50 Years After Civil War: Any Lessons Learnt?

Nigerians, after experiencing a civil war that lasted for 30 months, 50 years ago are eager to avoid any situation that will bring back the sad memory


On Monday, the 27th of January 2020, four prominent Nigerians, irrespective of tribe and tongue were united in principle that issues that caused Nigeria civil war still exist. The quartet of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodinma all agreed that the problems that led to the Nigeria civil war are yet to be addressed, 50 years after the war. They concurred with each other in their various speeches at the National War Museum Umuahia during a Town Hall meeting organised by Senator Ken Nnamani Centre for Leadership and Development to mark the 50 years of the end of the civil war.

Before this day, the Federal Government of Nigeria had on January 15th, 2020 organized the annual Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration. This event which has become an annual ritual, is aimed at recognizing and honouring Nigeria soldiers who died while defending their fatherland. January 15th has become significant because it was the date the first coup occurred that brought the first republic to an end in 1966. It was also on this date that the 30 month old bitter Nigeria civil war came to an end in January 1970. It is important to note that at the end of the war, Nigeria’s then Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon declared the popular but ineffective ‘’No victor, No vanquished’’.

It was followed with the enunciation of 3Rs that stands for Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation. This initiative was geared towards healing the wounds between the two sides. Regrettably, it never solved the problem. Of late, analysts are of the opinion that even though Gowon’s 3Rs failed, they espoused that the most important ‘R’, which stands for Reintegration was not even envisaged. In their thinking, there was no deep commitment and action that could crystalize it to reality. Speaking at the National War Museum Umuahia during the Town Hall meeting organised by Senator Ken Nnamani Centre for Leadership and Development to mark the 50 years of the end of the civil war, Gov. Ikpeazu regretted that the challenges and issues which caused the civil war were still very visible.

“It will be wrong for us as leaders to still allow the issues that gave rise to the civil war to keep recurring”, Ikpeazu warned. He said that the ugly scar and pains of the war were still very fresh in the mind of Ndigbo. According to the governor, only genuine reconciliation would heal the wounds of the war on the part of the Igbos. Ikpeazu said that the South East had continued to witness infrastructural collapse and environmental challenge as a result of heavy bombardments during the war. He said the pace of national reconciliation in Nigeria was very slow compared to Rwanda which quickly recovered from the ashes of civil war and genocide to rank among fast growing economy in Africa.

His Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodinma who supported his position, however added that time had come for Nigerians to embrace dialogue as a way of settling differences instead of violence. In his speech, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, regretted that Nigeria had not learned much lesson from the ugly experiences of the civil war in view of some utterances by some Nigerians on national issues. Osinbajo who also regretted that a lot of human lives and property were wasted during the 30-month war appealed to Nigerians to embrace dialogue as a way of settling disputes.

The Vice President who noted that the federal government was making efforts to promote national unity, further regretted that the Nigerian government could not harness the ingenuity of the Biafra soldiers 50 years after the war. He noted that the establishment of Projects Development Institute, PRODA, in Enugu was aimed at harvesting such ingenuity but regretted that the institute had not met the target. Osinbajo who acknowledged the ingenuity and enterprising spirit of the Igbo man described Abia as the industrial hub of the West African sub-region. Harping on the need for national cohesion, Osinbajo said “we must build a nation devoid of discrimination and marginalization”. Apparently sympathising with Ndigbo over their current situation in the national politics, Osinbajo said that “those in power must understand that the bitterness of the loser when the winner takes it all is capable of consuming them all “.

Speaking earlier Nnamani said the event was packaged so that stakeholders could reflect on the events that sparked off the civil war. In his remarks, Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uche Ogah, called for peace and genuine national reconciliation to move Nigeria forward. He noted that peace and unity were what Nigeria seriously needed to achieve greatness. The event was also attended by service chiefs as well as civil war veterans among other stakeholders from across South East.

