Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that Nigeria may not survive another civil war, stressing that many of the underlying issues that sparked the 1967–1970 conflict remain unresolved.
Obasanjo made the remark on Wednesday while receiving a historical publication titled Asaba Massacre at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta. The book was presented by the Isama Ajie of Asaba, Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze.
The publication chronicles the killing of civilians in Asaba during the Nigerian Civil War, one of the conflict’s most controversial episodes.
Reflecting on his involvement in the war, the former president said he could not provide a detailed account of the Asaba massacre because military operations in the area were under the command of the late former Head of State, Murtala Muhammed.
According to Obasanjo, the factors that led to the civil war decades ago have yet to be fully addressed, posing a continuing threat to national unity.
“The conditions that led to the Nigerian civil war years ago still remain unresolved,” he said.
“I was involved in the civil war, but whenever people ask me about the Asaba massacre, I always tell them I cannot give details because Murtala Muhammed was responsible for operations in that area.”
Obasanjo added that although he had previously been questioned about Muhammed’s role during the conflict, he had consistently maintained that he was not in a position to comment on the military operations carried out in Asaba.