The Igbo Women’s Assembly (IWA) has stated that several instances in history, such as the 1929 female insurrection that occurred in Aba and other Igbo regions, as well as the role the Igbo people played in Nigeria’s quest for autonomy, positioned them uncomfortably under the British government’s watchful eye.
The IWA also suggested that if General Yakubu Gowon, the former military head of state, had sustained the conciliatory efforts of his predecessor, General Aguiyi Ironsi, Nigeria could have potentially evaded the detonation of a brutal civil war.
During their statement, IWA’s representative detailed how the wide-scale protest by women in 1929 against severe colonial rule was a critical turning point in igniting the drive for independence from the British government.
She proposed that the British government harbored animosity towards the Igbo people due to their initiation of the female-driven demonstration and for taking a lead role in the struggle for Nigeria’s liberation.
The IWA postulated that the 1966 coup, in the British government’s perspective, served as a timely occasion to enact a form of retaliation against the Igbo community.
Crucially, she noted, the unrest in Aba that required the British to relinquish control over Nigeria remained an unforgotten transgression in their eyes. This, she claimed, led them to seek vengeance and instigate discord within Nigeria to ensure the newly achieved political stability in 1960 was disrupted.
She also brought up the point that if Gowon had examined the proposition for regional governance against the backdrop of the unnecessary Igbo bloodshed occurring throughout the nation, the civil war could have been bypassed.
Highlighting events post-1966 putsch, she said, ‘Leadership was taken up by Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi who, rather than asserting Igbo dominance, was working zealously to unite and restore Nigeria. If it was truly spearheaded by the Igbo, he would have used this opportunity to establish an Igbo Republic.’
Feeling the need to clarify a misconception, she added that if the coup was indeed organized by the Igbo, undoubtedly an Igbo wouldn’t have thwarted it. She observed how Aguiyi Ironsi’s tragic death in Ibadan led to Gowon taking control in one of the many attempts to bring reconciliation to Nigeria.
The IWA expressed sorrow over the fact that Gowon disregarded the proposal for a regional government presented by the delegation from the Old Eastern region during the Aburi peace negotiations. They believe the current clamor for political restructuring in Nigeria could have been preemptively mitigated.
She underlined how the declaration made by General Gowon post-civil war, the ‘No Victor No Vanquished’, was contradicted by the government’s subsequent acts. This was notably seen when, despite previously agreeing to not demoralize the losing side in the conflict, 20 Pounds was the only amount offered in exchange for any sum owned by an Igbo person.
Moreover, the national government’s denial of reintegration into the Federal civil service for the Igbo community further invalidated Gowon’s intended message of unity and sympathy.
The claims made by the Igbo Women’s Assembly are thought-provoking and tell a history of the Igbo community and their role within Nigeria’s struggle for independence, along with their experiences post-independence.
By invoking certain pivotal moments in Nigeria’s history, the IWA seeks to shed light on the complex dynamics that have shaped Nigeria’s present and its ongoing pursuit of national unity, autonomy, and restructuring.
Their account proposes a new perspective on Nigeria’s history, adding a layer to our understanding of the forces at work during these historic events; the women’s riot of 1929, Nigeria’s struggle for independence, the 1966 coup, and the subsequent civil war.
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