By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
The Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States (BRAC) coastal aborigines have declared total support for former Nigeria’s military Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon, stating that he is their hero.
BRAC said they are forever grateful to General Yakubu Gowon for creating BRAC states out of the former Eastern Region Government in line with the yearning and cries of their fathers and mothers.
According to the BRAC communities, Gowon is a hero to them, second to what they described as the Holy Spirit, calling on people urging him to apologize over his role in the civil war to have a rethink.
A statement issued by the General Coordinator of BRAC Coastal Aborigines, Doris McDaniels, in response to calls for Gowon to apologize over his role in the civil war, said some people are just spreading falsehoods about General Yakubu Gowon’s peace mission to keep Nigeria united.
“It has been brought to our attention on the recent insults directed at General Yakubu Gowon by Igbo apex groups Ohaneze Ndigbo and Indigenous People of Biafra.
“We are deeply offended by their audacity in demanding an apology from General Gowon for his divine role in leading Nigeria to a peaceful end of the war and delivering the BRAC Coastal areas and her people from the genocidal oppression of the Biafran soldiers, preventing further evacuation of the BRAC people from their ancestral homes of the oil rich coastal areas in anticipation of Biafra winning the war,” McDaniels said while urging the Igbo groups to address the atrocities committed by Biafran soldiers on the people of BRAC states, who are the multi-ethnic minority of the former Eastern Region Government.
“We are now known as BRAC: Bayelsa State, Rivers State, Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State.
“We believe that the people talking about Gen Gowon are not telling the truth. They should speak the truth and hold their warlord, Col Odumegu Ojukwu responsible for starting a spontaneous, ill-prepared war with no strategy and planning, conscripting the BRAC states into his imaginary political Biafra Republic without their permission and consent.
“The Igbo groups know this to be true, but they have chosen to spread falsehoods about General Yakubu Gowon’s peace mission to keep Nigeria united.
“We earnestly ask General Gowon to ignore and forgive the false perspective and fabricated version of the Nigerian civil war presented by the groups. We assure him that the people of the BRAC state know the truth and appreciate the timely intervention of his leadership and his war generals and veteran federal troops to usher in peace.
“We are forever grateful to General Yakubu Gowon for creating BRAC states out of the subjugation of the former Eastern Region Government in line with the yearning and cries of our fathers and mothers,” the group said.
