The Nation Newspaper

Tag: General Yakubu Gowon

  • Gowon/Ojukwu: Who was wrong?

    Gowon/Ojukwu: Who was wrong?

    Ray Ekpu

    A former Nigeria Head of State General Yakubu Gowon has just clocked 90 years. His admission into the nonagenarian club has brought to the fore his role in Nigerian affairs especially his role in the Biafran war aka Nigerian civil war: A prominent Igbo politician and presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) had the decency to congratulate Gowon. Some of his followers have demonized him for his charm offensive. They probably think that since Gowon was at the other end of the Biafran war in which many Igbos and other Easterners died, he deserves no goodwill message from Peter Obi who has now become the most prominent Igbo politician in our polity.

    But Peter Obi is a politician who needs the goodwill of Nigerians from all parts of the country to make an electoral impact in future presidential elections. If he despises Gowon because of the civil war, those who admire Gowon for conducting the war in a humane manner may also despise him when he needs their votes. Besides, behaving in a statesmanly manner puts Obi in the good books of those who believe in propriety, who believe that our past, particularly our bad past, must not be allowed to haunt us forever.

    In any case, the man at the other end of the war, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu was treated by Obi very decently and respectfully. When Ojukwu was sick in 2011, Obi who was the governor of Anambra State then arranged for Ojukwu to be treated in a hospital in London. He visited Ojukwu there several times. His wife Margaret was with Ojukwu’s wife, Bianca at his bedside in London throughout his ailing days. Ojukwu, too, had supported Obi when he had political problems in his party the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA). Ojukwu went to Onitsha to campaign for Obi. He said: “Why I came is for it to be clear to everybody that Igboland is not a bush but a land owned by somebody. The owners of Igboland are Igbo. What I want everybody to know today is that Igboland is Igboland and that Igbos agreed that their leader is Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. All the Igbos have agreed that wherever I go they will go. What I am telling you is that I have come out again so that I will tell you where I am going.” With Ojukwu’s support, Obi won the election. But Obi had since done his political arithmetic and come to the inescapable conclusion that APGA does not have the national spread that he needs if he wants to play at the national level. He had since abandoned APGA for PDP and also abandoned PDP for Labour Party (LP) where he has now pitched his tent.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Nigeria lose 2-1 to Rwanda

    But it is the height of partisanship to condemn Gowon only for the civil war. Neither Gowon nor Ojukwu can be free from blame on the civil war. Every war is avoidable if the leaders do not think that pacifism is a disguise for cowardice. It is not. The only alternative to co-existence is co-destruction.

    Yes, we had a coup on January 15, 1966 that took the lives of some politicians from some parts of the country especially the north and set the nation on edge. Yes, on May 29, 1966 a number of Eastern Nigerians, most of them Igbos, were killed in the north. As the body bags arrived in the Eastern Region, Ojukwu, the military governor of Eastern Region described the incident as pogrom. Yes, on July 29, 1966 another coup occurred which was called revenge coup. This coup took the lives of several people from the Eastern Region including that of the Head of State Major General J.T.U Aguiyi Ironsi. These three killing scenarios compounded the ethnic and political problems of Nigeria, problems that needed concessions rather than confrontations for solutions to be arrived at. Gowon and Ojukwu carried themselves to Aburi in Ghana in January 1967 and under the leadership of Ghana’s Head of State, General Joseph Ankrah, they sought for a way out of the imbroglio. They arrived at a series of decisions that Nigerians thought were the magic formula for our unity and co-existence. On arriving back in Nigeria, some federal civil servants thought that Gowon had given away too much to Ojukwu. Ojukwu and his advisers insisted on the full implementation of the Aburi accord. The slogan “on Aburi we stand” was born.

     For six months, the country was drifting to the edge of the precipice. Tension ran high. You could cut it with a knife. On May 27, 1967, Gowon came up with a master stroke. He announced a 12-state structure for the country, equally divided between the north and the south. That was Gowon’s way of solving the problem of the minorities in the South who had been campaigning for Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers States (COR) without success. That creation definitely complicated for Ojukwu the problem of unity in the region. However, on May 30, 1967 Ojukwu declared the Eastern Region an independent country and named it the Republic of Biafra. On July 6, 1967 the guns boomed from Ogoja in present day Cross River State. A civil war had begun.

