Nigeria: Too Hard To Hold - Peter Okorie

The book, ‘Nigeria: Too Hard to Hold’, is a 292 page story of Nigeria, starting from early external influences of Europeans and Arabs from the Atlantic ocean and Sahara desert, respectively. The book described the slow laborious process of formation of British protectorates leading subsequently to the amalgamation of the southern and northern protectorates in 1914. Under the pretext of stopping the slave trade – the same slave trade they initiated – the colonial masters succeeded in annexing and colonizing yet more territories, protectorate after protectorate, in instalments. Following amalgamation, the massive development of infrastructure – sea ports, railways, roads, and educational institutions – are chronicled in details. Chapter (5) five – the centre of gravity of the book – is a well researched 100 page account of the Nigeria – Biafra War, from the first shots at Gakem in July 1967 to the final shots in Owerri in the second week of January, 1970. The international intrigues masterminded by the British against Biafra are well documented. The book also looked at the post civil war challenges: official corruption, harvest of coups, political instability, ethnic suspicions and growing insecurity, especially Boko Haram, farmers/herdsmen clashes, banditry and persistent calls for restructuring of the country. Anyone who is interested in the survival of Nigeria must read this book.