By Jude Michael
Former Governor of Anambra State and Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, says he congratulated former military Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon, on his 90th birthday in order show the need for forgiving perceived enemies.
It will be recalled that Obi’s congratulatory message to Gowon whose regime oversaw the prosecution of war against the Old Eastern Region had drawn mixed reactions from the people of the Southeast, the majority of whom took exception to that.
But Obi has clarified why he acted the way he did, saying, ‘I share in some of these sentiments. But as a leader in the vanguard of providing direction for our country to move past our historical shortcomings, including the issues that led to the avoidable civil war, I felt the need to show the world that the ultimate heroism lies in forgiving the enemy and moving forward.’
Obi, in a press statement, observed that the gesture had drawn mixed reactions from Nigerians.
He acknowledged the sentiments expressed both publicly and privately by some Nigerians, particularly those who suffered during Nigeria’s Civil War, which was fought under Gowon’s leadership.
Obi reflected on the 30-month Civil War, which he described as the darkest chapter in Nigeria’s 64-year journey.
He noted that both Gowon, the Chief Prosecutor of the war, and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who saw its end, were still alive and continued to play significant roles in fostering reconciliation and unity in Nigeria.
Obi also recalled that under his tenure as Governor of Anambra State, Nigeria gave the Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, a national burial in 2012, which, he believed, was a bold indication of the country’s willingness to move forward in the spirit of reconciliation.
While recognizing that forgiveness was difficult for many, particularly those directly affected by the war, Obi argued that holding onto bitterness only fueled division and sectarianism, leading to further conflicts.
‘There is something about forgiveness. It sets the person doing it free,’ he remarked, adding that forgiveness was a process that could help heal personal and collective wounds.
Obi, who was a child during the war, emphasized that most of his supporters were born after the war and that dragging them back into that dark history by harbouring unforgiveness would derail the message of hope for a New Nigeria.
‘I believe such an act would derail the message of a New Nigeria that we insist is possible,’ he said.
Addressing critics who questioned his decision to publicly congratulate Gowon, Obi explained that silence would have been detrimental to the journey towards a New Nigeria, one where political vices such as ethnic and religious divisions, bitterness, and regional segregation were eliminated.
He urged those angered by his gesture to understand his motivation and join him in the mission to build a country where forgiveness and justice prevailed, paving the way for peace and good governance.
‘What Nigeria needs urgently to survive and thrive is good governance, which can only flourish in true peace and justice,’ Obi concluded.
