Yakubu Gowon says the Aburi accord collapsed because
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu wanted regional governors to control military
zones.
Gowon was Nigeria’s military ruler from 1966 until 1975 when
he was deposed in a bloodless coup.
Ojukwu was military governor of the eastern region in that
span.
In an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Gowon
narrated what transpired after the agreement was reached in Aburi, a town in
Ghana.
BACKGROUND
The meeting that led to the accord took place from January 4
to 5, 1967, with delegates from both sides of the divide making inputs.
The goal was to resolve the political impasse threatening
the country’s unity.
The point of the agreement was that each region should be
responsible for its own affairs.
During the meeting, delegates arrived at certain resolutions
on control and structure of the military. However, the exact agreement reached
was the subject of controversy.
The failure of the Aburi accord culminated in Nigeria’s
civil war, which lasted from July 6, 1967, to January 15, 1970.
‘I DON’T KNOW WHERE OJUKWU GOT IT FROM’
Speaking on what transpired after the agreement, Gowon said
the resolutions should have been discussed further and finalised.
The ex-military leader said he took ill after arriving in
Nigeria from Aburi and that Ojukwu went on to make unauthorised statements
about the accord.
Gowon said he did not know where Ojukwu got his version of
the agreement from.
“We just went there (Aburi), as far as we were concerned, to
meet as officers and then agree to get back home and resolve the problem at
home. That was my understanding. But that was not his (Ojukwu) understanding,”
he said.
“Unfortunately, I know people would not believe it, I was
having a serious attack of some kind of fever or whatever it was, and I could
not make a decision when we arrived home.
“It was Ojukwu who made some statements about the Aburi
accord.”
He added that a follow-up meeting to clarify the issues in
the agreement was scheduled for Benin City, with invitations sent to Ojukwu and
other regional governors.
Gowon said Ojukwu declined the invitation, citing safety
concerns.
“I don’t know what accord he (Ojukwu) was reading because he
came to the meeting with prepared papers of things he wanted, and of course, we
discussed them one by one. Agreed on some and disagreed on some,” Gowon added.
“For example, to give one of the major issues, we said that
the military would be zoned, but the control… he wanted those zones to be
commanded by the governor.
“When you have a military zone in the north, it would be
commanded by the governor of the military in the north, the military zone in
the east would be commanded by him. Of course, we did not agree with that one.”
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