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Almost from the time of Nigerian independence in 1960, Biafra, an oil rich region in the eastern part of that West African nation, began agitating for its own independence. By 1968 the region was engulfed in a full-blown civil war.

A Moment in Time is a brief, exciting and compelling journey into the past. Created to excite and enlighten the public about the past, its relevance to the present and its impact on the future, A Moment In Time is a captivating historical narrative that is currently broadcast worldwide.

Transcript

Introduction: A Moment in Time, 1968: A special series on the 40th anniversary of a year of upheaval, in a world seemingly out of control.

Content: Almost from the time of Nigerian independence in 1960, Biafra, an oil rich region in the eastern part of that West African nation, began agitating for its own independence. By 1968 the region was engulfed in a full-blown civil war. That was not the way it was supposed to be. In the years immediately following freedom from Great Britain, Nigeria seemed to be on the verge of accomplishing something rare on the African continent. It appeared to be shaping itself into an ethnically diverse democracy. Soon, however, this idyllic dream began to fall apart with conflicts arising between regions and the 250 ethnic groups in the country.

By 1966 members of the Igbo tribe had overthrown the government, and executed most of its leaders. In a military counter-coup several months later, Yakuba Gowon became the head of state. He, in turn, killed thousands of Igbos. Finally, in mid-1967 the tensions turned into a full-blown civil war between the government and the Igbo, who comprised 8 of the 12 million residents of the province they called Biafra where most of the country’s valuable oil was located.

On May 30, 1967, the Republic of Biafra declared independence. They were tenacious, and in the first months held their territory and inflicted significant casualties on the numerically superior Nigerian Army. By summer 1968, fifty thousand people had died in the combat zone. In May 1968, the tide began to turn. Government troops using Soviet jets and heavy artillery captured and destroyed the Biafran city of Port Harcourt and with a naval blockade cut Biafra off from the outside world. In the best of times, the region was not able to feed itself and soon pictures of desperate and skeletal Biafran children began to shock the readers of the world’s newspapers and magazines. Next time: Terror famine.

Research assistance by Timothy Litzenburg, at the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts.

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