ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that Nigeria must never be allowed to slide into another civil war, saying many of the conditions that triggered the 1967-1970 conflict still persist and should be urgently addressed to safeguard the country’s future.
Obasanjo gave the warning on Wednesday at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while receiving a historical documentation on the Asaba Massacre from the Isama Ajie of Asaba, Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze.
The publication, titled Asaba Massacre, consists of a published transcript and an audiovisual documentary compiled from eyewitness accounts, recorded interviews, archival records, audiovisual materials and extensive historical research.
Speaking during the presentation, Obasanjo, who served as a military commander during the Nigerian Civil War, said he had deliberately refrained from speaking extensively about the Asaba Massacre because the area was under the command of the late General Murtala Muhammed.
He, however, commended Nduka-Eze for documenting the tragic events, describing the work as an important contribution to preserving Nigeria’s history and ensuring that such a tragedy never happens again.
“We pride ourselves that we preserve the past, we capture the present and we inspire the future. We capture the past, and this is the past; we want to capture it, we want to know about it,” Obasanjo said.
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“I must confess, and you know that I was involved in the civil war. When people talk about the Asaba Massacre, I always confess that I cannot give details of it.”
The former president also recalled intervening during the civil war to stop a soldier from raping a woman in Asaba, noting that such an act would have attracted consequences under the principle of command responsibility.
Expressing concern about Nigeria’s current situation, Obasanjo said many of the grievances that culminated in the civil war had not been fully resolved.
“Some of the things that led to the civil war are still on. Now, how long will this be with us?” he asked.
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Recalling a conversation with former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, Obasanjo said Nigeria might not survive another civil war.
“I was with a colleague when General Yakubu Gowon said, ‘We will not survive a second civil war as a country.’ I believe we have fought one civil war too many already.
“So, to say that we will have a second civil war, God forbid. Getting ourselves to know some of what happened, and to say, yes, we condemn what happened that should not have happened, and then make sure that we do everything humanly possible to prevent its recurrence.
“For us to be able to say, ‘Never again,’ what are we going to do?
“Thank you very much for making people know about it, for people to learn about it, and for people to take a vow that it should never happen again. I say to you, never. I will do everything possible to ensure it never happens again,” he said.
Earlier, Nduka-Eze explained that the publication was the outcome of years of extensive research supported by eyewitness testimonies, recorded interviews, archival materials, audiovisual documentation and established historical scholarship.
According to him, available evidence consistently showed that after federal troops entered Asaba, then a civilian population centre in the Mid-West Region during the Nigerian Civil War, residents were assembled in public places and instructed to affirm their loyalty to Nigeria by declaring, “One Nigeria.”
He said the evidence further indicated that the men were separated from the women and children before the unarmed male civilians were killed despite complying with the directive.
“The evidence establishes a recurring pattern. Civilians were assembled in public places under conditions of fear and uncertainty. During these assemblies, residents were required to proclaim allegiance to the Nigerian State, including being instructed to declare ‘One Nigeria’ and otherwise demonstrate loyalty,” he said.