Biafra at 50: Read how the Nigerian civil war became the world's first complex emergency war

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– Nigeria fought its first and only civil war 50 years ago

– Some of the reasons why the war took place are still in inherent in the nation’s political space

– A conference on the gains and lessons from the war is onoing in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

A guest speaker and political expert at the ongoing Memory and Nation Building, Biafra: 50 Years After conference has said that the Nigerian-Biafra civil war was the world’s first complex emergency.

John Stremlau, a professor at the University of Witwatersrand stated that the world had never experienced such emergency before the civil war which ravaged Nigeria in 1967.

Speaking at the event, Stremlau discussing International Politics of the Nigerian Civil War said strong leaders must be matched by strong institutions to get things right in Nigeria.

Professor Stremlau said Nigeria should learn from its mistakes and make progress

The professor said Nigeria needs to guarantee the empowerment of its citizens, which is critical.

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Stremlau who wished Nigeria well in its struggle for unity and equity for all, said if Nigeria gets this right, it will be good for Nigeria and good for Africa as a whole.

He said: “Nigeria is far more diverse, if you succeed, it is good for Africa and the world.”

Also speakingat the event, the president of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia-Nwodo who called for a minute silence for those who died

during the Nigerian-Biafra civil war, said due credit must be given to Nigerians who opened their hearts to the victims of the war.

“Before the war Biafrans lived freely and did business in every part of the Nigeria,” Nnia-Nwodo said.

He said the Nigerian political system is unfair, jungled and cannot deliver the nation building so desired in Nigeria.

“We must become more responsivene to the challenges around us,” he said.

Nnia-Nwodo said that Nigerians are still faced with fears of the war with some with the consciousness and feeling of being seen as a second class citizens.

READ ALSO: The young officers who started the Nigerian-Biafra war were naive – Obasanjo

Meanwhile, the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Biafra Independence Movement (BIM) have called on the United Nations to step up action by granting freedom to Biafra.

The groups urged the UN to stop the unending killings and brutal treatment meted out to people of the defunct eastern region by Nigerian government.

Watch ZENITHBLOG.com Facebook live feed from the event below:

Watch this ZENITHBLOG.com TV video of a retired Army Major calling for dialogue between IPOB and federal government.

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