The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) founder, Emeka Emekesiri, has responded to General Yakubu Gowon’s 90th birthday interview, where Gowon blamed the southeast for attempting to secede from Nigeria, leading to the massacre of over three million Eastern Nigeria people between 1967 and 1970. Emekesiri countered that Gowon was the originator and cause of the unrest, citing his failure to implement the Confederation Agreement reached between Nigeria and Biafra.
According to Emekesiri, Gowon’s actions led to the breakout of the civil war, emphasizing that “if there’s no secession, there wouldn’t be a breakout and there wouldn’t be a question of civil war.” Emekesiri also accused Gowon of trying to “wash and launder his image tainted by the atrocities he and his Nigerian soldiers committed against the Biafrans”.
Emekesiri highlighted the difference between confederation and secession, explaining that confederation is a union of self-governing regions, citing the United Kingdom as an example, where four nations coexist in one country. He suggested that Nigeria could adopt a similar model, becoming a “Great Nigeria” with six nations created from the existing six geopolitical regions.
This development has sparked renewed debate about Nigeria’s history and the legacy of General Gowon’s leadership.
