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| Dr. Akanu Ibiam |
British
Christians had the privilege and honour of evangelizing not only a good part of
Africa, my own continent, but also a greater part of the rest of the world. Her
missionaries, men and women, left home and kindred and comfortable life, to
spread Christianity far and wide in areas of the world where, for want of a
better description, life was anything but civilized in the Western sense of the
word, civilization.
They
endured lack of scientifically purified water, electric or gas light. They
trekked long miles of single-file roads, endured our moist heat and drenching
rains, the nuisance of mosquitoes, and sand flies and other indigenous African
insects. In the earlier days of missionary venture, they imported tons of
tinned foodstuffs and cared nothing for their lives so long as they could
preach the Gospel and its Good News, heal the sick, and bring education and
enlightenment to the people. The result of this effective humanitarian service,
supported financially, morally, and prayerfully by the Churches way back in
their homeland, has born exceedingly abundant fruit, and for us in Biafra
(formerly Eastern Nigeria), their work has, by grace of God, made our homeland
as much a Christian country as any other reputed countries of the world.
Despite
annoying treatment meted to me and my fellow African students now and again in
certain quarters, I was highly impressed with the religious life of the people
of Britain, particularly in Scotland, where I lived and studied in the University of St. Andrews for seven
years in one of the coldest parts of the United Kingdom. Altogether, I resided
in Britain for ten long years. And having seen their homeland and lived in this
Christian atmosphere in which they grew up, the self-denial and self-sacrifice
of Christian Missionary came home to me very forcibly, I drew much inspiration
from their splendid example, and my understanding and realization of the full
meaning and significance of the Christian life dawned on me with great sense of
joy and thankfulness.
After
taking my medical degrees, therefore, I offered my services to the Foreign
Mission Committee (now the Overseas Council) of the Church of Scotland, Edinburgh. I joined the Church of Scotland Medical Service, Calabar Mission, Nigeria, and
served the mission and its offspring, the Presbyterian
Church of Nigeria, from February 1, 1936 to January 31, 1967. With the consent
and approval of the Overseas Council, I was on leave of absence without pay
during the last five years, December 1960, to January 1965, of my missionary
service, while I was Governor of Eastern
Nigeria. As the only Nigerian among a group of some seventy European
Missionaries for twenty five years, the going was in the main, stiff and at
various times, I felt most frustrated and unhappy. For although Missionaries
inspired me without knowing it themselves, I regret to say that, by and large,
they did not encourage me. Such a situation did not bother me, however, because
I was inwardly happy to serve my people in this unique capacity, and I was not
going to quit, come weal, come woe, until, like other missionaries, I had
served my turn for thirty years or reached the age of sixty years.
If
European missionaries, I argued within me, could leave their well-ordered
homeland and ease of life, more or less, and where they could make a name for
themselves academically or otherwise, and came to my homeland where amenities
of life in the European background were hardly existent, I did not see any
reason why I, an African, could not follow in their footsteps and serve my own
people in my own country under conditions which called for Unclad hardship and
demanded much self-denial and self-sacrifice.
In
1949 New Year Honours Awards, Your Majesty’s revered and late father, His Majesty King George the sixth,
graciously conferred on me the honour to be an Officer of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British
Empire (O.B.E) for services to the Church and State. Again, in the New Year
Honours, 1951, he conferred on me the dignity to be a Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of
the British Empire (K.B.E) for selfless service to the Church and my
country. I happened to be in London at this time as a special guest of the
British Council, and when I was invited by a Buckingham Palace Official to
present myself before His Majesty to receive the insignia and accolate of
Knighthood, I begged permission to have them conferred on me on my return home
to Nigeria. I did receive the insignia and certificate at the hands of His
Excellency the then Governor of Nigeria, Sir
John Macpherson, but I had the unique distinction and singular privilege of
receiving the accolade from Your Majesty’s august person during your Majesty’s
Royal and memorable visit to Nigeria in February, 1956. On the attainment and
independence of Nigeria and sovereignty by Nigeria on October 1, 1960, Your
Majesty was graciously pleased to appoint me as Governor of Eastern Nigeria
within the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the recommendation of the Honourable
Premier of Eastern Nigeria with the assent of his Excellency the President of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In August 1962, Your Majesty conferred on me
the dignity of being a Knight Commander
of the Civil Division of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St.
George (K.C.M.G.).
For
these great honours and special recognitions, I am humbly grateful to Your Majesty
and Your Majesty’s Britannic Government. They are a happy reflection of the
importance of Africa and her people before God and man. Howbeit, I must
renounce all of them at this time. I do so to register the strongest protest at
my command against Your Majesty’s Government of United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland for supplying military equipment and arms to Nigeria which has
waged a senseless and futile war of aggression against my country, the Republic
of Biafra. My objection and protest are directed solely and entirely to the
British Government because I believe that the staunch British friends of
Africa, particularly the CHURCH, and informed British public opinion will
deplore this unkindly act of the British Government to the Republic of Biafra.
With the highest sense of responsibility, therefore, and bearing clearly in my
own mind the moral issues which are at stake, and my own stand thereat, I
return the insignia and paraphernalia of my title to Your Majesty’s Britannic
Government through the British Deputy High Commissioner who is resident here in
Enugu – the capital city of the Republic of Biafra.
