The Beginning
General Yakubu Gowon emerged from the haze of Nigeria’s early independence to become one of its most pivotal leaders.
As fate would have it, Nigeria’s history will never be complete without mentioning Gowon’s name and stellar role in sustaining it.
Born on October 19, 1934, in Pankshin, Plateau State, Gowon, the son of an early Christian convert, rose through the ranks of the Nigerian Army.
Gowon, the fifth of 11 children, spent his early life and education in Wusasa, Zaria, and Kaduna State, where his parents lived.
At the prestigious Barewa College in Zaria, where he obtained his Senior Cambridge School Leaving Certificate, he was an above-average athlete. He was the school’s football goalkeeper, pole vaulter, long-distance runner, and boxing captain.
He eventually joined the Nigerian Army in 1954 and was commissioned a second lieutenant on October 19, 1955.
He attended Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK, from 1955 to 1956. He returned to the UK in 1962 for Staff College Camberley and Joint Staff College, Latimer in 1965.
As a young officer, Gowon served with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Congo in 1960-1961 and 1963.
Gowon’s keen sense of duty was evident, and unsurprisingly, he was a lieutenant colonel when he was appointed a Battalion Commander in 1966.
Fate eventually put Gowon up for national leadership. He became the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on August 1, 1966, following the momentous coups in January and July of the same year. At this time, the country teetered on the brink of disintegration.
It was a gargantuan responsibility for such a young man. Gowon became Nigeria’s leader before his 32nd birthday on October 19, the youngest leader in Nigeria’s history.
Such a top job for a young man whose ambition was to be a good soldier.
At a virtual reality history competition with the theme, “Sustaining peace together,” organised by ANISZA Foundation and Gallery, Gowon revealed he never wanted to be president.
“I felt petrified when I took over as Head of State. I never planned to be the President; it just happened,” he was quoted to have said.
However, Gowon’s true test came with the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War in 1967, an unfortunate brutal conflict that divided the nation and claimed millions of lives.
And so the burden of leading the country through a brutal civil war between the Republic of Nigeria and the then Eastern Region of Nigeria from July 1967 to January 1970 rested on the shoulders of this young military officer whose destiny was tied to ensuring Nigeria remains united.
As the military faced off against the Biafran forces led by Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, Gowon was thrust into the role of both commander and reconciler. He was to protect the young country and ensure it grows into a giant nation and a beacon of the black race.
After a traumatic 30 months of fraternal bloodshed, the civil war ended on January 12, 1970 after the Biafran soldiers surrendered.
On January 14, Gowon delivered his famous “no victor, no vanquished” speech, which echoed throughout the nation as he sought to heal deep-seated wounds after the conflict.
While speaking in a special interview he granted to the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Service on January 15, 2020, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the civil war, he said: “I want to thank God that we ended the civil war on a peaceful note; like I said back then, there was no victor, no vanquished.
“I thank God for the peace we’ve enjoyed over the last 50 years since the war ended.
“The war wasn’t what someone wanted. It was fought by those who wanted Nigeria to remain one unlike those on the other side who wanted it to divide; that was what led to the war.
“Because of that, I will not say I committed a crime by going to war; it was out of our love for the unity of Nigeria, especially after the killing of Nigerian leaders of northern extraction, of our prominent officers from the ranks of Lieutenant Colonel to General. I was the only one left,” he said.
In his book, a Profile in Courage: Let the Truth be Told, Major-General Paul C. Tarfa, Gowon’s contemporary and comrade-in-arms, wrote: “General Gowon’s action after the war was uncommon. By his declaration of “no victor, no vanquished”, he proved to the world how to win war and peace at the same time. No country has fought a civil war and healed its wounds as fast as Nigeria did under Gowon. The world should learn from his wisdom and clean heart”.
While it is was only fitting that his name would assume the now famous acronym, Go On With One Nigeria (GOWON), he never took his eyes off the higher mandate: “To Keep Nigeria One Is A Task That Must Be Done,” his clarion call to all Nigerians which has since assumed profound significance and historic importance across generations.
Post-Civil War Years
Rebuilding after the Civil War was never going to be easy. Gowon, in a bid to restore hope and inspire a united and prosperous future had made the famous “No Victor, No Vanquished,” declaration.
This declaration was followed by his programme of 3Rs: “Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation”, to repair the extensive damage done to the economy and infrastructure of the Eastern Region during the war.
