Yakubu Gowon has rejected longstanding claims by Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu that the 1967 Aburi meeting in Ghana produced an agreement allowing Nigeria’s regions to separate peacefully.
In his autobiography, My Life of Duty and Allegiance, launched in Abuja, Gowon said he was shocked after hearing Ojukwu allegedly tell Eastern Region residents that both leaders had agreed to partition Nigeria following the Aburi talks held on January 4–5, 1967.
According to Gowon, the meeting was intended to preserve Nigeria’s unity during a period of severe political and ethnic crisis, not to approve secession or the creation of Biafra.
Gowon’s account of Aburi
Gowon said the then military governor of the Midwest Region, David Ejoor, alerted him to Ojukwu’s post-Aburi broadcast.
He recalled being “aghast” after hearing that Ojukwu allegedly informed Easterners that the regions had agreed to move apart politically and govern separately.
Gowon argued that:
- No agreement on partition or secession was reached at Aburi.
- The resolutions focused on reducing tensions and avoiding violence.
- Ojukwu’s interpretation reflected a personal agenda rather than the collective outcome of the meeting.
He also referenced the controversial Unification Decree No. 34 introduced under Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi in 1966, saying it intensified fears of domination in other regions, especially in the North and West. Gowon said he later restored the federal system after taking power.
Background to the civil war
The Aburi talks came amid deepening political instability after Nigeria’s independence in 1960. At the time, the country was divided into regional blocs dominated by major ethnic groups:
- Hausa-Fulani in the North
- Igbo in the East
- Yoruba in the West
Tensions eventually escalated after Ojukwu declared the independent Republic of Biafra in 1967, triggering the Nigerian Civil War.
The war lasted from July 6, 1967, to January 15, 1970, and is estimated to have claimed between one and three million lives, many due to starvation and disease.
Gowon’s criticism of Ojukwu
In the memoir, Gowon accused Ojukwu of repeatedly violating agreements reached during the crisis and said the Eastern leader promoted “a divisive philosophy” despite discussions aimed at preserving an “indivisible Nigeria.”
He further claimed that Ojukwu gave traumatised Easterners the impression that independence would provide safety and closure after widespread violence and political unrest.
The book launch was attended by several prominent Nigerians, including Goodluck Jonathan and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
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