From Okwe Obi, Abuja
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and elder statesman, Dr Chike Obidigbo, has advised Nigeria’s former military Head of State, Retired General Yakubu Gowon, to explain his dealings with Britain during the civil war.
Obidigbo noted that as a Christian, the pursuit of such ends should be uppermost in Gowon’s heart at this point in his life’s journey. He regretted that shortly after former military president Ibrahim Babangida, released his autobiography “A Journey in Service,” Gowon had been making confusing and contradictory public statements about Nigeria’s civil war that tend to inspire hate rather than heal the country.
Recall that the Zaria-born former Head of State had, in the course of appearances on national television, talked about the genesis of the Nigeria versus Biafra civil war.
Gowon had pointed out that the collapse of the Aburi Accord and Lt Colonel Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s insistence on regional military command led to the war, adding that at the time of the meeting he had a fever and did not know how Ojukwu cornered him into signing what he did not agree with.
But, describing Gowon’s explanations as absolute hogwash, the President of Osisioma Foundation remarked that at his age, Gowon should be telling Nigerians the truth and nothing but the truth about the war, just as Babangida did.
“One thing Gowon should be very clear about is the truth. Though Gowon may not have wanted the war, forces beyond him, particularly British and Fulani interests, compelled him to renege on the agreement entered at Aburi.
“And, until the former head of state makes these facts known through public confession, his soul may not experience peace. Those of us who happened to be a little close to the then Governor of Eastern Region, Lt Colonel Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, knew that Ojukwu never ever wanted that war.
“Ojukwu never wanted Biafra to secede from Nigeria. He made this very clear to a team from the British Embassy in Lagos led by the then British High Commissioner in Enugu, Mr Parker, alongside the representatives of Shell Petroleum, who visited him shortly before the declaration of Biafra.
“They tried everything possible to convince Ojukwu to secede. Ojukwu gave them three reasons why Biafra cannot secede. One was that the Igbo, being very itinerant people, needed the space provided by Nigeria to ply their trade.
“Secondly, he told his visitors that the Eastern Region did not have the weapons and armament to prosecute a war, adding that the cohesion in the then Nigerian military would make it odd for the soldiers to confront each other in a war,” Obidigbo narrated.
He pointed out that while the same British were compelling Gowon to reject the Aburi agreement, they made some offers to Ojukwu through the British High Commissioner and representatives of Shell.
“Britain assured Ojukwu that they will talk Nigeria out of any plan to fight Biafra if Ojukwu agrees to secede. They disclosed that the huge arrears of royalties accruable to Nigeria from Shell would be paid to Ojukwu in case of any eventuality.
“That Gowon is still hiding these facts is very unfair and very unfortunate. As a Christian, he should stop telling lies and come out plain with the truth of what transpired so that God and humanity will forgive him and create a good passage for him in the journey into eternity,” the elder statesman stated.
While reiterating that Colonel Ojukwu never caused the war, Obidigbo said Gowon’s naivety, coupled with the insistence of Britain and Fulani elements in Nigeria, forced him to rely on the deceptive false promises of imperialist agents to plunge the country into war.
“Ojukwu informed Gowon that the security of life and property of his people can no longer be guaranteed in Nigeria, stressing that since Nigeria was not ready to go into destruction, let us go our separate ways.
“It is the same Gowon that brought the war down to us and did everything possible with the help of the British to cause massive genocide, such that if it was possible, they would have cleared out everything Igbo on the face of the earth.
“It is ironical that the same British that caused total genocide and blockade against Biafra are crying out that Israel is visiting genocide on Palestinians,” he lamented.
Obidigbo wondered why the former Head of State could not admit that he was a mere puppet of his British and Fulani masters and apologise for his mistakes, instead of opening up old wounds.
He stated, “I think Gowon is doing much harm to himself with his recent public utterances. He should be advised to use the remaining days of his life to package his reputation properly.
“It is regrettable that a man who presided over the affairs of this country at a very young age could not, with the benefit of hindsight, admit that he was naïve and unprepared for the onerous task that was thrust on him.
“He was ill-prepared for the task of managing the affairs of the multi-ethnic new republic that was still held on the juggler by the exiting colonial masters.
“Now, instead of documenting his experiences in a book form, just like Babangida did, Gowon has continued to embarrass himself further by making unsubstantiated claims when most of his fellow actors are no longer available to rebut his claims.
“Some people have pointed out that Gowon’s naivety brought the civil war upon Nigeria. His recent utterances seem to underscore the point that he was indeed an accidental leader bereft of purpose or creative ideas to build a nation.
“Nigerians are yet to hear Gowon’s suggestions for addressing the endless bloodletting in his Benue Plateau axis. Rather, he prefers to take Nigerians back to the painful past which was a major contributor to the missed opportunities for genuine and enduring statecraft.”
