Gowon Speaks On Chinua Achebe's Controversial New Book, Calls It A Propaganda

Latest person to react to Chinua Achebe's new book is the former head of state himself Gen. Yakubu Gowon.

Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, has described Prof. Chinua Achebe’s Nigerian Civil War memoir in his latest book, There was a Country, as “a propaganda”. Achebe in the book, accused the Federal Government under Gowon and the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was then the Minister of Finance, of using hunger as a weapon of war against the Republic of Biafra.

But Gowon, who spoke to punch on the telephone on Tuesday, said though many books had been written about the civil war, none had been as controversial as that of Achebe.

He said the book was “written to whip up unnecessary sentiments”.

He said when he releases his biography many will know what happened during the war.

Gowon said, “Many books have been written about the civil war and unfortunately none had been as controversial as that of Achebe, which accused me and Chief Awolowo of genocide against the Igbo. Nothing can be further from the truth, because every decision we took was for the interest of a united Nigeria.

“It (Achebe’s book) is nothing more than a propaganda and many people have failed to see it that way, and that is why most of the reactions have been varied and vitriolic.

“I am not aware of any Igboman that had an account with the then Barclays Bank that was seized, because at the end of the war many of them got their money back. And it was because of our resolve to ensure that there was no victor no vanquished. We wanted to put the experience of the civil war behind us. We put in place a lot of measure to ensure that everybody was reintegrated into a united Nigeria.

“So it is very unfortunate for Achebe to accuse me and Awolowo of starving the Igbo to death.”

The Chairman of Nigeria Prays added the majority of of the principal actors at the end of the war did not appear as if they were starved.

He said he stood by every decision he took during the civil war and ready to defend his actions anywhere.

The former Chief of Army Staff denied that he prevented foreign aid from reaching the Igbo during the war. Gowon added, “Most of those who accused us of genocide were looking well fed at the end of the war. During the war we opened road and air corridors to allow food, medicine and other aids to the people. Nobody can do such a thing to his people because I was optimistic that the war would end one day and we shall come together under a united country.

“So that was why we were very careful about every decision we took during the civil war

The 78-year-old said by the time he publishes his own account of the war, most of those insinuations would be laid to rest.

“I have been sufficiently challenged and the whole truth will be revealed one day,” he said

Punch

READ MORE

Achebe Hates Awolowo, Yoruba Race - Adebanjo

A leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has faulted extracts from Prof. Chinua Achebe’s latest memoirs on the Nigerian Civil War accusing the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo as the initiator of the pogrom against the Igbo.

The memoirs coming 42 years after the war, Adebanjo said, reinforced “Achebe’s pathological hatred for Awolowo and the Yoruba race.”

According to him, the renowned novelist need to be cured of his Awophobia.

Reacting to Achebe’s memoirs entitled “There was a country,” the Afenifere leader in a statement on Tuesday said it was Awolowo who rather tried to prevent the war.

He said, “At the risk of his life, and against the advice of his cabinet colleagues, Chief Awolowo made contact with Ojukwu and met him in Enugu to dissuade him from going to war. In his one-on-one meeting with Ojukwu, Chief Awolowo tried to persuade Ojukwu to come to a roundtable conference with the Federal Government to iron out his differences with the government.

 

“Fair minded persons cannot accuse Awolowo of being part of the intellectual arm of a cabinet that intentionally initiated the pogrom of the Igbo, when in fact the record shows he took positive steps to persuade Ojukwu to avoid the conflict.”

Adebanjo said when the late politician visited Enugu prison during the war, he was surprised to see malnourished people even when adequate quantity of food were sent through international agencies to the civilians in the areas.

Following this, he said the Federal Government stopped the delivery of food meant for the civilian population hijacked by Biafran soldier.

He added, “This is what Achebe mischievously called the deliberate starvation of the Igbo. I would like Prof. Achebe, if he can; to make reference to any publication where Awolowo made the statement that starvation was a legitimate tool of war.

“One would have thought the charge of genocide should have been better directed at the leaders of Biafra who had first hand knowledge of the starvation in the area they controlled, and yet did not as they could, to bring an end to the war sooner before two million people, mainly members of future generations had died of starvation as Prof Achebe claimed.”

On change of currency, Adebanjo said since Biafran soldiers looted Nigerian currency from Central Bank locations in Biafra occupied areas and were using them to buy arms, Awolowo, as the Federal Commissioner for Finance, had to stop that.

Culled from Punch

READ MORE

"We Are Disappointed" The Awolowos Reply Chinua Achebe

The storm generated by renown novelist, Prof Chinua Achebe, over his claim that war-time Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, and the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo formulated the policy of genocide against Igbo during the civil war continued, yesterday.

Awolowo’s daughter, Dr (Mrs) Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, said she was disappointed about Achebe’s claim. She also hinted that the Awolowo family may issue a formal response on the controversial claim by the novelist in his latest memoir on Biafra, ‘There was a country’.

But a former governor of Anambra State, Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju, said whatever Achebe said about the civil war should be taken seriously. Mbadinuju cited the novelist’s antecedents. Awolowo was the vice chairman of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), equivalent of deputy to Gowon, during the civil war.

Dr Awolowo-Dosunmu told Vanguard, yesterday, while responding to the Achebe claim: “One is still trying to come to terms with the sense of disappointment about the person who wrote what is now a brewing controversy in the country.

“While a formal statement responding to the offensive comments of the writer is being prepared by the family all I can say for now is that I feel so disappointed”.

Vanguard

READ MORE