Ohanaeze mounts pressure on Gowon to apologise for Civil War, insists he broke Aburi Accord that would have prevented the carnage
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
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“Ohanaeze’s unwavering advice to General Gowon is straightforward and urgent; as time passes, he must cease his evasive tactics, confront his conscience, and abandon the falsehoods surrounding this grave chapter of Nigeria’s history.
“With only limited time remaining, it is imperative that he speaks the unvarnished truth and seeks forgiveness from the Igbo people and Nigerians at large.
“The curses resulting from the atrocities committed, such as the Asaba massacre, and the tragic toll of three million lives must be lifted.
“The painful repercussions of Gowon’s actions continue to resonate today, affecting even communities in the Middle Belt, where violence perpetrated by Fulani militias persists.
“This is a poignant moment for his associates to create yet another opportunity for him to come forward, unburden himself, and speak the truth.
“The world is watching and waiting for General Gowon to rise to the occasion for the sake of posterity” – Ohanaeze
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Ohanaeze Ndigbo has mounted new pressure on Yakubu Gowon to come clean and apologise for the atrocities of the Civil War, instead of continuing to perpetuate the falsehood that the genocide was not targeted at the Igbo.
Ohanaeze said Gowon’s recent claim that it was Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and his fellow secessionists who revolted against the Nigerian government in 1967 is gross misinformation, misrepresentation of historical fact, and an affront to the collective memory and dignity of the Igbo.
Gowon, in his attempt to rewrite history and rehabilitate himself, alleged on national television earlier this month that it was Ojukwu who scuttled the Aburi Accord signed between the two men in Ghana to prevent the Civil War that raged between 1967 and 1970.
Gowon did not apologise for his failings and of those of his troops during the war, which he commanded, despite years of demand for him to show remorse. He rather doubled down on blaming Ojukwu in the television interview.
Before the latest pushback by Ohanaeze, Senator Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central) countered Gowon about two weeks ago, stressing that his refusal to implement the Aburi Accord directly triggered the devastating the war, and demanded he apologise to the Igbos and all Nigerians.
In the backstory, the Northern riots in January 1966 exploded into the Igbo massacre in the North and across the South West, and culminated in the Civil War in the South East, which all led to the death of over six million Igbos overall, including non-combatant men, women, and children.
Gowon’s latest self-justification came after Ojukwu insisted that it was Gowon who failed to keep the Aburi Accord, as narrated in a book Ojukwu Exile, Diplomacy And Survival published in 2024 by Kanayo Esinulo, a former journalist at The Guardian.
Before Esinulo’s stint at The Guardian, he was Ojukwu’s personal assistant, fled with him to exile in Ivory Coast (now Cote d’Ivoire) in 1970 and remained there with the Biafran warlord until Ojukwu and all his retinue returned to Nigeria in 1982.
Ohanaeze issued a statement on Sunday stressing that it is a moral obligation for Gowon, now 90, to address the pervasive biases and distorted narratives perpetuated by him during and after the war, having been manipulated by colonial powers and the Fulani oligarchy.
The statement, signed by Ohanaeze Deputy President-General Okechukwu Isiguzoro, accused Gowon of failure to protect the lives of Nigerians, especially Igbos, living in the North during the conflict which pressaged the war.
Isiguzoro recounted that unimaginable atrocities were committed against Igbos following the 1966 Northern riots, which pushed them into a position of strategic self-defence, a response to a war they did not initiate against the Nigerian government.
“The grievous narrative that General Gowon has chosen to propagate must be corrected. History will judge Gowon harshly if he neglects this final opportunity to redeem himself by discarding the military mentality and outdated rhetoric of national unity,” Isiguzoro said.
“He must have the courage to disclose the truth about the influences that led him to abandon the Aburi Accord, a peace agreement that could have averted the tragic escalation of the Nigeria/Biafra War.
“Gowon’s military aggression toward the Igbo was not merely a reaction to secessionist desires but a strategically calculated action driven by British economic interests in the oil-rich Eastern region of Biafra and the retaliatory motives of the Fulani oligarchy.
Isiguzoro stressed that God Almighty has granted Gowon continued life for two significant purposes, first, to surrender to his conscience and seek God’s forgiveness, summoning his moral courage to openly confess his misdeeds and provide an accurate account of the Civil War; second, to facilitate healing by leading efforts toward reconciliation and reconstruction for the Igbo people.
“It is indeed lamentable that Gowon’s recent self-aggrandising statements, possibly designed to sanitise his image, instead continue to perpetuate a façade that insults the deeply felt grievances of the Igbo nation.
“Rather than embrace this moment for personal and national healing, he has insulted the memories of the three million innocent Igbo civilians who lost their lives during the civil war.
“His military pride and an oath of silence have tormented him for over five decades, leading to a deeply personal struggle that he must now confront.
“Ohanaeze’s unwavering advice to General Gowon is straightforward and urgent; as time passes, he must cease his evasive tactics, confront his conscience, and abandon the falsehoods surrounding this grave chapter of Nigeria’s history.
“With only limited time remaining, it is imperative that he speaks the unvarnished truth and seeks forgiveness from the Igbo people and Nigerians at large.
“The curses resulting from the atrocities committed, such as the Asaba massacre, and the tragic toll of three million lives must be lifted.
“The painful repercussions of Gowon’s actions continue to resonate today, affecting even communities in the Middle Belt, where violence perpetrated by Fulani militias persists.
“This is a poignant moment for his associates to create yet another opportunity for him to come forward, unburden himself, and speak the truth.
“The world is watching and waiting for General Gowon to rise to the occasion for the sake of posterity.”
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