Our Father’s Land : Including Reminiscences On The Nigerian Civil War

Description

In this simple but engaging autobiographical account of his years, ‘coming of age’ – a period which also happens to coincide with a time of great political and social
change in Nigeria – Titus Okereke describes a time when life seemed full of innocent and simple pleasures. This is no merenostalgia trip however. The author also takes a thoughtful and passionate look at the issues which helped to create the social and political fissures that ultimately, almost resulted in the dismemberment of the country.But as he reminds us towards the end of this highly personal account, more than half a century later, our country’s unity, as well as social and political development, continues to be undermined by many of these same problems. Throughout this compelling narrative, Okereke emerges as a credible witness to history.

Unputdownable! Our Fathers’ Land kept me awake till the wee hours of the morning. Titus Okereke, true to the ethos of his upbringing and nurture in Government College Ughelli, has put on record for posterity a riveting and objective account of his life in Warri, Ughelli, Ibadan, Lagos, Moscow, London and Biafra; and well-considered recommendations for a better Nigeria.

-Joseph J. AKPIEYI
First Managing Director of Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited &
Executive Chairman, Trithel International Consulting

Our Fathers’ Land is written in a direct, easy-flowing style, felicitous, illuminating, entertaining; a sheer delight to read. Free from the pit-falls of emotional and biased story tellers and bigots, Dr Okereke’s account of the unfortunate years of the Nigerian Civil War has the merit of being a record of events as seen by an insider.

-Ambassador Tayo OGUNSULIRE
Pioneer Nigerian Career Diplomat and Recipient of National and International Service Awards.

Okereke’s book is lucid, racy and gripping…I am amazed at his ability to recall the distant past and then create such convincing dialogue. It is a book you cannot put down once you start reading it.

-Professor I.E. SAGAY, LLB (Ife) BL, LLM, PhD, (Cambridge), SAN Itse Sagay & Co.

Okereke’s book is a witness to what an insider’s story filled with lessons from cautionary tales of how events shape decisions, especially when other paths could have been followed. More fundamental is his thesis that an early solution may well have created greater brotherly love, and which may have prevented the inclination to view the Biafran-war through a somewhat narrow prism; and this would have had implications inevitably, for the subsequent relationship between the Igbo and the rest of Nigeria.

– Ambassador (Dr.) Patrick DELE-COLE, OFR