Nigeria must not witness another civil war — Obasanjo

•Says what led to the civil war still lives with us

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, warned that Nigeria must never experience another civil war, saying many of the issues that triggered the 1967–1970 conflict are still prevalent among the country’s citizens and institutions.

Obasanjo gave the warning while receiving a historical documentation on the Asaba Massacre, presented by the Isama Ajie of Asaba, Chuck Nduka-Eze, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, OOPL, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The work, titled ‘Asaba Massacre’, consists of a published transcript and an audiovisual documentary. 

Speaking during the presentation, Obasanjo said although he participated in the Nigerian Civil War, he had always maintained that he could not provide details about the Asaba Massacre, because the area was under the command of the late General Murtala Muhammed.

The former President commended Nduka-Eze for documenting the events, noting that he would carefully study both the transcript and the audiovisual materials.

He said: “We pride ourselves that we preserve the past, we capture the present, and we inspire the future. We capture the past, and this is the past; we want to capture it, we want to know about it.

“I must confess, and you know that I was involved in the civil war. When people talk about the Asaba Massacre, I always confess that I cannot give details of it.”

Recalling how he intervened during the war to prevent a soldier from raping a woman in Asaba, the former President said such an incident would have attracted vicarious responsibility.

Expressing concern over Nigeria’s current state, he said: “Some of the things that led to the civil war are still on. Now, how long will this be with us?” he asked.

Recalling the position of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, Obasanjo said: “I was with a colleague when General Yakubu Gowon said, ‘We will not survive a second civil war as a country.’ I believe we have fought one civil war too many already.

“So, to say that we will have a second civil war, God forbid. Getting ourselves to know some of what happened, and to say, yes, we condemn what happened that should not have happened, and then make sure that we do everything humanly possible to prevent its recurrence.

“For us to be able to say, ‘Never again,’ what are we going to do?

“Thank you very much for making people know about it, for people to learn about it, and for people to take a vow that it should never happen again. I say to you, never. I will do everything possible to ensure it never happens again.”

Earlier, Nduka-Eze said the publication was the product of extensive research and was grounded in substantial and carefully cross-referenced evidence, including eyewitness testimonies, recorded interviews, archival materials, audiovisual documentation and historical scholarship.

He said: “The evidence establishes a recurring pattern. Civilians were assembled in public places under conditions of fear and uncertainty. During these assemblies, residents were required to proclaim allegiance to the Nigerian State, including being instructed to declare ‘One Nigeria’ and otherwise demonstrate loyalty."

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