Obasanjo also noted that the conditions that triggered the Biafra war between 1967 and 1970 remain largely unresolved.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has noted that many of the conditions that led to the Biafra war in 1967 remain largely “unresolved”, warning that Nigeria may not survive another civil war.
The ex-Nigerian leader made this known on Wednesday when receiving a historical publication titled ‘Asaba Massacre’ from the Isama Ajie of Asaba, Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.
While commenting on the document detailing the killing of civilians in Asaba during the Nigerian Civil War, Obasanjo said that despite fighting in the war, he was not in charge of that specific area.
Reflecting on what transpired during the war, he stated that he could not give a detailed account of the Asaba killings because the military operations there were headed by the late Murtala Muhammed.
“The conditions that led to the Nigerian civil war years ago still remain unresolved.
“I was involved in the civil war, but whenever people ask me about the Asaba massacre, I always tell them I cannot give details because Murtala Muhammed was responsible for operations in that area,” Obasanjo said.
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He went on to say he had previously been asked similar questions, maintaining that he was not in a position to answer them.
Recalling a remark by former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, Obasanjo said Nigeria might not survive another civil war.
“I was with a colleague when General Yakubu Gowon said, ‘We will not survive a second civil war as a country.’ I believe we have fought one civil war too many already.
“So, to say that we will have a second civil war, God forbid. We must get ourselves to know some of what happened, and to say, yes, we condemn what happened that should not have happened, and then make sure that we do everything humanly possible to prevent its recurrence,” he said.
