~The Guardian, NIGERIA.
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| Yakubu Gowon |
"Fellow Nigerians, I wish to call upon all on this seventh anniversary of our independent existence as a nation to rededicate yourselves to the task of building a strong,
united and prosperous Nigeria: a Nigeria in which every citizen regardless of his or her religious belief, or ethnic origin will have equal opportunity with his fellow Nigerians. As you all know this seventh anniversary is not an occasion for festive celebrations.
The Armed Forces of our country have been waging a disciplined but hard campaign to put down a rebellion in the East Central state of Nigeria; a rebellion conceived, nurtured and executed by Emeka Ojukwu and his collaborators after the failure of their mad bid to subjugate and dominate all Nigeria in the exclusive interest of their ethnic group. Neither the Federal Military Government nor the people of Nigeria wanted this war.
Conference.
Every avenue of peace was fully explored, beginning with the ad hoc constitutional conference of August 1966 and terminating with the last minute peace move by a number of eminent and representative Nigerians who, in their patriotic anxiety to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, sent a peace mission to Ojukwu in Enugu.
You all will recall how Ojukwu sought the failure of the ad hoc conferences on the constitution first, by using his agents to terrorize the delegates by bomb explosions, and then by boycotting the conference totally. From then on the rebels in Enugu were determined to turn their backs on the country and to escalate the crisis by every means at their disposal to a level which should rule out a peaceful settlement.
The Government-sponsored Radio Enugu and all the newspapers in the East were organised to whip up the emotions of the people, rumours were spread of impending attacks on Lagos and on several important installations elsewhere in the federation. These rumours were subsequently confirmed by the bomb explosions which destroyed the Ore bridge, a wing of the Federal Palace Hotel and Government residential quarters in Ikoyi. The effect of this campaign of hate and terror was to build up tension not only in the Eastern states but in many other parts of the country. It was in this charged atmosphere that the well founded story was released about the massacre of a large number of men and women and children of Northern origin resident in the East. This touched off violent reactions in the North in September and early October 1966 such as Nigeria has never witnessed before. I strongly condemned this incident and all right-thinking Nigerians deplored it.
Then, as now, the Government was willing to explore ways in which the survivors of this episode could be cared for and rehabilitated, but Ojukwu and his clique were determined to make that incident the occasion for putting into effect their pre-meditated plan for the complete break up of Nigeria, after their failure to dominate Nigeria. Even so, the Federal Military Government did not give up its peace efforts as well as its determination for conciliation to the Ibos. It was as a result of this search for a peaceful settlement that the Aburi meeting was held.
Enthusiasm
It is now a matter of history that the Federal Military Government conceded to Ojukwu everything he asked for at Aburi except one thing, and that was to agree to a break up of the federation. This, I could not and will never agree to. I am happy that my firm stand on this fundamental question has now been vindicated by the enthusiasm with which Nigerians everywhere have committed themselves to the continued existence of Nigeria as one country.
"The whole of Africa at the recent OAU conference has also vindicated our stand in their clear commitment to the territorial integrity and unity of Nigeria and their condemnation of secession. If Ojukwu had sincerely wanted a peaceful settlement of this crisis he might have used the Aburi decisions as a way out of the deadlock. Instead, he proceeded to seize Federal establishments in the former Eastern Region and, by an edict of April 16, 1967, he took over all Federal statutory bodies and assets located in the Eastern States. Ibo employees in the Western states and in Lagos were stampeded into returning home while Ojukwu intensified his illegal purchase of arms. When the clouds of war were thickening fast, a number of eminent Nigerians decided to form a national reconciliation committee.
Condition
The committee met me in Lagos and also visited Enugu from where they brought back certain conditions which if fulfilled by both sides, could have arrested the drift to an armed conflict.
The main element was that the Federal Government should lift the economic sanctions imposed on the East and that the East in turn should end its flagrant defiance of Federal Government Authority.
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