Thread by @maazi_ogbonnaya

"In Aburi, We Stand".

Aburi Accord: From Jaw-Jaw to War War.

What is Aburi Accord?

Aburi Accord was an agreement reached in 1967 at a meeting attended by delegates of both the Federal Government of Nigeria (the Supreme Military Council) and the Eastern delegates,

led by the Eastern Region's leader Colonel Ojukwu. The meeting was billed to be the last chance of preventing all out war.

It was held between 4 and 5 January 1967. The Aburi conference lasted for two days. Ojukwu wanted it to held outside Nigeria for the sake of his life.

He put out things he wanted which will be beneficial for the people. Almost all the proposals he presented were adopted. It was a time for Council of Nigeria to reconcile with Ojukwu.

The Aburi was between Ojukwu and Gowon. They ate in the same plate as a reconciliation factor.

The agenda of the Aburi are as follows:

1. Re-organisation of the Armed forces.

2. Constitutional Arrangement

3. Issue of displaced persons within the Nigeria.

The Accord agreed and signed are:

1. Members agree that the legislative and executive authority of the Federal Military Government should remain in the Supreme Military Council, to which any decision affecting the whole country shall be referred for determination

provided that where it is possible for a meeting to be held the matter requiring determination must be referred to military governors for their comment and concurrence.

2. Specifically, the council agreed that appointments to senior ranks in the police, diplomatic,

and consular services as well as appointment to superscale posts in the federal civil service and the equivalent posts in the statutory corporation must be approved by the Supreme Military Council.

3. The regional members felt that all the decrees passed since January 15, 1966, and which detracted from previous powers and positions of regional governments, should be repealed if mutual confidence is to be restored.

The Delegates of the Aburi Accord are:

Chairman of the Ghana National Liberation Council -Lt.-General J.A. Ankrah-Chairman

Lt.-Col. Yakubu Gowon- Head of State

Lt.-Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu - Governor Eastern Region

Major Mobolaji Johnson - Governor Lagos State

Lt.-Col. Hassan Katsina - Governor Northern Region

Lt.-Col. David Ejoor - Governor Mid-Western Region

Commodore Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey - Vice President of Nigeria

Colonel Robert Adebayo - Governor Western Region

Alhaji Kam Selem

Mr. T. Omo-Bare

N. Akpan Secretary to the Military Governor-East

Alhaji Ali Akilu Secretary to the Military Governor-North

D. Lawani Under Secretary, Military Governor's Office-Mid-West.

P. Odumosu Secretary to the Military Governor-West

S. Akenzua (who later became the Oba of Benin - Erediauwa
Permanent Under-Secretary-Federal Cabinet Office

Nigeria broke the Aburi Accord by promugating decree 8. They misinterpreted the Aburi agreement and refused to obey it.

Before the Decree No.8 was issued on March 17, 1967, it had been passed by the Supreme Military Council meeting which held in Benin on March 10.

Ojukwu did not attend the meeting because he ejected a draft of that decree which made mockery of the Aburi resolutions. It's not in line with the agreement at Aburi. The most offending clauses of the decree were sections 70 and 71 which empowered the Supreme Military

Council to declare a state of emergency in Nigeria, if the Head of Federal Military Government and at least three of the Governors agreed to do so. Section 71 also empowered the Head of the Federal Military Government in agreement with at least three Governors

to legislate for any particular region whenever they deemed it fit during a state of emergency, with or without the consent of the Governor of that particular Region.

In effect, Gowon had taken power to deal with Ojukwu whenever he pleased, how he pleased& as long as he pleased.

This was the major cause of the problem. The Aburi agreement signed by Gowon& Ojukwu was breached by Gowon. This problem gave in to war at last. Never Ojukwu's fault