Elder statesman and President of the Osisioma Foundation, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, has urged Nigeria’s former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd.), to use the twilight of his life to make peace with God and humanity by publicly acknowledging the truth about the Nigerian Civil War, particularly his alleged dealings with Britain.
In a statement on Wednesday, Obidigbo, who described himself as a close associate of the late Biafran leader Lt.
Colonel Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, expressed deep concern over what he termed “confusing and contradictory public statements” recently made by Gowon regarding the causes of the war.
Referring to comments made by Gowon in media interviews, where he claimed that the collapse of the Aburi Accord and Ojukwu’s insistence on regional military command led to war, Obidigbo dismissed the explanation as “absolute hogwash.” He said it was time Gowon stopped rewriting history and began telling the whole truth.
“Though Gowon may not have personally wanted the war, it was the British and Fulani interests that compelled him to renege on the Aburi Accord,” Obidigbo said.
“Until he makes these facts public, his soul may not find peace.”
He alleged that British diplomats and Shell Petroleum representatives, prior to the Biafran declaration, attempted to persuade Ojukwu to secede, assuring him of support and the payment of oil royalties in the event of a split.
According to Obidigbo, Ojukwu resisted these pressures, telling the British High Commissioner, Mr. Parker, and others that the Igbo people were too integrated within Nigeria to justify secession and that the East lacked the arms and resources for war.
“Ojukwu never wanted secession. He only wanted to ensure the safety and dignity of his people,” Obidigbo said.
He accused Gowon of continuing to “hide behind false narratives” instead of acknowledging the external pressures and internal contradictions that led to the conflict. “It’s unfortunate that at this point in his life, he is still trying to justify a war that led to mass genocide against the Igbo people,” he said.
Obidigbo further argued that Gowon’s recent public statements are reopening old wounds and harming national healing. He compared the British role in the Biafran blockade and genocide to the current criticism Britain directs at Israel, calling the contrast hypocritical.
“It is ironic that the same Britain that supported genocide and blockade against Biafra now cries out about Israel’s actions in Gaza,” he said.
He also questioned Gowon’s failure to provide solutions to the current insecurity in the Middle Belt, especially in his native Plateau and Benue axis, noting that the former leader has failed to take a stand or offer guidance.
“Rather than address the ongoing bloodshed in his region, he is focused on revisiting a painful chapter of our history—one that he mismanaged with naivety and under foreign influence,” he said.
Obidigbo urged Gowon to document his experiences truthfully, just as former Military President Ibrahim Babangida did in his autobiography, “A Journey in Service.”
He lamented that Gowon, who rose to lead the country at a young and inexperienced age, seems determined to leave behind a legacy of denial rather than reflection.
“General Gowon must realise that the time for historical whitewashing is over. He owes it to Nigerians, to history, and to God, to speak the truth and seek reconciliation,” he said.
