former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon
adsThe launch of My Life of Duty and Allegiance, the autobiography of former Nigerian Head of State Yakubu Gowon, has once again reopened one of the most painful chapters in Nigeria’s history, the Civil War. While autobiographies often serve as important historical records, they can also stir emotions, revive unresolved grievances and deepen divisions when not handled with caution, sensitivity and balance.
At the Abuja launch of the memoir, Gowon himself declared that the book was “meant not to reopen old wounds”. Yet, the very revelations emerging from the autobiography have done precisely that. From claims about how Obafemi Awolowo allegedly intervened to save Murtala Mohammed from dismissal during the war, to Gowon’s reflections on why Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was never meant to be captured or killed, the memoir has triggered fresh debates across ethnic, political and generational lines.
No nation can build a stable future on falsehood. History matters and truth matters. The experiences of war, injustice and leadership decisions must be documented for posterity. Nations such as South Africa, Rwanda and even Germany have shown that confronting painful history can help societies heal and mature. However, truth must also be managed responsibly. There is a difference between historical honesty and historical provocation.
