Still on Gowon

Few days ago, General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd) launched his biography which contained his contributions to nation building. Expectedly, the Civil War years featured prominently. That has been the focus of people who either read the book or the excerpts.

 Some of us in the critical segment of our population believe in some core values. One of them is that there is need to create a culture where everyone tells his or her story, because there are always rich lessons to take from them. It is more so when those who get to the pinnacle of “success,” including leaders, choose to do so. No account is bad, no matter the degree of embellishments.

 The white world does well on this account but the black is yet to start. Gowon did well by writing, but it came very late and that has subtracted from the value addition that would have come from the publication. Imagine if the General told his story while most of the other dramatic personalities involved during the era he wrote about were still alive. Most of them are gone.

Gowon acknowledged mutiny in the armed forces around 1966 leading to coup and counter coup. There was hierarchy and the military thrived on hierarchy and discipline yet Gowon became Head of State well and above his peers. Plain Truth is when we break rules, throw away morality we open small holes for deadly ants and insects to come in. So the whole place becomes uninhabitable. It is possible we would not have experienced pogroms and civil war that followed. Below is what my friend Innocent Nwankwo thinks and it makes sense. Read on…

That he, Gowon, “did all things possible to avert the war. Sought all available avenues seeking for peace.” Tell Gowon to have mercy upon himself on the volume of lies he had spewed. And continues to spew.

Lest we forget: Ojukwu, Ejoor, Adebayo, Usman-Katsina and Gowon were in Accra and Aburi at the instance of General Ankrah of Ghana to explore peaceful means to end the Nigerian crises of 1966 into 1967. Gowon had Solomon Akenzua, a Federal Permanent Secretary as his lead aide. Ahmed Joda and Ali Akilu, also Permanent Secretaries, were in the Federal entourage.

Ojukwu had Dr Okigbo and Jerome Udoji on his side. After long and cordial deliberations, both sides reached agreement virtually on everything.

•Firstly, Gowon agreed to declare the fate and whereabouts of Gen Aguiyi-Ironsi.

•It was agreed that persons of the Nigerian Armed Forces should pull back to their regions of origin, allowing tensions to cool. And for trust and confidence to be restored.

•That the relocated officers and men would continue to be paid from the Federal Consolidated Revenue Fund.

•In the same vein, relocated Federal civilian officials shall continue to be under the Federal payroll system.

 •The Supreme Military Council shall maintain a rotatory collegiate system in appointing Heads of State for two-year intervals such that the position must rotate among the four regions to remove fear, doubts and consolidate unity and the Federal Spirit.

* That every region should control its mineral resources and must yield 50 percent derivative funds to the centre for common services such as the External Affairs, monetary system, customs, immigration and the likes.

* That the regions shall maintain their armies under separate commands. That the governors shall be the executive authority over the regional armies with respective Commanding Generals.

*In the event of an external war, the armies would congregate under a General Officer Commanding. Decisions taken must win the acceptance of the Regional Officers commanding. The General Officer Commanding shall have no fiat or reserved executive powers.

*That issues or disagreements must be mutually and peacefully resolved. There shall be no resort to armed conflict resolution or war in matters of Nigerian internal crises.

*That the appointment and promotion of Federal Permanent Secretaries shall be made in consultation and consensus and the concordance of the Supreme Military Council.

And so many other protocols agreed upon.

 Upon return to Lagos, foreign and local advisers blamed Gowon for agreeing to the points. Solomon Akenzua who was also at Aburi was prodded to write a memo advising  that Gowon repudiates the Aburi Accord having explored its full extents and interpretations. Teslim Elias, the Attorney General attached his own memo to Akenzua’s inferring that Gowon had signed for confederation by other means.

* The British High Commissioner, Sir David Hunt, had also interpreted that Gowon had signed away Nigeria.

That was when Gowon began to footdrag. Excepting announcing the death of General Aguiyi-Ironsi, Gowon never touched any of the agreed points of Aburi. The returned officers and men in the Eastern Region were denied salaries.

Ojukwu waited, asking questions. Gowon kept mute. At this point, Gowon rather convened a Consultative Assembly of notables at Benin. They were charged to “suggest peaceful avenues to resolving the crisis.” But In reality, the assembly was a talkshop of cacophonies. Endless weeks were spent on procedural protocols. No real matter was discussed.

It was discovered that Gowon constituted the Assembly as a diversionary tactic while he recruited and amassed weapons for a possible war.  In no time, Gowon prorogued the Assembly accusing them of simply wasting time.

At this juncture, Ojukwu published the Aburi Accord and transmitted the taped edition over the air. Concluding that on “Aburi we Stand.”

Having Aburi so published, Gowon began to deny all the agreed points. Everything was denied.

Instead of the agreed collegiate Head of State rotation, Gowon with Decree 8 arrogated to himself the title and powers of Supreme Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces. He tucked the Regional Commands under his purview. Ojukwu began to be accused of “intransigience.”

It became very clear that Gowon was going to use war to resolve the crisis against the tenets of Aburi. Recruitments and arms purchases were heightened. Deliveries were continually air freighted into Kaduna.

It must be remembered that having seized power using Theophilus Y. Danjuma and Murtala Muhammad as arrowheads, Gowon had consistently hidden under a disarming visage to appear as a dove. Whereas he choreographed the plot behind the curtains.

This catalogue of lies he published now was left fallow until Ojukwu had safely left the Earth scene. But most of us alive are conversant with the perennial Gowonian lies as they debut.

It is our duty to repudiate them and situate the historical facts as the occasions demand. We await further chapters of the same!