Enugu Association commemorates Colliery Shooting
Friday, September 1, 2006
I don’t know who said that those who don’t trumpet their history read the version written by others… or maybe I just did! Well, the people of Enugu State are an example of a people who waited for far too long to beat their chest as principal pioneers of Nigerian independence from colonial Britain. So, therefore, if there is one thing you take away from Enugu Day 2006, it is the fact that Nigeria did not get its independence only on the oratorical gymnastics of Dr. Nnamdi (Zik) Azikiwe, the father of Nigerian nationalism.
The fact is that Nigeria’s independence from Britain was bloody, though not at the level of George Washington-led American struggle. No, it did not take a bloody war; but, nonetheless, it took blood—the blood of Enugu people—to trigger a national struggle.
What happened?
In 1949, Enugu coal miners demanded a better condition of service. The colonists ordered their leaders shot! Before it was over, 21 miners were dead, many were seriously wounded, and families were traumatized. The barbarity of the trigger-happy police triggered a national revulsion that energized an entire region to oust the colonists. When they left in 1960, many Nigerians thought that independence came on a platter of platinum (false!); they forgot that it took the blood of Enugu people to galvanize Nigerians.
The Enugu Colliery Shooting is commemorated with a memorial that Enugu State Association, NJ has adopted for Enugu Day 2006. On entering Enugu, from the west (Onitsha-Awka) or north (Makurdi-Nsukka) and funneling into the Coal City through the 9th Mile Corner, the stature situates at the end of the first exit from the Enugu-Onitsha Express Road. It is a memorial monument to the miners who died so we can live free and die happy. It is a reminder to generations yet unborn of the sacrifices of Enugu people, a testimony that all injustices and inequities must eventually fail. All it takes is just a few good men and women standing tall and telling the truth to the face of oppressors.
The role of coal is central in the origin of Enugu. Prior to the 1906 “discovery” of coal on the foothills of Udi Hills, not Milliken, colonial Britain had planned a functional HQ at Udi (Kpọmkwem) complete with an airstrip. The plan changed. Development efforts moved to the farmlands of Enūgwu Ngwo village. Hence, the name “Enugu” is from “Enu-ugwu” (Igbo for “Hilltop”). Ironically, the city of Enugu is largely located on a valley!
From early 1900s, Enugu has continued to contribute immensely to the political, economic, technological, and social advancement of southeastern Nigeria in particular and Nigeria in general. Long before oil became the liquid gold, the coal of Enugu was solid black gold that kept trains on track, provided fuel for the hydrothermal power at Oji River — which powered the entire East with all its industries, provided employment, sustained the city that became the heart and soul of the Igbo nation, and later became a catalyst in the struggle for independence.
Yet, for many years, communities that provided these services had no electricity, which was generated from their waters with resources mined on their lands. The people did not benefit much from coal revenues, and they did not get much access to political power to push for a better deal in the face of what was considered class-“A” injustice perpetuated by their own brethren. In all, Enugu people never resorted to violence. It was as if the Coal miners of 1949 had sacrificed enough blood to save Enugu and its people.
So the struggle continued with some dedicated leaders who understood the essence of patience even in the face of senseless provocation. Today, the sweat and blood of Enugu Coal miners have provided enough fuel to get Enugu State people this far. That is why we salute them today and forever.
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© M. O. ENÉ, 2006
The piece was published as "About the Cover" in the souvenir journal commemorating ENUGU DAY 2006 and the inauguration of Enugu State Association, NJ, Inc., Saturday August 26, 2006