Although there were concerns whether there was enough commitment to its implementation, a famous Nigerian journalist and columnist, Dan Agbese, wrote in his book, Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria thus: “Gowon pulled the nation through a 30-month civil war.
His human attitude towards those who fought on the secessionist side, and his famous three Rs – rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation – endeared him to the nation and the international community.”
However, as the country healed, its socio-economic prospects increased, thanks to the hands-on leadership of the then head of state.
Gowon made a major announcement to return the country to civil rule on October 1, 1976. This was, however, based on the condition of achieving a nine‐point programme.
The programme included implementing a national development plan, eradicating corruption in national life, repairing the damage from the civil war of 1967–70, adopting a new constitution, and establishing genuinely national political parties.
Also, in his budget broadcast of April 20, 1970, soon after the civil war, the then commander-in-chief promised to review salaries and wages of civil servants, which he fulfilled by setting up the Salaries and Wages Commission, chaired by the late Jerome Udoji.
It was, therefore, codenamed “the Udoji Commission.”
The Udoji Commission had the mandate to review the existing wages and salaries at all levels in the public services, statutory corporations and state-owned companies, and determine the areas in which salaries, wages and other remunerations in the private sector can be rationalised and harmonised with those in the public sector.”
According to Agbese, “Salaries and wages in the public sector were so poor that there was brain drain to the private sector where the pay was much better than in the public sector. Gowon had to arrest the drift for even a more pragmatic reason.”
The Udoji commission finished its assignment and submitted its report around 1973, and by 1974, the Federal Military Government released a white paper on its recommendations. In April 1974, there was the payment of nine months’ arrears of wages and salaries in line with the recommendations, which brought a big smile to the faces of government workers.
After the war, the Gowon-led Federal Military Government promulgated the Nigerian Enterprises Promotion Decree in 1972. The Decree popularly known as indigenisation Decree was meant to put the Nigerian economy in the hands of Nigerians. It was a bid to indigenise the ownership of private enterprises in the country.
Equally, as part of the process to completely heal the wounds of disunity occasioned by the civil war, the Gowon government established the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on May 22, 1973. Young men and women who completed tertiary education were posted to regions and states other than their own for a one-year national service to encourage inter-cultural mix and understanding as part of the post-civil war rebuilding process.
Decree No. 24 that created the NYSC said th scheme was created “with a view to the proper encouragement and development of common ties among the youths of Nigeria and the promotion of national unity.”
At the commemoration of its 50 years of creation last year, Gowon described the NYSC scheme as one of the most far-reaching decisions of his administration.
Under Gowon, Nigeria’s economy transformed from an agrarian economy to a thriving oil-based one with the influx of petro-dollars that fuelled massive construction and development projects such as roads, universities, hospitals, office complexes, army barracks, hotels, and factories, among others.
It was also under his regime that federal scholarship board and the in-service training for the Nigerian bureaucracy was introduced, making it one of the best trained in Africa. He also transformed Nigeria from a regional system into a state system by creating 12 states.
Beyond Nigeria, he was a major player in the establishment of ECOWAS, being a believer in regional integration.
Despite the strides in national unity and infrastructure development, Gowon’s administration grappled with allegations of corruption as captured in the notorious “cement armada” scandal which was cashed in on by some military officers and resulted in another military coup.
On 29 July 1975, while Gowon was attending an OAU summit in Kampala, a group of officers announced his overthrow. The coup plotters appointed Brigadier Murtala Muhammed as head of the new government, and Brigadier Olusegun Obasanjo as his deputy.
In a tribute to mark Gowon 88th birth anniversary, published in the Guardian in 2022, the managing director of Danvic Petroleum International, Dr Mayowa Afe, said this of the former head of state: “Gowon, surrounded himself with great minds made up of politicians, bureaucrats, technocrats and specialists, who helped him to succeed in managing the war and its economy such that Nigeria did not take a single penny as loan. Rather, Nigeria leveraged the oil boom and followed well-laid-out development plans.”
His Intellectualism And Advocacy
Gowon’s quest for knowledge and the spark of brilliance which defined his sterling performance in his school days wasn’t extinguished by the rigidity of military service.
Not even his dramatic removal from office as head of state deterred his pursuit for self-advancement and contribution to the intellectual community.
After his ouster from power, the former head of state returned to school. In a world that had leant more towards intellectual power, he sought to reinvent himself to fit the call for the time. And he did so while in exile in the United Kingdom.
He was offered admission into the University of Warwick, where he obtained a Ph.D. in political science as a student. Gowon later became a professor of political science at the University of Jos in the mid-1980s.
