Table Of ContentO jukwu, C. 0.
Christmas broadcast, Sunday 22nd December,
1968.
STANFORD IIRDARIES
DT
515.95
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W i l l
HOORINSTI!!JT!01:
onWar, Revolution, and Peace
FOUNDEDBY HERBERTHOOVER, 1919
GIFT OF PUBLISHER
Christmas Broadcast
By
His Excellency Lt. Col.C.Odumegwa Ojukwu
THE HEAD OF STATE AND COMMANDER
IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES, REPUBLIC
OF BIAFRA
chuckwuemeka
Gukww
Olumegaw
SUNDAY 22ND DECEMBER , 1968
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION
REPUBLIC OF BIAFRA
0
gift of publisher
1
1969
D 1 5 1 5 1 9 5
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CHRISTMAS BROADCAST BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE HEAD
OF STATE AND COMMANDER - IN -CHIEF OF THE
ARMED FORCES ON SUNDAY, 22ND DECEMBER, 1968
PEACE -LOVING Biafrans, Fellow Countrymen, our praise and
thanks go to God for sparing us to witness this Christmas of 1968.
On this occasion last year I directed my message principally to
children whom the current cruel war had denied the real joy of the
season because they had lost their homes and parents, and to all
those who had been bereaved of their loved onesand were therefore
in mourning rather than in merriment. It was our first Christmas
not merelyas a nation, but as a nation at war. On that occasion
it had been my sincere hope that this Christmas of 1968 would
be a real Christmas of peace for our people. That hope hasnot
been fulfilled, but it is now more alive thanever and cannot be lost.
The one year since the last Christmas has been a period of great
moment for us all. We have seen the combined forces of the enemy
intensify their aggression and determination to destroy us asa people.
We have seen more of our God-given territory occupied and ravaged
by the enemy. We have lostmany more lives and property; our
sufferings have increased manifold . But in spite of it all- in spite
of the adversities and deprivations — the period has also been a
period of self-reassurance for our people: a period which has seen
the awakening of world conscience against wrong and evil.
Whereas at this time last year we were completely isolated and
were struggling alone in a world which seemed dead in conscience
and devoid of any respect for human life and dignity, today not
only have we friends with courage to declare sympathy and support
for us, but also a world which has ceased to exhibit callous indif
ference to the suffering of humanity and wanton destruction of
human life.Thewar is still raging. But piercing through the bloody
and mournful clouds is a bright star of hope assuring our people
a goal of peace and security.
As I emphasized on this occasion last year, we must not allow
our deaths, our tribulations, our losses, or hunger, and all the con
comitant sufferings of war to make us forget the central theme of
Christmas which is that of peace and goodwill one towards the
other. Every Biafran is proud that we have been able to show, one
towards the other, Christ's spirit of love and charity. This, I believe,
is the true substance of our survival to this day; the driving force
which has enabled us to defy all adversity, all slander andabuse,
all misrepresentations and all forces of wicked might.
For us, a people who love and cherish peace, the time of Christ
mas always bearsa special significance. Lately, our detractors and
enemies have tried to deceive the world by paying lip service to
the need for peace, and of relieving the sufferings ofour people.
We cannot bedeceived by their hypocrisy and dishonesty. Nor can
they claim to be more concerned about the peace and happiness
of our people than we ourselves. It is therefore my earnest hope
that all those who have lately vaunted so much about peace, particu
larly the British Government, will find this Christmas an opportunity
to demonstrate and convince the world about their sincerity by
ending actions which nourish war rather than peace.
Our position and conviction remain that war and bloodshed
can achieve nothing except the deepening and perpetuation of hate
and ill-will and thefrustration of peace and progress. As a people
we Biafrans hate conflict and war, and cherish harmony and peace.
Appropriately, all men of goodwill and lovers of peace and
concord have cried out for a cease-fire or, failing that, a truce in
the current Biafra /Nigeria conflict during this Christmas season .
His Holiness the Pope and the World Catholic leadership have
made the appeal.
