THE NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM,UMUAHIA:PRESERVATION OF CIVIL WAR MEMORIALS AND NIGERIAN MILITARY HISTORY

Chijioke N. Onuora, University of , Nsukka

INTRODUCTION to house major archaeological and ethnographical This essay narrates the history of the finds, including the Museum (established by National War Museum, Umuahia, as a national Bernard Fagg in 1952), the Nigerian National heritage site. In 1965, political turmoil in postco- Museum, Lagos (established by Kenneth C. Mur- lonial Nigeria resulted in a conflict between the ray in 1957), and the Owo Museum in Owo. Nigerian state and the secessionist state of . Other museums in Benin City, Esie, Gidan A political challenge against a perceived Igbo Makama, Oron, and other regions of Nigeria dominance in the affairs of the postcolonial contain artworks in terra cotta, bronze, brass, nation led to riots, arson, and pogroms against wood, iron, ivory, and stone, as well as other arti- Igbo peoples in northern and western regions of facts associated with ancient indigenous Nigerian Nigeria, which eventually resulted in a secession cultures. Beyond the Kanta Museum in the Kebbi bid by Igbos and other minority ethnic groups in area, Kaduna Museum and Owo Museum in the eastern part of the country. The civil war that which weapons of war were accorded significant followed lasted from 1967 to 1970 and left in its visibility, the National War Museum, Umuahia trail unprecedented hardships and Igbo losses of remains the only museum in Nigeria (and one of almost 1 million people from deaths of mostly the few in Africa) devoted to the collection, con- starved children, soldiers, and civilians. By the servation, and exhibition of substantial cache of time the war ended, the victorious Nigerian Mili- weapons used during the 30-month Nigerian/ tary Government, as part of its peace building Biafran civil war as well as artifacts, photographs, measures, established a war museum at Umiahia publications, and other materials associated with in which relics of war and Nigerian military his- warfare in Nigeria. tory and technology were collected, exhibited, Sited at the former location of one of the and preserved. Eastern Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation’s Generally, museums around the world are radio mast, where the bunker housing the defunct facilities dedicated to the conservation, care, and Voice of Biafra radio station still stands intact, exhibition of artifacts and other historical, cul- the location apparently qualifies as a living his- tural, and scientific materials of significant value. toric site, frozen in time and space for visitors to The National Commission for Museums and partake in the experiences of the people who first Monuments (NCMM) is the main institution used the facility many years ago. Such is also the that oversees all of Nigeria’s museums and heri- 20-foot subterranean office and command post tage preservation, which is widely regarded as the of the governor of the defunct state of Biafra largest museum system in Africa (Ogbechie, located 3 kilometers (1 mile) away from the 2011). Early museums in this system were built Voice of Biafra bunker site. By establishing this

