Gowon’s distortion of facts

 by AKUTA CHINEDU

This is in response to statements credited to ex-Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), during a post-humous award ceremony for the tripod of Nigeria’s independence and First Republic leaders, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
According to a national newspaper, Gowon said Igbo leader and Biafran warlord, the late Gen. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu would have succeeded in ruling the country if he had not been checkmated when he declared the Republic of Biafra and consequently triggered the civil war in 1967.
The former head of state, who came to power during the second military putsch on July 29, 1966 and ruled till July 29, 1975 when his regime was toppled in another coup that led to the installation of the late Gen. Murtala Muhammed, spoke against the background of a documentary on the fratricidal war shown at the ceremony.
Reliving some of the events of the civil war fought between July 6, 1967 and January 12, 1970, Gowon described it as a needless war and one never to be wished for again; adding that the war would not have arisen if Odumegwu-Ojukwu had not severed the eastern part from the rest of the country.
“If there was no secession by the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu, there would not have been war. We tried all we could to avoid going to war. At the Aburi meeting (held in Ghana in January to forestall the imminent war), all that was demanded by Ojukwu, including my position, were granted. But his secession bid led to the war. If Ojukwu had not done what he did, he would have been a Nigerian and not Biafran leader. Nigerians and, indeed, the children who suffered during the war, should forgive us,” Gowon said.
Since the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Gowon has made two conflicting statements. In all, he tried to twist facts about the civil war, all in an attempt to portray Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu as the aggressor. This is unacceptable.
First, I wonder why Gowon has chosen to make conflicting statements about the events that happened before and during the war, only after Odumegwu-Ojukwu had died. The question is, why didn’t he make these statements when Odumegwu-Ojukwu was alive, since both of them were the two principal actors?
Indeed, Gowon should have been kind enough to tell his audience the true reasons behind the war. The author, having gone through the Aburi meeting records, could not see where Odumegwu-Ojukwu asked for Gowon’s position; so, why would he say such things? Besides, who jettisoned the Aburi Accord – Gowon or Ojukwu? Nigerians cannot be deceived. Be it known to all Nigerians that part of our problems today is the non-implementation of the Aburi Accord by the Gowon administration. Gowon should publicly accept responsibilities for the civil war.
For the records, the war was imposed on the Igbo. Biafra was the only beacon of hope for all fleeing Igbo then. If Gowon was concerned, why didn’t he stop the pogrom in the North then? Why did he impose food blockade during the war and even after the war? What did he do about the abandoned properties? What about the policy/punishment of giving every Igbo person only 20 pounds, even if the person(s) had millions in bank accounts?
Someone should tell Gowon to stop twisting facts, if only not to reopen the wounds of the civil war.