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Republic of Benin (1967) 19 languages

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(Top) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Coordinates: 6°19′N 5°37′W

History
Not to be confused with the current Republic of Benin, which was called the Republic of Dahomey in 1967 and changed its name in 1975.
See also
The Republic of Benin was a short-lived unrecognized secessionist state in West Africa that existed for
References Republic of Benin
seven hours in 1967. It was established on 19 September 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War as a puppet
External links 1967
state of Biafra, following its occupation of Nigeria's Mid-Western Region, and named after its capital,
Benin City, with Albert Nwazu Okonkwo as its head of government.

The new state was an attempt by Biafra to prevent non-Igbo residents of the neighbouring Mid-Western
Region from siding with Nigeria following regional ethnic tensions early in the war. The Republic of Benin
was officially declared even as the Nigerian federal forces were reconquering the region and ended the
Flag
following day as they entered Benin City.[1]: 369  The occupation of the Mid-Western Region turned
residents against the secessionist cause, and was used by the Nigerian government as justification to Motto: "Unity and Strength"
escalate the war against Biafra.

History [ edit ]

In the lead-up to the Nigerian Civil War, residents of the ethnically diverse Mid-Western Region attempted
to take a neutral position. Shortly before Biafra announced its secession from Nigeria, leaders in the Mid-
Western Region sponsored a peace conference near Benin City, and officials refused to permit Nigerian
federal troops to invade Biafra through the region.[1]: 367 [1]: 368  In August 1967, Biafran forces occupied
the Mid-Western Region and took control of the regional government, with American-educated doctor Location of the Republic of Benin in red

Albert Okonkwo as the new head of government under the title governor.[2] Initially, the Igbo population Status Puppet state of Biafra

welcomed Biafran control, while non-Igbos generally were unhappy but decided to wait for the restoration Capital Benin City

of federal control rather than resist. Initial relations between the new administration and non-Igbos were Common languages English (official)
peaceful but uneasy. To improve relations, Okonkwo's administration saturated homes and streets with French · Edo · Igbo ·
Ijaw · Urhobo
news from the Biafran position. However, the mass media campaign began to fill the state with news
Government Republic
about the oppression of the Igbo in Nigeria, and as the days passed, only increased the region's ethnic
Governor
divide. The endless public relations campaign destroyed non-Igbo sympathy for the pro-Biafran
• 1967 Albert Nwazu
secessionist cause instead of converting them to outright support, with most adopting neutral or pro- Okonkwo
Nigerian sympathies.[1]: 377  As relations between the occupational government and non-Igbos continued Historical era Nigerian Civil War
to deteriorate, Biafran President C. Odumegwu Ojukwu visited the Mid-Western Region to raise support • Established 19 September 1967
and met with leaders of the previously banned National Convention of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC). • Disestablished 19 September

Although the visit prompted increased support among former NCNC partisans, their former intra-party Population
• 1967 approx. 3,000,000
discord reawakened. At the same time NCNC partisans began to clash with supporters of other parties.
Currency Biafran pound
The non-Igbo rejection of the invasion was solidified.[1]: 378  As Okonkwo's administration continued to lose
Nigerian pound
the support of the Mid-Western Region's populace, they became desperate.
Preceded by Succeeded by
On 19 September 1967, the Biafrans rebranded the region by proclaiming the Republic of Benin, an
Biafra Nigeria
independent state separate from Biafra, as a last-ditch effort. It was believed that even if it could not win
non-Igbo support, the new state might at least physically divide Biafra from the Nigerian federal
forces.[1]: 379  Citing the deaths of Mid-Western residents in the northern riots and the region's antebellum support for a confederate government in
Nigeria, Okonkwo declared that the Republic of Benin would support Biafra in all causes and would participate in organisations such as the
Commonwealth of Nations and the Organisation of African Unity.[1]: 380  However, Okonkwo knew that the new state could not last: he and other officials
had discussed an independence declaration two weeks earlier on 5 September without coming to an agreement, and the announcement was recorded
in a short lull as he and his military forces retreated in the face of a federal government military advance.[1]: 381  Later in the same day, government
troops reached Benin City, the Republic of Benin's capital city, and the British high commissioner reported crowds lining the streets to celebrate the
reconquest.[2] Meanwhile, Biafran President Ojukwu offered no comment on the declaration, concentrating instead on Biafran soldiers' failure to stop
the government's advance.[1]: 381  His attention to Okonkwo's military failures and lack of comment on the independence declaration suggests that
Biafran officials may have been planning for the declaration of the Republic of Benin, and that their objections referred to its poor timing, rather than its
occurrence. Biafra had won limited recognition from some foreign states, but all gains were unrelated to the proclamation of Benin. The Biafran
occupation of the Mid-Western Region failed to achieve its objectives and severely damaged domestic support for the secessionist cause among non-
Igbos, and was perceived by the Nigerian federal government as justification to escalate the minor conflict into a full-fledged war.[1]: 382 

See also [ edit ]

Puppet state
Flag of the Republic of Benin (Nigeria)
Flag of Biafra

References [ edit ]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Orobator, S. E. (1987). "The Biafran Crisis and the 2. ^ a b "Breakaway Nigerian Area Lasts Only One Day". Gadsden Times
Midwest". African Affairs. 86 (344): 367–383. 1967-09-21: 1
doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a097919 . JSTOR 722748 .

External links [ edit ]

Independence Declaration of the "Republic of Benin"

WorldStatesmen- Nigeria – shows its flag

· · Biafra articles [hide]

1966 anti-Igbo pogrom · Nigeria-Biafra War · Ahiara Declaration · Aburi Accord · Republic of Benin · Biafran airlift · Ogbunigwe ·
History
2016 Niger Delta conflict · Insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria

Geography Enugu (first capital) · Umuahia (second capital) · Eastern Nigeria

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu · Philip Effiong · Military ·

Politics
Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB)

Ethnic groups Igbo · Efik · Ibibio · Annang · Ijaw · Ikwerre · Andoni · Egbema

Culture Biafran pound (currency) · Flag · "Land of the Rising Sun" (national anthem) · Postage stamps and postal history

Category

Categories: 1967 disestablishments in Africa Biafra History of Nigeria Nigerian Civil War Separatism in Nigeria
States and territories established in 1967 1967 in Nigeria 1967 establishments in Africa Mid-Western Region, Nigeria
States and territories disestablished in 1967

This page was last edited on 29 June 2023, at 11:34 (UTC).

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