by SOKARI EKINE
Apart from the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa by the former military dictator, Sani Abacha, probably the most devastating event in Nigeria’s history was the 1967 ‘civil war’ between Nigeria and Biafra.
Millions died in this war, including one million children and the elderly from starvation. Thousands of women were raped, soldiers, including children, were massacred.
…
And although the propaganda throughout the war was that the oil producing regions were part of the Federation, they too were simply forgotten or left to the unscrupulous multinational oil companies such as Shell, Chevron, Elf, Agip and their Nigerian partners.
In those seven years, Nigeria experienced three enormous long-reaching events: independence from Britain, two bloody coups (one of which witnessed almost all Nigerian leadership of the time murdered), and a three-year-long civil war.
New Internationalist for more