Critical Interventions 9, Issue 3 2015 ©2015CriticalInterventions:JournalofAfricanArtHistoryandVisualCulture NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM, UMUAHIA | 205 war museum at Umuahia, a one-time capital of Before the civil war, Umuahia, a strategic the Republic of Biafra, the Nigerian Military railway town, was known for its extensive com- Government demonstrated a clear commitment mercial transactions in oil palm produce and to national unity. It also celebrates Biafran scien- reception of goods from the northern part of tific and military ingenuity through the array of Nigeria. It was chosen as the site for the museum Biafran war machines and architectural achieve- for two main reasons. It was the administrative ments on display alongside those of federal capital of the Biafran nation after the fall of troops. The museum’s use of lethal war machines in 1967, and, as the last seat of Biafran to demonstrate the futility of war results in an government, many important battles for the sur- interesting paradox. vival of Biafra was fought around this area. Sec- The War Museum Umuahia narrated the ond, it has the two best-preserved bunkers: one story of the history warfare in Nigeria, from the housed the Voice of Biafra (VOB), Biafra’s major use of traditional weapons of war in indigenous news outlet to the outside world, and the other, cultures to the development of the Nigerian army the Ojukwu Bunker, served as the subterranean and the weapons and the activities of the Nigerian seat of the defunct Biafran government. civil war. The idea of establishing a national war In addition to the museum’s main site, the for- museum in Nigeria was first mooted by Lt. Gen- mer residence of Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara, eral Theophilous Danjuma (Nigerian army chief former premier of the Eastern Nigeria region from of staff from 1975 to 1979) after an official visit to 1959 to 1966, located in Umuahia capital city, Yugoslavia in 1977. Plans to establish the museum serves as an annex of the museum at Ugwunchara. were approved by the Supreme Military Council of the Lt. General Olusegun Obasanjo administra- tion in the same year. Consequently, the National ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM War Museum committee, headed by Colonial Ish- The National War Museum, Umuahia was aya Bamaiyi, teamed up with the National Com- established to preserve for posterity Nigerian war mission for Museums and Monuments to efforts through the ages and to consolidate the gains undertake exploratory studies for its establishment. of national unity. Its motto, “That they did not die In 1985, under the leadership of General Muham- in vain,”1 reflects the larger objective of the madu Buhari, the project was officially launched museum as a memorial (National War Museum by Major-General Tunde Idiagbon, Chief of Staff Committee, 1989) to the soldiers, civilians, and all Supreme Headquarters. This launch coincided other casualties of war and conflicts in Nigeria, par- with the 21st anniversary of the first military coup ticularly the . The establishment in Nigeria as well as the 15th anniversary of the of the War Museum is not an attempt to glorify end of the Nigerian civil war (aka Biafra conflict). the war effort but to demonstrate that wars are The project, originally planned as a three-phase never solutions to conflicts. The exhibitions in the project, chose as its main site Ugwunchara, a hilly museum are meant to promote the ideal of a Niger- part of the Ebite Amafor suburb of Umuahia, ian society devoid of conflict and disharmony. The about 3 kilometers from the Umuahia city center. museum preserves Nigeria’s war relics, serves as a Prior to the Nigerian civil war, the 3,778-hectare center for research on warfare in Nigeria, and serves site served as the premises of the former Eastern as a tourist attraction and locale for the exhibition Nigerian Television Relaying Station. of wartime technology.

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The National War Museum, Umuahia con- air force. A guided tour of the museum usually sists of permanent exhibitions in three exhibition begins at the Traditional Warfare Gallery. galleries, in addition to an open air gallery and the museum annex. From the entrance (Figure 1), a guided tour of the museum usually begins at the THE TRADITIONAL WARFARE GALLERY: Traditional Warfare Gallery. This gallery displays EVOLUTION OF WEAPONS the evolution of weapons from the earliest times The section titled “The Evolution of Weap- to the present; the Armed Forces Gallery shows ons in the Great Battles of Africa and Europe the evolution and diverse roles of the Nigerian Over the Years” focuses attention on the weap- Army from 1963 to date and important person- onry used in the earliest stages of historical war- nel and ordnance of the Nigerian Navy and Air fare development. The exhibits at the Traditional Force. The Civil War Gallery displays photo- Warfare Gallery therefore comprise a collection graphs of the victims of the coup d’etat of January of drawings and photographs of the great histori- 15, 1966 as well as photographs and objects cal battles in Africa and Europe. There is also an related to the Nigerian civil war of 1967 to 1970. exhibition of artifacts that illustrates the evolution The open air museum, which is in three sections, of weapons from simple stone-age flint weapons exhibits heavy military hardware used during the to bows, arrows, machetes, and spears made out Nigerian civil war by the army, the navy, and the of wood and metal. In recasting the history of

Figure 1. The entrance to the National War Museum, Umuahia indoor exhibition galleries. War museum photographs by the author.

