A former Minister of Defence and Chairman of Victim
Support Fund, Theophilus Danjuma, has blamed the leader
of the defunct Biafra, the late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, for
the civil war, which resulted in the death of nearly a million
Nigerians.
Danjuma said this on Wednesday after President Goodluck
Jonathan paid him a private visit in his Asokoro, Abuja
residence.
He argued that had the late Ojukwu conceded victory to the
federal troops after the fall of Enugu during the civil war in
the same manner President Jonathan accepted defeat after
the March 28 presidential poll to Maj. Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari (retd.) of the All Progressives Congress, the nation
would have been saved “a full year of bloodshed.”
Jonathan visited Danjuma, who is the Chairman of the
Victims Support Fund, in company with some of his aides.
The two leaders however met behind closed doors and they
did not make the purpose of the parley public.
Danjuma however told journalists at the end of the meeting
that the President, by conceding defeat in the March 28
presidential election to Buhari, had set a record.
He said Africa and the world should emulate Jonathan.
He observed that if the late Ojukwu had done the same
thing after the fall of Enugu, he would have saved the nation
of bloodshed.
He said, “The outcome of the election and the manner in
which President Jonathan conceded victory to Buhari, is
totally un-African, it is very important in the history of
Africa.
“If Ojukwu did the same after the fall of Enugu, if he had
conceded victory to the federal troops, he would have saved
the nation one full year of bloodshed.
“President Jonathan has set a history, a record as
something to be emulated by the rest of Africa and indeed
the whole world. It’s an excellent thing he did.”
Jonathan simply thanked Danjuma for his fatherly support
during the election.
It will be recalled that the former minister had on March 11
visited Jonathan at the Presidential Villa during which they
met behind closed doors inside Jonathan’s official
residence.
Danjuma had after the first meeting warned reporters not to
speculate the purpose of the visit.
He said having just returned to the country from a foreign
trip, he needed to see Jonathan and find out developments
in the country.
“Don’t speculate. I came to visit the President and find out
how things are going. I have been abroad. I just came
back,” he had said.
When asked whether he was ready to support Jonathan’s
re-election, Danjuma had said he could not canvass votes
for anybody because he does not belong to any political
party.
“I don’t canvass (for votes). I am not in any of the political
parties. The President is Nigeria’s President,” he simply
said.
Danjuma in January drew the ire of some ex-Niger Delta
militants, including Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo and
Government Ekpemudo (a.k.a Tompolo), when he called for
their arrests for threatening war if Jonathan loses the
presidential election.
Apart from declaring the former minister persona non grata
in the region where Jonathan hails from, the ex-militants
also demanded an apology from Danjuma within seven
days or face their wrath.
The repentant militant leaders said in a statement issued in
Port Harcourt, that Danjuma was among northerners who
had become very comfortable in life because of the oil
money from Niger Delta.

http://www.punchng.com/news/civil-war-danjuma-blames-ojukwu-for-not-emulating-jonathan/