A lecture delivered under the auspices of The Geographical Society and The Federalist Society of Nigeria (both of the University of Ibadan) at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan on 16th May 1970.

"THE Nigerian civil war was inevitable. But whilst its inevitability was clear to Ojukwu as far back as September 1966, it did not appear to have dawned on the Federal Military Government until towards the end of April 1967.  

There were forebodings, however – but only forebodings – which prompted the Federal Military Government, towards the end of 1966, to begin to make contingent military preparations for an armed showdown, which it continued to pray might never happen."