Critical Interventions 9, Issue 3 2015 NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM, UMUAHIA | 207 indigenous Nigerian weaponry, historians have name Nigerian Army. The size of the Nigerian depended on information from indigenous oral Army increased considerably in this period while histories, notes of early European explorers, and new terms and conditions of service were estab- photographs and illustrations published in vari- lished. Social and technological changes of vari- ous journals. Furthermore, ancient sculptures of ous dimensions took place—for instance, in dress Nigeria displayed several types of weapons. Indig- regulations and types of weapons. At the same enous artworks featuring Sudanic cavalry soldiers, time, intensified efforts at the “Nigerianization” Benin bronze plaques, house posts, and brass of the officers’ corps took place. The Nigerian equestrian figures are displayed in the museum to Defence Academy and the Artillery School were illustrate this fact. established in 1964. In the same year, an ord- nance factory was built in Kaduna, northern Nigeria. Officers and personnel of the Nigerian THE ARMED FORCES GALLERY Army have been represented in many local and The Armed Forces Gallery features a perma- international conflicts, serving as part of the nent photography exhibition of important Niger- United Nations peace-keeping missions in Congo ian military leaders, examples of military (Zaire), Tanganyika (Tanzania), and, recently, in uniforms, and other paraphernalia of the Niger- Lebanon, Liberia, and Chad. ian Army, Navy, and Air Force. It also contains The Armed Forces Gallery display traces the photographs of influential soldiers in the history evolution of the army and shows various personal- of the Nigerian army as well as memorable events ities connected with its historical development and that took place since its formation. The first sec- a permanent exhibition of photographs of the tion, titled “Pre-Nigerian Independence Army,” heads of the Nigerian Army. These photographs includes a photography exhibition of personal- include past military heads of state and their ities and events that characterized the amalgam- respective cabinets, past chiefs of defense staff, ation of the Nigerian Regiment, the Queens ministers of defense, chiefs of army staff, chiefs of Regiment, and the Royal Nigerian Army to form general staff, chiefs of staff supreme headquarters, the Nigerian army. and other important historical personages. The origin of the Nigerian Army is traceable to the diverse local forces raised by the British colonial government. In 1922, an ordinance con- NIGERIAN NAVY GALLERY sisting of the Nigerian Regiment of the West The Nigerian Army gallery leads to the Navy Africa Frontier Force was promulgated. In 1956, gallery, with its display of photographs of service the Nigerian Army was renamed on the visit of Chiefs of the Navy from its inception, various Queen Elizabeth II to Nigeria as the queen’s own types of uniforms, badges, medals, and naval ord- Nigerian Regiment. On October 1, 1960, when nance, as well as insignia of rank. The Nigerian Nigeria became independent of British colonial Navy was established in 1955 when the Nigerian rule, the Royal Nigerian Military Force was Ports Authority (NPA) took over from the Niger- rechristened the Royal Nigerian Army. ian Marine Corps. In 1956, the House of Repre- On October 1, 1963, when Nigerian sentatives approved the establishment of the navy. achieved the status of a federal republic, the title It was initially called the Nigerian Naval Force Royal Nigerian Army was dropped in favor of the because it was created out of a former quasi-

Research 208 | Onuora military force under the Ministry of Transport for (VOB) bunker is joined to the Armed Forces gallery maritime policing duties. Later in 1958, the so that one can enter the bunker from the gallery. Nigerian Navy became a branch of the armed The Voice of Biafra bunker represents the center of forces and was known as the Royal Nigerian Navy the powerful propaganda machinery of the Biafran as part of the pre-independence Nigerian nation- government. Aside the preservation of the bunker, it alism that demanded a corresponding indepen- is used as a gallery for the Nigerian civil war exhibi- dent armed force to defend its sovereignty and to tion, which includes the original wall of the bunker, protect its economic resources. In 1963, the word apaintedportraitofGen.OdumegwuOjukwu, royal was dropped from its designation. leader of the secessionist state of Biafra; the Biafran flag, photographs of the casualties of the January 15 THE GALLERY and July 29, 1966 coups d’etat, photographs of key individuals and battle scenes on both sides of the The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) was officially civil war, the coats of arms of Biafra (see Figure 2) established by a statutory act of parliament of and the former Eastern Region, maps of Biafra, the April 10, 1964 to complement the military remains of the VOB transmitter and its announcers defense system of the Federal Republic of Nigeria room, and photographs illustrating war victims and and to ensure versatile mobility of the armed the impact of foreign involvement in the civil war. forces for the purposes of ensuring the territorial There are also photographs celebrating the fall of integrity of a united Nigeria. In August 1963, a Biafra in 1970 and end of the civil war. two-way training program started with some Nigerians sent to Germany, while a team of Ger- man Air Force personnel trained Nigerians locally. Thus a base at Kaduna was established as the NAF tactical and training wing. When the Nigerian civil war broke out in 1967 (and with the departure of the Germans), young and inex- perienced NAF personnel went to war, barely three years after its establishment. At the end of the civil war in 1970, NAF underwent consider- able reorganization to meet expanded roles of Air Transportation and Tactical Air Strike com- mand. The exhibits in this section of the museum includes photographs of key Nigerian Air Force personnel from its inception, various types of NAF uniforms, badges of rank, ordnance, and medals for various accomplishments.