It also afforded him time to build his relationship with his God. In his British residence, on the border of north London and Hertfordshire, he served a term as Churchwarden in his parish church, St Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley.
Since he retired from public life, the former head of state has been front and centre in national development discourse, playing the fatherly role both physically and spiritually. Through his non-denominational religious group ‘Nigeria Prays’ formed in the 1990s, the former head of state has sustained the spearheading of Nigeria’s spiritual well-being.
Gowon was instrumental to removing from Nigeria the stigma of being a Guinea worm-infested country, through his working with former US President Jimmy Carter to tackle the scourge.
He is reputed to have visited 132 communities while mobilising against the scourge. Among other causes, he is also a national goodwill ambassador on the elimination of Hepatitis in Nigeria.
In 1992, he founded the Yakubu Gowon Centre for National Unity and International Cooperation which helps to enhance quality governance and address health issues.
His elder statesman role has also been impactful beyond Nigeria. In 2008, he was head of the ECOWAS Observer Mission to the Ghanaian Presidential election, head of the Carter Centre Observer Mission in the Guinea general election in 2010, head of the Commonwealth Observer Mission in Zambia, and head of other high-profile missions.
Expectedly, he is a member of the Africa Forum, a group of former African heads of state.
In February 2024, Gowon, who is the last surviving founder of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), called on the regional bloc to lift sanctions against Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, whose military-led governments had announced their countries’ departure from the organisation in response to the sanctions.
His quest for knowledge, selflessness, acute patriotism and desire for a vibrant black race has remained not just a cornerstone of his philosophy but the attraction to generations after him.
Dignified Simplicity: Gowon The Poor President – Col Umar
Citing Gowon as the ideal for a selfless statesman, former governor of Kaduna State, Col Dangiwa Umar, recounted the days after Gowon’s nine-year regime was toppled in a military coup on July 29, 1975, while he was attending the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) meeting in Kampala, Uganda.
Umar said, “Soon after a world press conference during which he magnanimously accepted his ouster and wished his successor, General Murtala Muhammed, success. He called our High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Alhaji Sule Kolo, with a request.
“His wife, Mrs Victoria Gowon, was in London to shop during the seasonal summer sales when prices of items are reduced. Some believed that he got her out of the way since he had security reports about the likelihood of a coup against his regime.
“His Chief of Staff, General David Ejoor, left the country on vacation after failing to convince the C-in-C to pre-empt the coupists. He asked the high commissioner to check his wife out of her hotel because he couldn’t pay her hotel bills.
“The high commissioner was taken aback and sympathetic. He immediately called Dodan Barracks to relay Gowon’s request. When General Murtala was informed, he instructed the high commissioner to pay all her hotel bills for as long as she stayed. Gowon requested our Embassy in Kampala to book him on a commercial flight to the United Kingdom.
“Word on Gowon’s travel plan reached heads of states attending the OAU meeting. One of them volunteered to lend him his presidential plane to fly him to the United Kingdom. Gowon had sent back his presidential plane since, according to him, he was no longer entitled to its use as a former head of state.
“Those heads of state gave him monetary contributions to start life in the United Kingdom when they discovered that he could not even pay his wife’s hotel bill. A few months later, the world was shocked when Gowon appeared in a queue at a Warwick University students’ cafeteria trying to buy food. General Murtala was so shocked and decided to despatch a delegation to meet with Gowon and convince him to return home with the guarantee that he would be treated as a former head of state entitled to benefits befitting his status.
“He apologised to the delegation for refusing the offer as he had already enrolled for undergraduate studies and would prefer to continue his studies.
“Besides, returning home was not a good option since he did not own a house anywhere in the world, including in Nigeria. When, as governor of Kaduna State, I visited Gowon’s family house in Wusasa, Zaria, in 1987 in the company of the then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Gambo Jimeta, we met Gowon’s mother in the same mud building where he was born.
“Her room furniture comprised a Vono bed, a wooden chair on which IGP Gambo sat, while I sat on a bag of grains. Gowon’s sister took her position on a straw mat while the mother sat on her bed. Her other daughter was making haste to fry bean cake for us, of course, using a firewood stove. Leadership self-abnegation in a glaring display! This is who we are.
“This generation of ‘leaders,’ most of them, have strayed. I used to encourage my subordinate officers to follow me on pilgrimage to Wusasa where I conducted them around the Gowon’s family compound.
“They saw those relics of saints. I am happy to report that the Gowon family church is still the old mud building. I encourage our current leaders to visit and be guided on the right path,” he said.
