A United States-based group, Rising Sun, has criticised a former Head of State, Retired General Yakubu Gowon, over a statement he made regarding the reasons for the failure of the historic Aburi Accord of 1967.

The group stated that the reasons Gowon cited for the breakdown of the Accord were not a true reflection of history, but rather an attempt to distort the facts.

The group stated this in Abuja on Sunday, in a statement jointly signed by Chief Maxwell Dede and Rev. Fr. Augustine Odimmegwa, President and Secretary of the group, respectively.

The statement condemned Gowon’s position that the Aburi Accord failed because General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu wanted regional governors to control the military.

The statement added that the demand by regional leaders to control the security forces in their territories was made in good faith for the sake of justice and true federalism.

The group noted that if Nigeria had followed the Aburi Accord in its true form, there would have been no war, genocide and famine.

The statement read in part, “If Nigeria had followed the Aburi Accord in its true form, there would have been no war. There would have been no genocide. There would have been no famine used as a weapon of war. There would have been no carpet-bombing of villages. Instead, Gowon reneged, Nigeria reneged, and the blood of millions is on their hands.

“The Aburi Accord, held on January 4 to 5, 1967, in Ghana, was a last-ditch effort to salvage what was left of Nigeria after the first military coup of January 1966 and the counter-coup of July 1966, which saw thousands of Easterners slaughtered in cold blood across the North. The agreement, which was documented in writing and tape recordings, was unambiguous:

“It reaffirmed the sovereignty of the regions, with each region to control its affairs. It called for a loose federation, or confederation, where the centre would be weak and the regions strong.

“It called for joint control of the armed forces, not central command.

“It agreed that appointments to the Nigerian Military Council must be regional and consensual.

“These positions were not Ojukwu’s invention; they were the collective resolutions agreed to by all Nigerian military leaders present at the meeting. Gowon’s later repudiation of the Aburi Accord upon return to Lagos was not due to disagreement with the terms, but under direct pressure from the British High Commission and the Northern oligarchy, who feared a return to the economically successful and politically autonomous regions of the First Republic.

“Is General Gowon genuinely unaware that in the United States, the very model of federalism, state governors control their National Guards and can activate them independently of the federal government?

“Is it treasonous in a federal system for regional leaders to demand control over security forces in their territories? Ojukwu’s position was one of reason, justice, and true federalism. It is Gowon who betrayed that spirit and plunged Nigeria into chaos.

“By confessing that the dispute at Aburi was over control of the military and not over oil or so-called secession, Gowon has inadvertently vindicated Ojukwu and all Biafrans. The world can now see that Biafra did not seek war; it sought autonomy, safety, and self-governance in the face of an unrelenting genocidal machine.

“We also remind the world that it was the British government, through its High Commissioner in Lagos, Sir David Hunt, that instructed Gowon to reject the Aburi Accord and ensure that power remained concentrated in the hands of the Northern establishment. Britain did not want a successful federation of autonomous regions; it wanted a unified, centrally-controlled Nigeria under Fulani dominance, to protect Shell BP and other colonial-era corporate interests. That is why Britain armed Nigeria with bombs, aircraft, and diplomatic cover to annihilate Biafra.”

The group explained further that millions of Nigerians are living with the consequences of the Aburi Accord’s betrayal, which has led to insecurity, economic collapse, fake federalism, and a unitary state masquerading as a federation.

“His words are not just a distortion of the past; they are a dangerous attempt to sanitise tyranny and genocide.

“We call on all truth-seeking historians, scholars, and lovers of justice to revisit the original tapes and documents of the Aburi Accord, many of which are publicly available, to expose Gowon’s lies.

“Rising Sun global family will continue to resist every attempt to revise history or justify genocide. Ojukwu stood on the side of justice. History has already passed its verdict, and it is not in his favour,” the group said.