According to General Yakubu Gowon, the former head of state, the January 1967 meeting in Aburi, Ghana, had the potential to avert the civil war in Nigeria.
The 90-year-old politician, who presided over Nigeria from 1966 to 1975, stated that he wants to be seen as a leader who genuinely cares about the nation and its citizens.
In an interview with Arise Television, Gowon made this claim, illuminating the intractable divisions that precipitated the start of the Nigerian Civil War in July 1967.
The 30-month conflict was partly caused by a fundamental disagreement between Gowon and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the leader of the Eastern zone.
Ojukwu, he claimed, advocated for a type of regional autonomy that the federal government could not support.
“I want to be known as someone who loves Nigeria, loves Nigerians, and prays for Nigeria to remain a nation that we all adore, even if I am unable to fight for it. I am aware that no nation can achieve perfectionism,” Gowon remarked.
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