HISTORY: BLAST FROM THE PAST
Why the Aburi Accord Failed
-Philip Asiodu

*Gowon went to Aburo with no PS, even the Secretary to the Govt was not taken along whereas Ojukwu went fully prepared with his PS backed by Dr Pius Okigbo. Gowon and Ojukwu agreed that the Aburi talk will be a gentleman military talk. Gowon was on his own in Aburi.

*The Aburi Agreement if implemented would have led to 4 Countries with few months bc Gowon would be so weak as any decision must be agreed to by the 4 regions and one of them can veto the agreement. Technically, no Central Govt.

*Decree 8 was 95% Aburi Agreement. The East could have accepted it bc it could also have led to 4 Countries in 3 months at most. But Ojukwu insisted that few clauses must be removed. Decree 8 was removed bc Gowon prepared it. It’s rejection led to the civil war.

*It was bad that development plan of Gowon 1975 to 1980 was abandoned by the subsequent govt. The plan place is above Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

*Colonial Govt, the First Republic govt and Gowon govt did most of the infrastructural developments we are seeing today. Subsequent Govts add just little with the exception of Abuja. And Abuja was almost 60% private property developed.

*Murtala/OBJ military govt destroyed the civil service.

*Ojukwu did not have the military personnel carrying guns. The East had military officers, about 35% of Nigerian military officers. But by then those carrying guns in the Nigerian Army, the recruits, were 90% Benue/Plateau. So, how could the East have won with no Navy and no access to the sea???

-Summarized by Ayo Ojeniyi