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Revealed! Civil War Was Never Targeted Hatred Against Any People- Gowon Confesses
Ex- Hed of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), on Saturday in Abuja said the Nigerian Civil War was never driven by hatred, but by a difficult necessity to preserve national unity.
Speaking at the 5th Convention of the Christian Men’s Fellowship (CMF) of the Diocese of Abuja, held at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Maitama, Abuja, Gowon emphasized the importance of forgiveness, reconciliation, and unity across faiths and ethnicities.
“I remember the most difficult period of my life. It was not my choice, but I had to be there—and had to do what I had to—to keep this country together,” Gowon said after receiving a Lifetime Integrity and Achievement Award.
“It was never a hatred against any people, I can assure you. Apart from that, there is love and respect between us.”
The former military leader, now 91, recalled personal losses during the war, including the death of his friend, Major Arthur Unegbe, for whom he served as best man.
Reflecting on life after that era, he stressed that his decisions have been guided by prayer and a desire to act with integrity and compassion.
“As far as this heart is concerned, everything that I do, it is through prayers. I ask God to help me to do the right thing the way He thinks it should be done, with the love and respect from all the people.
“That is why, at the end, what do we have to say? As they say: no victor, no vanquished,” ,” he added.
Primate of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Archbishop Henry Ndukuba presents lifetime Integrity and Achievement Award to former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), at the 5th Convention of the Christian Men’s Fellowship (CMF) of the Diocese of Abuja, held at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Maitama, Abuja. Saturday, June 7, 2025.
Gowon praised the progress Nigeria has made since the civil war and called on all citizens to support the government’s efforts to uphold peace, love, and mutual respect.
“This is my prayer, and I ask your prayers for Nigeria so that we can continue to unite and live together as one people, irrespective of our faith, whether Christian, Muslim, or unbelievers.”
Alongside General Gowon, the Christian Men’s Fellowship honoured two other distinguished Nigerians.
Dr. Christopher Kolade, 93, a respected diplomat, corporate executive, broadcaster, and academic; and Owelle Gilbert Chikelu, CON, 95, a renowned former federal permanent secretary often described as a “super permanent secretary” for his pioneering work in Nigeria’s civil service.
The awards were presented in recognition of their exemplary service to the Church, the nation, and humanity.
The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, who presided over the convention, urged Christian men to uphold truth, integrity, and courage.
“The Lord is still in search of men of honour and integrity,” he said, referencing the “four Hs” that define godly men, heart, head, habit, and humility.
His wife, Mrs. Angela Ndukuba, President of the Mothers’ Union and Women’s Guild, commended the honourees as “men of courage” who have lived honourably in an age of moral decline.
“Despite their age, they have stood strong for the Lord and His Church,” she said.
In a tribute delivered on behalf of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Prof. John-Kennedy Opara, former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, praised the honourees for their consistency in living with integrity.
“These men have touched lives, and God has used them in different ways to touch the nation,” he said.
Quoting Psalm 25:14, he added: “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.”
Former executive secretary of TETFund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, described Gowon as “a son of a clergy who inherited integrity and forgiveness,” noting that despite presiding over Nigeria during the height of its oil boom, he refused to enrich himself.
“He uncharacteristically left office without even building a personal house,” Bogoro remarked.
The CMF convention brought together Christian men from across the Diocese of Abuja and beyond, focusing on the theme ‘‘Men of Honour: Living with Integrity in a Culture of Deceit’’, Psalm 15: 1-5.
The Bishop of Ilesa, the Rt, Rev Prof Dapo Asaju, was the guest speaker on the theme of the convention.
Prominent activist, Aisha Yesufu, has expressed concern over the ongoing teachers’ strike in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), calling on the minister, Nyesom Wike, to urgently intervene and resolve the crisis.
In a statement on Monday, Yesufu lamented the prolonged closure of public primary schools across the FCT, noting that the situation continues to disrupt the education of thousands of children.
She stressed that education remains a fundamental right and should not be treated with negligence, urging authorities to prioritise the welfare of both teachers and students.
“The continuous strike by teachers in the FCT is unacceptable. Our children cannot keep paying the price for unresolved issues,” she said.
The activist appealed directly to Wike to take decisive steps towards addressing the grievances of the striking teachers, including issues surrounding unpaid salaries and poor working conditions.
According to her, swift intervention by the FCT administration would not only restore academic activities but also rebuild confidence in the public education system.
The strike, which has lingered for weeks, has left many pupils at home, raising concerns among parents over the long term impact on learning.
Malam Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna, has alerted the public to what he called “certain malicious orchestrations” directed against him.
El-Rufai, in a statement signed and released on Sunday by Muyiwa Adekeye, his Media Adviser, said the unwarranted effort to arrest him upon his arrival at Abuja Airport from Cairo on 12 February 2026 served as a clear signal of more troubling developments to follow.
