Civil War: Gowon Misrepresented Aburi Accord, Says Group

Nigeria’s former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retired)

A group known as Rising Sun has accused Nigeria’s former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retired), of distorting the true events that led to the collapse of the historic Aburi Accord of 1967—a development they say ultimately triggered the Nigerian Civil War.

In a statement released on Sunday in Abuja, the group described Gowon’s recent account of the Accord’s failure as “misleading” and an attempt to rewrite a critical chapter of Nigerian history.

The statement, jointly signed by Chief Maxwell Dede, President of Rising Sun, and Rev. Fr. Augustine Odimmegwa, the group’s Secretary, criticized Gowon’s claim that the Accord collapsed due to General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s insistence that regional governors control the military.

According to Rising Sun, the demand for regional control of security forces was a legitimate call for justice and a move toward true federalism.

The Aburi Accord, held on January 4–5, 1967, in Ghana, was a last-ditch effort to save Nigeria from disintegration following the January 1966 military coup and the July 1966 counter-coup, which led to widespread killings of Easterners in Northern Nigeria.

The agreement—backed by written documents and audio recordings—emphasized regional autonomy, a loose federation, and shared control of the armed forces.

“If Nigeria had implemented the Aburi Accord as agreed, there would have been no war, no genocide, no famine used as a weapon, and no indiscriminate bombing of villages,” the statement said.

The group further alleged that Gowon backed out of the Accord under pressure from the British High Commission and Northern elites, who sought to preserve a centralized structure to protect colonial-era business interests—particularly those of Shell BP.

“Britain never wanted a functional federation of autonomous regions. What it wanted was a unitary Nigeria dominated by Fulani elites and controlled from the center,” the statement claimed.

Rising Sun compared the structure Ojukwu proposed to that of the United States, where state governors command their own National Guards.

“In a true federal system, is it treasonous for regional leaders to seek control over security within their own jurisdictions?” the group asked.

They argued that the fallout from the Accord's betrayal still haunts Nigeria today in the form of insecurity, economic hardship, and a centralized system falsely branded as federalism.

The group urged academics and historians to revisit the original Aburi Accord tapes and documents to expose what they described as a deliberate distortion of history.

“We call on all justice-loving scholars and historians to revisit the original Aburi records—many of which are publicly available—and help set the record straight,” the statement said.

According to the group, Ojukwu’s stance at Aburi was not about breaking away but about securing autonomy, ensuring safety, and promoting self-governance.

“Ojukwu stood for justice, and history has already delivered its judgment—though not in Gowon’s favor,” the statement concluded.

Rising Sun’s claims come at a time when the national debate around restructuring and true federalism is intensifying, with many Nigerians calling for a system that fairly addresses regional concerns.

Vanguard

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