Abaribe: Gen. Gowon Must Write His Own Memoir Like IBB to Fill Some Blank Spaces

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has challenged former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon to follow suit and write his own book.

This followed the memoir by former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida, which has continued to generate controversy.

Abaribe threw the challenge yesterday during a media interaction at Aba as part of activities marking his 70th birthday coming up on Saturday.

“It is very salutary that those in charge of affairs will one day tell their stories,” he said, adding: “We’re still waiting for that book from Gowon,” who led Nigeria to wage war against Biafra.

 Abaribe, who represents Abia South senatorial district, said it has become necessary for Gowon, who led Nigeria for nine years through its turbulent period to avail the nation his own perspective of all that transpired when he was in charge.

 According to him, “We are in a period where we need national catharsis or exhaling in order to build a stronger united nation, where justice and fairness prevail.”

Speaking on Babangida’s book from which some startling revelations tumbled out, Abaribe noted that Babangida has affirmed the known truth that Nigeria’s first military coup was not an Igbo coup as hitherto propagated.

He pointed out that the long held narrative of Igbo coup even with abundant evidence to the contrary was invented and propagated by Igbo haters in order to satisfy their unfounded fear and regard of Ndigbo as threat.

“Throughout the history of Nigeria, they will always use the Igbo head to break the coconut if anything happens,” he said.

He also stated that IBB was not telling the whole truth on his role in the annulment of June 12, 1992 presidential poll, saying the self-styled military president “can’t tell us he was commander-in-chief and somebody was pulling the strings.”

Reflecting on his 70 years on earth, Abaribe said he has seen Nigeria transform from a medieval society to its current appreciable level of development.

He, however, regretted that the nation was still struggling in its developmental strides, saying, “When we were growing up, we expected that Nigeria would be better, but it seems we’re regressing.”