Obasanjo Calls for Forgiveness at Asaba Massacre Memorial

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has asked survivors and families of the victims of the 1967 Asaba Massacre to embrace forgiveness and reconciliation.

Mr Obasanjo made this appeal on Wednesday while joining virtually as the chairman at the 59th anniversary memorial of the massacre in Asaba.

He described the massacre as one of the most painful parts of the Nigerian civil war. Mr Obasanjo said the war was a sad event that should never happen again. He shared that he cried after receiving documents about the massacre from Chuck Nduka-Eze, the Isama Ajie of Asaba and organizer of the Asaba Massacre Memorial.

“To all of you assembled: let us keep one thing in mind, forgiveness, forgiveness, and forgiveness again,” Mr Obasanjo said.

He encouraged the people of Asaba to forgive and work towards reconciliation, stressing the need to stop such tragedies from happening again.

In response to the call, the Asagba of Asaba, Epiphany Azinge, said the people could forgive but would not forget the tragedy. Mr Azinge, who is a professor, mentioned that there would be no healing until a sitting president publicly apologized to the people of Asaba.

“We may not forget, but certainly, we have to forgive,” Mr Azinge said, adding that former military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, had apologized while he was no longer in office.

“We need a sitting president to apologize to Asaba people; that will bring closure,” the traditional ruler stated.

He also questioned Mr Obasanjo’s call for “never again,” recalling the Odi killings that happened during Obasanjo’s presidency. “Coming from him, I was a bit taken aback. How long do we say ‘never again’? But it happened at Odi,” he said.

The Asagba urged Nigerians to keep remembering the victims, saying, “From the going down of the sun till the morning, we will always remember them.” He said the people had moved on, but he stressed that remembering, justice, and reconciliation were still important as Asaba gets ready for the 60th anniversary of the tragedy.

Despite the call for a presidential apology, Mr Azinge also made a big step towards reconciliation by publicly forgiving the family of Ibrahim Taiwo. “On behalf of the Asaba community, and as the prescribed authority, the Asagba of Asaba, I hereby publicly proclaim that we have forgiven the Taiwo family,” he said.

He mentioned that the community accepted the apology given by retired Major-General Ahmed Taiwo, who is the son of Mr Taiwo. Mr Taiwo was a colonel in the Nigerian Army at the time of the incident. He had expressed regret and apologized on behalf of his father and family for any actions that led to the massacre.

Meanwhile, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State said researchers and community historians estimate that more than 1,000 people died in the massacre. Represented by the Secretary to the Delta State Government, Kingsley Emu, Mr Oborevwori said, “Let us speak clearly: the killing of unarmed civilians can never be justified.”

The governor promised continued support for national recognition of the massacre and the building of a proper national memorial.

Also speaking, the Isama Ajie of Asaba and organizer of the Asaba Massacre Memorial, Mr Nduka-Eze, said they are getting ready for the 60th anniversary next year. Efforts are being made to set up a permanent memorial center. “The message we’ve been sending about the Asaba Massacre is that Nigerian lives matter,” he said.

He noted that the 60th anniversary will be a chance to further tell the story of the massacre to Nigeria and the world. Enotie Ogbebor, son of then-Colonel Paul Ogbebor, who helped save lives during the tragedy, said the massacre should be remembered worldwide. He expressed that the proposed memorial site would remind everyone that no innocent life should be lost unfairly for any reason.

The Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Achebe, also spoke about restitution, reconciliation, and forgiveness at the memorial.