The leaders of the Protestant Churches the world over have
done the same.
His Imperial Majesty, Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, supported by
President Johnson ofthe United States, has proposed a truce of at
least one week, and so have two well-known humanitarians, the
Lord Fenner Brockway and Mr James Griffiths of the United
Kingdom-to mention just a few.
In response to these world appeals, and as an earnest of Biafra's
dedication to peace, I have today issued an order to the Biafra
Armed Forces to observe, asfrom mid -night of 23/24th December,
1968, an eight-day truce lasting to mid-night of 1st January, 1969.
During this period, the Biafra Armed Forces will remain in their
positions, make no attack on the enemy,and fire only in self-defence.
I have further invited members of International Humanitarian
2.
organizations resident in Biafra to come forward and observe
independently the conduct of both forces during this period of truce.
One would wish that this could be the beginning of a permanent
cease-fire, leading to peaceful negotiations. Unfortunately and
regrettably, past and current experience do nothing but show that
this might be too much to expect of Nigeria whose sole interest is
that ofa military solution.
In this connection, it is worth recalling that, four and a half
months ago, on Saturday the 3rd of August, 1968, I unilaterally
ordered atruce for the duration of the abortive Addis Ababa talks,
Nigeria's response to that well meaning gesture was to intensify
their aggressive activities by land, air and sea. Nigeria has, of
course, consistently spurned every idea and suggestion about a truce
or cease-fire. It istobe hoped that Nigeria andthe WEASELLING
Government of Britain will on this occasion prove their sincerity
towards peace by reciprocating.
Yesterday I received a message from the Lord Brockway that
the Lagos Government had agreed to a truce over Christmas and
the end of the Ramadam fast. I am informed that that yesterday,
the 21st December, was the end of the Ramadam fast and so the
day on which Nigeria promised to observe a truce.
But it was,
in fact, the day which witnessed the most intensified enemy activities
in every front. What is more, it was the day which witnessed the
longestand heaviest air-raids of the war overcivilian populations.
In one town alone the raids claimed over fifty civilian lives and
injured over a hundred.
For weeks now the Nigerian junta and Mr HAROLDWEASEL
LING have been conducting vile propaganda against us on the
subject of daylight flights of relief into Biafra. Their aim is of
course to assuage mounting world opinion against their practice of
genocidal aggression. Fortunately, they have not been ableto deceive
the world which cannot forget their persistent claims thatstarvation
is a legitimate instrument ofwarfare. The truth is that Mr HAROLD
WILSON and Nigeria want to use daylight flights of relief as a
cover for fulfilling their cherished and passionate ambition of
destroying our main airfield.
Under the present circumstances it would be, to say the least,
irresponsible for this Government to trifle with the security of its
people.
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Having said this, I want to make it quite clear that we have no
objection in principle to daylight flights of relief into Biafra. To
this end, we are prepared to make available to any relief organiza
tion, which does not find the existing night facilities adequate, an
area in Biafra where they can build an airport for daylight flights.
With the blockade, we have neither sufficient money nor materials
But we have the skilled manpower and expertise
to do this.
engineers and other technicians— which we are preparedto place
atthe disposal of any organization wishing to take up this offer.
Besides this, we shall make available any other facilities within our
competence. With money and materials available the construction
of the airfield for daylight flights can be completed within a very
short time—and I speak from proven experience.
Finally, I salute our brethren trapped behind enemy lines within
our territory. We feel for them as Iknow they do for us. I exhort
them to be of good cheer, realizing that the present separation and
sufferings are very temporary.
One reassuring and relevant lesson of Christmas is that if it is
the will of God that Biafra should survive as a nation, no amount
of evil forces arising from human jealousy and fearcan destroy us,
just as the evil might of a RomanPrincipality failed,in spite of all
efforts, to destroythe Infant Jesus newly born in Bethlehem .
I, therefore, send you all my usual message of cheer, hope and
confidence, a message I now reinforce with the Christmas message
of peace and hope of salvation.
A Happy and Peaceful Christmas to you all.
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