    Did Ojukwu expect to get away with the declaration of secession? He was too smart to think so. My belief is that he thought he would get enough global support because of oil in the region. He got recognition from five countries namely; Tanzania, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Zambia and Haiti. None of them was a major power so their support meant next to nothing for Biafra or Ojukwu.

    It was also surprising that Ojukwu, a military officer who knew the military strength of Nigeria chose to engage in such a frivolous, volatile gamble. Here are the facts: Major Abubakar A. Atofaran had in his work titled, “The Nigerian Civil War Causes, Strategies and Lessons Learnt” had listed the major military installations in Nigeria before the 1966 coup. In Northern Nigeria there were 14 military institutions namely 3rd battalion, 15th battalion, 1 Field Battery, 1 Field Squadron, 88 Transport Regiment, Nigeria Defence Academy, Ordinance Depot, 44 Military Hospital, Nigeria Military Training College, Recon Squadron & Regiment, Nigerian Air Force, Ammunitions Factory, Recruit Training Depot and Nigerian Military School. All of these facilities were located in Kaduna except three that were located in Zaria and Kano. There were three facilities located in Western Nigeria. These were 4th Battalion, 2 Field Battery (Arty), 2 Room Squadron. Two of these were located in Abeokuta and one in Ibadan.

    In Eastern Nigeria there was only one, yes one, the 1st Battalion which was located in Enugu. With such a huge difference between what was in the Eastern Region and what was in the other two regions, why did Ojukwu make the Eastern Region a war target? Was he tempted or lured by the fact that there were no demonstrations or protests in the Eastern Region against the secession?

    Again, my theory is that Ojukwu thought that some foreign powers would probably back Biafra because of the oil in the region. Ojukwu, a man who was a demagogue and a rhetorician even said that “even the grass would fight.” I lived in the Eastern Region throughout the war; I did not see the grass fight. It was the soldiers on both sides of the war that killed the grass as they marched through the bushes with their big boots.

    Neither Ojukwu nor Gowon was or is a hero. War is a coward’s way of escaping from the problem of acquiring peace. In war soldiers kill soldiers but in every war they kill more civilians, directly or indirectly. So the truth is that in the long run all wars are lost; they bring only losers, no winners. In the Nigerian civil war Biafra surrendered to Nigeria but Nigeria was not a winner. The problems of that war are still with us today. Biafra has been resurrected by young people who have no idea about the monstrosity of a war. So whether you choose to queue up behind Gowon or Ojukwu simply bear in mind that none of them is a hero of the Nigerian project because they both failed to avoid war. They both contributed to the dire consequences of that avoidable war in which over one million lives were lost and unquantifiable property destroyed.

  • First Lady joins Obasanjo, Jonathan, others at Gowon’s thanksgiving

    First Lady joins Obasanjo, Jonathan, others at Gowon’s thanksgiving

    First Lady Oluremi Tinubu on Saturday joined family, friends and well-wishers to celebrate former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), at 90.

    She spoke at a special thanksgiving service to mark the 90th birthday of the former Head of State at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, where dignitaries, including former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and former Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, converged to Gowon.

    She said Gowon’s life of simplicity, humility, grace, dignity, and patriotism to the nation offers hope for the future of the country.

    Recounting the virtues the former leader stands for, Mrs Tinubu, who said she was six years old when Gowon took the reins of power, highlighted his simplicity and patriotism.

    In a statement issued by her spokesperson, Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady said “looking back, I realise that your life is a life destined by God, who called you to be an exemplary leader of good in this world of cynicism and despair.

    “Your life of simplicity, humility, grace, dignity, and patriotism to our nation gives us hope, that Nigeria is all we have and we have to do everything in our power to make it work. Your love for the country is infectious,” she said.

