By Samuel Udoma
Senator Ekong Sampson, representing Akwa Ibom South, has said that the tragedy of the Nigerian Civil War could have been averted if democratic governance was in place in Nigeria at the time. Senator Sampson stressed that there was no sane substitute for democracy in managing national differences.
The lawmaker stated this earlier today at the public presentation of the book, My Biafran Scar, in Abuja, Nigeria. The book is written by Philip Effiong Jr, son of the late Biafran Second-in-Command, General Philip Effiong.
In his remarks at the book event, Senator Sampson maintained that the Biafran experience underscored the dangers of the absence of democratic safeguards in a multi-layered entity such as Nigeria.
According to him, the painful experience of the Biafran war could have been avoided if democratic tenets and institutions had prevailed in those nascent years of Nigeria's independence.
The Nigerian Civil War, fought between 1967 and 1970, followed the declaration of the secessionist State of Biafra and remains one of the darkest chapters in the nation’s history. The conflict claimed millions of lives, with widespread humanitarian crisis and deep sociopolitical scars that continue to shape national discourse.
Senator Sampson noted that beyond the grief and devastation, the war leaves enduring lessons about tolerance, dialogue and the management of diversity in a plural society. He recalled a peculiar personal episode from the period, revealing how his family, then based in Enugu, was directly caught in the hostilities, with two of his elder brothers fighting on opposing sides of the conflict.
The lawmaker cautioned against interpreting the Civil War solely through its widely documented Igbo prism. He observed that many non-Igbo figures also played prominent roles during the conflict.
Sampson cited the late Chief N.U. Akpan, an Akwa Ibomite who served as Secretary to the Government of Biafra; Colonel Victor Banjo, a Yoruba officer; and the Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, who were actively engaged in efforts related to the war.
Similarly, Senator Sampson argued that significant national milestones should not be narrowly ethnicised. He referenced June 12 — now observed as Nigeria’s Democracy Day — noting that it would be erroneous to view it as solely a Yoruba affair. According to him, many non-Yorubas, including himself, have been consistent advocates of the ideals symbolised by June 12.
The Onomkpoinam Mkpat Enin also reflected on some of his scholarly engagements about the war and its legal and historical dimensions. He recounted his works and research, including 'Evergreen Memories of Sir Louis Mbanefo', 'The Path of Justice Chike Idigbe', and interviews with the late revered jurist, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, which showed how judges sat in Biafra.
Both Sir Louis Mbanefo and Justice Chike Idigbe sat on the Bench of the Biafran Court of Appeal, with Mbanefo going on to become the Chief Justice of Biafra. Idigbe and Oputa were also Supreme Court Justices in Nigeria.
Senator Sampson used the occasion to commend Philip Effiong Jr for documenting his war perspectives in the book, describing the publication as a valuable contribution to the civil war conversation, national reflection and reconciliation.
The National Assemblyman mentioned that Uyo Book Club - a top intellectual hub, housed at Watbridge Hotels, Uyo, which he sits as patron, has held sessions on the poet, Christopher Okigbo and others, in also widening the flanks of the war discourse. Sampson subsequently invited the author to be hosted in one of the club's sessions on the book, to which he agreed.
Earlier in his welcome presentation, the author, Philip Effiong Jr, said the book captures his long-held experiences and memories of the war which his family was deeply involved in. He expressed that as a son bearing the exact name of his father who saw to the end of hostilities during the war, he has had to endure conflicting, and at times, confusing reception from segments of the erstwhile South Eastern Nigeria, due to his father's role.
Effiong Jr added that the book was conceived to further advance the Nigerian civil war discourse, and to give it broader perspectives, especially on the role of non-Igbo minorities in the region who were also active participants and victims in the nearly three year blitz.
Other speakers at the occasion, including Captain Hilary Onuoha (Rtd), who worked closely with General Philip Effiong, and also fought on the frontline with the late notable poet, Christopher Okigbo during the war, recalled the tragic memories of the war, noting that he wouldn't wish Nigeria to experience such again. Other speakers advocated for deepened national reconciliation through inclusion, equity, justice and access to opportunity.
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