The Passion Of A Revolutionist

Book Title: The Twelve-Day Revolution

Author: Major Isaac Jasper Adaka Bori

Publisher: Idoko Umeh Publishers, Nigeria

Pp: 158.

By: Tamunobarabi Ibulubo

There is no pretension about it. Every word and page composition depicts that. And it is a commendable style of writing adopted by the author of the book, The Twelve-Day Revolution.

This subtle tint though compellingly forceful, keeps the reader curious to find the heroic traits of the chief character in the narration. The first person narration gives it that impetus, though limited of the account. And it is almost conversational where the narrative voice abruptly could stop either to digress or just refused to provide more information. But always it is done with an apology rendered to keep the reader-author’s contract on for the appreciation of the central issues of the revolution.  

The author reconstructs the heroic personality of Isaac Boro. He is the young Ijaw [Izon] son, most notable in Nigerian history as the person who wanted liberation at all costs, even to the point of death for the Ijaws. He turns down every attempt to bribe him to discard his dream for the Niger Delta people. It is just difficult for the reader to enjoy any room of liberty to resist, at the first instance, the biases in the narration of the issues. This is not to undermine the fact that the reader do have taste and time liberty to judge otherwise. And as the reader goes through the pages, he would be confronted with that magnitude of revolution talked about but may not succumb.

Although, rejected and vehemently opposed, the revolution still survives till this moment. Read the book to have your judgement if truly, such heroic personality could be deduced from the chief character of the book.

Isaac Boro was born in Oloibiri on 10^th September 1938. Oloibiri is the place where oil was first struck in commercial quantity located in the present Bayelsa State of Niger Delta Region in Nigeria. He grew up partly in Port Harcourt and in Kaiama, most of the time travelling with his father who was headmaster at the mission’s school.

He personally experienced gross injustice and monstrous corruption in the Nigerian system. He does not hide his anger against what he perceived as an unjust annexing of Niger Delta into the Nigeria in 1914. And he is uncomfortable with the refusal by the colonial masters to accord due consideration to the distinct characteristic of the people. So that it was obvious from the time of Nigeria political independence that Niger Delta would not always endure that unholy solemnisation. The only solace he has at the time was in Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa who gave kind consideration to Niger Delta.

So Isaac Boro started to team up with like minds. Together they find the path that leads to liberation of the region from the claws of a corrupt system. A system that is so frustrating that he said; “we are revolutionaries who want to save our people, the Ijaws, from slavery and cheating”. This is especially so because the Ijaws, the fourth largest ethnic group were denied the status enjoyed by the Hausa, Yoruba and Igbos. This is in spite of the face that lays the region lays the ‘golden egg’ that sustains Nigeria’s economy. You will read the book for yourself to get at the details. So this work will not recluse into such retelling of the story.

The book is an autobiographical rendition of the Isaac Boro’s reasons for staging the revolution which lasted for twelve days. And it was the first of such bold attempt to seek freedom from the injustice and corruption that had clogged the wheel of meaningful national growth.  Doing so, Isaac Boro with some of his faithful friends like Samuel Onwuru and Nothingham Dick who stuck with him from the beginning to the end, fought for liberation.

The first recruits were unemployed youths who had been charged to court for their inability to pay tax. They volunteered like other willing youths for the Isaac Boro-led Niger Delta Volunteer Service.

So on February 1966, the revolution started but by the 7^th March 1966, the Federal Forces had rounded them up and charged them with treason in the sixty days court trial. Isaac, Samuel and Nothingham were the “hens” before the judge, prosecutor and investigators who were “foxes”.

The book is written into sixteen chapters. There is an almost aloft nature given to the paragraphing style. If it is intentional, the effect intended is visible. They create the sequence of time, thought, plan and give a general direction to the movement felt in the narration. It does so with the most simple but expressive language that brings to the fore the import and the spirit of the story.

The book does not make any attempt at masking identity of geographical setting, characters and issues as it is common with most autobiographies. This Niger Delta son and his people feel and live in fetters. So he tries to retain his pride and live within the ambit of the law. This is evident in his dealings with the people as a school teacher at the rank of a second headmaster, a police man of a Divisional Inspector rank, a student union government leader at University of Nigeria and as a public servant with the University of Lagos as a Technical Officer. That liberation is the only option for the Ijaw people to live with pride, dignity and benefit from the resources endowed in the region is not lost in his commitment to the cause.

He is opposed by the entire system. And in response, he consults with reliable allies, a development that takes him to Togo and Ghana. But he is unable to muster the local people effectively to connect to his cause. Perhaps the time is ripe for the revolution and he is impatient with the people. He is propelled by the infamous military action of January 1966 in Nigeria that resulted in the death of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

Being privy to plans by the Igbos to take over the central government, he is apprehensive that the Ijaws might suffer further subjugation. His belief is stronger for the Niger Delta People Republic with sixteen Ijaw clans of Apoi, Tarakiri, Kabouowei, Mein, Gbaran, Okogba, Kolokuma, Ogboin, Debe, Atisa, Buseni, Kalabari, Okrika, Opubu, Opokuma and Ogbia to be free from exploitation, denigrations and daily insult. His ability to treat the most grievous circumstances with a light mind becomes his greatest asset. 

And with a hundred and fifty pounds, the total emolument he receives from the University of Lagos on request becomes the start-off fund for the revolution project. He returns home with his wife Georgeinia and his friends for the struggle.

The book does have presence of the printer’s devil. It indulges itself in engaging in an argument to debunk claims of the descent of the Ijaw people that the Igbos are their forebears. And there are a total of eight pictures clustered in chapter nine. The insert adds a reality touch to the account rendered.    

*Tamunobarabi Gogo Ibulubo, with training from FRCN/BBC and NTA College, is a journalist. He writes and some of his poems with prosaic sounds, interestingly communicate idea, vision or feeling with vivid imaginary and interplay of words.  His art is a display of an individual expression of artistic essence directed towards a popular audience.And some of them have appeared in anthologies. And his work ‘Touch the Sky’ was short listed for 2009 ANA/FUNTIME children book award. His is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Administrators and Researchers. . He has certificates and degrees in Mass Communication, Public Relations, English Education and Business Management.