    Read Also: Tinubu can rule from anywhere, says ex-Lagos Attorney General

    Thanking the celebrator on behalf of her husband, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the First Lady noted that the former Head of State’s special touch on leadership offers a lot of lessons.

    “Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew, 22: 37-40, that the greatest commandment is loving God, loving our neighbours as we love ourselves. That on these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets. You have both loved this nation, the people, and taught us all how to be contented, humble, reliable, gracious, available and show love to all. We are grateful. My prayers for you is that as your days, so shall your strength be in Jesus name.”

    Basking in the  celebration, General Gowon urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the country, reminding them of his famous quote that to keep Nigeria one, is a task that must be done.

    “We kept Nigeria together and all Nigerians from all parts of the country assisted me to keep Nigeria one and we did it, even though we had to fight an unfortunate civil war to keep it together. It is Nigeria that really won in the end. Nigeria was the victor, not any part of Nigeria over the other,” he said.

    The thanksgiving service was a session of prayers and songs by various choirs.

  • First Lady joins Obasanjo, Jonathan, others at Gowon’s thanksgiving

    First Lady joins Obasanjo, Jonathan, others at Gowon’s thanksgiving

    First Lady Oluremi Tinubu on Saturday joined family, friends and well wishers to celebrate former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) at 90. 

    She was speaking at a special thanksgiving service at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, where dignitaries, including former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and former Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, converged to honor the former Head of State.

    She said Gowon’s  life of simplicity, humility, grace, dignity, and patriotism to our nation offers hope on the future of the country .

    Recounting the virtues the former leader stands for, the First Lady, who said she was six years old when Gowon took the reins of power, highlighted his simplicity and patriotism.

    In a statement by her spokesperson, Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady said: “looking back, I realize that your life is a life destined by God, who called you to be an exemplary leader of good in this world of cynicism and despair. 

    “Your life of simplicity, humility, grace, dignity, and patriotism to our nation gives us hope, that Nigeria is all we have and we have to do everything in our power to make it work. Your love for country is infectious.”

    Thanking the celebrator on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the First Lady noted that the former Head of State’s special touch on leadership offers a lot of lessons.

    “Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew, 22: 37-40, that the greatest commandment is loving God, loving our neighbours as we love ourselves. That on these two commandments hang all the laws and the Prophets. 

    Read Also: Tinubu can rule from anywhere, says ex-Lagos Attorney General

    “You have both loved this nation, the people, and taught us all how to be contented, humble, reliable, gracious, available and show love to all. We are grateful.

    “My prayers for you is that as your days, so shall your strength be in Jesus name.”

    Basking in the  celebration, Gowon urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the country, reminding them of his famous quote that to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done.

    “We kept Nigeria together and all Nigerians from all parts of the country assisted me to keep Nigeria one and we did it, even though we had to  fight an unfortunate civil war to keep it together. It is Nigeria that really won in the end. Nigeria was the victor, not any part of Nigeria over the other,” he said. 

    The thanksgiving service was a session of prayers and songs by various choristers. 

  • Gowon, the General’s General, at 90

    Gowon, the General’s General, at 90

    On Saturday, which is 48 hours from now, General Yakubu Gowon will be 90. Gowon’s life is one to learn from. At the young age of 32 in 1966, he became head of state. At 41, nine years later, he was toppled and thereafter began a life in exile.

     Gowon has known what it is to be at the top of the mountain and down in the valley. In whatever position he found himself at any point in time, his spirit never wavered. He took everything stoically. At 90, an age that those lucky to attain join the elite and exclusive Club of Nonagenarians, his life and conduct remain exemplary. A life of service and dedication to the cause of One Nigeria.

    Read Also: Polaris Bank partners NCF to extend tree planting initiative to Abuja, Anambra

     Go-On-With-One-Nigeria, an acronym derived from the first letters of his five-letter name Gowon, was a slogan that resonated around the country during the civil war (1967-70). Some credit certainly goes to Gowon that we are still one today. His three Rs of Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation, which were adopted after the war ended with the declaration of “no victor, no vanished”, in some ways helped in keeping us together.

