That's me at age 24, 28th Feb 1970 immediately after the Nigerian civil war, I had just finished a telephone conversation in Cape Coast the Capital of the Gold Coast, trying to secure Asylum for my commander, General Odumegwu Ojukwu in Rhodesia(Zimbabwe) but all efforts failed though eventually we succeeded in securing Asylum for him in Ivory Coast(Cote d'Ivoire). With me is Philip Akanu, Ukpabi Asika and late Chinua Achebe. I departed Nigeria through Badagry into Dahomey (Benin Republic) at about 11:59PM on Sunday 27th of December 1969 after a six hour walk on foot, at one stage disguised as a woman and at another inside a lorry loaded with fertilizer. It was a bitter experience of war and terror. the Biafran side recorded a total casualty of about 100,000 (military) deaths while the Nigerian side recorded about 44,900 Military deaths. I personally worked together with Chinua Achebe under the Publication and Media team which General Gowon called Lies and Propaganda committee in Aburi, Gold Coast during the Aburi Accord for calling the Mbaise and Uli air strike and the repeated bombing of humanitarian relief aides a case of Progrom. Our committe was a huge success although suffered many setbacks as only Israel and France recognised Biafra with other countries like Southern Rhodesia(Zimbabwe), Spain, South Africa, Congo and Tanzania giving Humanitarian aid alone with little military and technical support. China and Vatican then under His Holiness Pope Paul VI played much of a passive role during most or all of the conflict as their stake was needed by both fractions adopting the policy of deliberate military ambiguity in the conflict of Nigeria, one of which I heavily frowned at in my letter to the Knights of St John's secretariat in Baltimore and the chineese consulate in Rhodesia in 1968. USA, UK, Egypt, USSR(Russia) and Egypt heavily supported Nigeria while Algeria provided Nigeria with most of the landmines that though wasn't used during the war because of lack of technical skills. It was a very bitter experience. as a 91 year old man and now a two time Nobel Prize recipient in Peace and Literature respectively I will tell the people of Nigeria and Africa in general that No price is too expensive when bargaining for Peace.
Paulinus Chukwuebuka Rap Ikeorah. 01/03/2017.
Note: the story, events and names are all fiction any person dead, alive or in persistent vegetative condition who bears thesame name(s) mentioned is just a mere coincidence.
