Umuahia Museum: Putting The Ugly Episode Of Nigerian Civil War Behind

Analysts say one major role of the National War Museum in Umuahia is the ability to put the ugly episode of the Nigerian Civil war behind the psyche of most Nigerians

In most recent years National Umuahia Museum is the biggest tourists’ attraction as the site attracts hundreds of people within the country and in diaspora daily to see the war artifacts on display.

Since it was commissioned in 1985, the museum has played host to many prominent Nigerians and foreigners alike, giving visitors a clue to what a war situation looked like. It is therefore seen by experts as a major way of putting the ugly episode of the Nigerian Biafra war behind.

The museum is located in a vast land at Ebite Amafor in Isingwu Autonomous Community in the Umuahia North Local Government Area. It is off Umuahia-Uzuakoli Road.

The museum was aimed at putting the ugly episode of the war behind and speeding up the process of national reconciliation and healing is strategically located at Umuahia, the capital of Abia State.

A tour of the museum kicks off from the prehistoric war section where some of the weapons that were used for war are on display after paying the enteance fee.On display are spears, shields, bows and arrows.

Metal war vests that warriors used to protect themselves are also on display. The end of the old war weapons section leads to the Nigerian Armed Forces gallery. There are the ceremonial uniforms of the army officers.

Apparently this gallery offers tutorials event of the past military leaders that were victims through black and white pictures, starting with the January 15, 1966 coup of Kaduna Nzeogwu.

From this section, one then walks to the gate of the bunker that houses the Radio Biafra of the defunct Biafran Republic. Just at the entrance is the Biafran flag: red, black and green with the rising sun in the middle.

The bunker is about 30 feet deep and on both sides of the step as one walks down are pictures of protagonists of the war from both Nigerian and Biafran sides of the divide.

One can see Inside the bunker are the transmission studio and the huge transmitter of Radio Biafra in side the bunker.

Meanwhile the bunker is about 30 feet beneath the earth surface with a perfect decoy and very difficult for any enemy aircraft to locate without any prior information, especially with the undulating hills in the area.

The bunker has two stairways for entrance and exit. The tour of this section of the museum is arranged in a way that the tourist would water through the main entrance to the bunker and exit through the back.

However, ancient weapons that have been used by the Italians during the second world war in 1943 against the safe passage of Nigeria Navy ships;

ahead throwing weapon that was used to destroy enemy sub-marine. Others are the Biafran red devil armoured personnel carrier; the famous Ogbunigwe (Ojukwu bucket) launcher.

QUOTE
“The museum was aimed at putting the ugly episode of the war behind and speeding up the process of national reconciliation and healing is strategically located at Umuahia, the capital of Abia State”.

Ebere Chibuzor