SIR AHMADU BELLO & KADUNA NZEOGWU — A HISTORY WE MUST CONFRONT WITH HONESTY, NOT HATRED

SIR AHMADU BELLO & KADUNA NZEOGWU — A HISTORY WE MUST CONFRONT WITH HONESTY, NOT HATRED

This is not about opening old wounds.
It is not about fueling ethnic tension.
It is about truth, history, and the courage to face reality without fear or denial.

Very few Nigerians know this:

Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, was a mentor and godfather to Kaduna Nzeogwu.
The bond was so strong that the Sardauna personally travelled to London to attend Nzeogwu’s graduation from the Royal Military Academy.

Yes—the man who later fired the bullet that killed him, once had the Sardauna as a guide, a supporter, and a father figure.

This is a painful irony of Nigerian history.
A reality many have never heard, and many others prefer not to confront.

Now pause and think:

If you were from the North, would you easily forget such a shocking betrayal?
Would you not expect some form of acknowledgement, remorse, or sober reflection from those associated with the event?

No people on earth would take such a tragedy lightly.
Not the Hausa, not the Yoruba, not even the Igbo.

This is why we, as Nigerians—especially the Igbo community—must embrace truth over propaganda.
The January 1966 coup was a turning point that scarred the nation.
Pretending otherwise only traps generations in bitterness, suspicion, and denial.

True progress begins when a people courageously accept their own historical missteps.
Not with arrogance.
Not with revisionism.
But with maturity and honesty.

Acknowledging history does not mean accepting guilt for something you never did.
It simply means choosing truth over self-deception, wisdom over emotional blindness, and unity over inherited resentment.

Nations heal only when their people stop running from truth.

Nigeria needs truth.
Nigeria needs maturity.
Nigeria needs collective healing.