AN APPRAISAL OF NIGERIA-BIAFRA WAR AND INDIGENOUS TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This study is about Nigeria-Biafra war, which was fought from 1967-1970. The main thrust of the study was to examine the Nigeria-Biafra war and indigenous technological development. The secessionist side (Biafra) the former Eastern region of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had entered the war quite unprepared in terms of quality and quantity of war infrastructure. It would be quite unimaginable for anyone, nation, state or people to engage in a combat without adequate preparation. The study therefore examined the Biafra war vis-à-vis indigenous technological development in Nigeria. This is to ascertain whether the abandonment of Biafran military initiative undermined indigenous weapons development in Nigeria. The researchers are of the view that, had the victorious Federal side, in the spirit of national reconciliation embraced and harnessed the Biafra indigenous weapons initiative, Nigeria would have probably joined the league of regional continental and global arms manufacturers. The study is anchored on the Marxian theory of Post-colonial state propounded by HarnzaAlavi's 1972 as its analytical framework of understanding the discourse. The study therefore adopted documentary method of data collection and content analysis for the purpose of analyzing data generated through secondary sources. Finally, the study recommends among others that the Federal government of Nigeria should revisit Biafran war museum in Umuhaia, Abia state, set up special committee of inquiry in order to revamp it for technical military training, rather than depending overtly on importation of military hard and soft wares, with its attendant drain on scarce resources.