The apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has firmly rejected former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon’s recent claim that the Nigerian Civil War was not targeted at the Igbo people.
Gowon, now 91, had insisted the war was a reaction to secession, not an attack against a people. Ohanaeze responded sharply, accusing him of distorting historical truth and insulting the memory of the millions lost.
In a statement signed by its Deputy President-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Ohanaeze described Gowon’s remarks as “gross misinformation and a blatant misrepresentation of historical fact.”
The group called his narrative an “affront to the collective memory and dignity of the Igbo nation.” It said Gowon’s comments gloss over the lived horror of the civil war and the massacres that preceded it.
The group blamed colonial influence and Fulani oligarchy for manipulating Gowon during his rule. It insisted that the pogroms following the 1966 Northern riots forced the Igbo into a war they neither desired nor initiated.
“Unimaginable atrocities were committed against the Igbo people following the 1966 Northern riots,” the statement read. “They were pushed into a position of strategic self-defence.”
Aburi Accord and the Path Not Taken
Ohanaeze urged General Gowon to reflect on his military actions and the betrayal of peace efforts such as the Aburi Accord.
The group argued that abandoning the accord—agreed upon in Ghana by Nigerian and Biafran delegates—paved the way for war.
“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judge Gowon harshly if he neglects this final opportunity to redeem himself by discarding the military mentality and outdated rhetoric of national unity,” the group said.
It further stated that the war was not merely about preserving national integrity 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.”
The Call for Truth and Reconciliation
Ohanaeze said that Gowon has been kept alive by divine providence to seek forgiveness and reconciliation.
They urged him to unburden himself by telling the truth and leading a national effort to heal the wounds of the past.
“Rather than embrace this moment for healing, he has insulted the memories of the three million innocent Igbo civilians who lost their lives,” the statement read.
The Igbo group described Gowon’s silence as a torment of the soul, urging him to “confront his conscience and abandon the falsehoods surrounding this grave chapter of Nigeria’s history.”
Time Is Running Out, Says Ohanaeze
The group warned that time is short for the former military leader. It urged his close allies to encourage him to speak up before it is too late.
They also drew attention to atrocities like the Asaba massacre and insisted that “the curses resulting from the atrocities committed must be lifted.”
“The painful repercussions of Gowon’s actions continue to resonate today, affecting even communities in the Middle Belt,” Ohanaeze said.
The group concluded that the world is watching and history waits—urging General Gowon to “rise to the occasion for the sake of posterity.
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