A first-person biography of Fela, written by Carlos Moore, contains an account of his standpoint on the issue.
‘Fela: This B**ch of a Life’, originally published in 1982, is based on hours of conversation the author had with Fela.
An excerpt from chapter nine of the book sees Fela talk about the Biafran war and what secession would have meant for Nigeria, had it been successful.
What Fela said
“The Biafran war had started in ’66 and was now fully underway. I was in Lagos, playing music. I didn’t like the Biafran war though. I thought the Nigerian government was wrong. I thought the Biafrans were right. The Yoruba are not Ibo. I thought the Ibos were right.
“I said to myself, “This whole thing is a cheap, big hustle to put the Ibos in a bad light in the world.” And, in fact, what was happening was the beginning of corruption in Nigeria. That’s evident now.
“The Biafrans were f***ing right to secede, man. If it was secession, it was good secession. Because secession is what could have brought Africa together at that time. From secession, we could come together again. But by not seceding, we’re put together by force. Uhuhhhhhh! That’s what’s happening in Nigeria today. The Ibos don’t understand why they’re in Nigeria.
