A pan-Igbo women’s organisation, the Igbo Women Assembly, has again criticised former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd), over his recent claim that he fought the civil war to keep Nigeria united.

The group urged him to courageously apologise to Ndigbo for what they described as a needless war waged against them, insisting that such an apology is necessary for true healing and reconciliation.

The National President of IWA, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, in a statement on Sunday, responding to Gowon’s remarks that he fought the war “to keep Nigeria one,” accused the former military leader of being economical with the truth.

“Even when they declared ‘no victor, no vanquished,’ what did Gowon do to bring about true reconciliation after the war?” she queried. “Till today, have the Igbos not continued to suffer injustice and marginalisation?”, she continued.

So This Happened (EP310) Reviews 25 Years of Democracy, The Protests and Progress?0:00 / 0:00

PUNCH Exclusive: Between Governance And Democracy - Prof Kila’s Take On Tinubu’s Midterm In Office0:00 / 0:00

Recall that the women’s group had last week challenged Gowon to speak out on all he knew about the civil war and the Aburi Accord he signed with the Biafran leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. In a fresh statement issued on Sunday and signed by Chimezie, IWA told Gowon: “You didn’t fight to keep Nigeria one; you fought because of your desperation to rule Nigeria.”

The group recalled the protests that followed Gowon’s emergence as Head of State after the 1966 coup, arguing that he was not the most senior military officer at the time.

Chimezie stated that “the counter-coup that led to the tragic death of Gen. Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi and the emergence of Gowon as Head of State was confirmation that desperation to rule Nigeria was Gowon’s real motive for waging the 30-month civil war.”

“In military hierarchy, he (Gowon) was not supposed to be Head of State because he wasn’t the most senior officer. Late Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was among those who protested against his emergence. During the Biafra war, Ojukwu was fighting in defence of his people (Biafrans), who were the targets of pogroms that triggered the conflict. Gowon, on the other hand, was fighting to protect his position.”