The Nigeria civil war which broke out in 1967 was caused by break down of trust, mutual suspicion and hostilities between the Igbos of the south east and the Federal Government of Nigeria led by Yakubu Gowon. At the attainment of independence on October 1st 1960, the colouration of the first republic had Alhaji Tafawa Balewa as the Prime minister, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe as the President in a parliamentary system. The Igbos were in charge of most of the sectors, including the military which led to mutual suspicion and envy. The last straw that broke the camel’s back occurred when the first military putsch championed by what was termed Igbo officers occurred in January 1966. This coup consumed the lives of northern prominent men, both civilian and military which gave rise to the ruler-ship of Gen Aguiyi Ironsi, an officer of Igbo extraction as the first Head of State. It was followed by a counter coup in July of the same year and Aguiyi Ironsi was killed. It was followed with the killing and haunting down of Igbos living in the north. This also gave rise to pogrom and mass movement of the Igbo back to their ancestral land and vice versa.

There was also fundamental disagreement on succession after the demise of Ironsi. Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, Governor of the East refused to recognize Gowon as the Head of State insisting he was not the most senior in the Army at the time. This and other issues led to the convening of Aburi conference, in Ghana where some decisions meant to be the antidote and capable of preventing the war was reached. Back home, the agreement was flouted and discarded, thus, the war became inevitable. So, for thirty months, the bitter war raged between the federal government and the Igbos of the south east. Since the end of the war, the Igbos has been feeling alienated that it seems as if there is a state policy designed to perpetually keep the Igbos away from federal governance.

Indeed, it has been gloomy and bleak in the last few years but has been deteriorating steadily prompting Igbo citizens to be wearing long faces, irritable and feeling of not-wanted in their own country. Yes, they are angry as they say, “a hungry man is an angry man’’. The Igbos have for long kept the faith and are still keeping it but have obviously become disillusioned. It is written all over them. They literally are not allowed to come close to the presidency of the nation especially since the return of democracy in 1999. Using the divide and rule syndrome, the situation has continued to gain currency inspite of the efforts made in the past. The Igbos have complained of disequilibrium in appointments especially in the recent past. Other minority tribes have also joined in the complaint. In the economy, numerous people have experienced job cuts in several sectors especially the banks and many mega companies have relocated from Nigeria leaving in its trail wailing families.

As if the economic quagmire is not enough, citizens are faced with numerous security challenges both on the roads and at their homes. They bear the cost of security, health and public utilities even as housing challenge has remained unabated. Commuters groan on the parlous state of the roads just as travellers wail over attacks by armed robbers, bandits, kidnappers and insurgents. To add to the suffocating needs of the people, is the rising cost of food stuff especially rice which is the staple food for Nigerians. Rising high cost of living without good standard of living has combined to add to the woes. Food stuff and transportation have plummeted without corresponding increase on earnings.

The same story is everywhere from east to west, north to south. At the markets, traders are also complaining. Much as the anti- graft war being prosecuted by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is good, many Nigerians have attributed the excruciating hunger to it. They argue that those who have the money are afraid to use it and it’s no longer going round. Some people have however attributed the situation to some economic measures taken by the federal government coupled with the galloping inflation and border closure all combined to suffocate the Nigerian people. The numerous check points at every twist and turns mounted by the Nigerian security outfits has added to the burden of commuters who are daily struggling with the bad roads all over the country. Transporters say they increase fares because of bad roads and several check points that have become “extortion points”. The rate of inflation has led some experts to prophesy more hardship in the future.

The situation of things in the country especially appointments into high public offices, security architecture, equity and equilibrium in the distribution of peck of office, all combined, had fuel the agitation for community policing and restructuring of the country. This is the reason, the likes of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, former senate President, Ken Nnamani, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, ethnic leaders from east, north central, south south and south west are all united in the call for restructuring so that what gave rise to that 30-month bitter civil war can be avoided and finally nipped in the bud. Have lessons been learnt yet. Your guess is as good as mine.