A Study of Gowon’s Post Nigeria Civil War Reconstruction on Esan People of Midwestern Nigeria

In the study of Nigerian civil war, a great deal of emphasis seems to have been placed on the major ethnic groups such as the Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa. Perhaps, this is because source materials in these areas are more than in the minor ethnic groups. Nevertheless, the fact cannot be denied that attention has also been paid to smaller ethnic groups in the civil war publications. At present the coverage seems not adequate compared to the large number of smaller ethnic groups in Nigeria and this does not bring to clear understanding the implications of the war on the smaller ethnic groups. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the impacts of Gowon's post-war Reconstruction on Esan people of Midwestern Nigeria. Relying on qualitative method of historical research, the paper demonstrates that even though Esan did not benefit directly from the National Rehabilitation Commission's post war programmes, post war policies like currency exchange and indigenization were constructive to Esan peopl