For those who longed for decades to hear the truth about some events as they pertained to the outbreak of the Nigerian civil war in 1967 and the ‘No Victor, No Vanquish’ declaration that ended it in 1970, it was gratifying that they had the singular opportunity to read General Gowon’s long awaited ‘memoir’ in an exclusive interview he granted to the Daily Trust newspaper published in its specially packaged edition of Saturday, October 19, 2024.
Were General Gowon not generous to grant the interview, it would forever have remained difficult to deflate the false claims mischievously written in books meant by their authors to mislead readers especially as they pertained to some specific events that characterized Nigeria’s political history and nationhood during one of the country’s eventful periods (1965 – 1975). The lifelong damages that such cynical misinformation would have caused to reliable documentations of Nigeria’s history could have also remained hard to rectify.
One of such existing claims about which General Yakubu Gowon cleared the air is the Aburi declaration. Gowon re-counted that Ojukwu used to say, “On Aburi we stand,” and he always reacted saying, “From Aburi you will fall.” Responding to a question, General Gowon in an elaborate explanation said they tried to meet in Nigeria to resolve all the unfortunate things that happened after the January 15, 1966 coup including “the killings and all the katakata.” He said efforts to meet in the air aboard a British Airways aircraft or on one of the British naval ships failed, they had to agree to meet in Aburi. Gowon said Ojukwu who had a different intention came with an already prepared memorandum, which he (Gowon) called a “pink solution paper.” From the paper, Ojukwu read all the things he wanted done which they discussed for two days there. The agreement, Gowon recalled, “was that when we got back, I would be the one to make a statement on the areas we agreed on.”
But, as soon as Ojukwu got back, he made a statement to the effect that his Constituent Assembly said he could break away to form Biafra. Gowon said when he asked David Ejoor whether what Ojukwu said was what they agreed, Ejoor’s answer was, “No.” Ojukwu, according to Gowon, then started doing all sorts of things, “disobeying federal government’s instructions, taking over government’s revenue, hijacking the Nigerian Airways’ aircraft, and people were also disappearing;” with the fault placed on northern soldiers.
No words of gratitude would suffice to sufficiently appreciate the value of this singular clarification offered by General Gowon on the occasion of 90th birthday which activities included the Daily Trust interview, “My Story.” We thank Allah by whose grace General Gowon lived this long; granting him a life complemented with good health and active memory that is still serving him promptly and rightly.
Not long after the civil war ended, Gowon undertook a state visit to all the 12 states of the federation; stopping over in every divisional headquarters existing at that tine in the country. As young school boys and girls, we lined up on both sides of the only major road in Agaie township to welcome Nigeria’s Head of State. A day before his visit, our headmaster Malam M. E. Nuhu II released us from school at 12pm to enable us go to the stream and wash our school uniforms. I was then in primary five. I still remember how everyone in the town, young and old, waited excitedly to welcome Gowon.
About 30 minutes before Gowon and his entourage arrived, a set of three expert riders (whom we used to call Chuku-lele) zoomed past the empty township road that was waiting to feel the thick thread of the tires of Gowon’s limousine to roll over it. As if the expert riders had disappeared into thin air, and like Airforce jets, we saw them return in few seconds at a high yet coordinated speed to entertain the large crowds of schoolchildren, residents and other spectators who had come from surrounding villages to catch a glimpse of the Head of State.
Although the expert riders were new to the geography of the township road, we were amazed by the way they flawlessly navigated the very sharp bend located in the center of the town; directly passing in front of the old township police station. In fact, they made the sharp bend their spot for displaying their dexterous riding skills; earning them loud ovations from the schoolchildren. Towards the end of the show which was few moments before Gowon’s motorcade entered into the town, one of the Chuku-lele riders had an accident at the sharp bend.
Soon, we saw the handsome, cheerful, and joyful Yakubu Gowon dressed in beautiful army uniform. He was standing in a convertible (open-roof) car; smiling and waving gleefully at his admirers. We (the school children) were all waving the Nigerian flags in our hands at him. In his long convoy of vehicles were military trucks and hardware including armoured tanks carried on load bed trailers. This visit remained the talk of the town for several weeks.
Although General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida had granted several interviews to broadcast and print media houses, interviews and biographies are not autobiographies (or memoirs). We are aware of Dan Agbese’s “Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria.” This column hereby appeals to General Babangida, with every sense of humility and patriotism, to fulfill the promise he made in past interviews that he would write and make public his memoir. We urge General Muhammadu Buhari and General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar to individually write their own memoirs.
Besides correcting existing misinformation, memoirs provide opportunities to avail younger and unborn generations with life experiences and lessons from which they could learn. This cannot be more desirable than now when almost everything about Nigeria seems to be in aberration. Virtues and societal values have become so rare as if we never had leaders who were once epitome of virtues in Nigeria.
In addition to the three army generals who were former military heads of state, there are several others this writer sincerely wants them to leave behind their autobiographies, at least, for the sake of future generations. Posterity would remember them for putting down documented facts that would make it difficult for mischievous persons and groups to wrongly re-write the genuine story or history of an event, place or people.
The others who Nigerians would like to read their memoirs include Generals Aliyu Gusau, Ishola Williams, T. Y. Danjuma, David Mark, and Col Lawan Gwadabe (retd). We encourage traditional rulers, too, like the Sultan Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, the Oba of Lagos, Obi of Onitsha, and the Oba of Benin, to each write their memoirs. Nigerians are eager to also read the memoirs of Professor Attahiru Jega, Malam Mohammed Ya-Kudu Haruna, and Malam Kabiru A. Yusuf; a man who had in recent times helped others including Alhaji Aminu Dantata, through his Trust Tv programme, to record their autobiographies.
Because of the purposes that memoirs serve, it would not be out of place for those who already have one to update them. While former President Olusegun Obasanjo may like to produce a second volume of his “Not my will,” my brother, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai may equally have reasons to update his “Accidental Public Servant.” The Arabs say, “That which is memorized (shall one day) vanish; and that which is written (shall forever) remain indelible.” May Allah support Nigerians, from whose life others can learn, to document their life and ideals, amin.
