Buhari Was At The Fore Of Onslaught Against Igbos During Biafra War, Didn't Take A Day Off — Presidential Aide Boasts

Mr. Femi Adesina, the media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed that the President often boasted that he never took a day off in a genocidal civil war he fought on the side of the Nigerian troops until the government troops massacred over three million Igbos. 

Adesina said therefore, Buhari is not afraid of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

In a Facebook post on Friday, Adesina explained that during the preparations for Buhari's recent visit to Imo State, he had received messages from supporters who told him to prevail on the president to cancel the trip. 

The fears expressed by the so-called supporters may not be unconnected to the sit-at-home order issued by IPOB to the people of the South-East as a sign of protest.  

Adesina, however, explained that Buhari who could not be bullied visited the state to inaugurate some projects executed by Governor Hope Uzodinma and enjoyed wide reception. 

Underlining the president’s fearlessness and genocidal tendency, Adesina further informed Nigerians that until the 30-month war between the federal troops and Biafran soldiers ended, Buhari was restless until some three million Igbos, mostly women, and children, were massacred in a genocide.

“A man, who repeatedly tells us that for the 30 months the Nigerian Civil War lasted, he was right there at the front, not even taking one day off. Is that then the person you would scare from visiting any part of the country?” he said.

Adesina wrote on Facebook, “Many were the prayers and goodwill messages that sped our feet to Owerri, capital of Imo State, the Eastern Heartland, on September 9, 2021.

“Why were the people so effusive in prayers? We were considered as going into unsafe territory, where anything could happen, as President Muhammadu Buhari and his team visited Owerri on a one-day working visit.

“Rather erroneously, some people have pedestaled the President as not liking the Igbos. Who, President Buhari? They don’t know the man. Not this man I’ve worked with closely and observed for over six years. He hates nobody. And I repeat: nobody.

“To make matters worse, a shadowy group had claimed that the President was not welcome in any part of the South-east. I got messages filled with trepidation from home and abroad. Please prevail on the President to cancel the trip. He should apologise to Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, and abort the visit. There could be a bloodbath.

“I only laughed it all off. Who would tell a duly and popularly elected President where to go, and where not to go, in his own country? At the height of the Boko Haram insurgency, he had campaigned in Borno State in 2015 and 2019, respectively. 

“A man, who repeatedly tells us that for the 30 months the Nigerian Civil War lasted, he was right there at the front, not even taking one day off. Is that then the person you would scare from visiting any part of the country?

“And again, this was a serial Igbo Chief. The Ogbuagu 1 (The Lion Killer) of Aba. The Ochioha 1 (Leader of All) of Igboland, given to him in Ebonyi State in 2017. Also The Enyioma 1 (The Good Friend) of Ebonyi, and Ikeogu 1 (The Great Warrior) of Ndigbo, among others. Is this then the kind of person you frighten from visiting anywhere, particularly Igboland? It doesn’t happen.

“...The visit of the President was a roaring success, and like the Ohanaeze President said, it drove away 'the cloudiness of relationship with Ndigbo'. 

“The Ogbuagu, indeed, slew the lion of insularity, wrong profiling, and scaremongering. Bring on the other lions!”

The civil war occurred between 1967 and 1970, after South-East called for secession from Nigeria and the declaration of an independent State of Biafra, which was recognised by some countries.

Recently, several groups have emerged calling for the independence of indigenous nations like Biafra and Odua and break away from Nigeria.

In June, Buhari wrote in a tweet: “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”

The President’s tweet riled some persons who felt he was insensitive to have made reference to killings in the civil war. His critics subsequently reported the tweet to Twitter and the microblogging site later deleted the post with a comment, “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules.”