Sir: On 21 June 1968, Mr Horton's contribu- tion to
the debate on Nigeria and Biafra was to claim in your columns that the Biafran leadership would never honour any cease-fire arrangements and accordingly called on Mr Wilson to step up arms supplies to Lagos. Recent events have shown that it is the Biafrans not their enemies who can be relied upon to keep truce arrangements. So I'm not at all surprised that Mr Horton (Letters, 10 January) should read evil motives in my contribution to the debate. The facts are: I. The founder of Opobo as we know it is a gentleman called Jojo of Opobo. (Some people have referred to him as Jaja but, after an examination of his papers in the summer of 1966, I'm convinced he signed himself as Jojo —an Ibo nickname for a `man of terror.') Now Jojo came originally from Amigbo, Orlu, in the heart of Ibotand.
2. Opobo people still have special links with Amigbo and exchange gifts during special festivals.
3. I do not know of any Opobo man who speaks anything but Ibo as a first language.
4. In fact, the word Ubani is Ibo. It means land of prosperity.
'Those of your readers interested in getting a clear picture of just what constitutes Iboland might wish to consult the Willink Commission report, 1958, Cmd 505.
Pembroke College, Oxford F. Iheanacho Okole
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