Following the recent revelation by former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), that absolved the Igbo ethnic group from any blame for the 1966 coup, prominent Igbo leaders and groups have backed the call for an apology and compensation from the Federal Government.
IBB, in his book, ‘A Journey In Service’, had clarified that the coup was not driven by ethnic motivations, highlighting the role of Major John Obienu, an Igbo officer, who played a key role in quelling the mutiny. He equally revealed that many senior Igbo officers were also tragically killed during the uprising.
The Igbo have long sought recognition and restitution for the injustices they suffered during the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, which lasted from 1967 to 1970.
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However, IBB’s revelation has ignited a fresh wave of demands by the Igbo apex socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
Ohanaeze, had last Sunday, demanded an apology and N10 trillion as compensation from President Bola Tinubu noting that the coup unleashed disastrous repercussions on the Igbo people, among other factors, which ultimately led to the cataclysmic horrors of the Biafra War.
A statement by the Deputy National President of the Ohanaeze faction, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, noted that the apology and compensation had become necessary due to the staggering loss of life, with approximately three million Igbo-predominantly innocent women and children-slaughtered during the conflict.
Expectedly, Igbo leaders and organizations have backed Ohanaeze, lending their voices to the growing chorus of demands for an official apology and compensation from the Nigerian government.
They described the demands as a crucial step towards healing the deep-seated scars of the past and promoting national reconciliation.
Time to pay
Lending his voice, former President of an Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, said the nature of the compensation should be in the form of massive repair of public infrastructure in the region damaged during the war.
He said: “You won’t believe it but most of that public infrastructure like schools, hospitals, and roads still carry evidence of that war. Remember that many people were killed and some families were wiped out based on falsehoods perpetrated and perpetuated by a cabal. So there must be something that must be given and that thing is called compensation and the form as far as I know must be in kind.
“We are not asking anybody to give us cash, no. We want reputable contractors to go and start rebuilding some of those structures destroyed during the war. Our people have been doing what I’ll call self-help since 1970. It’s for the federal government to come in. After all, the United Nations gave them money, so It’s time to pay.”
Demand worthwhile
Also, founder and Chairman of Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Chekwas Okorie, described the demand as worthwhile.
“The demand in itself is worthwhile. I support it”, Okorie stated. “However, it’s not really in making the demand that is the issue, it is in pushing it to the appropriate quarters for it to be given attention.
“The issue of compensating the Southeast when the war ended was started by Gowon in his proclamation of the 3R, but 3R was observed in the breach. Today, President Tínubu has enacted a law, the South East Development Commission. This is the very first time that the federal government is addressing any aspect of the 3R that was promised over 50 years ago.
“I think that it would be a good thing for the leadership of Ohanaeze, the governors of the South East and the National Assembly members from the region, to go as a group and thank the president formally and secondly, being that this is a development commission that is different from any other development commission because of what it has come out to address, therefore the funding must be substantially different if the purpose of setting it up was to be met. That is what ought to be done”
Similarly, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, an elder statesman, argued that IBB’s memoir highlighted Nigeria’s historical injustices, including political banditry and corruption that have impeded national progress and unity.
According to Obidigbo, “The time has come for Nigeria to formally apologise to the Igbo for the genocidal war and the ongoing animosity that has led to their marginalisation and renewed calls for secession.
“If the call for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission remains relevant, it should be implemented to allow Nigerians to determine whether to remain united or consider separation for national harmony.”
Legitimate pursuit
Convener, IkoroNdigbo Assembly, Ugochimereze Chinedu Asuzu, noted that the demand for reparations is a legitimate pursuit.
“Demanding reparations for the Igbos is a legitimate pursuit, but relying solely on Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida’s (IBB) revelation in his biography oversimplifies the issue”, Asuzu pointed out.
“IBB’s assertion that the 1966 coup was not an Igbo coup isn’t entirely new information. Notable statesman, Olusegun Obasanjo, had previously made similar statements, and the late Odumegwu Ojukwu, also known as Ikemba, explicitly expressed the same sentiments in various interviews.
“The Igbo have more substantial reasons to seek reparations from the Nigerian state beyond IBB’s validation. His statement merely adds credence to the already well-known facts surrounding the 1966 coup. The pursuit of reparations should be grounded in a comprehensive examination of the historical events and their lasting impact on the Igbo people.
“In seeking reparations, it’s essential to consider the broader context of Nigeria’s complex history, including the devastating effects of the Biafran War and the ongoing struggles for equality and justice. By doing so, the Igbos can build a stronger case for reparations, one that’s founded on a thorough and multifaceted understanding of the past and its continued influence on the present.”
False narrative
In the same vain, President General, Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, Sa’id: “The call for apology and compensation is necessary because the false narrative that the 1966 coup was an Igbo coup led to a situation where over five million Igbo were killed, their means of livelihood destroyed and the Igbo denied full political benefits in the Nigerian project.
“So the revelation by General Babangida in his book truly calls for apology and compensation to the Igbo for being seen and treated like enemies and outcasts in their own country.
“True healing and reconciliation requires and demands that there should be an apology and compensation of the Igbo for what happened in 1966.”
