A fresh historical crossfire erupted on Wednesday over the cause of Nigeria’s Civil War, as former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.), blamed the late Biafran leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, for the collapse of the 1967 Aburi Peace Accord that eventually led to the civil war.
The allegation was swiftly rejected by the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
In an interview on Arise TV, Gowon claimed Ojukwu’s insistence on regional military control scuttled the agreement.
Ohanaeze, however, fired back, accusing Gowon of rewriting history and reneging on a deal meant to avert war.
The group insisted that it was Gowon’s refusal to honour the terms of the accord, documented and archived, that directly triggered the conflict that claimed millions of lives.
Gowon in the interview had stated that the collapse of the 1967 Aburi Accord was due to the late Ojukwu’s insistence on military control by regional governments in the country.
The former military ruler said the late IPOB leader’s request was denied by the Federal Government, noting that the meeting was to be a peace deal, rather than for restructuring or discussions on the devolution of military powers
“Although we said that the military would be zoned, but the control… he wanted those zones to be commanded by the governor.
“We just went there as far as we are concerned to be able to meet as officers now, and then to agree to be able to get back home and resolve a problem at home. That was my understanding. But that was not his understanding,” he said.
Gowon said he was down with a fever upon his return from the meeting in Ghana and was unable to address the nation, an opportunity Ojukwu seized and gave a broadcast where he made pronouncements that were contrary to the agreements reached.
“Unfortunately I was having a serious attack of a kind of fever or whatever it is, and I could not make a decision. Ojukwu was one who, when he came, he went and made… a statement about the Aburi Accord,” Gowon said.
However, before he died in 2011, Ojukwu had countered Gowon’s narrative, stating that those at the meeting were planning to deny the contents of the accord, causing him to preemptively make the announcement.
Gowon also stated that he had not intended for the war to be targeted at the Igbo, but rather to stop Nigeria from breaking up, noting that he had issued specific directives for the officers under his command to only take up arms against those who did the same.
“From the beginning, I made sure that it was not a war against the Igbo as such, it was to stop the breaking up of Nigeria.
“So what I did, I gave a code of conduct on how the operations were to go.
“You are not fighting the people, make sure you protect the people, protect the women and children, and you will only take up arms against those who take up arms and anything that was done against the population that was not correct will be dealt with.
“We tried to send leaflets to people, to be sure that honestly, it is not a fight against them, but to stop the union from breaking,” he said.
He further stated that Nigeria was in a much better place than it was 55 years ago, noting that the country was thriving, including the Eastern region, which suffered the most during the war.
“Isn’t Nigeria thriving today? Have we not gone beyond what we were 55 years ago? Certainly, I did not mean that things will be absolutely perfect… but at least, we have survived as a country, improving at every stage to where we are.
“There is great progress happening in the East. I certainly did not try to stop development. Things are improving as time goes on,” Gowon said.
Speaking on the coup that brought him to power, Gowon said his colleagues in the military at the time chose him to rule, despite being junior in rank, with the belief that he could unite the country.
He said they were looking for who would unite the country after two military coups that led to the deaths of Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and General Aguiyi Ironsi.
Gowon also stated that he had foreknowledge of the military coup that ousted him in 1975 but chose not to act on the information, as he was only concerned about Nigeria’s broader interests.
The nonagenarian narrated how he was alerted by trusted sources that elements within his administration were planning to overthrow him, while attending a summit of the defunct Organisation of African Unity in Kampala, Uganda.
“I knew about the plan. I was told it was going to happen by a special group. I didn’t bother to find out who they were. I was only told two names very close to me, and I wasn’t surprised,” he said.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, reacting through the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ikechukwu Oji, insisted that Gowon was the one who reneged on the Aburi Peace Accord, adding that it was quite surprising that the former military head of state was attempting to rewrite history by giving a wrong account of events that happened during the time.
Oji in a telephone interview with our correspondent said the Aburi Peace Accord was signed and the specific terms and conditions were stated in a document that was available in the archive.
He blamed the war on Gowon, saying that the Aburi Accord was agreed to douse tension and stop the impending war, but the former head of state came back from Aburi and was wrongly advised by some international bodies and locals.
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