The Nigerian Civil War officially ended on January 15, 1970, when the Biafran forces formally surrendered to the federal government. The surrender followed the flight of the Biafran leader, Odumegwu Ojukwu, to Ivory Coast.
General Yakubu Gowon, the Nigerian Head of State, famously declared that there was “No Victor, No Vanquished” and announced a policy of the “Three Rs”: Reconciliation, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction.
The war had a profound impact on the Nigerian psyche and its political structure. It led to the creation of more states to break the power of the old regions and a stronger central government. While the physical reconstruction was relatively swift, the emotional and political scars of the conflict continue to influence Nigerian politics to this day.