THE CIVIL WAR GALLERY AND VOICE OF BIAFRA BUNKER The permanent exhibition of the National War Museum is arranged such that the Voice of Biafra Figure 2. A reproduction of the Biafran coat of arms.

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THE OPEN AIR MUSEUM eight examples (types A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, B, C, The Open Air Museum displays hardware and D). The armored cars were manufactured in used by the Biafrans and federal forces during the Port-Harcourt by the Biafran Research and Pro- civil war. It comprises of three major pavilions— duction Unit (RAP) from a hybrid of Caterpillar namely, the army, air force, and navy pavilions. brand earth-mover parts on a pre–World War II era armored vehicle chassis.3 The “Red Devils” were made of steel iron sheets welded together THE ARMY PAVILION:TANKS and driven by tracks with four road wheels on The army pavilion displays significant each side suspended by coil springs. armored tanks made by the Biafrans or captured Armored cars were used by the Biafran troops and significantly used by Biafran forces. These to support infantry assaults against enemy-forti- are arranged in a parade style on linked low plat- fied positions in different theaters of war. Biafran forms near the Voice of Biafra bunker’s exit. soldiers made use of spaces created on the flanks These tanks are very important for the history of and rear of the armored cars to shoot at the the defunct republic and largely represent the enemy with their submachine guns or anti-tank ingenious efforts of the people of eastern rifles. The gun turrets from the armored cars Nigeria. The made-in-Biafra armored cars, also revolved 360 degrees and permitted firing options known as the Red Devils2 (see Figure 3), on dis- comparable to those of imported British Saladin play on the “Biafran side” of the pavilion include or Panhard imported vehicles.

Figure 3. Biafran-made armored tank (Red Devil Type A2).

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The invasion of the midwestern region by the armored car used by the Biafran army in the Biafran soldiers in 1967 represented one of the museum’s collection (see Figure 4). This partic- first major uses of the Red Devils in the war. Col. ular French-made Panhard armored car was Victor Banjo, leader of the offensive, ordered the captured by Biafran forces from the federal armored tanks up to the front to provide tactical troops during the battle of on September support (Omoigui, 1998). Major Kaduna 12, 1968 (Madiebo, 1980; Nwoke & Ibe, Nzeogwu, leader of the January 1966 coup, was 2012). After its capture, the armored car was killed in one of the Red Devils on a reconnais- christened “Oguta Boy.” However, at the battle sance mission in the Nsukka sector of the civil of Uzuakoli on April 8, 1969, the Panhard was war. Military reports suggest that the vehicle was knocked out of action by federal anti-tank gun- cumbersome despite its impressive ingenuity. ners. The loss of the Panhard resulted in the loss of Uzuakoli town to federal troops (Mad- iebo, 1980), and its importance to the Biafra THE PANHARD ARMORED VEHICLE war effort was illustrated by the fact that the (OGUTA BOY) reconnaissance squadron of the Biafran army The Panhard Armored Vehicle (registration held a short but well-attended memorial service number BA8034) was the only modern to mark the death of “Oguta Boy.”

Figure 4. Panhard armored tank (Oguta Boy).