     Since his return from exile, he has embarked on a mission of peace under the aegis of Nigeria Prays. Gowon’s and Nigeria’s fate seems intertwined. We cannot talk about Nigeria without mentioning him. Gowon has run a good race, with yet many more years to come. He remains a household name not only at home, but across the world. Happy birthday in advance, sir.

  • Okon hawks discharge certificates

    With central authority embroiled in a rash of certificate scandals, particularly NYSC discharge certificate, you begin to wonder whether this is going to be good old General Yakubu Gowon final revenge on the group of subordinate officers who ousted him from office while he was attending a conference in faraway Kampala. The August 1975 coupists and their mentors appear to have completely stamped out the Gowonist tendency from the polity having replaced it with their own. It is just as well that one of them is back in office as a civilian ruler.

    Initiated by General Gowon after ground breaking policy thrusts by the late Professor Adebayo Adedeji, the NYSC was a glorious scheme of national integration. Although many believe that it has had its time and was meant for another era, the NYSC served as a cultural, political and existential bridge in those days, particularly in the inglorious aftermath of the civil war. But with the current clamour for its abrogation, it is obvious that the typical Nigerian disease of throwing the baby out with the bathtub is on display.

    What the NYSC needs is a drastic modification of its modus operandi in order to align its operative procedure with current realities. In many spheres of public life, Nigeria operates policies that are designed to last forever, without any attention to internal shifts in originating logic or external shifts in the polity itself.

    Snooper spent a wonderful NYSC year in the old East Central State and enjoyed it so much that he chose to go and work in the north, having spent all his life in the old west. The northern experience was even more culturally and politically significant in the sense that it opened up a rich and intriguing political engagement with other tendencies in the nation that one had only read about up till that point.

    You can then imagine the consternation of this columnist when the story broke that while many of us were being drilled military style in parade grounds in some faraway places on the NYSC programme, some deadbeats and low-lifers were scheming about how to avoid the service. They were not conscientious objectors in the American tradition, but petty schemers and ethical misfits without any high ideals in life except self-positioning.

    You can trust the comical duo of Okon and Baba Lekki to do justice to the national embarrassment. A few days after the story broke, Okon sauntered on lugging a heavy leather box chaotically bulging with papers and documents. As usual Baba Lekki was in tow, wearing a magisterial frown even as he fastened a dirty ragged handkerchief on his nose apparently to ward off the national stench.

    “Ha, oga Okon, have you chosen to become a vendor, or what is all these papers about?” snooper opened in a good-natured manner.

    “Oga, na NYSC discharge cerfiticate I dey sell. He be like if say na dem thin go bring down all dem Yoruba people for dem mala gobment”, the mad boy drooled with satanic relish.

    “I see”. Snooper muttered.

    “Oga I wan quickly reach Shaki through dem Moniya make I sell dem discharge certificate to dem yeye Yoruba man with dem wuruwuru beard before dem fire am for gobment. Dem say sef dat him fit reach Kirikiri make him de go do him yeye nonsense for the place”.

    “Okon, but the man has said he didn’t do youth service at all”, snooper noted.

    “Ha oga no mind the yeye man. Discharge cerfiticate no concern whether him do or him no do. He mean say him don discharge. Sebi him get many wives? Abi him no dey discharge? Wetin concern warder with say prisoner no get wrist watch. ?” Okon crowed.

    “So how do you sell the certificate?”,  snooper inquired.

    “Aha, now you dey ask better question. I get am for one month discharge, two-month discharge, three month discharge and one year. I dey do accidental discharge too. Na dat one dem dey call baban discharge, when Youth Corper discharge policewoman and policewoman come surcharge corper. He get one mala like dat and I come ask whether him don do Youth Service and him come scream at me say damburuba , dukunkuda youth must to stay for dem papa’s house to do dem service”.

    “Discharged and acquitted “, Baba Lekki suddenly rumbled from the depths of alcoholic slumber.

