Former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has explained why former Eastern Region Governor, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, refused to recognize Yakubu Gowon as Nigeria’s Head of State before the Nigerian Civil War.
In his autobiography, Call of Duty, launched during his 84th birthday celebration in Abuja, Abdulsalami said Ojukwu believed military rules and hierarchy were ignored after the killing of Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi in 1966.
According to him, many Northern military officers were unhappy after the January 1966 coup led by Kaduna Nzeogwu, during which several prominent Northern leaders were killed. There were also complaints that Igbo officers were receiving unfair promotions in the military.
These tensions led to anti-Igbo violence in parts of Northern Nigeria, including Kano, Kaduna, Jos, and Sokoto. Many Igbos were killed, and their homes and businesses were destroyed.
Following the assassination of Aguiyi-Ironsi by Northern officers, Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon became Head of State. However, Ojukwu rejected Gowon’s leadership, arguing that Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe, who was Chief of Staff at the time, was the rightful successor based on military seniority.
Ojukwu refused to pledge loyalty to Gowon, and tensions between the Eastern Region and the Federal Government continued to rise.
As violence against Igbos persisted in the North, many fled back to the East. Retaliatory attacks were also reported in the Eastern Region.
On May 30, 1967, Ojukwu declared the Eastern Region an independent nation called the Republic of Biafra, claiming that Igbos were being persecuted and marginalized in Nigeria.
Efforts to resolve the crisis through negotiations, including the Aburi Accord, failed. Economic sanctions also did not stop the secession.
The disagreement eventually led to the Nigerian Civil War, which began in 1967. While Ojukwu pushed for Biafra’s independence, Gowon maintained that Nigeria must remain united, famously declaring: “To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done.”