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Nigeria’s former Head of State, General (Rtd) Yakubu Gowon has declared that the country is not only surviving but thriving, 55 years after the end of the civil war.
Speaking during an exclusive interview on ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Gowon reflected on his post-war policy of “no victor, no vanquished,” defending its long-term impact on national unity and national progress.
“Well, thriving…isn’t Nigeria thriving today? Have we not gone beyond what we were 55 years ago?” he asked.
“Certainly, I did not mean that things will be absolutely perfect… but at least we have survived as a country, improving at every stage to where we are.”
Pressed on whether survival equates to genuine healing and development, Gowon insisted that the eastern region — most affected by the war — has made visible strides in recovery and growth.
“There is great progress happening in the East. I certainly did not try to stop development. Things are improving as time goes on.”
Addressing criticism over the use of oil revenue during his administration, Gowon defended his government’s handling of post-war resources. He said much of the funds generated during the oil boom were directed towards rebuilding and reintegrating affected areas.
“We ensured those resources were used for reconstruction, rehabilitation and reintegration, what we called the three Rs,” he said. We restored damaged schools, hospitals and infrastructure in the East and other affected parts of the country.”
On the 1975 “cement scandal,” in which excessive cement orders allegedly overwhelmed Nigeria’s port capacity, he dismissed the narrative as false and misinformed.
“That was virtually before my overthrow. There was a global shortage of cement and a glut of shipping.We tried to secure cement from several countries but couldn’t. People assumed we ordered more than our ports could handle, but that was a false allegation.”
Asked on how he would like to be remembered, he said,
“I want to be remembered as someone who loves his country, Nigeria, who loves Nigerians and who prays that if I cannot fight it, at least I can pray for Nigeria to continue to be a country that all of us would love.”
The elder statesman ended on a light note, referencing news that US President Donald Trump might advocate visa bans for Nigerians.
“Well, today I heard that Trump says that Nigeria might be one of those countries that they are going to deny visa. So it meant I cannot go to America anymore. Well, it means that I should try to make my country better than America so that I can stay in Nigeria.”
Credit: Arise News
Meanwhile, The Cable had also captured part of the interviews, especially on the Aburi accord collapse, when Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu wanted regional governors to control military zones as alleged by General Gowon:
Gowon was Nigeria’s military ruler from 1966 until 1975 when he was deposed in a bloodless coup. Ojukwu was military governor of the eastern region in that span. In an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Gowon narrated what transpired after the agreement was reached in Aburi, a town in Ghana.
Background
The meeting that led to the accord took place from January 4 to 5, 1967, with delegates from both sides of the divide making inputs. The goal was to resolve the political impasse threatening the country’s unity. The point of the agreement was that each region should be responsible for its own affairs.
During the meeting, delegates arrived at certain resolutions on control and structure of the military. However, the exact agreement reached was the subject of controversy. The failure of the Aburi accord culminated in Nigeria’s civil war, which lasted from July 6, 1967, to January 15, 1970.
‘I Don’t Know Where Ojukwu Got It From’
Speaking on what transpired after the agreement, Gowon said the resolutions should have been discussed further and finalised.The ex-military leader said he took ill after arriving in Nigeria from Aburi and that Ojukwu went on to make unauthorised statements about the accord. Gowon said he did not know where Ojukwu got his version of the agreement from.
“We just went there (Aburi), as far as we were concerned, to meet as officers and then agree to get back home and resolve the problem at home. That was my understanding. But that was not his (Ojukwu) understanding,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I know people would not believe it, I was having a serious attack of some kind of fever or whatever it was, and I could not make a decision when we arrived home.
“It was Ojukwu who made some statements about the Aburi accord.”He added that a follow-up meeting to clarify the issues in the agreement was scheduled for Benin City, with invitations sent to Ojukwu and other regional governors. Gowon said Ojukwu declined the invitation, citing safety concerns.
“I don’t know what accord he (Ojukwu) was reading because he came to the meeting with prepared papers of things he wanted, and of course, we discussed them one by one. Agreed on some and disagreed on some,” Gowon added.
“For example, to give one of the major issues, we said that the military would be zoned, but the control… he wanted those zones to be commanded by the governor.
“When you have a military zone in the north, it would be commanded by the governor of the military in the north, the military zone in the east would be commanded by him. Of course, we did not agree with that one.” Ojukwu died on November 26, 2011 at the age of 78.
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