Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday described the January 15, 1966 military coup, the July 29, 1966 counter-coup and the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election as among Nigeria’s “black days.”
Speaking at a 60th memorial service in Umuahia for Nigeria’s first military Head of State, Gen. Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, who was killed on July 29, 1966, Obasanjo urged Nigerians to draw lessons from those episodes to promote unity and development.
“Nigeria has many black days, and because of these black days, we must remember history to learn the right lessons,” he said.
He identified the specific dates: “July 29 is one black day in the history of Nigeria. January 15 is another black day. The annulment of June 12 was also a black day. But the question is: what lessons do we learn from them?”
Obasanjo stressed that many of the nation’s crises had been marked by exclusion and division, calling instead for inclusion and cooperation. “Most of these black days excluded, destroyed and separated us. But we can learn the right lessons and draw inspiration for inclusion, construction, cooperation and bringing our people together,” he said.
The former president also renewed his call for the restoration of History as a subject in Nigerian schools, warning that neglecting the past risks repeating past mistakes. He reflected on his personal relationship with Aguiyi-Ironsi, describing him as a father figure and praising his pioneering military career.
