A nascent group, The Founders of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have responded to the comments of the former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, on the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, saying that he (Gowon) was the originator and cause of the unrest that claimed the lives of over three million Biafrans.
Gowon in his 90th birthday interview blamed the South East region for an attempt to secede from Nigeria, which he (Gowon) said brought about his supervised massacre of over three million Eastern Nigeria people between 1967 and 1970.
Responding to Gowon’s interview, the founder and vision bearer of the original IPOB, said: “I have always said that if there’s no secession, there wouldn’t be a breakout and there wouldn’t be a question of civil war because it got to the stage that the situation was getting pretty clear that a part of the country, the South-east wanted to secede.
“I read General Gowon’s speech where he decided to hide the truth about the real cause of the war between Nigeria and Biafra. He is labouring in vain to wash and launder his image tainted by the atrocities he and his Nigerian soldiers committed against the Biafrans. He has told us that he was sick after the meeting at Aburi in Ghana and could not make the announcement of the Agreement reached between Nigeria and Biafra about confederation or regional autonomy so that every region would govern itself and develop at its own pace.
“Gowon said he did not prepare very well for the meeting and did not go with his secretary. He came back from Ghana and became sick because Odumegwu Ojukwu went to the meeting fully prepared and presented a superior argument on Regional Government. It was General Gowon’s failure to implement this agreement for the confederation that caused the war.
“General Gowon, with due respect, I want to address you as an Elder. You are 90 and do not know when you will depart from this world to face your maker. We expect you to tell the truth.
“Confederation is not secession. The East accepted the Confederation Agreement but you turned around and violated the Agreement.
“Confederation is not secession but a union of self-governing regions just like we have in the UK with four nations in one country.
“If Britain could become a Great Britain with four nations called Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales, Nigeria can also become a Great Nigeria with six nations created from the existing six geopolitical Regions. This is what the Nigerians want now.
“This is why MOBIN (Movement of Biafrans In Nigeria) submitted the Memorandum to the National Assembly to restructure Nigeria into six Regional Governments so that every region will govern itself and develop at its own pace. You confirmed what Ken Saro Wiwa said in his book that he and Chief Biriye and other Chiefs visited you and said they would not go with the Igbo people in the same Region. Therefore, you created Rivers State and Cross River State for them to stop Biafra.
“We applaud your master stroke to divide the Eastern Region with a political weapon of state creation. Well, now Rivers State and Cross River State are in a different region called South South Region which goes by the name of Niger Delta Region.
“They are also suffering injustice, maltreatment, and marginalization just like the South East. They want to be free in their land to control their resources.
“For peace to reign in Nigeria, the country must be restructured to Regional Government.”