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OGBUNIGWE LAUNCHER Mr. A: It is just like God. They are These Biafran-made mine/explosive ord- broadcasting from Enugu. But Nigerian nance weapons were key elements of Biafra’s war- soldiers have not seen them. Oh! They time technologies. Ogbunigwe launchers were are like God, God is with you but you mounted on Biafran tanks as part of its mobile don’t see Him...(Utange, 1969) artillery and used to shoot “Flying Ogbunigwe” projectiles.4 The same name, “Ogbunigwe” (liter- BIAFRAN FUEL DISTILLER ally, “killer of multitudes”) served as the name of a pressure-detonated land mine developed by The Biafran stronghold of fell RAP, whose remnants killed and maimed hun- in May 1968, and, with it, the insurgency lost dreds of local farmers long after the war ended. most of its oil fields and refinery capacity, leading to a fuel shortage that was felt all over the seces- sionist enclave. A Petroleum Management Board THE RADIO BIAFRA TRANSMITTER (PMB) was established to control what was avail- The museum also has on permanent display able as well as to find ways of effecting replenish- in the Open Air Exhibition the remains of the ments (Madiebo, 1980). However, what they Radio Biafra transmitter made by Brown Boven. produced was not sufficient for the needs of a This transmitter was recovered from Enugu after nation at war. Subsequently, the RAP board the war and relocated to Umuahia for display at designed and built several refineries with these the museum. The transmitter had a checkered local distillers to produce petrol and diesel at a history during the war. After the fall of Enugu in considerably fast rate (see Figure 5). Also with September 1967, it was moved around from the assistance of the RAP, all major armed forces place to place but still transmitted propaganda units and formations, as well as civilian organiza- materials and news items as Radio Biafra, tions, set up individual oil refineries whose prod- “Enugu.” Federal troops mocked its supposed ucts satisfied the urgent need for fuel. According ubiquity in a comedy strip written by Corporal to Arene (1987), the Biafran fuel distiller (aka Fredrick Utange for a Nigerian army propaganda Biafra cooking pot): publication in the Lion titled “A Conversation Between Mr. A and B”: ... used a method of laboratory distilla- tion but enlarged to a pilot scale and Mr. A: Is Biafra everywhere like God? designed to use metal containers instead of the usual laboratory glass wares.Most Mr. B: Biafra is everywhere. refinery locations followed this technique Mr. A: How do you know that Biafra is and got refined petroleum products that everywhere? served their various purposes. The nor- mal laboratory glass fractionating col- Mr. B: Because Enugu was captured in umn with the heating flask, condenser 1967, but Biafra is still broadcasting and receiver was adapted and recon- from Enugu. Every time you will hear structed by the Engineering Unit, using Radio Biafra, Enugu, “this is Radio Bia- metal parts. The metal fractioning col- fra Enugu.” This is V.O.B. Enugu.” umn was packed with metal shavings to

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Figure 5. The Biafran-made refinery (oil cooking pot).

break the flow of the oil vapours and Flying Industry MFI. The aircraft was converted hence improve fractionation. The con- into a fighter plane fitted with pods and denser was made of metal cylinders of armed with 18 . The planes were bought wide diameter attached to the fractionat- in and were specially adapted for coun- ing column via another metal pipe with terinsurgency operations. They were fitted with a smaller diameter. By this technique, rockets and bomb racks in France, then disman- the “Joule – Thompson Effect” during tled and flown to Libreville, capital of Gabon, expansion from a small orifice into a where they were sent on to Biafra (Aneke, 2007). wide container, leading to cooling and The planes were maintained by Swedish experts condensation of the vapour, was led by Count Carl Gustaf Von Rosen, who achieved. To get maximum condensa- offered his services to Biafra for free5 and were tion, the wide diameter cylinder was named “Biafran Babies” by Von Rosen to honor immersed in a trough containing cold the memory of thousands of Biafran children water. (pp. 94–95) who died during the war. They were also known as Mincoins, meaning mini counter insurgency operations. MFI – 9B SMALL BOMBER AIRCRAFT The MFI-9B, capable of landing and tak- The museum displays the remains of an air- ing off from a soccer field, was highly maneu- craft with registration number BB90 (see verable and successfully eluded the Nigerian Figure 6), originally a small two-seater propeller air force’s Soviet MIGs by flying low and tak- plane produced by the Swedish company Malmo ing advantage of heavy cloud cover during the

