How Obasanjo led Biafran soldiers to Gowon to declare Civil War ended – Obi

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party for the 2023 general elections, Peter Gregory Obi,  on the 53rd anniversary of the end of the Nigerian Civil War, recalled how former President Olusegun Obasanjo led the Biafra soldiers to then Head of State, Colonel Yakubu Gowon, to declared the end of the Nigerian Civil War on January 15, 1970, after 30 months of bloodshed.

Obi in a statement in Abuja declared:  “As we can recall, Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo, as he was then known, led the then Biafran delegation to General Gowon to declare that the war was over and that the military colleagues from the Biafran side should be deployed.  It was stated: “To keep Nigerian one is a task that must be done” and “No victor, no vanquished”.

“It is this task of keeping Nigeria one in the spirit of no Victor, no Vanquished that has provided the platform for the commitment of both mental and physical energy to the arduous but noble task of building one strong, united and indivisible Nigeria.

“As such, the overriding task we should all be committed to, as stated above, is Securing and Uniting Nigeria for Sustainable and Inclusive Development, particularly for our children and youths.”

Obi maintained: “While we regret the immense losses from the war, pray for the repose of souls of the departed and thank God that it ended, we all must join hands with utmost sincerity and commitment to prevent any serious violence in Nigeria, let alone another civil war! “Never again! This task of Securing and Uniting Nigeria should be our only option and we all can agree that the leaders and people of different sections of Nigeria have done admirably well, particularly in the years immediately after the war.”

Obi, therefore, advocated that nation building and ordered society are imperative.

According to Obi, “anyone who still harbours a different agenda different from the realization of a wholesome and unifying people-oriented development vision is doing a terrible disservice to this generation and generations of Nigerians yet unborn. I cannot think of any valid reason, except for the deficit of sound socio-economic and political policies and programmes that will unite and propel Nigeria forward.

“From what I know of the South-East, the Igbo Nation, led by Ohaneze, has at every opportunity been unequivocal about its commitment to the unity, oneness, integrity, and progress of Nigeria, based on equity, justice, and an inclusive society.

“And I, Peter Obi, a proud Nigerian of Igbo extraction, I am most truthfully and wholly committed to that stand of One United, Secure and Progressive Nigeria!”