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.
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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.
Although General Ibrahim Badanasi 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 wvery 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 Abubakar to individually write their 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 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.
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