During
the months of May, July, August, and September, 1966, Northern Nigerian
soldiers and civilians planned and committed the most atrocious crimes against
Eastern Nigerians—now citizens of the Republic of Biafra. Sadistically,
brutally and in cold blood, they murdered and slaughtered thousands of my
brothers and sisters who were then living in Northern Nigeria and other parts
of the former and defunct Federal Republic of Nigeria. They killed innocent
children, helpless women, and defenseless men without any reason or rhyme. They
entered churches and hospitals and slaughtered them in cold blood. And most
unbelievably yet only too true, they massacred women in actual LABOUR and their
unborn children. They plundered, looted, assaulted and Molested women and burnt
down the homes of Easterners and left them penniless.
The
most painful and unsoldierly act of all was that these Northern Nigerian
soldiers killed their superior officers, including and especially His
Excellency the Military Governor of Western Nigeria, Lt. Col. Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, and his guest and comrade, His
Excellency, the Head of Supreme Military Council and Commander in Chief of the Armed
Forces of the former Federal Republic of Nigeria, Major-General J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi, both of them of blessed memory.
On July 29, 1966, they were kidnapped by Northern Nigerian soldiers and
ruthlessly killed after torturing them. It must be stated here that the late
Major-General J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Eastern Nigerian at that time, went all
out to build up ONE UNITED AND STRONG NIGERIA through a unitary Government
Administration, but paradoxically and ironically, he met a cruel and untimely
death for that very reason. It is very strange, therefore, that Nigeria should
be futilely waging a war of aggression against Biafra in her impossible bid to
force Biafra back into this very same union—One Nigeria from which she had been
so purposely and systematically forced out. Be that as it may, all kith and kin
fled Northern Nigeria, Western Nigeria, and Lagos and returned to their
homeland of Eastern Nigeria, the only place they knew they could have
protection. In the process, Eastern Nigeria was left to look after and cater
for at least two million refugees, and she has done and is doing so with
commendable achievement. Eastern Nigeria did not retaliate in any way, for we
do not kill strangers within our gates, and being humble and sensitive
Christians, we refused to commit murder, contrary to the commandment of God,
particularly as we believe that two wrongs can never make a right. Northern
Nigerians in Eastern Nigeria were therefore collected together and escorted
safely by train across the border to their own section of Nigeria.
In the
succeeding months, the Hausa/Fulani controlled Lagos Government of Nigeria
purposely, directly, and inexorably forced Eastern Nigeria out of the
Federation, and our Military Governor with advice and consent of out Consultative
Assembly had no other choice but to declare Eastern Nigeria a free, independent
and sovereign state to be known as the Republic of Biafra. This happy and
historical occasion took place on May 30. On July 6th, Nigeria attacked Biafra
in her mad wish to force Biafra to return to the Nigeria federation. Having
killed 30,000 of us in their land and seized our property worth millions of
pound sterling, they have now come to kill more of us in our own homes and make
the rest of us slaves to the Hausa/Fulani Feudalists and Moslems. The people of
Biafra are, therefore, fighting a war of LIBERATION AND SURVIVAL. We adamantly
refuse to be colonized by the Hausa/Fulanis of Northern Nigeria or any other
people in the world. Moreover it is an ardent desire of the Hausa/Fulani and
Moslem Northern Nigeria to subjugate Biafra and kill Christianity in our
country. Your Majesty, the British officials in Nigeria are fully aware of all
these. They know that we are injured and deeply grieved people and had been
cruelly treated by our erstwhile fellow citizens of Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
The
British officials not only knew the crux of the matter, but they also
encouraged Northern Nigeria to carry out and execute their nefarious plan
against us. They are angry with Biafra because Biafra categorically refused to
remain as part of the Nigeria federation and political unit only to be trampled
upon, discriminated against and hated, ruthlessly exploited and denied her
rights and privileges, and slaughtered whenever it suited the whims and
caprices of the favoured people of Northern Nigeria. To add insult to injury,
Your Majesty’s Britannic Government, instead of being neutral in our quarrels
or finding ways and means to mediate and bring peace to the two countries, has
now taken it upon herself to supply military aid to Nigeria to help them defeat
and subjugate Biafra. It is simply staggering for a Christian country like
Britain to help a Moslem country militarily to crush another Christian country
like Biafra. This is just too much for me, Your Gracious Majesty, this act of
unfriendliness and treachery by the British Government towards the people of
Republic of Biafra who, as Eastern Nigerians, had so much regard for Britain
and British people.
In the
circumstance, Your Majesty, I no longer wish to wear the garb of the British
Knighthood. British fairplay, British justice, and the Englishman’s word of
honour which Biafra loved so much and cherished have become meaningless to
Biafrans in general and to me in particular. Christian Britain has shamelessly
let down Christian Biafra.
I love
the Republic of Biafra very dearly and pray that, by grace of God, she may
remain and continue to grow and live and always act like a truly Christian
country for all times.
I am,
Your Majesty
Yours
Most Respectfully,
(DR. AKANU
IBIAM)
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