IGBOZURUOKE MEDIA

A United States-based group, Rising Sun, has criticised former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.), over his recent comments on the reasons behind the failure of the historic Aburi Accord of 1967.

The group accused Gowon of attempting to distort historical facts, insisting that his account does not reflect the true circumstances that led to the collapse of the agreement.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja and jointly signed by its President, Chief Maxwell Dede, and Secretary, Rev. Fr. Augustine Odimmegwa, Rising Sun rejected Gowon’s claim that the Aburi Accord failed because the late General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu sought to place military forces under the control of regional governors.

According to the group, the demand by regional leaders to control security forces within their territories was made in good faith, aimed at ensuring justice and promoting true federalism.

Rising Sun further argued that adherence to the terms of the Aburi Accord would have prevented the Nigerian civil war, as well as the accompanying genocide and famine.

The statement read in part, “The attention of the global family of the Rising Sun, USA, has been drawn to a recent statement credited to retired General Yakubu Gowon, in which he attempted to distort the true reasons behind the failure of the historic Aburi Accord of 1967.

“His claim that the breakdown occurred because General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu wanted regional governors to control the military is both laughable and dishonest.

“If Nigeria had followed the Aburi Accord in its true form, there would have been no war. There would have been no genocide. There would have been no famine used as a weapon of war. There would have been no carpet-bombing of villages. Instead, Gowon reneged, Nigeria reneged, and the blood of millions is on their hands.

 “The Aburi Accord, held on January 4-5, 1967 in Ghana, was a last-ditch effort to salvage what was left of Nigeria after the first military coup of January 1966 and the counter-coup of July 1966, which saw thousands of Easterners slaughtered in cold blood across the North. The agreement, which was documented in writing and tape recordings, was unambiguous:

“It reaffirmed the sovereignty of the regions, with each region to control its own affairs. It called for a loose federation, or confederation, where the centre would be weak and the regions strong.

“It called for joint control of the armed forces, not central command.

“It agreed that appointments to the Nigerian Military Council must be regional and consensual.”

According to the group, the positions were not Ojukwu’s invention, but rather the collective resolutions agreed upon by all Nigerian military leaders present at the meeting.

It said, “Gowon’s later repudiation of the Aburi Accord upon return to Lagos was not due to disagreement with the terms, but under direct pressure from the British High Commission and the Northern oligarchy who feared a return to the economically successful and politically autonomous regions of the First Republic.

“Is General Gowon genuinely unaware that in the United States – the very model of federalism, state governors control their National Guards and can activate them independently of the federal government?

“Is it treasonous in a federal system for regional leaders to demand control over security forces in their territories? Ojukwu’s position was the position of reason, justice, and true federalism. It is Gowon who betrayed that spirit and plunged Nigeria into chaos.

“By confessing that the dispute at Aburi was over control of the military and not over oil or so-called secession, Gowon has inadvertently vindicated Ojukwu and all Biafrans. The world can now see that Biafra did not seek war, it sought autonomy, safety, and self-governance in the face of an unrelenting genocidal machine.”

The group claimed that the British government, through its then-High Commissioner in Lagos, Sir David Hunt, instructed Gowon to reject the Aburi Accord and ensure that power remained concentrated in the hands of the Northern establishment.

“Britain did not want a successful federation of autonomous regions; it wanted a unified, centrally-controlled Nigeria under Fulani dominance, to protect Shell BP and other colonial-era corporate interests. That is why Britain armed Nigeria with bombs, aircraft, and diplomatic cover to annihilate Biafra,” it said.

The group explained further that millions of Nigerians are living with the consequences of the Aburi Accord’s betrayal, which has led to insecurity, economic collapse, fake federalism, and a unitary state masquerading as a federation.

“We call on all truth-seeking historians, scholars, and lovers of justice to revisit the original tapes and documents of the Aburi Accord, many of which are publicly available, to expose Gowon’s lies,” it said.

Sahara Reporters