-Says He’s Ready to Face International Court Trial
A defiant retired General Yakubu Gowon spoke up on Saturday in continuation of the firestorm raised by a civil war account written by famed Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe, saying he was prepared to face any trial over charges that his administration used starvation as a weapon during the devastating 30-month war.
Speaking in the Niger State capital of Minna, the latest stop of his ‘Nigeria Prays’ project, the former military head of state and war-time leader said that the internationally celebrated author spoke out of ignorance, pointing out that the Igbos, who were the secessionist ethnic group, had opposed plans to create a corridor for supply of medical aid and food to the region,
“It was the Igbos that objected to the creation of corridor for movements of medical aid and food supplies to the civilian population at the period and on this I am ready to face the International Criminal Court of Justice at the Hague for prosecution over roles played by me when the war ended,” the retired military general, who turned 78 recently, said
Denying that his administration had any policy to starve the population of the defunct Biafra, General Gowon told journalists that the leaders of the failed secession did more than anyone else to cause the high casualty rates seen during the brutal war.
“Fortunately, some Nigerians are still alive to bear witness to the roles played by both the leadership of the secessionist group and the then federal military government under my leadership.”
“In fact, if there was no secession by the South Eastern part of the country, there would have been no civil war because right from the beginning of the crises the war would have been averted if not for the secession. It was something I believed we could have stopped,” Gowon added.
He also suggested that it is unlikely that Achebe is well-informed enough of the war to write about it, because Achebe was probably out of the country during the war.
General Gowon said that he, alongside the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who served in his government as the federal commissioner for finance during the same war, had no regrets for the roles that they played in that war.
Published a few weeks ago, an account of the war, written in a book by Achebe, titled “There Was A Country – A Personal Account of Biafra” triggered an avalanche of commentary on both sides, with as many observers defending Achebe’s account as many denounced it as revisionist in nature. Excerpts of the book were first published by the UK-based Guardian newspaper.
“It is my impression that Awolowo was driven by an overriding ambition for power, for himself and for his Yoruba people. There is, on the surface at least, nothing wrong with those aspirations,” read the portion of the book in question.
“However, Awolowo saw the dominant Igbo at the time as the obstacles to that goal, and when the opportunity arose – the Nigeria-Biafra War – his ambition drove him into a frenzy to go to every length to achieve his dreams.
“In the Biafran case, it meant hatching up a diabolical policy to reduce the numbers of his enemies significantly through starvation – eliminating over two million people, mainly members of future generations,” Achebe alleged, setting-off a firestorm of criticism, especially from Yoruba leaders who took umbrage at what they saw as an attempt to paint a much revered Obafemi Awolowo as murderous leader.
General Gowon’s comments is the latest in a long line of those who have reacted to the book, which has lit-up social media and mainstream media. Defending himself further, the former military leader pointed out that attempts were made to smuggle weapons into the secessionist territory during the war through a ship he identified as “Josina,” under the guise that it was importing agricultural implements. A thorough search of the ship uncovered arms.