WHICH WAY NIGERIA SINCE 1960

  

The Supreme Military Council held a three-day meeting in Lagos from Thursday to Saturday, April 20 – 22, 1967, and adopted the political and administrative programme of action for preserving the Federation of Nigeria as one country.

    

Published By the Federal Ministry of Information, Lagos.

Present:

Lt.-Col. Yakubu Gowon, Head of the Federal Military Government and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces;

Colonel R.A Adebayo, Military Governor, Western Nigeria;

Lt.-Col. D.A. Ejoor. Military Governor, Mid-Western Nigeria;

Lt.-Col. H.U. Katsina, Military Governor, Northern Nigeria;

Commodore J.E.A. Wey, Head of the Navy;

Major M.O. Johnson, Military Administrator of Lagos;

Lt.-Col. E.O. Ekpo, Military Secretary and

Alhaji Kam Selem, Inspector-General of Police,

In attendance were the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr T. Omo-Bare,

Mr T. Omo-Bare, and Federal and Regional Officials.

Absent:

Lt.-Col. Odumegwu Ojukwwu, Military Governor, Eastern Nigeria.

Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon

Head of the Federal Military Government

and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

Communiqué

The following communiqué was issued at the end of the meeting:-

The Supreme Military Council adopted the political and administrative programme of action for preserving the Federation of Nigeria as one country.

The main items in the approved programme include:

(i)      Creation of states as the basis of political stability in Nigeria.

(ii)     Preparation and introduction of a new Constitution.

(iii)    National Economic reconstruction with particular reference to the early restoration of normal economic links such as the resumption of Nigeria Airways and Railway services to all parts of the Federation and the preparation and introduction of the Second National Development Plan.  

(iv)    Purging of corrupt elements in our public life and the restitution of ill-gotten gains, and

(v)     Supervision of elections of new civilian governments.

Constitutional Conference:

The Council accepted the need to accelerate the implementation of the programme in order to return to civilian rule. As a first step, the Council decided that the adjourned Constitutional Conference should reconvene in Benin City not later than 5th of May, 1967 to continue discussions where it left off on October 1, 1966, and complete its work on or before 2nd of June 1967. It was agreed that further efforts should be made for the representatives of Eastern  Nigeria to attend.

Important Details:

Some of the important details of the approved programme are as follows:-

Between April and December 1967

(i)      Definite action on Declaration of Assets Decree and the various Reports on tribunals of Enquiry into the Federal Statutory Corporations.     

(ii)     Revenue Allocation Commission.

(iii)    Appointment of Special Committee on States Question. Submission of Report to the Special Committee on States Question to the Supreme Military Council for the decision on number and identity of new States.

(iv)    Supreme Military Council decision on methods of selection of Constituent Assembly.

(v)     The introduction of civilians as full members of Federal Executive Council and Regional Executive Committees.

(vi)    Appointment of Constitution Drafting committee.

Between January and December 1968

(i)      Selection of Members of Constituent Assembly.

(ii)     Submission of Report of Drafting Committee to Supreme Military Council.

(iii)    Convening of Constituent Assembly to consider and approve Draft Constitution.

(iv)    Revision of Electoral Register.

(v)     Promulgation of New Constitution.

(vi)    Installation of Transitional Government.

(vii)   Resumption of Political Party Activities.

 Early 1969

 (i)      Preparation for Elections;

         Elections to Federal and State Legislatures

(ii)     Appointment of Heads of Governments for Federal and States Governments.

(iii)    Parliaments meet: New Government approved.

(iv)    Formal handover to Civilian Governments

Stern measures:

The Supreme Military Council took the opportunity to review the latest actions of the Eastern Nigeria Military Governor, Lt.-Col. Odumegwu-Ojukwu and took a number of decisions to protect the revenue and other commercial interests of the Federation until such a time as the Military Governor East can have second thoughts on his actions. The Supreme Military Council authorised certain stern measures to be taken by the Federal Military Government should the Military Governor East continue his illegal actions.

  

Part 2: Acts of Betrayal

“I want to make it abundantly clear that in the event of Lt.-Col. Ojukwu carrying out his threat to secede; this will be a clear signal in the first place to create a COR-State for the protection of the minorities in Eastern Nigeria whom we know does not want to part from the rest of the country. This action of creating the COR-State will be backed by the use of force if need be.”

“There is no change in my stand from what I said in my broadcast of November 30th, 1966 and the stand I took at Aburi, namely that there will be no use of force provided nothing is done by anyone to impair  the integrity and corporate existence of the Federation of Nigeria.”