War time Head of
State, General Yakubu Gowon, has criticized renowned author, Professor Chinua
Achebe, over his new book on the Nigerian civil war, saying he{Achebe }does not
know the issue he was writing about.
Gowon said he was
ready to
face the
International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague on the matter if necessary.
“What role did
Achebe play in the secessionist plans? Achebe must have been outside the
country during the war and probably did not know what happened during the
period otherwise he would not have written on what he was not sure of “, he
remarked.
The erstwhile
Nigerian leader, who was answering questions from journalists courtesy, visit
to Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu at the Presidential Lodge, Minna, Niger
state, yesterday, said Achebe must have been talking out of ignorance, adding
that he and the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo had no regrets over their roles in
the civil war, pointing out that if there was no secession, there would not
have been civil war.
“In fact , if there
was no secession by the south eastern part of the country, there would have
been no civil war because right from the beginning of the crises, the war would
have been averted if not for the secession . It was something I believed we could
have stopped,” he stressed.
Gowon also debunked
the claim by the author that his administration embarked on the mass killing of
Igbo, adding that the federal troops did not also use hunger as a weapon to
dislodge the dissidents.
“It was the Igbo
that objected to the creation of corridor for movements of medical aid and food
supplies to the civilian population at the period; on this, I am ready to face
the International Criminal Court of Justice at the Hague for prosecution over the
role played by me during the war and, fortunately, some Nigerians are still
alive to bear witness to the roles played by both the leadership of the
secessionist group and the then Federal Military Government under my
leadership, “the war-time leader stated.
He also recalled
that during the war, a ship named “Josina” and owned by the secessionist group,
which they claimed was carrying agricultural implements, was captured by
federal troops and it was subjected to a thorough search and the cargo turned
out to be a collection of arms and ammunition.
Gowon, who was in
Minna for a 2-day prayer organized by Nigeria Prays, a group he leads, said
that the massive deaths recorded by the Igbo during the civil war was caused by
their own propaganda machine which claimed that the northern invaders were
coming to their camps and that caused panic and pandemonium among their people
because some people were trying to move from one location to the other out of
fear of imaginary attacks by the so called northern invaders and without food.
^^^^^^So much for
Igbo propaganda and fairy tales.The same crap that goes on and on leading this
folks to spew lies about the civil war and all that is Nigeria and
Nigerians.Now its become clear that there leaders starved them out of pride and
also chased them up and down out of propaganda.
