The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have launched a stinging response to General Yakubu Gowon, the former Nigerian military leader who presided over the country during its bloody civil war.
Gowon, who recently marked his 90th birthday, made comments in an interview that sparked outrage among members of IPOB.
In the interview, Gowon blamed the Southeast for attempting to secede from Nigeria, an event which, according to him, triggered the war and the massacre of over three million people in Eastern Nigeria between 1967 and 1970.
IPOB, however, is not accepting Gowon’s version of events.
The founders of the movement have made it clear that they hold Gowon responsible for what they describe as a calculated massacre of Biafrans during the civil war.
One of the founders of IPOB said, “If there had been no secession, there wouldn’t have been a war.”
According to him, the situation in the country became unbearable for the Southeast, leading to their decision to secede.
The tension between the Nigerian government and the Eastern Region reached its peak when a historic meeting was held in Aburi, Ghana, where an agreement was reached.
This meeting was supposed to bring about regional autonomy or confederation, a system where each region would govern itself and develop at its own pace.
But that agreement, IPOB insists, was violated by General Gowon, leading directly to the outbreak of the war.
IPOB’s founder claimed, “Gowon’s failure to implement the Aburi Agreement is what led to the Biafran war.”
In response to Gowon’s 90th birthday comments, the IPOB leader said that Gowon should now focus on telling the truth about what really caused the war.
“You are 90 years old, General Gowon,” IPOB said, “and at this stage of your life, we expect you to tell the truth about what happened.”
He also warned that confederation, the system agreed upon in Aburi, was not the same as secession.
The IPOB leader elaborated by comparing Nigeria to the United Kingdom, where England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland function as separate self-governing nations under a single umbrella.
“If Britain can become Great Britain with four nations in one country, Nigeria can also become a Great Nigeria with six nations,” he added, referring to Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
This statement reflects IPOB’s vision for Nigeria’s future—one where the country is restructured into regions that govern themselves, allowing each region to grow at its own pace.
The movement argues that this system would prevent the type of unrest that led to the civil war in the first place.
The founder further highlighted a memorandum that IPOB submitted to the National Assembly, which proposed restructuring Nigeria into six regional governments.
According to him, this would ensure that each region is able to govern itself, reducing the ethnic and political tensions that have plagued Nigeria for decades.
The conflict between Gowon and IPOB is not just about history—it is about the future of Nigeria.
IPOB insists that the Biafran war could have been avoided if the Nigerian government had stuck to the terms of the Aburi Agreement.
They accuse Gowon of using state creation as a political weapon to divide the Eastern Region and weaken the Biafran cause.
One of the most controversial points made by IPOB relates to Gowon’s alleged decision to create Rivers State and Cross River State during the war.
IPOB claims that Gowon did this to divide the Eastern Region and ensure that the people of the newly created states would not align with Biafra.
“You created Rivers State and Cross River State to stop Biafra,” IPOB’s founder stated bluntly.
Today, IPOB argues that these two states, now part of Nigeria’s South-South geopolitical zone, are suffering the same injustices and marginalization that Biafra fought against.
“They are also suffering injustice, maltreatment, and marginalization just like the Southeast,” IPOB noted.
The movement claims that the people of these regions are also struggling to control their own resources and govern themselves.
For IPOB, the only solution to Nigeria’s deep-rooted problems is restructuring.
“To achieve peace in Nigeria, the country must be restructured,” they argue, calling for a return to the idea of regional government.
