He said Nigeria was still struggling to come to terms with the suffering of the 1967 conflict when the south-east tried to establish the state of Biafra.
Parks and suburbs in East Africa towns bear the name Biafra - one, in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, is known especially for its potent local brew, he says.
Just five months before Biafra broke away he was arguing for a looser federation, and he got the promise of it, even though his fellow military governors soon backtracked, realising they had been outwitted.
The version of the Misfits' Green Hell is quite possibly the fastest song ever, with James giving even Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys fame a run for his money as the angry guitars spit out riffs like machine-gun fire.