An apparent living
encyclopedia of the events that led to the civil war in Nigeria, Col Joe
Achuzia, has joined issues with critics Prof. Chinua Achebe, who blamed former
Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), and Vice Chairman of the then National
Executive Council, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, of formulating policies that
led to Asaba genocide and other hostilities against South-East Igbos.
Achuzia maintained
that Gowon and Awolowo were responsible for the Asaba genocide.
He accused Gowon
of playing the ostrich while brazen murders of his military superiors and
massive genocide were being perpetrated under his watch.
He accused Awolowo
of using his position after his release from prison to extract a pound of flesh
from his perceived enemies, whom he believed, unwittingly, through the NPC/NCNC
Accord
contributed to his imprisonment.
Achuzia, who is
putting finishing touches to his own civil war memoirs, said that when
released, it would finally settle the issue and put the duo in vintage position
as prime perpetrators of the Asaba genocide and their brethren from across the
Niger, who died during the strife.
He went down
memory lane to exhume salient facts to buttress Achebe’s stand: “I landed in
the country from overseas on the day of the July 29 coup.
I had known the
late Murtala Mohammed and knew he was one of those involved in the crises at
the time. He met me at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos and arranged
accommodation for my family and me for two days before we departed for Benin.
“There was intense
struggle for power between Murtala Mohammed and Gowon before and during the
Coup. The middle belt, which had more numerical strength in the army, supported
Gowon.”
“When Gowon took
over, he relied more on Awolowo and the permanent secretaries – Allison Ayinda,
Phillip Asiodu, in formulating policies.
Immediately Awo
was released from prison, which (late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu) Ojukwu was
instrumental to, thinking he had a friend, strong anti-Igbo sentiments welled
up in the government.
Unfortunately Awo
never forgives nor forgets.
“The events that
led him to prison were never lost on him and, somehow, the NPC/NCNC accord was
the issue.
He became the
minister of finance and went after the Igbos through his policies.
I was in prison
when Gowon held the so-called security meeting that declared police action. The
strategic studies institute was originally planned to be located in the
Mid-West then.
Gowon, at the
meeting, directed that I should be released from prison and head the institute.
The then head of prisons, Giwa Osagie, divulged the information to the late
Anthony Enahoro and Awo.
He suggested that instead of sitting down in a
house for the discussion, since walls have ears, they should drive about and
talk in the car, so that his secrets would be secured. He forgot that the
driver of the car was an Igbo man, who later ran to the superintendent of
prisons at Kirikiri and squealed.
“The prisons
superintendent summoned me and asked the driver to narrate his story again.
Thereafter, I
demanded to see Barrister Okuzo and the late Chief Collins Obih of ACB (African
Continental Bank). They came in the morning to see me and I narrated what I
heard to them.
Later, they
reached out to the military hierarchy, including Gowon. Four days after the
incident, Osagie was sacked and it caused a lot of commotion. That was in 1970.
“Achebe got to
know about these and he reflected them in his new book. These two people were
responsible for the formulation of policies and execution of the civil war,
including the genocide.
When I release my
own book, which is in the making, many things will come to the fore.
I remember that
after the declaration of police action by Gowon, I urged those who used their
position to unleash horror and death on innocent people, before and during the
civil war, advising those that are still alive among them, to seek for
forgiveness and atonement of their sins against humanity.”
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