By Ori Martins
At above 90 years, ex head of state, Gen Yakubu Gowon still tells lies? Since 1966, Gowon has been telling lies to Nigerians and the world at large. He lied against Ironsi who made the chief of army staff to emerge head of state. As head of state, after the Aburi Accord, he rushed to Nigeria and began telling lies against Ojukwu and presented a distorted account outside what was agreed on. During the war he told lies that his mission was not to kill anybody when he authorized military operations against civilian populace like churches, schools, markets and communities.
His autobiography which my book vendor who was Newswatch magazine’s librarian sent to me from Lagos few days ago is stuffed with lies.
He claimed things he never did. For instance, he falsely stated that he recommended Ironsi to be appointed as the GOC! All accounts by foreign authors like John de St Jorre in his book THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR, Fredrick Forsyth’s The Biafran Story; and local keepers like Alexander Madiebo’s The Revolution & the Counter Coup; Ben Gbulie’s Five Majors; Ademoyega’s Why We Struck, Babangida’s autobiography and Chuks Iloegbunam’s Ironsi autobiography never credited Gowon with any of the things he claimed in his grossly flawed book.
With all the insults and false allegations he made against Ironsi in his book, it now becomes clearer that Gowon really, was behind the plot and events which led to Ironsi’s eventual brutal assassination and overthrow.
By stating that Ironsi had prior knowledge and indeed had hand in the January 15,1966 coup, Gowon openly admitted on reasons he later supported and worked mindleslly for Ironsi’s overthrow.
It is unfortunate that Gowon attacked Obasanjo for indicating in his book, NZEOGWU, that Ironsi had no hands in the January 1966 coup. Gowon also descended heavily on IBB for, one, blaming him (Gowon) for the outbreak of the unfortunate civil war, and, two, for stating that the January 1966 coup was not an Igbo affair, in his autobiography.
Of course, he never spared Achebe who also singled him out for bombing Igbo civilian population during the civil war; and for violating the agreement reached in Aburi which would have averted the war.
In fact, Gowon’s autobiography is nothing but a tissue of lies presented by a notorious liar. It is an insult to Ndigbo that even at about 92 years of age, Gowon has blantantly refused to apologize to them for his atrocious deeds during the civil war that lasted for three years. That senseless and needless war brought severe pains and eternal agony on Ndigbo as it depoulated the region, set it backward as well as brought economic hardship to the Igbo country that the brutal effects are still felt to date.
Again, Gowon must be reminded that he was the one that started Igbo marginalization when his Supreme Military Council never had any Igbo representation! Today, through Gowon’s initiative, Ndigbo now face no longer marginalization but exclusion. From all accounts, Gowon is culpable.