The evident objective of the current scheme, according to the statement, is to secure his indefinite detention through reprehensible tactics, stressing that such conduct is unacceptable, particularly toward a citizen who has made substantial contributions to our country.
He, however, said that the rule of law must never be perverted into a tool of oppression and legal processes should serve the ends of justice, not be employed to deny a citizen his fundamental right to liberty while he stands trial.
The statement stressed that Malam El-Rufai should be accorded full due process guaranteed by law to every citizen, and the persistent disregard for his rights must cease immediately.
The statement recalled that since 16 February 2026, when Malam El-Rufai honoured an invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), he was detained, then transferred to the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on the night of 18 February.
It said the former governor remains in detention and has been arraigned in two separate high courts.
The statement, however, picked holes in a report headlined “El-Rufai’s trial: Gunmen invade principal witness home” published by a national newspaper, not Nigerian Tribune, on 18 April 2026.
It quoted the article as stating that a witness in the criminal proceedings at the Kaduna State High Court had reported to the police that armed individuals had invaded his residence.
The statement added that the paper included innuendos suggestive of a plot to frame Malam Nasir El-Rufai as the witness linked the incident to his role as a witness in the corruption charges against El-Rufai, specifically one of the nine counts involving the alleged unlawful revocation and reallocation of land.
The article, the statement added, further quoted the witness as alleging that the invasion might be part of an effort to silence him, drawing parallels with the controversial disappearance of Kaduna-based activist Abubakar Idris Dadiyata.
The statement said that while it is the civic duty of every citizen to report crimes to the authorities, it is an entirely different matter to publish false imputations against others.
It said any objective reader would recognise the clear intent behind these statements: to smear Malam Nasir El-Rufai’s reputation, jeopardise his pending bail application at the Kaduna State High Court, and implicate him in serious capital offences.
Part of the statement read, “Malam Nasir El-Rufai is an upstanding and law-abiding citizen who has no connection whatsoever to the incidents described in the publication. Therefore, he has already instructed his legal team to initiate defamation proceedings in this matter.
“Since 2023, Malam El-Rufai has been subjected to an appalling and sustained campaign of innuendos and vilification.
This is a man with a distinguished record of public service. Many will recall his sterling service to the cause of national unity through his principled opposition to opportunism, alongside other senior leaders, during the events leading to the 2022 primaries of the ruling party and thereafter.“
The Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) has called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, to resign immediately over allegations of partisanship, warning that he no longer commands the credibility required to oversee the 2027 general elections.
The group, which includes prominent figures such as Dr Usman Bugaje, Barrister Femi Falana (SAN), Dr Oby Ezekwesili, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, Professor Pat Utomi, Hadjia Dr Bilikisu Magoro and Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, among others, said the integrity of the electoral body must not be compromised.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Media Coordinator, Comrade James Ezema, the MCE urged Professor Amupitan to step aside to allow for an independent and transparent investigation into the allegations against him.
The group also called on the Federal Government to constitute an impartial panel comprising judicial officers, digital forensic experts and civil society representatives to ascertain the truth, while demanding an end to any form of intimidation or harassment of citizens raising concerns.
“The integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process is at stake,” the statement said. “At this critical juncture in the nation’s democratic evolution, the leadership of INEC must be beyond reproach.”
The MCE said recent developments, including alleged digital footprints linking the INEC Chairman to partisan expressions sympathetic to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), had triggered a crisis of confidence.
While noting that Professor Amupitan had denied the allegations, the group insisted that such denials do not resolve the matter in an era of advanced digital forensics, but rather heighten the need for thorough verification.
“In this digital age, denial is not a defence—it is an invitation to forensic scrutiny,” the statement added.
The group further warned that the controversy could escalate into a legal crisis, citing the traceability of digital identities through systems such as the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and National Identification Number (NIN), as well as device-level access logs maintained by digital platforms.
According to the MCE, attempts to frame public scrutiny as cybercrime or to threaten critics with arrest amount to a misuse of state apparatus and could further erode public trust.
Beyond the immediate allegations, the group expressed concern over what it described as a pattern of decisions by INEC that appear to undermine opposition participation, including alleged selective enforcement of electoral regulations.
It warned that such developments risk steering Nigeria towards a de facto one-party state, in violation of constitutional democracy.
The MCE also raised concerns about potential international repercussions, noting that aggrieved parties could seek redress at regional bodies such as the ECOWAS Court, exposing Nigeria to reputational damage and possible sanctions.
It maintained that the allegations, if proven, raise serious ethical questions about Professor Amupitan’s neutrality and fitness for office.
“The only honourable course is for the INEC Chairman to step aside and allow a transparent investigation,” the group stated.
“Nigeria stands at a democratic crossroads. The credibility of its electoral body is central to national stability and the legitimacy of governance.”
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