Discuss any five major crises that led to the Nigerian civil war.

Answer Details

A series of political crises between 1962 and 1967 destroyed national confidence and culminated in the Nigerian civil war of 1967 to 1970. Five major crises are discussed below:

1. The 1962/63 census crisis: The population figures released were widely disputed and believed to have been inflated for political advantage. Because parliamentary seats and revenue allocation depended on population, the controversy deepened mutual suspicion among the regions.
2. The Western Region crisis of 1962: A leadership struggle within the Action Group between Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief S. L. Akintola led to violence in the Western House of Assembly, a declaration of a state of emergency, and the eventual break-up of the party, throwing the region into disorder.
3. The 1964 federal election crisis: The general election was marred by widespread rigging, intimidation and a boycott by some parties. The disputed results and the reluctance of the President to appoint a Prime Minister created a serious constitutional deadlock.
4. The 1965 Western Region election crisis: The regional election was massively rigged in favour of Akintola's party, provoking mass protests, arson and killings popularly known as "Operation Wetie," which spread lawlessness across the West.
5. The military coups of 1966: The January 1966 coup, in which prominent Northern and Western leaders were killed, was seen as an Igbo coup. The counter-coup of July 1966 and the subsequent massacre of Igbo people in the North provoked a mass return of easterners home.

These crises, worsened by the failure of the Aburi accord, led the Eastern Region to declare the Republic of Biafra, plunging the country into civil war.