In the morning, the heavens opened and it began to rain. Bella grabbed her umbrella to get to school, as she walked out of the hostel the first
War broke out. It was the Nigerian civil war which took place on July 6, 1967. The war came with bad effect on the people. It cost so many lives in the regions; invaluable loss in human life and property. It was actually a
culmination of some issues and crisis. Despite the fact that it took the interval of 1967-1970, it affected people like it lasted a decade.
First it was the death of Aguiyi Ironsi on July 29, 1966 in a counter coup led by mostly arm officers
of Northern origin added another twist in the crisis. This was followed by the massacre of Igbos living in the Northern part of Nigeria which prompted the military Governor of the eastern Region Lt. col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu to ask Ndigbo to return to their homeland.
The crisis became uncontrolling that it was like " to your tent o, Israel", everybody went to his or her homeland.
Sochim returned to the village with her children before the war became hot, by the time Obiekwe wanted to leave Lagos to the village, he heard that the whole routes had been blocked. So, Obiekwe with other victims of the circumstance took refuge at the barrack. Sochim felt he was dead. The thought that her husband could be among the said unfortunate queue that was murdered in cold blood came to her. She couldn't bear the burden of catering for the children. Everybody should know the implications of being single parent. She suddenly began to reduce weight and later resorted to begging for food. Her only source of survival was her husband's people. If not for them Sochim would have turned to a petty thief.
War had never being of any good to human nature. Always hearing of terrible stories of how and where dead bodies were lying. Many died at war front and others were dead as a result of hunger. Many suffering of different kinds of deadly diseases caused by malnutrition. Kwashiokor was the commonest disesase caused by lack of salt, it was rampant during the war. Children were major the victims. People were eating both known and unknown plants. Sometimes Cassava leaves were very good food for them and eating of all kinds of animals such as lizard, snake, rat, caterpillar and others whose names are unknown. People were eating only to survive not for nutrition or nourishment.
Sochim was in a condition that she didn't know what to do. She saw her three children changing in shapes. They had stunted growth, distended tummies and spindly legs. Those features indicated how hunger, starvation and malnutrition had squeezed life out of them.
The rural face helped made everything almost impossible for moving successfully. The fact that poverty came in full and enveloped the people was understatement. People were suffering that if they managed to see what to buy, no money because the price of commodities was trebled. Farm produce became their only source of livelihood.
Her children were severely debilitated by hunger and diseases. Eating of grasshopper which Osondu the male twin of Sochim never liked and same Osondu ended up suffering 'boil' filled with pus. He also suffered of 'rabies' always looking like he was going to die soon. He loved eating his food with salt, since there was scarcity of salt he kept refusing to eat.
Living in such area as village where agriculture was the predominant source of livelihood and survival unlike Lagos, Sochim seemed not to adapt easily. Not until she had lost her three children.
"How can i loose my three children. When do i intend to proffer lasting solution to all this," Sochim asked herself. She had really felt the pain of poverty. She always saw from the distance the continum towards zero purchasing power. It was obvious she couldn't stand the destitution, besides her only surviving Osondu was suffering relapse, so, she decided to join the queue of farmers.
Lesson: We should learn how to embrace peace and avoid any form of violence with that we elude from inconvenience.
culmination of some issues and crisis. Despite the fact that it took the interval of 1967-1970, it affected people like it lasted a decade.
First it was the death of Aguiyi Ironsi on July 29, 1966 in a counter coup led by mostly arm officers
of Northern origin added another twist in the crisis. This was followed by the massacre of Igbos living in the Northern part of Nigeria which prompted the military Governor of the eastern Region Lt. col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu to ask Ndigbo to return to their homeland.
The crisis became uncontrolling that it was like " to your tent o, Israel", everybody went to his or her homeland.
Sochim returned to the village with her children before the war became hot, by the time Obiekwe wanted to leave Lagos to the village, he heard that the whole routes had been blocked. So, Obiekwe with other victims of the circumstance took refuge at the barrack. Sochim felt he was dead. The thought that her husband could be among the said unfortunate queue that was murdered in cold blood came to her. She couldn't bear the burden of catering for the children. Everybody should know the implications of being single parent. She suddenly began to reduce weight and later resorted to begging for food. Her only source of survival was her husband's people. If not for them Sochim would have turned to a petty thief.
War had never being of any good to human nature. Always hearing of terrible stories of how and where dead bodies were lying. Many died at war front and others were dead as a result of hunger. Many suffering of different kinds of deadly diseases caused by malnutrition. Kwashiokor was the commonest disesase caused by lack of salt, it was rampant during the war. Children were major the victims. People were eating both known and unknown plants. Sometimes Cassava leaves were very good food for them and eating of all kinds of animals such as lizard, snake, rat, caterpillar and others whose names are unknown. People were eating only to survive not for nutrition or nourishment.
Sochim was in a condition that she didn't know what to do. She saw her three children changing in shapes. They had stunted growth, distended tummies and spindly legs. Those features indicated how hunger, starvation and malnutrition had squeezed life out of them.
The rural face helped made everything almost impossible for moving successfully. The fact that poverty came in full and enveloped the people was understatement. People were suffering that if they managed to see what to buy, no money because the price of commodities was trebled. Farm produce became their only source of livelihood.
Her children were severely debilitated by hunger and diseases. Eating of grasshopper which Osondu the male twin of Sochim never liked and same Osondu ended up suffering 'boil' filled with pus. He also suffered of 'rabies' always looking like he was going to die soon. He loved eating his food with salt, since there was scarcity of salt he kept refusing to eat.
Living in such area as village where agriculture was the predominant source of livelihood and survival unlike Lagos, Sochim seemed not to adapt easily. Not until she had lost her three children.
"How can i loose my three children. When do i intend to proffer lasting solution to all this," Sochim asked herself. She had really felt the pain of poverty. She always saw from the distance the continum towards zero purchasing power. It was obvious she couldn't stand the destitution, besides her only surviving Osondu was suffering relapse, so, she decided to join the queue of farmers.
Lesson: We should learn how to embrace peace and avoid any form of violence with that we elude from inconvenience.
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