Concluding his reminiscences about Gowon, General Tarfa wrote: “No adequate words can be used to describe General Yakubu Gowon. He is a man of extraordinary character and a vessel of honour whom God used to keep Nigeria one. He was a man of impeccable character and integrity, an officer and a gentleman whose leadership qualities are exemplary to military experts and other African heads of state alike.
“He led Nigeria through the turbulent years of the Civil War with competence, a sense of justice and diligence. He is a man whose humility and simplicity is often mistaken for weakness. A man who is never boastful but always victorious over his critics and foes.
“Under him, Nigeria fought a bitter 30-month Civil War. Under the spirit of magnanimity in victory, General Gowon was able to reconcile the victors and the vanquished of the Civil War and united the country to one indivisible entity,” he said.
Tributes To A Great Life
Gowon Is Our Hero – League of Northern Democrats
The League of Northern Democrats (LND) has described General Yakubu Gowon as a national hero with an enviable footprint in Nigerian history.
Former governor of Kano State and interim chairman of the group, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, stated this in a tribute to the former head of state.
“The League of Northern Democrats celebrate General Yakubu Gowon at this crucial moment of our history because he is one leader who has given his all for Nigeria.
“We all remember his historical famous quote: ‘to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done.’
“He has kept faith with his words in action and practice. General Gowon has an enviable footnote on the history of Nigeria.
“He is our hero. That’s why we at the League of Northern Democrats celebrate him,” Shekarau said.\
He Remains One of Nigeria’s Most Iconic Leaders – PANDEF
The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has described General Gowon as one of Nigeria’s most iconic leaders.
PANDEF said Gowon had maintained his sterling yet unassuming, respectable, and patriotic disposition over the years.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP in Port Harcourt, PANDEF national chairman, Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, said Nigeria’s history would be incomplete without acknowledging the former head of state’s sacrifices, service, leadership, and patriotic zeal.
Essien said: “The leadership of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) proudly joins other patriotic Nigerians in celebrating the esteemed elder statesman and former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, on his landmark 90th birthday on October 18, 2024.
“From humble beginnings in the small village of Lur, in the present Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State, he rose to become the Head of State of Africa’s most populous nation.
“Nigeria will be eternally grateful to the former Head of State for his ingenuity in managing and guiding the country through the unfortunate civil war.
“Significantly, at the end of the civil war in January 1970, Gowon made his famous declaration of “no victor, no vanquished” to promote healing and reconciliation. He followed this with the 3R programme: “Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation.”
PANDEF described Gowon as a firm believer in the unity and oneness of Nigeria, who has continued to use his position to foster love and harmony across the country.
“We must also mention his “Nigeria Prays” initiative for national healing and unity. He is indeed a blessing to the nation.
“PANDEF wishes the former head of state a happy 90th birthday and prays that Almighty God will continue to bless, protect, and grant him total well-being for many more years,” it added.
PANDEF national leader Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, who served in the Gowon regime as federal commissioner (minister) of information, described the former head of state as a true patriot and revered elder statesman.
CAN To Political Leaders: Emulate Gowon’s Leadership Style
As former head of state General Yakubu Gowon celebrates his 90th birthday, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on political leaders to emulate him in character, contentment, and service to rejuvenate Nigeria’s political landscape.
Director of National Issues and Social Welfare for CAN, Commodore Abimbola Ayuba (rtd.), who spoke on behalf of the Christian association, extolled Gowon’s virtues, legacy, and the impact he has had on various generations of Nigerians.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate Yakubu Gowon for weathering the storm. Of course, he has managed to reach this very ripe age of 90 and still counting,” he said.
Ayuba described Gowon as a living legacy whose life continues to inspire millions, adding that as a young boy, Gowon was a symbol of integrity and excellence.
Speaking on Gowon’s charisma and outstanding leadership qualities, Ayuba said: “He was a model for us, young boys and young men. He radiated a sparkling outward bearing, with his clean, sparkling uniform and command of the English language.”
Ayuba reminisced about attending Gowon’s wedding at a cathedral in Lagos, and recalled the former military leader’s humble beginnings and remarkable rise to the pinnacle of power.
Gowon, who became Nigeria’s military head of state at just 31, has remained a pivotal figure in the country’s historical narrative.
The director described Gowon as a very humble person, noting that despite his powerful position, Gowon never forgot his humility and respectfulness.
