The declaration of the Republic of Biafra in May, 1967 was an attempt at

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks what the declaration of the Republic of Biafra in May 1967 was an attempt at. We need the word that best describes the action.

Step 2: Recall the background

• On 30 May 1967, Lt. Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, then Military Governor of the Eastern Region, declared the Eastern Region an independent state called the Republic of Biafra.
• This followed the 1966 coups, the killings of Igbo people in northern Nigeria, and the failure of the Aburi Accord (January 1967).
• The declaration led to the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970).

Step 3: Understand the key concept Secession means the formal withdrawal of a region or group from a larger political union or country. Biafra was an attempt by the Eastern Region to break away from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Step 4: Evaluate the options

• A. Creation: a new state was indeed proclaimed, but "creation" is too general and does not capture the political act of breaking away.
• B. Division: this describes the result in a loose sense, but it is not the technical term for a region withdrawing.
• C. Rehabilitation: this means restoring or rebuilding. It matches the post-war programme (the 3Rs), not the declaration.
• D. Secession: correct. It is the withdrawal of a region from the federation.
• E. Unification: this is the opposite of what happened.

Answer: D. Secession

Exam tip: Whenever you see a region trying to break away and form its own independent country, think "secession." Link it with the key terms: Ojukwu, Aburi Accord, 30 May 1967, Gowon's 12 states (27 May 1967). Do not confuse secession (breaking away) with succession (taking over from someone).