    “Baba, you don wake? Na dis burukutu go finish old Yoruba man ooo.” Okon snorted.

    “Give me paraga then, abi I need discharge certificate for dat one too?” the old man slurred.

    “Baba where you do service sef?” Okon charged merrily.

    “Na with your mama for Calabar. Na me dey do youth service for her”, the old man whimpered. Okon took violent exception to that and the two rogues started fighting. It was at this point that yours sincerely drove the crazy duo out of the house.

  • 2019 poll: Obasanjo cannot dictate to Nigerians, says ex-Nasarawa Governor

    2019 poll: Obasanjo cannot dictate to Nigerians, says ex-Nasarawa Governor

    A former Governor of Nasarawa State, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu Monday said ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo cannot dictate to Nigerians on who to vote for 2019.

    He also described Obasanjo’s Coalition for Nigeria Movement as a red herring which cannot influence the outcome of the next election.

    He said Obasanjo’s letter to President Muhammadu Buhari was in bad taste.

    He said if care was not taken, the ex-President may soon descend into a national nuisance and become irrelevant.

    He said if Buhari had not been selective in his anti-corruption campaign, Obasanjo should have been on trial by now.

    Adamu, who made his views known at a briefing in Abuja, said Buhari does “not intend to leave a bleeding, disunited nation and disarticulated socio-economic development at the end of his tenure.”

    He said: “…Let me say at this point that I am worried by the antics of Obasanjo and his penchant for promoting himself as the only competent Nigerian leader.

    “Since he left office on October 1, 1979, to local and international applause Obasanjo has systematically sought to undermine every federal administration after him. He has today set up himself as the moral conscience of the nation. He believes he has acquired the wisdom of King Solomon and has consequently imposed on himself the right to decide who rules us and how we should be ruled.

    “Perhaps, part of the reason is that before leaving office in 2007, his party, the PDP, conferred on him the titles of Maker of Modern Nigeria and Father of the Nation. Such titles do have a heady way of making a man seeing his head bedecked in the halos of self-righteousness.

    “There is a process for changing our governments through the instrumentality of elections. Chief Obasanjo, one of the architects of that process and a beneficiary to boot, ought to support that process and let the people decide who they want to rule them. It is not for him to decide for the people or the president.

    “No one should arrogate to himself eternal verities in the administration of his country. It is his consuming ambition to have his hands on the levers of power under all our presidents. When he loses that grip, he turns against the incumbent in office.

    “He undermined General Babangida’s economic programme, SAP, with his statement that the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) should have a human face and the milk of human kindness. He denigrated General Babangida by advising people to whom the former president says good morning to check their wrist watches to make sure it is morning.

    “Was he entirely motivated by that noble sentiment? I find that hard to believe. Motives are not always as honourable or as altruistic as one might be made to believe, particularly when such a man as this is so highly placed that we tend to place him above the shenanigans of petty politics. I find it difficult to  completely ignore what appear to me like the dark motives hovering over his action because I see it as a behavioural pattern that began with his 2014 letter to the then President Goodluck Jonathan, titled “ Before it is too late.”

    “It seems to me he believes that that letter alone cost Jonathan the presidency. So, if he is fatigued by President Buhari, he can resort to the same weapon with probably the same consequences. It is a long shot.”

    The ex-governor insisted that the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) recently inaugurated by Obasanjo to effect change in 2019 cannot achieve any result.

    He said: “His Coalition for Nigeria is a red herring across the path of our constitutional government.”

    “He is free to form a political party and pursue his ambition of being the power behind the throne but such a national movement would achieve no discernible purpose in the economic management and the social administration of the country.”

    The ex-governor however described Obasanjo’s letter to President Muhammadu Buhari as in bad taste to destroy the President politically.

    He said the ex-President ought to have been more circumspect and measured in his approach like the former presidents.

    He added: “No one can deny him the right to criticize a sitting president but his method leaves much to be desired. He cannot, therefore, escape the charge of impure motive and that he took this step, not to try and Set things right for the sake of the nation but to promote Obasanjo for the sake of Obasanjo.

