Nigeria: Another Coup

The seeds of hatred are planted deep in Nigeria. Independence from Britain in 1960 left it divided into three mutually suspicious regions — separated tribally, politically and religiously. Five years of rule by the vast but backward Moslem North only made things worse, and by the time a military coup threw the Northerners out of power eight months ago, Nigeria had all but turned ungovernable. “This is more difficult than the Congo,” admitted Major General Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi, who in herited the mess.

Ironsi tried his best to cool regional passions, declaring an end to the old federated government, tightening the powers of the central administration. All the while, he was gaining enemies and losing friends. The Moslem North resented its sudden loss of power — not to mention the assassination of Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and the Sardauna of Sokoto, the two most powerful Northern leaders. In the South, the young Ibo officers who had led the military coup accused Ironsi of appeasement when he refused to allow drastic retaliation after an abortive Northern uprising in June.

Last week, with the furies of both sides boiling high, Ironsi decided to venture out of his Lagos sanctuary to preach national togetherness at a meeting of Northern political bosses in the nearby regional capital of Ibadan. Hardly had he arrived in the sprawling shantytown city than he was taken prisoner by rebellious troops, while other in surrectionists grabbed control of the Lagos airport and the important marketing town of Abeokuta. The capital itself was quiet, although cable and phone connections were cut and strict censorship imposed. Government radio assured the nation that “the situation is under control.” There was no clear word as to the fate of Ironsi.

It was a measure of the futility of the Ironsi regime that by week’s end not even Nigerian diplomats had the slightest idea whether the uprising had been led by the North or the South.