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Figure 6. Relics of the MFI – 9B small bomber aircraft. rainy season. The plane was successfully used Sapele was HMS Dubford. NNS Bonny was part to destroy selected Nigerian military targets of the 11-ship naval task force under the joint including during a raid on Port Harcourt air- command of Captain Soroh and Commander port, where two Nigerian air force MIG Adelanwa that fought the fierce and bloody battle fighter jets and an Ilyushin bomber were that led to the fall of Bonny on July 26 and 27, destroyed (Aneke, 2007). 1967 (Aneke, 2007). Other ships that took part in the Bonny landing were NNS Nigeria, NNS THE NAVY PAVILION:ASSAULT BOATS Ogoja, NNS Kaduna, NNS Sapele, NNS Benin, NNS Penelope, and NNS Lokoja as well as two The boats on display were built in Nigeria by merchant ships: the Herbert Macauley and Bode the Ministry of Works in 1969 under the aus- Thomas. pices of Brigadier Samuel O. Ogbemudia for the 3rd Marine Commando under the command of Brigadier Benjamin Adekunle (the Black Scor- NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM UMUAHIA ANNEX pion). They were used during the civil war in the The National War Museum annex is located delta areas of Biafra. about 4 kilometers from the main museum com- plex at the residence of the former premier of NNS (NIGERIAN NAVY SHIP)BONNY PATROL Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Michael Okpara. This large CRAFT compound has guesthouses for tourists, a big The NNS Bonny (Figure 7) was purchased meeting hall, and a well-kept lawn for outdoor along with three other ships (NNS Benin City, activities, and it was given to the Biafran govern- NNS Kaduna, and NNS Sapele) from the British ment for use as the residence and operational Royal Navy. NNS Bonny was originally named office of the head of state of Biafra after the fall of HMS (Her Majesty’s Ship) Desford in the British Enugu. Connected to this large one-story build- Navy, while NNS Benin was HMS Hinksford, ing are two bunkers. The bigger and more elabo- NNS Kaduna was HMS Axford, and NNS rate bunker, located behind the main house at

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Figure 7. The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Bonny (front view [top image]) and (side view [bottom image]).

Critical Interventions 9, Issue 3 2015 NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM, UMUAHIA | 215 the southern end of the compound, served as an on May 3, 1968, and its construction was by administrative office, while the other connects to Engr. Joel Onyemelukwe, of the HALCON con- the main house. When the National War struction company, Enugu. This same team built Museum was opened in 1989, this annex housed the Voice of Biafra bunker as well as the Nigerian numerous photographs documenting the history National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) fuel of the Nigerian armed forces and records of depot at Aba. Nigerian pre–civil war, civil war, and post–civil The Ojukwu Bunker was built as an exten- war military personalities. sion of the former premier’s house. From the courtyard of the ground floor of the house, a long roofed corridor stretches to the entrance door of THE OJUKWU BUNKER the banker. From there, an equally long tunnel The Ojukwu Bunker is located behind the with two flights of stairs leads down to a rectan- main residence beneath a large field (see Figure gular space located at about 28.9 feet under- 8). This facility was originally referred to as the ground. Surrounded on all four sides by subterranean office of the government of Biafra corridors, the one at the back being narrower before it was renamed the “Ojukwu Bunker” by than others, this underground facility comprises the public. It was designed by Frank Mbanefo of (from left to right) a relatively big conference and Associates and headed by architect Frank room, the secretary’s room, a toilet and bath- Mbanefo of in the present room, a kitchen, and a store. The conference

Figure 8. Entrance to the Ojukwu Bunker with vents and emergency exits shown in the background.

