The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has strongly rejected recent remarks made by former Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, asserting that the Nigerian Civil War was not targeted at the Igbo people but was rather a response to secessionist actions in 1966.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its factional Deputy President-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Ohanaeze described General Gowon’s comments as “gross misinformation” and “a blatant misrepresentation of historical fact,” calling the narrative an affront to the collective memory and dignity of the Igbo nation.
The organization emphasized that it was a moral obligation to counter what it described as “pervasive biases and distorted narratives” perpetuated by Gowon, whom it accused of being manipulated by colonial interests and the Fulani oligarchy during his time in power.
“General Gowon failed to protect the lives of Nigerians, particularly the Igbos residing in the North, during the crisis that led to the civil war,” the statement alleged. “Unimaginable atrocities were committed against the Igbo people following the 1966 Northern pogroms, pushing them into strategic self-defense in a war they did not initiate.”
Ohanaeze maintained that the truth surrounding the abandonment of the Aburi Accord must be told, arguing that the peace agreement could have averted the devastating war had it been honored.
“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judge Gowon harshly if he neglects this final opportunity to redeem himself by discarding the military mentality and outdated rhetoric of national unity,” the group stated.
The organization further alleged that the civil war was not solely a military response to secession but was influenced by British economic interests in the oil-rich Eastern Region and retaliatory motives within the Fulani political establishment.
Ohanaeze declared that God has preserved General Gowon’s life for two critical reasons: to confront his conscience by openly confessing the truth about the war and to lead a sincere reconciliation process for healing and rebuilding the Igbo nation.
“It is indeed lamentable that Gowon’s recent self-aggrandizing statements, possibly designed to sanitize his image, instead continue to perpetuate a façade that insults the deeply felt grievances of the Igbo nation,” the statement continued. “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.”
The group accused Gowon of being haunted for over five decades by an “oath of silence and military pride,” and urged him to seize this moment to set the record straight.
“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,” the statement read.
According to Ohanaeze, only a candid admission of wrongdoing and an apology to the Igbo people and Nigerians at large can lift the curses stemming from atrocities like the Asaba massacre and the tragic loss of millions of lives.
“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,” the statement concluded. “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.”