“Even until he went through the challenges of military school abroad, he maintained his humility. This is a trait that we must watch and emulate. He became a role model for many,” said Ayuba, emphasizing the rarity of finding military generals who openly embrace their faith.
As Nigeria celebrates Gowon’s incredible journey, Prophet Ayuba turned his focus toward future generations.
“I think there is still a lot he is doing, but I wish he would concentrate on mentorship. Instead of being high up there, he should work on creating opportunities for younger leaders.
“We need to nurture young state actors who will carry the torch when the time comes,” he said.
Reflecting on Gowon’s remarkable health and vitality at 90, Ayuba pondered the underlying factors contributing to his longevity.
“It is all part of our upbringing and training. You know something you’ve been doing all your life does not change just because you have left the system.
“You realise you need to exercise, check your health, and maintain a work-life balance. That balance is the secret behind the longevity of many generals of his era,” he said.
The Commodore underscored the importance of physical, spiritual, and mental well-being, saying, “These aspects are intertwined. The grace and mercy of God also play a huge role.”
Ayuba also took the opportunity to reflect on the lessons that Nigeria’s current and future leaders can draw from General Gowon’s life.
“Nigerian leaders must first understand that leadership is all about service. There has never been a report of General Gowon bullying people into action or misusing his position. His humility stands as a testament to the fact that leadership should not elevate one above others.”
Ayuba articulated that Gowon’s leadership style was exemplified the essence of good governance.
“Leadership does not confine you to being an emperor. Gowon is democratic in his posture, never cornering resources for himself. High-quality leadership, good character, and democracy are synonymous with General Yakubu Gowon,” Ayuba said.
He said that as Nigeria faces contemporary challenges, General Gowon’s enduring legacy serves as a beacon of hope for a brighter future, urging leaders to emulate his exemplary principles of service, humility, and integrity.
Gowon Embodies Ideals Of The Nigerian Project – ACF
The apex northern sociocultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has described former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon as an elder statesman who epitomises the ideals of the Nigerian project.
Speaking on behalf of the forum, the national publicity secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba said the former head of state is a recurring decimal in Nigeria’s quest for nationhood because he successfully prosecuted a civil war that could have dismantled the country.
He said, “In victory, he was magnanimous and refused to yield to triumphant demeaning of the erstwhile rebel forces. Instead, he resorted to the principles of his iconic “No Victor, No Vanquished and followed it up with his policy of the three Rs which he spearheaded, to heal wounds.
“Further, to underline his commitment to the one Nigeria ideal, he ensued that no Nigerian soldier was awarded any medal of honour for their valour in the war. Thus, his signature humility in victory remained, and still remains, an exemplar in leadership qualities.
“It is thus that Nigerians that lived through Gen. Gowon’s leadership always wistfully harbour an understandable nostalgia for the good times.”
According to him, the ACF is happy that General Gowon continues to live a fulfilled life and wishes him even more fruitful years ahead.
His Contributions To Nigeria’s Development Indelible – Afenifere
On its part, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has described General Gowon “as an outstanding personality.”
Afenifere also described his positive contributions to Nigeria’s development as “indelible.”
When contacted, the national publicity secretary of Afenifere, Comrade Jare Ajayi, said Nigeria’s former head of state is an outstanding personality as an individual and as a leader.
According to him, “It is on record that providence thrust the onerous responsibility of leadership on General Yakubu Dan-Yumma Jack Gowon at a relatively young age of about 32.
“Given the way he rose to the challenges that surfaced immediately he assumed office, it cannot be contested that God really ordained him for that position at the appropriate time. He was young, yes. But God enabled him to apply wisdom by, among others, bringing in patriots with experience and genuine interest of the country like the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, etc. Patriots who, like Gowon himself, also put the interest of the country first.”
Ajayi submitted that at a critical period in the life of Nigeria, Gowon was to choose between allowing the country to break or to hold it together.
Afenifere said ,”He chose the latter option even though at a great cost. The civil war that followed the decision came because all other options to avert the war failed. That he successfully prosecuted the war without plunging the country into debts was a credit to him and the wisdom of his lieutenants.”
Although Afenifere spokesman expressed regret at the life and property lost during the war, he commended General Gowon and his team for coming up with the policy of ‘no victory, no vanquished’ and that of Rehabilitation, Reconciliation and Reintegration.
The pan-Yoruba organisation also applauded the nonanegarian for initiating a number of developmental programmes in the country.
“Among these were major highways constructed, the Indigenisation Policy meant to put control of businesses in the hands of Nigerians, his contribution to the setting up of the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS), the establishment of the National Youths Service Scheme (NYSC) etc”.
