The history of Nigerian independence is not an orderly and clean narrative. It is a raw story defined by the relentless extraction that covered decades and the bloody reality of resistance long before 1960.

The truth is that the colonial government in Nigeria was never trying to 'civilize'. It was a calculated and forced military company of economic exploitation. The British did not come for friendship; They came for wealth on the ground and farms: palm oil, cocoa, peanuts, can. They imposed a system designed to strip Nigeria of their raw materials and labor, deliberately crushing indigenous economies and discouraging food crops to guarantee commercial crops for British factories. The “benefit” of the infrastructure as the railroads was exclusively to efficiently channel these robbed resources to the ports. That was the nucleus of the relationship for decades prior to independence: constant drainage.

The fight was not a short and clean debate. The resistance was constant, bloody and multifaceted. He did not start with the famous nationalist leaders; It started when the British arrived for the first time. You had the Aro-Anglo War (1901-1902)where the British launched a massive military expedition to finally establish control, costing many lives. You had the 1929 Women's Women (DisturbancesA powerful massive revolt of thousands of women against colonial taxes and the Tax Order Chief System. The British responded violently, and when he was suffocated, 55 women were officially registered as killingWith many more injured and not counted. There were other uprisings and resistance movements throughout the north and the south, where lives were lost fighting for local autonomy, not only national freedom. The real cost of lost lives resisting directly to the colonial army is buried in the euphemisms of 'punitive expeditions' and 'pacification', but it is undeniably high.

• Herbert MacaulayOften called the father of Nigerian nationalism, who founded the first political party in the country in 1923.

• Nnamdi Azikwe ('Zik'), which used journalism and NCNC to disseminate a fierce nationalist conscience throughout the country.

• Obafemi Awolowowho defended federalism and led the impulse of a rapid self -government in the West with the action group.

• Ahmadu Bello and Abubakar Taunta of the Popular Congress of the North (NPC), who played the critical final role in obtaining the legislative agreements for the transfer of power.

• Anthony Enahorothat moved the motion of independence in 1953, causing a critical crisis.

His struggle was diplomacy, constitutional conferences, mass mobilization and political pressure, but was built on a blood base and decades of systemic oppression.

The blood did not stop in 1960; He simply changed his hands seven years later. He Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970)Also known as the Biafran War, it was the inevitable explosion of the ethnic and regional failures that the British had created and exploited deliberately through their “Divide and govern” Policy for administrative convenience. The colonial structures favored certain regions, which led to deep imbalances in the politics and economy that boasted shortly after the union Jack was reduced.

The direct triggers were the two brutal military blows in 1966 and the horrible Pogroms That followed, where tens of thousands of people from Igbo who lived in the north were massacred, which forced millions to flee back to the eastern region. Feeling abandoned and facing the extermination within Nigeria, the Eastern region, directed by Chukwueka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the independent republic of Biafra was declared in May 1967. This attempt at secession was found with a rapid military response from the federal government of Nigeria (FMG), starting the 30 -month war.

British secret mobilization and war fuel

The deepest vulnerability in this story lies in the cynical and selfish policy of the British government under Labor Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

1. The interest of oil was essential: The biggest secret was that the British position was not entrenched in support for democracy or Nigerian unity, but only in protecting their mass economic interests. The vast majority of Nigeria's oil assets were controlled by Housing bird (partial property by the British government) and were located in the secessionist region. A unified Nigeria under the FMG was considered the safest political ship to ensure uninterrupted oil flow and its multimillion -dollar investments.

2. The arms lie: While publicly affirms to be a neutral and traditional arms supplier, arguing that stopping sales would favor Biafra, the United Kingdom massively increased his sophisticated armament supply to the FMG. This was a lie. This increase in weapons was a deliberate strategic choice, ensuring that the FMG had the necessary military superiority to crush secession and recover control of oil rich areas. They supplied millions of rounds of ammunition, armored vehicles and artillery, all while assuring the public that did not Special disposition Because the war was being done.

3. The predonation of starvation: The most horrible and vulnerable truth is that the United Kingdom government actively protected the FMG strategy to use Hunger as a gun of war. They supported the federal blockade of the region, which drowned food and medication supplies. When the images of severely malnourished and hungry children of Biafra were transmitted worldwide, the British government often He dismissed the famine as “Biafran propaganda”, Thus justifying its continuous support and blocking international pressure for effective humanitarian relief until it was too late.

A food center north of Owerri in Biafra, October 1968 (Photo: Concern worldwide)

Biafran's war was not just a tragic internal conflict; It was the final and devastating act of colonial mismanagement, actively enabled and fed by the old colonial power to ensure its long -term financial gain. It costs more than a million lives, mostly civilians who died of hunger.

Today we recognize the raw and painful truth: independence was not a gift; It was a right finally recovered after decades of organized theft and the brutal suppression of innumerable Nigerians.

Happy 65th Independence Day, Nigeria. That the resilience of those who fought and died never forget, and that the truth of each sacrifice is told.