*Says “Capturing Awka Was One Of The Toughest Battles We Fought, And It Was Also The One In Which We Made The Costliest Mistakes”
Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has given fresh insight into the events that deepened the animosity between the then Military Governor of the Eastern Region, Lt.-Col. Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, and the then Head of State, Lt.-Col. Yakubu Gowon, before the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War, while also revealing the systematic duplicity of Nigeria’s political class including the disclosure that some politicians who publicly championed the cause of Chief MKO Abiola during the June 12 crisis were secretly working with the government, and that others collected money from both Abiola and his opponent, the late Bashir Tofa, during the 1993 presidential election.
The disclosures are contained in Abubakar’s 264-page autobiography titled Call of Duty, publicly presented at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, during activities marking his 84th birthday.
According to the former Head of State, Ojukwu’s refusal to recognise Gowon as Nigeria’s new leader after the killing of Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was rooted in his insistence that military hierarchy should be followed in choosing Ironsi’s successor.
Abdulsalami recalled that after the January 1966 coup led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, in which several prominent Northern leaders were killed, ethnic tension worsened across the country.
He said there were complaints among Northern officers over what they perceived as jubilation or arrogance following the killing of Northern leaders, while some also alleged that Igbo officers were being promoted above others in the military.
“There were complaints about the reported hubris over the killing of the northern leaders. Some Northern officers also complained that Igbos were being promoted above others in the military,” Abdulsalami wrote.
“Quickly anti-Igbo sentiments exploded in the North, leading to protests against Aguiyi-Ironsi, mainly in Kano, Kaduna and Jos. Riots broke out and Igbos were targeted and killed, with their properties set on fire in places like Kano, Sokoto and Kaduna. It was a disturbing period for young, passionate Nigerians like me.”
Abdulsalami said the crisis took a more dangerous turn when some senior Northern officers overthrew and killed Aguiyi-Ironsi. Following Ironsi’s death, Gowon emerged as Head of State, but Ojukwu refused to recognise his authority.
He said Ojukwu maintained that in the absence or death of Aguiyi-Ironsi, the proper person to take over should have been Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe, who was then the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters.
“Lt. Colonel Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Governor of the Eastern Region, refused to recognise the new head of state, insisting that in the absence or death of Aguiyi-Ironsi, the next in command was Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe, the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters,” he wrote.
“Ojukwu refused to pledge loyalty to Gowon. Tensions were building across the nation. Communal and ethnic clashes continued. Killings did not stop in the North and Igbos were being evacuated and returned to the East. Revenge killings also took place in the East.”
Abdulsalami said the continued killings, evacuation of Igbos from the North and retaliatory attacks in the East pushed the country closer to war.
He recalled that on May 30, 1967, Ojukwu declared the Republic of Biafra, saying he believed Igbos were being victimised and marginalised in Nigeria and that secession had become the only solution.
According to Abdulsalami, several efforts were made to stop the secession, including meetings and agreements, but none succeeded. He specifically mentioned the Aburi Accord, saying it failed to resolve the political crisis.
“All efforts to prevent secession failed. Meetings and agreements, including the famous Aburi Accord, did not serve any useful purpose. A political solution was not looking likely. Economic sanctions also failed,” he wrote.
He said Nigeria eventually went to war in 1967, with Gowon insisting on keeping the country united, and that Gowon’s famous declaration, “To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done,” became the defining slogan of the Federal side during the war.
Abdulsalami said that, looking back, he believes the Civil War could have been prevented if anger, rising tempers and retaliatory killings had not blocked opportunities for reconciliation.
“To this day, I believe that the Civil War, like most other conflicts in life, could have been prevented. I feel that rising tempers, anger, and the cycle of retaliations didn’t leave room for understanding and reconciliation,” he stated.
He said the crisis became a clash between one side seeking to break away and another insisting on preserving Nigeria’s unity and sovereignty.