Ajayi concluded that although the administration of General Gowon, towards the end of its life, took steps that turned out to be somewhat hurtful, “the legacy of his contributions to Nigeria’s development remains indelible, His humility, sense of contentment and patriotism are virtues that we can all emulate.”
Gowon Is A Man Integrity – Middlebelt Forum
The Middlebelt Forum has described former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon as a man imbued with integrity, adding that the people of the Middlebelt remain proud of him.
President of the Forum, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, in a tribute, said Gowon has only involved himself in causes aimed at edifying the country.
Pogu said, “It is a thing of joy to be celebrating a man at 90, who was thrust into national limelight at the young age of 32. Surely, a lot of water has passed under the bridge.
“Whatever any critic may want to say about General Gowon, even the most unrelenting adversary cannot deny that he is a man imbued with integrity. A few examples will suffice:
“At the end of the Civil War in 1970, General Gowon stated that the war had produced “no victor, no vanquished”, as the war was an unfortunate degeneration in relations between brothers. Until 1975, when he was toppled in a military coup, his administration behaved accordingly.
“After he was toppled, he pledged his loyalty to the country and the new regime. The new regime was so embarrassed that he was living on charity in the United Kingdom, where he had enrolled as a student, that it sent money to him for rehabilitation.
“Ever since returning to Nigeria from self-exile, General Gowon has involved himself only in causes aimed at edifying his country, including the “Nigeria Prays” programme.
“We are very proud of this distinguished son of the Middle Belt,” Pogu said.
Elder Statesman’s Place In Nigeria’s History Is Secure – MURIC
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has paid glowing tributes to former head of state, General Yakubu Gawon on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
Founder and executive director of the organisation, Professor Ishaq Akintola, described Gowon as a statesman and perfect gentleman whose place in Nigeria’s history is secure.
He asked God to grant the former military leader good health to continue to contribute his quota to the development of Nigeria.
“As a past head of state, Gowon has remained a very responsible leader, contributing his quota to the development of Nigeria.
“He is always on the side and supportive of every successful president and head of state since he left office. What I mean is that he has been playing his role as a statesman and supports the government.
“We have not heard or seen him in any controversial position. He is always quiet and only speaks to contribute positively. We have not heard of him making noise or joining any group that might discredit him.
“Gowon remains a man of integrity and we respect him for that. We felicitate with him on this occasion of his birthday,” he said.
Gowon Was Leader Par Excellence – NEF
The Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) has reflected on the life and times of General Yakubu Gowon and declared that he has a legacy of leadership, reconciliation and service to the nation.
NEF, in its tribute signed by its spokesperson, Abdulazeez Suleiman, said, “I know General Gowon almost in person because he used to live in the Wusasa community in Zaria, a little distance from my own village, Tukur-Tukur.
“As a kid, I personally came to know him as humble. I remember when, as primary school pupils, we used to line up on the streets and wave at our head of state and his wife as they passed.
“Gowon came to power during a tumultuous time in Nigeria’s history, following the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup. He ruled the country from 1966 to 1975, during which he faced the challenges of the Nigerian Civil War. Despite the difficult circumstances, Gowon demonstrated leadership and a commitment to national unity.
“One of Gowon’s most enduring legacies is the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 1973. This programme was created to promote unity and reconciliation in the country after the Civil War. The NYSC has since become an integral part of Nigerian society, bringing together young people from different regions and backgrounds to serve their country.
“During the Civil War, Gowon worked tirelessly to resolve the ethnic tensions that threatened to tear Nigeria apart. He took steps to end attacks against the Igbo people in the north and sought to bring about lasting peace. His decision to declare a state of emergency and divide Nigeria into 12 states was a bold move aimed at addressing the root causes of the conflict.”
Suleiman praised Gowon’s efforts to promote reconciliation and unity in Nigeria, noting that he encouraged government forces to treat all Nigerians with respect and allowed international observers to monitor their conduct.
He added that after the government’s victory in 1970, Gowon played a key role in facilitating a peaceful reconciliation between the warring factions.
The NEF spokesman also noted his significant contributions to regional cooperation in West Africa, asserting that he was instrumental in the formation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
“Overall, General Yakubu Gowon’s legacy is one of leadership, reconciliation, and service to the nation.
“His efforts to promote unity and peace in Nigeria during a challenging period in its history are a testament to his commitment to the well-being of the country and its people,” he stated.
