The Igbo Women Assembly (IWA) reportedly condemned former Nigerian Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, over his recent comments on the Nigerian Civil War. The group stated that no amount of prayers from the former leader could atone for the deaths of over six million innocent Igbo children who were killed during what they described as a needless conflict.
According to The Punch, Gowon had made the remarks during an interview following his receipt of a Lifetime Integrity and Achievement Award at the fifth convention of the Christian Men’s Fellowship of the Anglican Diocese in Abuja. In the interview, he reportedly stated that his decision to prosecute the war was not driven by hatred but by the imperative to preserve Nigeria’s unity. He was quoted as saying that the Civil War was the most difficult period of his life and that he acted out of necessity, not animosity toward any group.
In response, during a sit-at-home event organized on May 30 by Biafra agitators to honour those who died defending the defunct republic, IWA National President Lolo Nneka Chimezie reportedly criticized Gowon’s statement. She was said to have insisted that his prayers could not wash away the blood of the millions of Igbo children killed during the war.
Chimezie reportedly questioned why the Nigerian state continued to resist issuing an apology to the Igbo people, especially in light of recent revelations by former Head of State General Ibrahim Babangida, who had described the labeling of the 1966 coup as an “Igbo coup” as a false narrative. She further claimed that extensive research conducted by the group indicated that the civil war could have been avoided.
Further talking, she said, “The false narrative that the 1966 coup was Igbo coup as was recently confirmed by Gen. Babangida, has not been addressed. Why can’t Nigeria apologize to Ndigbo for the false accusation which led to the avoidable civil war ? If the federal government could recognize June 12 in honour of Moshood Abiola, the perceived winner of the 1990 presidential election who died in questionable circumstances, why can’t the federal government do the same in honour of Biafrans who died during the war?”
The Igbo Women expressed frustration over the Nigerian government’s continued silence and inaction regarding the aftermath of the Civil War. They questioned what the government had done since the end of the war to pacify or support the victims and their families. The group asked why the state avoided public discussions about the war and demanded to know the offense committed by the millions of Igbos who lost their lives during the conflict.
They further stated that, even 56 years after the war, Nigeria remained haunted by the events of the pogrom and the bloodshed of innocent Igbos. According to them, rather than offering an apology or embracing reconciliation, the government continued to harass those who chose to remember their lost loved ones.
The group also emphasized that the memory of the war could not be erased and that discussions around it would persist across generations. They declared that even the unborn would be told the story — that there was once a country called Biafra.
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