Ojukwu’s push for military autonomy caused Aburi Accord collapse – Gowon
By Jeffrey Agbo
Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has said that the Aburi Accord — the final major attempt to avert the Nigerian Civil War — broke down because of Eastern Region leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s insistence on regional control of military forces.
Speaking during an interview broadcast on Arise TV on Wednesday, Gowon revealed that although both sides approached the January 1967 peace summit in Aburi, Ghana, with sincerity, Ojukwu later demanded a level of military autonomy that the federal government could not accept.
“Although we said that the military would be zoned, you know, but the control… he wanted, you know, those zones to be commanded by the governor. Say you have a military zone in the north, it would be commanded by the governor of the military in the east, it would be commanded by, you know, by him,” Gowon said.
“And, of course, we did not agree with that one,” he added.
According to Gowon, the federal delegation never intended the Aburi summit to be a forum for restructuring Nigeria’s command structure or devolving military power to the regions.
“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 is not his understanding,” he said.
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Gowon disclosed that he fell ill after returning from Aburi and was unable to immediately respond to the terms that Ojukwu publicly declared, which he said allowed for confusion and misinterpretation.
He also criticised Ojukwu for acting unilaterally in announcing the outcomes of the talks.
“Ojukwu was one who, when he came, he went and made… a statement about the Aburi Accord,” Gowon stated.
In an effort to clarify the misunderstandings, Gowon said the federal government convened a follow-up meeting in Benin City with all regional governors — but Ojukwu refused to attend.
“We had to organise that, you know, a meeting of all the governors. And he was invited to attend so that we can deal with the Accord. And we met at Nifo in Benin. And he did not turn up,” he said.
Gowon expressed regret that the disagreement could not be resolved and insisted that the federal government was willing to work within the “spirit of Aburi,” but would never accept secession or surrender national military authority to the regions.
“The only thing that I added was that no region, you know, will, you know, can secede from the country,” he said.
