Assessing Nigeria’s Post-Civil War Idea of “No Victor No Vanquish” Agenda in the Southeast Geopolitical Zone: A Panacea for National Unity
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: On 15 January 1970, at the end of the brutal Nigeria Civil War, pronounced the outcome of the war as that of “no victor, no vanquished” an important rhetorical effort to heal the wounds of the war and to give a sense of belonging to the defeated ‘Biafrans’ into the Nigerian State. The General Gowon administration made it clear that the aim of the Federal Government was the reunification and reintegration of the former citizens of the rebel Republic of Biafra into the Federal Republic of Nigeria. However, 53 years after the famous speech, the southeast geopolitical zone which constituted the majority of the former Biafra Republic is still struggling for political inclusion, social equity, and economic emancipation and development from the Nigerian state. The effect has been the reinforcement of the bitterness of the civil war which has in recent times resurrected the agitation for the independence of Biafra as evident in the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) with a severe threat to the unity of the country. The study therefore recommended the need for restructuring of the country, the creation of more states for the southeast, and inclusive politics among others for the restoration of peace and harmony in the country. The study relied primarily on secondary data and content analysis for its research methodology.
DOI: 10.36615/cas98666
Author: Obinna Ukaeje
Institution: National Defence College Nigeria
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7222394882