Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has given insight into the cause of the animosity between the then governor of the Eastern Region, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, and the then Head of State, Yakubu Gowon.

The revelation is contained in the autobiography of General Abubakar, titled “Call of Duty,” which was publicly presented on his 84th birthday in Abuja weekend.

According to the autobiography, Ojukwu, who was the governor of the Eastern Region at the time, had insisted on observance of military hierarchy in the choice of who should succeed Major General Aguiyi Ironsi after his brutal murder by Northern military officers in retaliation for the Kaduna Nzeogwu January 1966 coup, which saw prominent Northern leaders killed.

Recalling some of the reasons behind the ethnic tension in the country, Abubakar said: “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.

“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.

“Some senior Northern officers in the military thereafter overthrew and killed Aguiyi-Ironsi. Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon became the new head of state. But the crisis was just gathering pace.

“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.

“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.

Declaration of Biafra

“On 30 May 1967, Ojukwu announced that Igbos would leave Nigeria for good to form their own country. He felt they were being victimised and marginalised in Nigeria and that the only solution was to secede. He declared the Republic of Biafra.

Civil war: Why Ojukwu refused to recognize Gowon as head of state — Abdulsalami Abubakar

“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. We eventually went to war in 1967. Gowon insisted on one indivisible country. His famous mantra was: ‘To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done.’ His name became an acronym: Go On With One Nigeria, GOWON.

Civil war could have been prevented

“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.

“There was one side wanting to break away and the other insisting on maintaining the unity and sovereign integrity of the country. A lot of argument has been made about the fact that our leaders were very young and hot blooded. Whatever the case, I want to believe we learned valuable lessons from the war.

“I want to hedge a bet that we would never go to war again. We have a bitter experience to learn from. I would also say we were lucky as a country to survive the war. We were able to reconcile and make peace. Those who felt they were being marginalised eventually returned to the fold.”

General Abubakar recalled what he described as the costliest mistake made by Nigerian troops that claimed some lives after capturing Awka in Anambra State.

“Capturing Awka in present-day Anambra State was one of the toughest battles we fought. It was also the one in which we made the costliest mistakes.

“When we captured Onitsha in February 1968, Colonel Muhammed, our division commander, felt we were done and dusted.

He believed victory was already assured. Believing the war was over, he lined up vehicles and asked us to move with all our troops and ammunition. It was a tactical miscalculation. Indeed, it was an error. We didn’t know the Biafrans had other plans, attacking us with rocket fire and bombs. Our vehicles caught fire.

“The tankers supplying us with fuel for our operational vehicles also exploded. It was a most terrifying scene. Many soldiers died. I was lucky to escape. (Vanguard)

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