Significance of 30 May

                                                       30 May 2021

Dear Students, 

Did you know that if today 31 May 2021 were 31 May 1967, we probably won't be in school today? 

I know without doubt that 1st and 27th are two notable dates you are familiar with in the month of May. But there is a third you should be familiar with also. That is 30th May. Why is this date important, if not more important than 1st and 27th of May? That's the purpose of this letter. 

30 May 1967 marked the beginning of a civil war that lasted for thirty (30) months in Nigeria. The war was between the Nigerian government led by General Yakubu Gowon and the Ibos led by Colonel Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, who wanted to have a country of their own. 

The Ibos wanted a country of their own because they were marginalised by the military government of Nigeria that was largely controlled by the North. The Ibos that lived in the Northern part of Nigeria were also being killed. Their businesses and properties were also targeted and destroyed. As a result, they felt unsafe, unfairly treated and unwanted in Nigeria. 

However, the Nigerian government led by General Yakubu Gowon was not in support of the creation of this new country. He wanted the Ibos to remain in Nigeria. After negotiations had broken down between the Nigerian government and representatives of the Ibos led by Colonel Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, Colonel Chukwuemeka Ojukwu formally announced on 30 May 1967 that the Ibos would have a country of their own called The Republic of Biafra. This announcement was considered treasonable by the Nigerian government and it led to a war that came to be known as the Nigerian Civil War or Biafran War. The war didn't end until January 1970. The war claimed millions of lives of children. They mostly died of starvation. I am sure most of you cannot withstand hunger. You remember when your mom forced you to fast? It was as though time was just too slow that day because you were terribly hungry. That's just a vague illustration of what Biafran children suffered between 30 May 1967 and January 1970. 

Before I conclude this letter, let me tell you about 20-year-old Bruce Mayrock who, on  May 30, 1969,  reportedly "poured two cans of a highly flammable liquid over his body and set himself on fire on the lawn of the [headquarters of the] United Nations [Organisation] before hundreds of on lookers and died a few hours later." According to The New York Times (Newspaper), he left a sign behind that he was protesting "genocide" in Biafra."

That was the terrible impact the war left on the young man who wasn't even a Nigerian or an African. He didn't even fight in the war but he felt the devastating impact of the war probably through newspaper reports, images from the war shown on TV or news aired on radio. 

Hopefully you won't forget 30th May again. Hopefully you won't! 

 

Your Teacher

Ọlábánjì O. Odùrómbí

If you read this and you are a secondary school student, please leave a comment in the comment section if you are coming across the information shared in the letter above for the first time or not. 

Secondly, I'd like to encourage you to write a similar letter to your friend(s) on the information you have gleaned from the letter. Alternatively, you can tell your friend(s) about it. 

The blogger, Ọlábánjì O. Odùrómbí, can be reached via Voice call, SMS, WhatsApp on 08037699294. 

Thank you.