Research 216 | Onuora room has two windows that open to the rear cor- CONCLUSION ridor. All other rooms have a window each except At the inception of the National War the store, which has none. The conference room Museum, Umuahia project, the Federal Military used to have as its furniture a set of three-sitter, Government of Nigeria, and the National Com- four single-cushion chairs made of plain gray mission for Museums and Monuments had as material, a center table, four side tables, and an their objective to create a site for tourism and ashtray. Also contained in this room were a small research that preserves and exhibits Nigerian war dining table and four chairs. However, the furni- relics, used to promote peace among the citizens ture is not currently on display. of Nigeria. In more than 30 years of operation, The bunker has a permanent display of a pho- the museum has hosted numerous local and for- tography exhibition titled “Biafran leaders of eign visitors, tourists, and groups of schoolchil- thought.” This includes a painted portrait of Gen- dren on excursion. It also hosts numerous eral Ojukwu and photographs of Mr. N. U. workshops and conferences for academics and Akpan, Dr. C. C. Mojekwu, Prof. , higher institutions, all of which point to its suc- Mr. Michael Okpara and Dr. Pius Okigbo, Prof. cess as a tourist destination and research center. Onwuka Dike, Mr. Cyprian Ekwensi, and Dr. The museum has also preserved and exhib- AkanuIbiam, all of them key members of the cabi- ited many historical artifacts, especially the war- net in the Biafran government. The secretary’s time technology of the Nigerian/Biafran war, as room had a table and chair, and the kitchen had important aspects of the Nigerian political heri- plain ceramic dinnerware, glasses, cutlery, cooking tage. It celebrates the achievements of the utensils, and a cooker. Other facilities located at Research and Production (RAP) unit of the Bia- the back corridor are two exit points at either end fran war effort, whose ingenuity is evident in built in the form of vertically ascending ladders, their numerous scientific and technological three major air vents, and plumbing features. The breakthroughs, which the museum preserves for exit points emerge at ground level in the form of posterity. Also, the Voice of Biafra Bunker and rim-cast huts. There are also other air vents that the Ojukwu Bunker are important examples of stick out of the ground as metal pipes. Biafran wartime architecture, designed, built, and Another underground facility located in this equipped by Biafran architects and engineers in site could better be described as an escape tunnel the heat of the war to complement other break- since it does not have facilities to keep one func- throughs such as the capacity to refine crude oil tioning for a long time in it. It connects the main and to fabricate light and heavy weapons. building to the kitchen and continues its decent Nevertheless, one might argue that the ideals underground with two flights of stairs before turn- of the National War Museum, Umuahia as a ing south at 90 degrees. Another set of steps com- monument for peace and conflict resolution are pletes the descent as two other flights of steps not fully actualized, given the explosion of insur- bring one to the hut at the surface. Though it had gencies and violence in contemporary Nigeria. In nothing displayed on the blue walls or white ceil- this regard, the National War Museum, Umuahia ing, it is lit up by a combination of full-spectrum could collaborate with a sister agency, the artificial lighting enhanced by the natural light National Center for Peace and Conflict Resolu- that enters from the exit point when opened. tion located at Umudim, Amichi,6 to organize

