By Matthew Don
Nigerian elder statesmen, including Professor Banji Akintoye of the Yoruba World Congress, Prof Anya O. Anya, Prof Wole Soyinka, Prof Pat Utomi, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) among others on Monday said no to further war in Nigeria and regretted the circumstances that led to the Biafra War that led to the killing of many Igbo.
They spoke at the Muson Centre in Lagos on the occasion of the “Nigerian Civil War: 50 Years After: Never Again” organised by Ndigbo Lagos and Nzuko Umunna in collaboration with civil society groups.
Akintoye said: “We are already in a crisis. If in our sober difference to reality find that we can no longer hold together as one family, then let us together peacefully find a rational solution and let us never again plunge into any kind of war.”
He noted that peace was a panacea for development in the nearest future.
He however wants the citizens to collectively address issues that may affect them, noting that the nation keep recording a growing population.
The event tagged ‘Never Again’, is aimed at reminiscing on the woes of the war which ended in January 1970 and adjudged as one of the worst scenarios of civil rife across the world.
Anya, who is the chairman of the occasion said violence cannot provide the solution to the problems facing the nation.
According to him, Nigeria must learn from the mistakes of the past and what some say was a failure of leadership.
Anya added that Nigeria was not the only country that has gone through such a situation as the civil war, stressing that losing a war was not necessarily a badge of failure.
Anya said: “Nigerians have not reflected the past 50 years since the Civil War ended. This is the first.
“Our situation is not unique. Other countries have gone through this. For example, some historians suggest that because of the reparation and other post war injustices the Germans thought was imposed on them, that was why they were involved in the Second World War.
“In other words, justice for all is important if we must avoid wars.
“The second point I want to make is that this conference we are holding now should have held 40 years ago or 30 years ago. But it is better late than never.
“Nigerians have to reflect on the past. Take the Eastern Nigeria region for example, some works by some economists at the at Michigan State University have said Eastern Nigeria was the fastest growing industrial area in the whole world. They didn’t say in Africa. They said in the whole world.
“Germany fought the World War and Lost. Japan fought the World War and lost. But in less than 40 years, Germany became the largest economy in Europe, stronger than the economies of the winners.
“Japan was the second largest economy after the United States until the miracle of China started. In other words, losing a war does not necessarily mean you are a badge of failure. If you do your home work well and you create an environment where there is no victor and no vanquish as General Gowon declared.
“We would have become pace setters if we learned from our past. But we have not learnt lessons from our past.”
According to Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka and Professor Pat Utomi the peace of the country was the collective responsibility of all Nigerians. Soyinka said Nigerians can say Never Again in several ways.
“We must do all in our power as responsible leaders and citizens of this great country and nation to create enabling platforms to dialogue and proffer ideas on how we can live together in peace and harmony for the good of all Nigerians and the black race as a whole, thus ensuring political, economic, security and development of this country.
“I urge all Nigerians to ensure that we avert another civil war in Nigeria,” Gowon implored.
President General of Ndigbo Lagos, Major General Obi Umahi (rtd), noted that the civil war came and left survivors with huge and indelible scares.
“The Nigerian Civil War came and left in its wake, massive destruction of lives and properties, destabilized economy, mutual suspicion, hatred and resentment.
“Looking around us today, those who learn through history books, may have discovered that some of the causes of the civil war have persisted; we cannot afford to allow this continue,” Umahi said.
Coordinator of Nzuko Umunna, Joseph Odumuko, noted that 50 years after, there is now the need for a national reflection.
“There is no gainsaying that war has never been the best of options in conflict resolution and in most cases has led to unfortunate loss of lives, properties and erosion of trust.
“The most critical thing for us to do this time as a people, is not to keep apportioning blames, or supressing sincere discussions about our past, but to ask ourselves if we are really making efforts towards ensuring healing.
“This can only be achieved by reintergrating all ethnic nationalities, by truly exhuming and implementing the deep intention of the 3Rs agenda of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Reintergration,” he said.