Anebi
The Igbo Women Assembly, IWA, has claimed that the women riot which took place at Aba and some other parts of Igbo land in 1929 and the role of the Igbos in the campaigns for Nigeria’s independence were some of the reasons the Igbo were hated by the British government.
This is as the group said there would not have been any outbreak of civil war in the country if the former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon had continued with the reconciliation efforts of General Aguiyi Ironsi.
The President of Igbo Women Assembly, Nneka Chimezie who said this in a press statement she issued in Umuahia, said that the 1929 women riot which was staged against the harsh policies of colonial authority, sparked the campaign for Nigeria’s independence from the British government.
According to her, the British government was not happy with the way Igbos led the women riot and played a prominent role in Nigeria’s independence, claiming that the 1966 Coup presented an opportunity for the British government to punish the Igbos.
“Remember that it was the Aba women riot that sparked the campaign for the British to leave Nigeria, and Britain was yet to forgive the Igbo for that.
“So, the coup presented them with an opportunity to punish the Igbo and cause disunity in Nigeria so that the 1960 political independence of the country would be a mess”, she said.
Chimezie argued that the civil war was avoidable if Gowon had considered the merits of the proposal for regional government in the face of the senseless killings of the Igbo in parts of the country.
“After the 1966 coup, Gen. Aguiy Ironsi as Head of State, was busy going up and down trying to reconcile Nigeria. If it was truly Igbo coup contrary to misconceptions, he would have simply taken advantage of it to declare Igbo Republic.
“Again, if indeed it was Igbo coup, it wouldn’t have been foiled by an Igbo. It was in one of those efforts to reconcile Nigeria that Aguiy Ironsi was killed in Ibadan and Gowon took over”, Nneka Chimezie said.
IWA regretted that if Gowon had agreed to a regional Government as proposed by the Old Eastern region delegation at the Aburi peace talk, the current agitation for restructuring in Nigeria would have long been solved.
She pointed out that the ‘No Victor No vanquished’ declaration by General Gowon after the civil war was rubbished by the issuance of 20 Pounds in exchange for every money owned by an Igbo person and the refusal to reabsorb them into the Federal civil service.
How Britain punished Igbos for 1929 women riot, independence campaign – Women group
