Biafra and Russia
BIAFRA
6 July 1967 to 15 January 1970
Nigeria was formed in 1914 by amalgamating several smaller states and tribal territories. It made administrative sense at the time, but there were vast cultural differences between the new country’s component parts and their peoples.
The Hausa in the North were conservative Moslems. They lived in a rigid hierarchy of Emirs who owed allegiance to a Sultan. The Yoruba in the South West also lived under kings: the Oba, but theirs was a much more fluid system, encouraging upward mobility.
The Igbos, and other peoples of the South East lived is small, autonomous communities organised on democratic lines. Major decisions were made in general assemblies, where both men and women participated. They were an enterprising people and many rich Igbos sent their sons to be educated at British universities.
Post-independence, Nigeria’s party politics served to accentuate regional differences rather than providing an arena to resolve them. Political parties were formed on tribal lines and the Northern Region, because of its higher population, was able to outvote both the Western and Eastern regions in Nigeria’s parliament. Even the discovery of oil didn’t help matters. The East had never been a very productive area. Now, the Igbos feared that