Critical Interventions 9, Issue 3 2015 NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM, UMUAHIA | 217 and execute programs geared toward discouraging the ages, this National War Museum Complex was ethno-religious conflicts and encouraging peace. launched on January 15, 1985 by Major-General It is necessary to observe that as a facility Babatunde Idiagbon (fss.mni) Chief of Staff.” devoted to displaying key artifacts of the Nigerian Also, the commemorative plaque unveiled during civil war/Biafran conflict, the museum needs to the commissioning of the museum reads: “To the glory of God and our fatherland and for the pur- move more aggressively to acquire more war relics pose of consolidating the gains of National unity, scattered in many locations of southeastern this National Museum was commissioned on Sep- Nigeria. For example, the museum has already tember 14, 1989 by Lt. General Domkat Yah Bali acquired the remains of a Nigerian gunboat, but (ofr, fss, r.c.i.s.), Minister of Defence and Chair- it remains submerged in Oguta Lake, where it man, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Both plaques have the was sunk in 1969. Nonetheless, the National motto “That They Did Not Die in Vain” inscribed War Museum, Umuahia has largely achieved its below the main text. primary objective as a national heritage site. To 2 The tanks were called “Red Devils” because of some people, such as Chief Chukwuemeka Odu- their daredevil offensive abilities and resilience to megwu Ojukwu, leader of the Biafran secession, enemy attack. However, it was reported that the who until his death in 2011 chose not to visit the “Red Devils” were unable to maneuver in difficult site, the museum remains a painful reminder of a circumstances, and their engines always over- heated. They were therefore not very effective for country that did not survive. However, the the overall war effort. National War Museum, Umuahia remains an 3 The RAP (Research and Production Directorate) undeniable testimony that, indeed, “There was a 7 7 was made up of Biafran scientists, chemists, and Country” known as Biafra. engineers and was convened shortly before the war started. The RAP was coordinated by Dr. Ben Nwosu and had the mandate to research and NOTES produce equipment and other necessary items on Chijioke N. Onuora ([email protected]) is a Senior a large scale to sustain the war efforts. 4 A bomb made in Biafra by the RAP. Lecturer in Sculpture and Drawing at the University 5 of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he also obtained his MFA Count Carl Gustaf Von Rosen was a Swedish and PhD in Sculpture and Art History, respectively. pilot who made the first relief flight to Biafra in Currently the Vice President of the Enugu State 1968. Before the Nigerian civil war, Von Rosen Chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), flew for the Ethiopian army during the Italian Onuora has participated in many solo and group exhi- invasion in 1935 and also flew a Finnish bomber bitions, including the First Johannesburg Biennale against the Russians in 1939. Before joining the (1995). His interest in traditional African sculptures Biafrans fully, he was a senior flight captain flying and pyrography has led to extensive research on Igbo into Biafra for Transair, a Swedish charter com- shrine art and modern pyrography experiments in pany. He made up his mind to help Biafra after Nsukka. He has a forthcoming publication on the seeing the Nigerians bomb and strafe Umuahia National War Museum, Umuahia, Nigeria. three times on Christmas Day. He flew the lead planes in the air raids against Nigerian military 1 The text on the commemorative plaques unveiled targets. Count Von Rosen also offered his services during the launching of the museum reads: “To to Biafra without charge. the glory of our fatherland and for the purpose pre- 6 Chief Benjamin Obijiofor Atuchukwu’s house serving for posterity, Nigerian war efforts through situated at Amichi town Nnewi South Local

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Government Area, Anambra State was designated Aneke, N. (1967, July 26). Nigeria reports capture of a national monument and National Center for Bonny. New York Times, pp. 135–136. Peace and Conflict Resolution by the Nigerian Madiebo, A. (1980). The Nigerian revolution and the Biafran government in 2007, in view of its role in hosting war. Enugu, Nigeria: Fourth Dimension. meetings, negotiations, and ceremonies on the National War Mar Museum. (1989). A guide to the National cessation of hostilities between the Nigerian fed- War Mar Museum, Umuahia. Owerri, Nigeria: National War Museum Committee. eral troops and the defunct Biafran troops on Jan- Nwoke, S. U., & Ibe, G. I. (2012). Corporal Nwafor. uary 13, 1970. 7 Okigwe, Nigeria: Skill Publishing. This was the title of Chinua Achebe’s last novel, Ogbechie, S. O. (2011). Art museums and cultural politics which was about Biafra. in Nigeria. In A. Greve (Ed.), Kunst und Politik: Jahr- buch de Guernica Gesellschaft [Art and Politics: Yearbook of the Guernica Society] (pp. 129–139). Gottingen, Ger- many: V&R Uni Press GmbH. REFERENCES Omoigui, N. (1998, October). The Midwest invasion of 1967: Arene, E. O. (1987). The Biafran scientists: The development Lessons for today’ s geopolitics.Keynotespeechdeliveredatthe of an African indigenous technology (Unpublished Nigerian Independence Day Celebration in Columbia, SC. thesis). Kuru, Nigeria: Institute for Policy and Strategic Utange, F. (1969, October). Conversation between Mr. A Studies. and Mr. B. The Lion, 1(1), 29–30.

Critical Interventions 9, Issue 3 2015