Survivors recall civil war experiences, advocate teaching of history

Fifty-six years after the Nigerian Civil War, survivors, scholars, and key stakeholders gathered in Enugu to recount harrowing ordeals from the 30-month conflict, warning younger generations against romanticising war or resorting to violence under any guise.

The stakeholders spoke about the war during the public presentation of a new book titled, ‘History and Lessons From The Nigerian Civil War (Chronologically Arranged),’ co-authored by Dr Uchenna Anioke, Chief Obioma Ikechi, and Chief James Egwuonwu.

The presentation, which brought together public officials, traditional rulers, academics, and youth groups, doubled as a call for the reinstatement of history as a mandatory subject in Nigerian primary and secondary schools.

Sharing his childhood ordeal during the 1967–1970 conflict, the Enugu State Commissioner for Environment, Prof. Sam Ugwu, recalled fleeing through bushes with his parents to evade advancing troops while in primary one.

Ugwu, who represented Governor Peter Mbah at the event on Saturday, recounted the painful story of his teenage elder brother, Cletus, who was taunted into enlisting in the Biafran Army after being mocked by his master’s wife for staying behind while his peers fought.

“My brother underwent two weeks of training and went to the frontline. On his very first day in battle, his friend Kenneth from Igboeze was killed right beside him. He survived until 1970 and threw away his gun the moment the war ended,” Ugwu recalled.

He added that his family had continued to mourn a cousin – the only son of his aunt – who earned a distinction in his primary school examination but enlisted and never returned from the battlefield.

Ugwu warned that the country appeared not to have learnt from the mistakes of the past, urging Nigerian youths to embrace dialogue instead of agitation.

“Why I am recalling all these stories is because of our young ones who are shouting war all the time. War is the worst thing that can happen to any society. The civil war was avoidable,” he said.

Delivering Mbah’s official message, Ugwu stated that the governor advocated the restoration of history in school curriculum, warning that removing the subject was dangerous to national development and institutional memory.

“History is essential for understanding our past and shaping our collective future,” the governor said, praising the authors for documenting the remote and immediate causes of the war in chronological order.

Also speaking, the Chairman on the occasion and Managing Director of COPEN Group, Pastor Ugochukwu Chime, recalled surviving a bombing raid as a child when he was thrown into a ravine, adding that several of his relatives perished in the conflict.

“It is not an experience anyone should have twice in a lifetime because it is terrifying,” Chime said.

In his contribution, the President of the Dr Michael Okpara Leadership Centre, Dr Chinedu Onu, noted that while the war truncated the rapid economic growth of the former Eastern Region, the memory of the conflict must be preserved to prevent future mistakes.

Explaining the motivation behind the publication, the lead author, Dr Uchenna Anioke, stated that the book was written to provide an objective, date-by-date account of the conflict to foster national healing rather than division.

He said, “By arranging these historic events strictly by date, from 1966 to 1970, we avoided political distortion. Our book is not a weapon to reopen old wounds, but a mirror to reflect our shared responsibility.”

Reviewing the publication, the Chairman of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria (Enugu chapter), Dr Ambrose Igboke, cautioned youths against viewing war through the distorted lens of movies and social media, stressing that the real-world consequences of conflict are devastating and irreversible.