Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared “Never Again” as the defining message for the 2026 Asaba Memorial Anniversary, warning that Nigeria must confront the lessons of its civil war history to ensure such a tragedy is never repeated.
Obasanjo made the declaration while receiving a comprehensive collection of books, eyewitness accounts, documentary films and archival materials on the October 1967 Asaba Massacre from Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze, Chairman of the Asaba Memorial Trust and the Asaba Image Branding and Project Committee, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s history, the former President warned that many of the conditions that led to the Civil War remain unresolved.
“Some of the things that led to the civil war are still with us. We have fought one civil war too many already. God forbid there should ever be another. We must do everything humanly possible to prevent its recurrence and be able to say, ‘Never Again.'”
Obasanjo explained that preserving history is essential to building a peaceful future, noting that one of the guiding principles of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library is to preserve the past, capture the present and inspire the future.
