By Uche Amunike
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has asked for forgiveness and the need for unity among Nigerians as the world celebrated former military leader, General Yakubu Gowon during his 90th birthday celebration, Saturday, October 19.
Dignitaries and professional bodies assembled from all corners to celebrate the elder statesman, including President Bola Tinubu, former President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
In a tweet posted by Peter Obi, Saturday, he wished him a prosperous life, stating that Yakubu Gowon’s contributions to the growth of Nigeria represents sacrifice, leadership and unity.
The tweet partly read: ‘I am privileged to join other Nigerians of goodwill to celebrate a highly respected leader and former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, on his 90th birthday anniversary. In a time of hate, you stood for love. At a time of strife, you stood for peace. At a time of division, you stood for unity.’
‘Your life of service to our great nation, Nigeria, stands as one of sacrifice, leadership, and unity. May your legacy continue to guide us as we strive to build a more united, prosperous, and just Nigeria.’
On Sunday, however, the former Anambra State Governor had reasons to react to the part of his message that asked for ‘forgiveness’ during his celebration of Gowon at 90, because certain persons saw it as not only offensive, but unnecessary.
In a tweet, which he titled: ‘Why I Congratulated Gen. Gowon at 90’, he stated: ‘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.’
He continued: ‘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 former governor maintained that forgiveness is a process that helps to set an offender free, while anger and bitterness can only bring ‘resistance and avoidable blood feuds.’
Hear him: ‘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.’
‘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, and 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.’
He called on people who are angered by his birthday message to General Yakubu Gowon to bear with him, even as they join him in creating a country where hate, unforgiving spirit and other vices will give away 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’ , he concluded.
