Achebe Is Bias Against Yorubas – Pa Fasoranti

However, for the Yoruba leader, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti exonerated Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the pogrom and genocide that led to the killing of millions of Igbos during the civil war. He told Ishola Balogun that what Nigeria needs at the moment is how to consolidate on her unity which is currently under threat. All what he said is highly prejudice. Pa Awolowo made arrangement for food supply to the Igbos. It was cornered by the soldiers at that time. It was the Biafran soldiers that ambushed it and allowed the children and other civilians to suffer. That food didn’t get to them was not the fault of Awolowo. At the same time, they looted the Central Bank locations in Biafra-occupied areas and sent money abroad for the procurement of arms and amunition. Was that caused by Awolowo? All the same, he still had a very broad mind, he pleaded that there should be no war. He did everything he could to prevent the war. I remember he said that the Igbos should be retained in all the federal set up just because, he didn’t want the Igbos to ceceed. Yet, they decided to go to war. But since they decided to go to war, he said: ‘all is well in war’. It was not his fault. Professor Chinua Achebe is not right blaming Pa Awolowo. He (Achebe) has been very prejudiced against the Yorubas. He has a pathological hatred for Chief Awolowo and the Yoruba race. It did not start today, I know him since the time we were in the University of Ibadan. The didn’t like the Yorubas at all. Besides, it is very wrong at this time to be saying all that after about 42 years the war ended. What we need now is unity. In fact, record shows he took positive steps to persuade Ojukwu to avoid the war.