Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday warned that Nigeria must never experience another civil war, saying many of the factors that led to the 1967–1970 conflict still exist within the country’s institutions and among its people.
Obasanjo spoke at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while receiving a historical documentation on the Asaba Massacre from the Isama Ajie of Asaba, Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze.
By Ja
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday warned that Nigeria must never experience another civil war, saying many of the factors that led to the 1967–1970 conflict still exist within the country’s institutions and among its people.
Obasanjo spoke at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while receiving a historical documentation on the Asaba Massacre from the Isama Ajie of Asaba, Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze.
The work, titled Asaba Massacre, comprises a published transcript and an audiovisual documentary based on eyewitness accounts, recorded interviews, archival materials, audiovisual documentation and historical research.
Speaking during the presentation, Obasanjo, who served as a military commander during the Nigerian Civil War, said he had always refrained from commenting extensively on the Asaba Massacre because the area was under the command of the late General Murtala Muhammed.
He commended Nduka-Eze for documenting the events, saying the work would contribute to preserving Nigeria’s history and preventing a recurrence of such tragedies.
“We pride ourselves that we preserve the past, we capture the present and we inspire the future. We capture the past, and this is the past; we want to capture it, we want to know about it,” Obasanjo said.
“I must confess, and you know that I was involved in the civil war. When people talk about the Asaba Massacre, I always confess that I cannot give details of it.”
The former president also recalled intervening during the war to prevent a soldier from raping a woman in Asaba, noting that such an act would have carried consequences of command responsibility.
Expressing concern over the country’s current state, Obasanjo said many of the grievances that culminated in the civil war had yet to be fully addressed.
The former president also recalled intervening during the war to prevent a soldier from raping a woman in Asaba, noting that such an act would have carried consequences of command responsibility.
Expressing concern over the country’s current state, Obasanjo said many of the grievances that culminated in the civil war had yet to be fully addressed.
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