    “Being a former president, he has an unimpeded access to the president and can, therefore, seek to influence him in the privacy of the seat of power. Indeed, in the early years of the Buhari administration, Chief Obasanjo was a frequent presence in Aso Rock.

    “I believe he frequented the seat of power in support Of the administration. I now wonder why he suddenly decided to turn a friend into an enemy and rubbish everything the president has done so far in a little over two and half years.

    “In a civilized political culture, it is taboo for former presidents to openly take a sitting president to the cleaners. Our former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, has faithfully kept to this time-honoured culture of a former ruler not washing the dirty linens of a current ruler rather gleefully in the public. So have former President Shehu Shagari and former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

    “The implications for the polity of a former president regaling the public with a litany of the failures of a sitting president is a calculated and unholy effort to destroy him politically.
    “The question is, if Chief Obasanjo meant well for Buhari, his administration and Nigeria, why did he not choose the option of quietly offering his advice to the president?

    “In taking his case to the rowdy market place of sensationalism, he clearly intended to score cheap political points at the expense of the president. He intended to undermine the Buhari administration, subject the president to public ridicule and impugn his moral strength and integrity to lead the nation.

    “As he must have obviously expected, his statement was intended to heat and is heating up the polity and causing confusion at this critical time when the myriads of our national challenges commend themselves to our statesmen and women for sober reflections rather than indulgence in crass sensationalism. It is a disservice to the country.’

    Adamu said Buhari has no plan to leave a bleeding, disunited nation and disarticulated socio-economic development at the end of his tenure.

    Although he said the President might have been overwhelmed by the problems at hand, Nigerians should encourage and support him.

    He said: “No one, not even Buhari’s most rabid supporters, would be unfair to themselves enough to suggest that everything is right with the administration. It is true that the government has not met the expectations of the generality of Nigerians. But it is not for lack of capacity or the unwillingness on the part of the president to respond to the needs of the people and those of the country.

    “I know that we invested high expectations on the Buhari administration but is it fair and realistic for us to expect the administration to solve all the problems it inherited in less than three years? Human and resources management towards achieving a desired result is not amenable to the waving of a magic wand.

    “No administration is a total success and none is a total failure. Chief Obasanjo cannot honestly claim that he ran a perfect and totally successful administration. Because he did not.

    “Every administration grapples with problems thrown at it by circumstances beyond its control. President Buhari inherited an economy that was unsteady on its feet. He also inherited the security problems such as Boko Haram, armed robberies and kidnappings. Yes, I agree, that under his watch these problems should grow less, not more. But the solution to problems such as these is a slow and agonizing process. He has no powers to simply make them disappear overnight.

    “The president was fully aware of these problems and challenges when he sought the consent of the electorate in 2015. He did so in the hope that with the support and the goodwill of all Nigerians, he could tackle them. I know he has not given up on that.

    “1 do not think he intends to leave a bleeding, disunited nation and disarticulated socio-economic development at the end of his tenure. He seems to be overwhelmed by the problems because while problems rain down, solutions to them take time to be effective.

    “I think the president, in the circumstances, deserves support and encouragement rather than antagonism from a constituency that should give him that support and encouragement as he seeks to address these and other problems in his own way.”

    He said if Buhari had not been selective in his anti-graft war, Obasanjo should by now be on trial over his Third Term Project, Halliburton and Siemens scandals.

    Adamu said: “Obasanjo said that President Buhari is selective in his anti-corruption war. I agree with him because if the president were not selective, Chief Obasanjo himself would be in the dock today on trial on charges of corruption arising from the corrupt practices in the pursuit of his third term gambit in the national n assembly in 2006.

    “Today he denies that he ever nursed such ambition. And being a man much favoured God, he has repeatedly said that if he had wanted it and asked the almighty for it, he would have given him the third term.

    “He knows as well as I and other leading members of the PDP that he badly wanted it and initiated the process of constitutional amendment. He bribed each member of the national assembly who signed to support the amendment, with the whopping sum of N50 million to make the constitutional amendment scale through.”

