Why Nigeria can’t survive another civil war — Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that many of the issues that led to Nigeria’s civil war remain unresolved, cautioning that the country must do everything possible to prevent another conflict.

Obasanjo spoke on Wednesday while receiving books, research materials, video recordings and eyewitness accounts documenting the Asaba Massacre from the Chairman of the Asaba Memorial Trust and the Asaba Image Branding and Project Committee, Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta.

The former president described the prospect of another civil war as unacceptable, insisting that Nigeria had already paid too high a price during the 1967–1970 conflict.

“What went wrong in the past is essential to preventing a repeat. We must do everything humanly possible to prevent its recurrence,” he said.

Obasanjo noted that many of the conditions that triggered the civil war still exist, echoing a warning previously made by former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, that Nigeria might not survive another civil war.

“Some of the things that led to the Civil War are still with us. How long will this remain so? I believe we have fought one civil war too many already. To say that we will have a second civil war, God forbid,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to embrace a collective resolve of “never again,” stressing the need to understand the country’s history, acknowledge past mistakes and prevent a recurrence.

The former president commended Nduka-Eze for preserving records of the Asaba Massacre, describing historical documentation as essential for national healing and reconciliation.

According to him, the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library was established to preserve the past, document the present and inspire the future, adding that understanding the civil war and its consequences was critical to building a united Nigeria.

Reflecting on his role during the civil war, Obasanjo said he could not provide detailed accounts of the Asaba Massacre because military operations in the area were under the command of the late former Head of State, Gen. Murtala Mohammed.

He, however, recalled that toward the end of the war he was given responsibilities to ensure civilians were protected, insisting that abuses by soldiers were never officially sanctioned.

Obasanjo recounted how he once stopped a soldier from assaulting a civilian woman, saying commanders had a responsibility to prevent misconduct by troops under their command.

He also noted that Gowon had publicly apologised for excesses committed during the civil war, maintaining that incidents such as the Asaba Massacre were neither authorised nor condoned by the military leadership.

The former president pledged to study the materials presented to him and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring Nigeria never experiences another civil war.

Earlier, Nduka-Eze said the materials presented to Obasanjo contained eyewitness testimonies, archival documents, recorded interviews and other historical evidence relating to the Asaba Massacre.

He said available evidence showed that after federal troops entered Asaba in 1967, civilians were assembled in public places and asked to affirm their loyalty to Nigeria before many unarmed men were separated from women and children and killed.

According to him, although the exact death toll remains uncertain, historical records and independent accounts indicate that more than 1,000 civilians lost their lives during the massacre.

Nduka-Eze added that unresolved ethnic tensions, grievances arising from Nigeria’s first military coup and the absence of accountability contributed to both the Asaba Massacre and the outbreak of the civil war, warning that many of those underlying issues still persist today.