنا; ff, Leydi Kaduna, script=Latn, ; kcg, Sitet Kaduna) is a state in northern Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna which happened to be the 8th largest city in ...

: Colonel Hassan Usman Katsina *

Kano State Kano State (Hausa: ''Jihar Kano''جىِهَر كَنوُ) (Fula: Leydi Kano 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤢𞤲𞤮𞥅 ) is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the northern region of the country. According to the national census done in ...

: Colonel Sanni Bello *

Kwara State Kwara State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà), is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger state, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the internation ...

: Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo *

Lagos State Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, states, it is both the List of Nigerian states by population, most populous and List of Nigerian state ...

: Colonel Mobolaji Olufunso Johnson * Northeastern State: Colonel Musa Usman * Northwestern State: Police Commissioner Usman Faruk *

Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa Ib ...

: Lieutenant Commander Papayere Diette-Spiff * Western State: Colonel Robert Adeyinka Adebayo

The Nigerian Defence Academy

The Nigerian Defence

Academy An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

graduated their first set which included graduating cadets of the NDA Regular 1 Course in March 1967.

Members of the Supreme Military Council

NAF (Kurubo) Ejoor (COS Army), Wey (COS SHQ), GOWON, Kam Saleem (IG), Soroh (Navy), Rotimi (West), GbamiboyeCW/Kwara), Asika (EC).

Incumbents

Federal government

Head of State A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

Yakubu Gowon Yakubu Dan-Yumma 'Jack' Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a retired Nigerian Army general and military leader. As Head of State of Nigeria, Gowon presided over a controversial Nigerian Civil War and delivered the famous "no victor, no vanquish ...

* Deputy Head of State:

Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey (6 March 1918 – 12 December 1991) was a Nigerian Navy Vice Admiral who served as head of the Nigerian Navy (i.e. Chief of Naval Staff), acting foreign minister, and chief of staff of the Supreme Headquarters, making ...

* Commissioner of Defence: Yakubu Gowon * Chief of Army Staff:

Joseph Akahan Joseph Akahan (12 April 1937 – May 1968) was Chief of Army Staff (Nigeria) from May 1967 until May 1968, when he was killed in a helicopter crash during the Nigerian Civil War. Birth and education Akahan was born on 12 April 1937 in Gboko Lo ...

* Chief Justice: Sir

Adetokunbo Ademola Omoba Sir Adetokunbo Adegboyega Ademola GCON KBE PC SAN (1 February 1906 – 29 January 1993) was a Nigerian jurist who was the Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1958 to 1972. He was appointed as Chief Justice on 1 April 1958, replacing Sir Staff ...

Events

* 6 July - 14 July - Battle of Nsukka, the first military conflict during the Nigerian Civil War. * 19 September -

Republic of Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Republic of Dahomey, Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burki ...

established * 20 September - Republic of Benin disestablished * 7 October -

Asaba massacre The Asaba Massacre occurred in October 1967 in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria during the Nigerian Civil War. Background In August 1967, three months into the Biafran War, Biafran troops invaded the Mid-Western Region, to the west of the River ...

took place when federal troops of Nigeria entered Asaba, rounded up as many as 500

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

men of Asaba and shot them.''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

'', 5 April 1968 * 17 October - Start of

Operation Tiger Claw {{Campaignbox Biafran War Operation Tiger Claw (October 17–19, 1967) was a military conflict between Nigerian and Biafran military forces. The battle took place in the major port of Calabar. The Nigerian were led by Benjamin Adekunle while th ...

Births

*27 April -

Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello Iyabo Obasanjo (born 27 April 1967) is a former Nigerian senator and the daughter of former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo and his wife Oluremi Obasanjo. Early life and education Obasanjo attended Corona School in Victoria Island, L ...

, politician *8 September -

Yvonne Losos de Muñiz Yvonne Losos de Muñiz (born 8 September 1967 in Ibadan, Nigeria) is a Nigeria-born Dominican Republic Olympic athlete and international Grand Prix dressage rider that represents the Dominican Republic. She belongs to the elite Dominican Olympi ...

, dressage rider *16 October -

Ike Shorunmu Ike Ibrahim Shorunmu (born 16 October 1967) is a former Nigerian football goalkeeper. Career Shorunmu was born in Lagos. After a few years in Nigeria he moved to play in Switzerland, and made his mark there. He was bought by Turkish club B ...

, footballer *''date unknown'' -

Helon Habila Helon Habila Ngalabak (born November 1967) is a Nigerian novelist and poet, whose writing has won many prizes, including the Caine Prize in 2001. He worked as a lecturer and journalist in Nigeria before moving in 2002 to England, where he was a C ...

, novelist and poet

Deaths

*September -

Christopher Okigbo Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo (16 August 1932 – 1967) was a Nigerian poet, teacher, and librarian, who died fighting for the independence of Biafra. He is today widely acknowledged as an outstanding postcolonial English-language African poet an ...

, poet, 37, killed during Nigerian Civil War

References

{{Year in Africa, 1967 Years of the 20th century in Nigeria

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

1960s in Nigeria