    “The fresh, mint money was taken in its original boxes presumably from the vaults of the Central Bank of Nigeria and distributed among the legislators. The money was not his and it was not appropriated by the national assembly as required by law. I, therefore, agree that in failing to make former president account for that money. President Buhari is waging his anti-corruption war selectively.

    “Nor should we forget that President Buhari has also not bothered to interrogate Obasanjo’s role in the Halliburton scandal for which some Americans are cooling their heels in jail.

    “Perhaps, President Buhari might null to look in the Siemens affairs in which the Obasanjo administration was indicted and for which can: hug-mans were on trial. What became of the trial?
    Adamu asked Obasanjo to retrace his steps before becoming a national nuisance and sliding into irrelevance.

    “I believe that Obasanjo is too high and too big in the estimation of the people to permit himself the continued sickening indulgence in political skullduggery. I believe that the Nigerian people and the Nigerian state have been most kind to him.

    “Obasanjo has a moral obligation to make the country succeed in solving its myriads of problems. That, I believe, is one way he can give back to the country that has given him so much.

    “As a friend, I wish to advise the former president to pull back from the dangerous path of rubbishing all presidents that came into office after him.

    “Bringing everyone down is not a patriotic duty. I fear that if he continues along this path, he would, sooner than later over reach him and begin the inevitable descent into national nuisance and irrelevance. That would be ‘a self-inflicted wound and a personal tragedy,” he said.

    Read Also: Tinubu to Obasanjo, IBB: let Nigeria move forward

  • Osinbajo, OBJ, GEJ, others for peace forum

    Osinbajo, OBJ, GEJ, others for peace forum

    Vice President Yomi Osinbajo is expected to lead prominent past Nigerian Christian leaders and leaders of some African countries to discuss how to achieve peace in the polity through the use of religious leaders to preach the peace and harmony.

    Those expected to be part of the event marking the Golden Jubilee and thanksgiving service ‎of the founder of Living Christ Mission Incorporated, Prof. Daddy Hezekiah, is Former President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and General Yakubu Gowon.

    Past and serving Presidents of some African Countries are also expected at the event with the theme: “The Role of Religious Leaders in a Developing Economy.”

    Addressing a news conference in Abuja yesterday, Chairman National Planning Committee of the event Prof. Obiekwe Nwanolue, said the golden jubilee celebration is being put together to discuss how peace, which the celebrant stands for, could be achieved.

    According to him, dignitaries across the globe will be gracing this occasion including serving and former presidents of several countries. Zambia, Central Africa Republic (CAR), a delegation from America, Britain, among others, adding that the celebration has transcended beyond the activities of the church.

    While asking Nigerians to rededicate themselves to the service of God and humanity, Prof. Nwanolue also advised Christians to delve into all legitimate spheres of human endeavour in order to turn the fortunes of the country around.

    He asked Church leaders to stop pauperizing the people by asking them to ‘sow seeds’, saying they should instead focus on preaching holiness and how to make their followers succeed.

    He said: “the choice of Abuja as a venue for the celebration is to tell the world that there is peaceful coexistence, there is the need for harmony, democratic stability amidst the religious and political crisis in the country.

    “Interestingly, Nigeria government has indicated enormous interest in that ceremony to appreciate a man whose name is synonymous with philanthropy and generosity.”

    While describing the celebrant as philanthropist. He disclosed that the man of God has trained and empowered many people in several professions that have made serious impact in the society.

    “He is a man who has predicated his teaching and aspirations on truth, holiness, righteousness and salvation. He does not hear any other language other than being transparent and proven integrity. Contrary to what some men of God preach, he is a man that genuine children of God should not be politicians, soldiers, policemen, lawyers because such professions should be saturated with genuine children of God so that they can simply sanitize he ills that have bedeviled those participating professions.

    “We have many men of God using religion to deceive people just to score cheap political goals. Religious leaders should face their pulpit and pray for the country. If they use their pulpit to advice the leaders of this country, the country would have gone far even though the political leaders don’t listen to advice.

