Word: nigerias
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...ever since the Moslem Hausa in Nigeria's vast, arid Northern Region slaughtered 30,000 Ibos last fall, the two tribes have been blood enemies. The Ibos are not likely to let bygones be bygones. "They are stubborn," says Amiel Fagbulu, soon to be Minister of Education in Nigeria's Western Region. "They know what they want and they fight for their rights." Colonel Ojukwu, the Biafran head-of-state, has reportedly armed 100,000 irregulars for long-term guerilla warfare...
...that time, a wave of fear sent Nigerians of all tribes scuttling back to their home territories, and forced the de facto partition of Nigeria into three tribal states--Yoruba West, Hausa North, and Ibo East. The largest group of refugees were 1.8 million Ibos from the North, many badly injured. Enraged, the Ibos demanded federal compensation of the injured and homeless. To prevent a repitition of the atrocities, they also called for the de jure recognition of Nigeria's partition--in the form of a confederation of almost autonomous states. They threatened to secede if the Federal Government...
...confederate plan seemed--and still seems--the only way to permit tribal hatreds to cool and perhaps pave the way for a real accomodation later. But Gowon did not budge, and Nigeria foundered. Now, as federal troops plod through the Biafran jungles, Nigeria still has not drawn up a viable plan for reunification...
This does not explain Nigeria's problem. The rival tribes clearly need each other. The Ibos, one of Africa's most progressive tribes possess skills essential to Nigeria's economy. But their over-populated Eastern homeland has neither the room nor the resources to accommodate its volatile and aggressive people...
Another factor seems to account for the federal deficiency. Nigeria's Oxford-educated elite made the tribal group their power base, appealing to ethnic sentiments rather than issues. Surely, they eased their own way to power; but Nigeria paid dearly. Tribal divisions were institutionalized in government. Leaders found their maneuverability fatally limited. Thus, Gowon, as a northern general, owed his office to Hausa support. He heeded their opposition to the confederate plan, even though his stand jeopardized an equitable sentiment...