“By 1960, shortly after Nigeria’s independence, the Prime Minister, Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, had directed the principal of King’s College, Lagos, Mr. P.H. Davies, to provide places annually, for at least 15 boys from the North, whether or not they passed the requisite regular entrance examination.” ---- Col. Ben Gbulie (rtd) in “Nigeria’s Five Majors” page 36 published by African Educational Publishers (Ltd) Onitsha 1981.
“By 1964 a group of young Nigerian officer-cadets, mostly Northerners, had been declared academically unfit and hence repatriated by the Canadian military authorities. These cadets were, however, pronounced commissioned by the Nigerian Federal Government no sooner than they had arrived at Ikeja Airport. Consequently, they had had to be absorbed into the Nigerian Army as commissioned officers, even though they had received no requisite military training.” ----- Col. Ben Gbulie (rtd) in “Nigeria’s Five Majors” pages 12 - 13, published 1981.
Capt.Ben Gbulie in the Oputa Panel told Nigerians that Brig.Maimalari was a fine officer.His death was a blow to him because he was close to the brigadier
“At the time of Independence, the highest number of formations including the brigade, the battalions, the artillery, the supply and transport, the intelligence were based in the north. Anything you find in the South was just make belief. And that gave the North the opportunity to sit on the throne of Nigeria, and see it as their birthright…the north could do anything…if they do any nonsense, they will get away with it.” ----- Benjamin Adekunle Daily Sun Newspapers Friday June 2, 2006.
“The North was definitely in a hurry to produce army officers - no doubt, to be even with the south. It was therefore the Northern Regional Government’s avowed short-term strategy to swamp the officer corps of the Nigerian army with Northerners. Anybody in trousers could become an army officer, so long as he was a Northerner - with or without merit” ------------------- Rtd. Col. Ben Gbulie in “Nigeria’s Five Majors” page 11, published 1981.
The northerners are the ones brave enough and willing to join the army. The southerners were busy claiming educated and cowardness (they were afraid to die)
The rigged elections of 1959, Federal elections of 1964 and regional elections of 1965; rigged and annulled census figures of 1962, 1963 and workers strike of 1964 all caused by Ahmadu Bello and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. The Western Regional crisis in which unpopular Premier Samuel Ladoke Akintola was undemocratically foisted on the Western Region, mainly Yorubas, by NPC-led Federal government with Tafawa Balewa as Prime Minister and Northern Premier Ahmadu Bello as sectional Party head behind this abuse of political power. Awolowo's incarceration in 1962 on treasonable charges and arbitrary use of the army against its constitutional role to slaughter over 3,000 Tiv ethnic minority in 1964 due to a civil agitation for regional autonomy from the Islamic north which was poised to maintain that hegemony; brazen corruption, nepotism and mismanagement etc led to the January 15, 1966 Coup-de-tat.
“But the British had already given the whole of the country to the northerners to dominate forces, they only gave them the army, they gave them also the gumption to say that their population was more, that they were the richest and so they dominate the whole of the country.” ----- Benjamin Adekunle Daily Sun Friday June 2, 2006.
The Regional System Of Govt Which Is A Brilliant And Beautiful System Was Destroyed By An Ibo Army Officer Called Major Nzeogwu In The 1966 Military Coup. That Was The End Of Nigeria
