'Why I Congratulated General Yakubu Gowon at 90’, Peter Obi Opens Up
- Former Anambra governor and presidential hopeful, Peter Obi, came under heavy criticism over his birthday message to General Yakubu Gowon
- Gowon is a former head of state who led the government's war efforts during the Nigerian-Biafran war that killed an estimated 500,000 to 3,000,000 people, mostly Igbos
- In a follow-up post, Obi explained to his furious supporters why he honoured the ex-military ruler
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Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering politics, governance, and elections in Nigeria.
FCT, Abuja - Peter Obi on Sunday, October 20, said he praised a former military ruler, Yakubu Gowon, because he "needed to show to the world that the ultimate heroism is forgiving the enemy and moving forward".
Legit.ng had reported how Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, came under heavy criticism for celebrating General Gowon as the latter clocked 90 years.
Source: Getty Images
In a birthday message shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, October 19, the Labour Party chieftain and presidential hopeful said Gowon’s “exemplary leadership and statesmanship remain an inspiration to younger and many generations of Nigerians.”
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Legit.ng reports that General Gowon was Nigeria's head of state during the Nigeria-Biafra War. His government refused to recognise Biafra's secession.
As a result of Gowon's connection with the outbreak of the Nigerian-Biafran war which killed an estimated 500,000 to 3,000,000 people (mostly Igbos), some X users took exception to Obi's post.
But reacting to the criticism in a tweet, Obi asked "all those angered by my greetings to the elder statesman to bear with me and join me in this mission to create a country where hate, unforgiving spirit, and other vices will give way for justice."
Read Obi's full post below:
"My felicitation with Nigeria’s former military Head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, on his 90th birthday anniversary, which was celebrated by a cross-section of Nigerians, has been received with mixed feelings by some Nigerians, and some have expressed their sentiments publicly, and privately to me.
"I share in some of them, and I feel that as a leader in the vanguard of providing direction for our country to shift base away from all our shortcomings, including the issues that caused our avoidable cruel civil war, I needed to show to the World that the ultimate heroism is forgiving the enemy and moving forward.
"Indisputably, the darkest part of our 64-year journey as a nation is the 30 months of civil war from 1967 to 1970 and God almighty whose way is not our way must have a reason why he kept the Chief Prosecutor of the war who is General Gowon alive to be 90 years today and the man who saw the end of the war, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to be there at 87 years super-heading all the moves to see a reconciled and just Nigeria.
"There was also a developing new spirit why the same country, Nigeria, gave the Biafra leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, a heroic national burial on 2 March 2012, when he joined his ancestors, coincidentally under my tenure as Governor of Anambra state.
"The status of the burial given to Dim Ojukwu remains the boldest indication to the World that Nigeria as a country is disposed to moving forward in the spirit of reconciliation.
"There are various ways human beings can respond to acts of evil, especially one that claimed millions of lives.
"One is the tragedy of revenge, and another offers the hope of forgiveness in an attempt to forget. The latter conforms neatly with the template I adopted in greeting Gen Gowon at 90 years old.
"In all my dealings with human beings, I try to be guided by my faith as a Christian in a strong message preached by Jesus Christ himself and underscored in reflections in St Paul’s letter to the Colossians 3:13: “Bear with each other and forgive one another: if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” And to Ephesians 4: 31-32 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice”
"Whatever reason I will give for joining the rest of Nigerians to greet General Gowon, May never truly conform with some persons, especially direct victims of the war, but anger, hurt, and bitterness are the commonest responses to cruelty.
"It fuels sectarianism, it leads to resistance and avoidable blood feuds that we are witnessing across the globe, and even in our country and it does not abate.
"There is something about forgiveness, it sets the person doing it free. Forgiveness is more a process than an instinct.
"It’s hate that has put our society, blessed by God to be the greatest land in the black World, down, but this hate has to stop.
"I was under ten years old when the Nigeria/Biafra war started in 1967. Most of my supporters across the country joining me get a new Nigeria were born after the war, and I didn’t feel I should drag them back to the dark side of our history by being unforgiving.
"I feel such an act will derail the message of a New Nigeria that we insist is POssible. 'Must you greet him? Why didn’t you keep quiet?’ some angrily say to me, but that will still be injurious to our journey to a new Nigeria where all political vices, including but not limited to ethnic, religious, bitterness, and regional segregation, are eliminated.
"Various personal experiences of victims of injustice across the globe who have chosen to put ugly things behind them visibly demonstrate the transformative power of forgiveness in healing personal and collective wounds.
"With these explanations, I like to admonish all those angered by my greetings to the elder statesman to bear with me and join me in this mission to create a country where hate, unforgiving spirit, and other vices will give way for justice.
"What Nigeria needs badly and urgently to survive going forward is good governance, which can only germinate and grow in true peace and the presence of justice. Thanks and God bless."
Obi greets new national mosque Imam
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that following the appointment of Iliyasu Usman as the first-ever Igbo Imam at the Abuja national mosque, Obi took to X to congratulate the religious leader.
Obi said Usman's appointment is significant and reflects his dedication, wisdom, and "exceptional leadership".
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Source: Legit.ng
