Elements in post-conflict transformation

By Hassan Tai Ejibunu

Until 1900, the land mass known today as Nigeria existed as a number of independent nation states with linguistic and cultural differences.

In fact the Governor of Nigeria, Sir Hugh Clifford (1920-31), described Nigeria as a ‘collection of independent native states, separated from one another….by great distances, by differences of history and traditions and by ethnological, racial, tribal, political, social and religious barriers’. With the creation in accordance with the Selborne Committee Report of 1899 of the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria in 1900, along with the colony of Lagos, the building of Nigeria as a multi-national state began. Further effort at unification and integration was made in 1906, when the colony of Lagos and the protectorate of Southern Nigeria, which had existed separately, were amalgamated to become the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria. However, the first momentous act of the British in the political evolution of Nigeria as a modern state was the amalgamation of the administration of the two sections of Nigeria, Northern and Southern Protectorates, on January 1, 1914 by Lord Lugard. For ease of governance and in the economic interest of the British, indirect rule and separate development policy were maintained in the two sections of the country, with the amalgamated administration based in Lagos. This, according to Obasanjo , ‘in effect produced two Nigeria’s, each with different social, political, economic and cultural backgrounds and developments within the country’.

Nigeria got independence from Great Britain on October 1, 1960 with a northern based political party-Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) holding sway at the centre, with Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as Prime Minister.

At independence and following several constitutional reviews, Nigeria was divided into three regions: Northern, Western and Eastern. There was a military coup on January 15, 1966 which toppled the civilian administrations at the federal and regional levels, and the killings of notable politicians and military officers of Northern and Western Region extractions. The military coup was led by mostly Ibo officers from the Eastern Region. The original coupists could not take over control of the government, but the most senior military officer in the Nigerian Army, Major General Aguiyi Ironsi, an Ibo man, did. On July 29, 1966, there was a military counter-coup by northern military officers, which claimed the lives of Ironsi, the military governor of Western Region, and other senior and junior ranks officers from the Eastern Region.

The counter-coup of July 1966 saw a turning point in the history of Nigeria as it finally led the country to a gruesome civil war. The Ibos whose officers led the first coup in Nigeria, saw the counter-coup as a revenge against them, as many civilians and military officers lost their lives in the process. An officer from the North, General Yakubu Gowon, then a Lt. Col. assumed leadership of the country. The military governor of Eastern Region, failed to recognise him (Gowon) as the new helmsman of the country citing the northerners’ massacre of the Ibos. He, therefore, went further to proclaim the region as a separate entity from Nigeria on May 30, 1967 after several attempts at reconciliation failed.It was named the Republic of Biafra on May 30, 1967. The Nigerian government launched a ‘police action’ to retake the secessionist territory after an initial thrust by the break away Biafran forces into adjacent non-Ibo territory.

Full scale war began on July 6, 1967 when the Nigerian federal troops advanced in two columns into Biafra. The Civil War came to an end on 13 January, 1970 when the last Biafra-held town of Amichi fell to the federal troops. The war cost Nigeria a great deal in terms of himan lives, as it has been estimated that up to three million people may have died due to the war, mostly from hunger and disease.

The Federal Government of Nigeria while accepting the surrender of the break away region declared: “No Victor, No Vanquished”. According to Gowon “The word no victor, no vanquished was adopted in order to achieve reconciliation after the civil war. The focus was to re-build the country socially, economically and politically”.

In achieving peace in a post-conflict situation, like a civil war, it is apt and necessary for real reintegration, reconciliation and reconstruction process to place in order to win back the confidence of the people. Realising this fact, the Nigerian government started with the programme of RRR in order to bring back the breakaway region back to the Nigerian federation. The Head of the Nigerian government, General Gowon, outlined this fact in his very first statement after the end of hostilities. He said, “ ….we must recommence at once in greater earnest, the task of healing the nation’s wounds. We have at various times repeated our desire for reconciliation in full equality….I solemnly repeat our guarantees of a general amnesty…We guarantee the security of life and property of all citizens”.

The government went ahead with the following measures of reintegration, reconciliation and reconstruction:
• Grant of general amnesty for those who partook in the rebellion.
• Guarantee of the security of life and property of all citizens in every part of Nigeria and equality in political rights.
• Massive relief operation to alleviate the suffering of the people in war affected areas.
• Former civil servants and public corporation officials were promptly re-instated including rehabilitation of the self employed.
• Commution to retirement the dismissal of all military persons who fought on the side of Biafra during the civil war.
• Currency exchange programme in which Biafran currency was exchanged with the Nigerian currency to enable those in trade and other ventures to come back into business.
• Rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads and bridges destroyed during the civil war.
• The government initiated a National Youth Service Corps scheme that made it mandatory for graduates of tertiary institutions to serve the fatherland, for one year, outside their locality and state of origins. This is to foster unity and national integration.
• Public agencies like the Federal Civil Service Commission and Federal Character Commission were created to ensure equity and justice in appointments into Federal Government institutions.

There is no denying the fact that embarking on post-conflict transformation is not an easy task, as different variables come to play. What is important is the sincerity, determination and sagacity of the key players involved, in order to achieve the desired goal.

Ejibunu studies at the European University Centre for Peace Studies, Stadtschlaining, Austria.