This web page was last edited on 9 October 2024, at 07:05 (UTC). This web page was last edited on 7 October 2024, at 22:Fifty six (UTC). Mrs Staindl had been to the Sydney Olympic Games opening ceremony and felt the rising patriotism again final night time. The native southern Cameroonian population felt competitive strain from largely southern Nigerian immigrants, especially the Igbos, whose perseverance and talent in trade, along with their overt celebration of success, sparked jealousy. The Igbo people make up a majority of the population in South East, Nigeria and part of the populations of the South South and the Middle Belt zones. This animosity contributed slightly to the choice of southern Cameroon to merge with Cameroon rather than Nigeria. The Igbo folks's widespread journey throughout the nation, which facilitated their success in business and commerce, also fueled anti-Igbo sentiments in southern Cameroon. While different rivalries existed, anti-Igbo sentiments were notably evident within the elections of 1954, 1957, and 1959, pushed by dissatisfaction with connections to Nigeria partly because of anti-Igbo sentiments fueled by politicians. Anti-Igbo sentiments were exacerbated by the January 1966 Nigerian coup d'état, which was led mainly by junior Igbo army officers that resulted within the deaths of several outstanding Nigerian political figures, including Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Premier of the Northern Region Sir Ahmadu Bello, each distinguished northern politicians, in addition to Premier of the Western Region Samuel Akintola, and several army officers.
