1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast where we opened the 4 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: book of history, flipped through it and tear out a page. 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: Today is made thirty. The day was made thirtieth. Nineteen 6 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: sixty seven, the Republic of Biafra declared its independence from Nigeria. 7 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: In nineteen fourteen, the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria was established. 8 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: British Governor General Frederick Lugard instituted a policy of indirect 9 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: rule and this set up. Traditional structures were allowed to 10 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:48,520 Speaker 1: remain to establish regulations, but they were subordinate to British officials. 11 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: Britain used existing ethnic and social divisions to keep Nigerians 12 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: from organizing effective political resistance to its rule. It encouraged 13 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: competition between Nigeria's largest ethnic group, the House of Fulanie, 14 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: Ebo and Euroba. In nineteen fifty four, Britain divided Nigeria 15 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 1: into the Northern, Western, and Eastern regions, with the latter 16 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: two in the southern half of the federation. Each region 17 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: was soon dominated by an ethnic group, the House of 18 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 1: Fulani in the North, the Yorba in the West and 19 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: the Ebo in the East. As the British consolidated their 20 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: power in the region, ethnic and religious tension escalated. At 21 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: the same time, the British based descent from the Nigerians 22 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: who challenged British rule. In nineteen sixty, Nigeria gained independence 23 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: from Britain. Abu Bakar to follow a Ballewa became the 24 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: first prime minister, but the period just after independence was 25 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: marked by violent leadership transitions and regional hostilities. Though some 26 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: nationalists wanted a unified Nigeria, the state was immensely divided. 27 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 1: The government was led by the Northern People's Congress in 28 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: alliance with the National Council of Nigerian Citizens, and in 29 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty three the country became a republic, but ethnic conflict, 30 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: as well as economic and social imbalances brought tensions to 31 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: a head. In January of nineteen sixty six, the civilian 32 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 1: government was deposed in a coup and General Aguigi Iransi 33 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: and Ebo became the head of state. Ebo leaders claimed 34 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: the coup was an attempt to save Nigeria from dissolution, 35 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 1: but the House of Lani and Yorba people remained suspicious. 36 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: The new administration abolished the federation and instituted a unitary state, 37 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: but the leaders of the coup were accused of favoring 38 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: Ebo domination. In July of nineteen sixty six, General Yakubu 39 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: Gawan and Anga from the Middle Bill of Nigeria led 40 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: a counter coup with help from northern groups. Aguii Iransi 41 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 1: was killed along with thousands of others from the South 42 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: who were living in the North. Galwan restored the federal state. 43 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: He promised to restore democratic rule, but continued ethnic tensions 44 00:02:56,040 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: led to massacres. Thousands of Southern Nigerians living in the North, 45 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 1: particularly Ebo's, were killed. Northern Nigerians were also targeted in 46 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: Eastern Nigeria. After the programs in the North, thousands of 47 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 1: Ebo's fled to their traditional lands in southern and eastern Nigeria. 48 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: Galwan's government did not respond to Ebo appeals for justice, 49 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: and support grew for Ebo secession. On May nineteen sixty seven, 50 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:26,079 Speaker 1: the Eastern regions seceded and proclaimed the Republic of Biafra. 51 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 1: Ebo leader in General Amica Ajuku declared the Republic of 52 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: Biafra a free and sovereign state. He also recommended that 53 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: Biafra become a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and 54 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: adopt a federal constitution based on the new provincial units. 55 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 1: Ojuku proclaimed that all ties between the Republic of Biafra 56 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: and the Federal Republic of Nigeria were dissolved. He also 57 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: declared that any contractual obligation entered into by any authority 58 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: or organization within the Republic of Biafra would be considered 59 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: as entered into. With the remit of the Republic of Biafra, 60 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 1: the Nigerian government turned to violence to reclaim the region. 61 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: For more than two years, Biafra and the government of 62 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: Nigeria were engaged in a civil war. Biafra did gain 63 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: recognition from some African states and received aid from international organizations, 64 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: but Ojuku fled the country and Biafra surrendered in January 65 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: of nineteen seventy. More than a million people are estimated 66 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:29,799 Speaker 1: to have died during the civil war, including many Biafra 67 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: and civilians who died from starvation. After the war, the 68 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: Nigerian government adopted a policy of no victor, no vanquished. 69 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: Biafra was reabsorbed into Nigeria. The federal government proceeded to 70 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:45,919 Speaker 1: consolidate its power and the ebos grew more influential, but 71 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: they were still marginalized. I'm ea Chef Coote and hopefully 72 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,279 Speaker 1: you know a little more about history today than you 73 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: did yesterday. And if you have any comments our suggestions, 74 00:04:57,480 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: you can send them to us via email at this 75 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: day and I heart media dot com. You can also 76 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: hit us up on social media. We're at t d 77 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:09,039 Speaker 1: I h C podcast. Thanks so much for listening to 78 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:19,799 Speaker 1: the show and we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts 79 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:21,840 Speaker 1: from my Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 80 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.