Gowon and the Biafran war narrative

History shapes human life and struggles in profound ways: cultural identity, social justice, economic systems, political structures, and personal narratives. Ultimately, history’s rendition of truth is complex, and we must continue to evolve to achieve a common ground.

As we congratulate General Gowon on joining the nonagenarians, it’d be pertinent to state that his views on the Biafran genocide are for the callow youths. The acumen needed to assess the evil planned on the Igbos by the Northern oligarchs and the British government using General Gowon as a puppet will daint the history books.

Surely, Gowon has been violated or defeated by the strides of the Igbo race in Nigeria, just as Muhammad Buhari was when he visited and witnessed the infrastructural development in the South East as president in 2018.

Certainly, many Christian believers, as Chimamanda Adichie retold in her novel, ‘Half of a Yellow Sun, who prayed and fasted for the Biafran war to come to an end at the time, were all in support of General Gowon, whom they felt acted under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, having been a ‘born-again’ believer at the time. But a Christian doesn’t go by the name ‘Yakubu’.

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, who was seen as an unbeliever, once taunted Gowon concerning the change of name from the familiar ‘Jack’. The Sarduana of Sokoto, who was neither a Christian nor a soldier, had influenced Gowon to drop the ‘Jacob’ in his name for the connivance and promotion that would come from the Oligarchs.

Otto Adolf Einchmann was one of the major organisers of the Holocaust. At the Nuremberg trials, he outlined the many lies used to trap their victims. They strung razor wire to isolate Jewish neighbourhoods and told them that it was a necessity in the fight against Russia.

They forced the Jews to wear yellow stars on their sleeves and told them it was to signify they were under German protection. They took Jewish bribes and promised to buy better lands, nicer homes, and safer environments for their children.

This is what happens when a society is constantly bombarded by methodical lies. Its people fall under their spell and believe them. They become apathetic and are intimidated into submission.

The words of General Gowon remind me of the classic hit Frank Sinatra song, “My Way” = ‘For what is man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught, to say the things he truly feels, and not the words of the one who kneels…’ Now, let’s not get carried away. Gowon had said the things on his mind in his way. If the Nigeria-Biafran war was decided and fought by Lt. Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and General Yakubu Gowon based on impulsiveness, it then means that they were petulant adults and could not vindicate themselves. Such a trait, very disastrous, caused great havoc and damage to the human race and the world at large.

Read also: Civil War: My duty was to ensure Nigeria didn’t break up – Gowon.

The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, had in his X account tweeted that he had to choose between the tragedy of revenge and the hope of forgiveness to congratulate General Gowon on his birthday.

He was right and acted as a statesman and patriotic citizen of his fatherland. Besides, Mr Obi would still testify that it had not been easy for him to overcome malice and bitterness for the few years he has been in politics. It does appear that Gowon was used as an instrument to annihilate the Igbo race, which God did not permit.

“Keeping Nigeria as one is a task that must be done” was on the lips of government officials in Gowon, while “On Aburi We Stand” spread over Biafran territory. Gowon claimed he was bamboozled, overwhelmed by the white paper of agreement midwived by the Ghanaian military Head of State, General Joseph Ankrah. We’re buried under an avalanche of lies today. It’s difficult to distinguish the truth amid all the deceptions. Adolf Hitler once said, “What good fortune for governments that people do not think.” He also said, “Make the lie big, keep it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.”.

Do we recall the June-October 1966 massacre of the Igbos in Northern Nigeria? Why would Ojukwu be energised to do anything in his own country? The military governor of the Eastern region was afraid to go anywhere in Nigeria due to the onslaught and hatred for the Igbos at the time.

It would be expedient if a second chance would be given to General Gowon in government just like the other army generals had so that he would repair the broken dreams of his first administration. It would be ignominious and provocative to tell the world that Nigeria from 1967 to 1970 followed the Geneva Convention laid down rules on international conflicts patterning to the Nigeria–Biafran war.

The gains and spoils of war made by Jeremiah Awolowo during that time perished in the defunct Soviet Union (USSR). Aside from starvation and international blockade, the Egyptian pilots and British mig bombs were used to destroy schools, hospitals, and markets in Igbo land.

Finally, the destiny of the Igbos and its fulfilment lies squarely in severing ties with the leadership of the country that sees them as a threat. The exodus of the Igbos from Nigeria may not have been actualised in 1967, but it is an ongoing discussion for everyone in the Biafran territory. How could we describe what hangs on the head of every Nigerian in 2024? Those who haven’t cannot imagine it.

Those who have seen it cannot forget. We picture brutal, grotesque images; babies’ eyes are hollow, bloated stomachs growl, skin stretched tight across faces, grins, and despairing stares replace smiles. Hope is gone and life is reduced to a harsh existence. Snippets of truth offered on pages of the dailies and publications are not there anymore due to the death scare.

Despite the abject poverty in the land, Igbos are made of genius and their children prodigy. They are gifted, excelling in every endeavour. Nigeria has stumbled, and it is left for someone to help her stand.

Obiotika Wilfred Toochukwu, Ontario, Canada.