By CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

FORMER Military Governor of defunct Mid-Western Region, Bridagier-General Godwin Alabi-Isama, has attributed the myriad of socio-economic and political problems plaguing Nigeria to disloyalty and not corruption as many believe.

According to him, the massive and debilitating graft prevailing in the country is an off-shoot of citizens’ disloyalty to the nation.

Alabi-Isama, author of the  book: “The Tragedy of Victory: On the Spot Account of the Nigeria-Biafra War in the Atlantic Theatre,” and former Chief of Staff of the 3 Marine Commando Division of the Nigerian Army that took the instrument of surrender from Biafra after the civil war, spoke, yesterday, during a visit to the corporate headquarters of Vanguard Newspapers.

He told a team of Vanguard editors that contrary to comments that Igbo lost the war, it was Biafra or the former Eastern Region, which includes today’s South-East geo-political zone, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Bayelsa states that lost the war.

He also said that with the avalanche of experienced officers that Biafra had, the defunct republic had no business losing the war, if the leaders did the needful in terms of tactical diligence, planning and operations.

At worst, he averred that the war would have ended in a stalemate as witnessed in Korea with the United Nations, perhaps, intervening that Biafra should be allowed to exist.

Regretting the first coup of 1966, which he argued, was not an Igbo coup as widely believed in many quarters, he said that, that military incursion into governance ‘finished this country’ because it was needless and its poor execution including killing of leaders in other parts of the country except the East, led to the avoidable bloodshed and civil war that followed.

The General also lamented that the country was not taking care of her heroes and heroines such as General Benjamin Adekunle (Black Scorpion), who is currently battling with illness without support from the Army or the government he served loyally at the risk of his life.

He added that neglect of selfless heroes and heroines was contributing to disloyalty of citizens, which gives rise to the prevailing pervasive corruption.

“Corruption is not the problem of this country. People are not loyal to the country. Everyone from the messenger to the director wants his cut immediately.

“A governor will steal the money of his state and take it abroad. If he loves the country, he will use the money to develop his state,” he said.