THE “NO VICTOR, NO VANQUISHED” MANTRA AND THE CHALLENGES OF NATIONAL INTEGRATION IN NIGERIA SINCE THE END OF THE NIGERIA-BIAFRA WAR IN 1970

Abstract

This study interrogates the “No Victor, No Vanquished” mantra proclaimed by General Yakubu Gowon at the end of the Nigeria–Biafra War in 1970, with particular attention to its implications for post-war reconciliation and national integration. The research aims to examine how the Federal Military Government’s post-war policies—embodied in the programmes of rehabilitation, reconstruction, and reconciliation—sought to translate the rhetoric of unity into practical governance and to evaluate their success and shortcomings in rebuilding inter-group trust. The study adopts a historical–analytical methodology, relying on qualitative content analysis of primary and secondary documentary sources such as government decrees, policy statements, academic monographs, and archival materials. Findings reveal that while the slogan “No Victor, No Vanquished” was conceived as a moral and political instrument for healing national wounds, its implementation was fraught with contradictions. Policies such as the Public Officers (Special Provisions) Decree No. 46 of 1970, the Banking Obligations (Eastern States) Decree, and the handling of abandoned properties generated perceptions of marginalisation and inequality that undermined genuine reconciliation. The study concludes that the mantra, though rhetorically unifying, failed to produce substantive national integration due to weak institutional follow-through, uneven policy enforcement, and the absence of inclusive justice mechanisms.