    “What they are doing is wrong because politics should be for politicians while raw responsibility of the men of God is to pray for the country. They should call you order with sincerity of purpose the political leaders that are not doing well.”

    Head of Mission of the Central African Republic CAR in Nigeria, Aloy Michael, on his part said the president of his country, Prof. Faustin Touadera and that of Zambia, Mr Edgar Lungu are fully in support of the golden jubilee.

    “The Bible says that by their fruits we shall know them. They are deceitful, the so-called men of God who are using the pulpit to score cheap political goals. Their main goal is to pray for the country. What hey are doing now is condemnable. If a leader is not doing well, call him to order, invite him, not chide him publicly.

    “Believers must also go into the uniform jobs like the police and the military so that they can simply sanitize the ills that have bedevilled those professions by eliminating the rot that has eaten deep into the fabric of those institutions.”

  • Buhari mourns Walin Sokoto, Ambassador Hamzat

    Buhari mourns Walin Sokoto, Ambassador Hamzat

    President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the Sultanate, the Government and people of Sokoto State on the passing away of the Walin Sokoto, Ambassador Hamzat Ahmad over the weekends.

    President Buhari in a condolence letter to the Sokoto State Government, described the late Walin Sokoto as a reputable public servant and a highly distinguished diplomat, who spent most of his life in the service of his country.
    According to the President in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), Garba Shehu, the demise of the former Nigerian Ambassador, who served in London and Washington DC, is a great loss to his community and the entire Nigeria.

    ‘‘I have learnt with deep shock and grief of the passing away of Alhaji Hamzat Ahmad (Walin Sokoto). His death is a great loss to Sokoto State, the diplomatic and business communities and to the Nigerian public service.

    ‘‘Alhaji Hamzat served meritoriously as a senior civil servant in the old Northern Nigeria Government and with the Federal Civil Service.

    In Lagos, he held the post of Principal Secretary to the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, whom he served with diligence and loyalty.

    ‘‘Please convey my sincere condolences to His Royal Highness, the Sultan of Sokoto, his family and the good people of Sokoto State on the demise of their illustrious son,” the President wrote.

    President Buhari prayed that the Almighty God will grant the soul of the late Walin Sokoto a peaceful rest, and grant his family the strength to bear the loss.

  • Garlands for Nigeria’s living legend

    Garlands for Nigeria’s living legend

    Wartime Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon celebrated his 80th birthday on Sunday. Encomiums were poured on the man who had to do what he did, to keep Nigeria one. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI profiles the iconic Nigerian.

    Nigeria’s quintessential elder statesman and former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retired) was the cynosure of all eyes last Sunday, when he clocked 80 and joined the eminent class of octogenarians. Given the way he acquitted himself as Nigeria’s third Head of State and as an exemplary statesman in recent times, Gowon has come to be recognized over the years as a living legend.

    At 80, Gowon has no regrets about prosecuting the Nigerian civil war. “I can assure you, there’s no regret. I have always believed in one Nigeria,” he said in a recent interview. He is convinced that the Lord has been directing his footsteps and therefore he is full of gratitude to Him. His words: “I think when God is there for you to be able to live up to 80 and above, it’s nothing but gratitude to God for everything – His grace, mercy, protection of life. So, there is nothing one can say, when you look back at your life from childhood, than to bow. I find that practically every stretch of my life, it’s not me who really was controlling it, but certainly, I would say that it’s God that really dictates your steps.”

    Jack, as he is fondly referred to by friends and close associates, is a detribalized Nigerian, noted for his humility, simplicity and dedication to national cause. He gave his all in terms of leadership to the preservation of the country’s unity during the Nigerian civil war. Today, he is a symbol of Nigeria’s unity. There are few Nigerian leaders, living and dead, which fall into the category of being iconic features of Nigerian history; in the sense of not just being in the right place at the right time, but fulfilling one’s duty to one’s nation as conscientiously as possible. Gowon is probably the only one that enjoys this distinction.

    Gowon was reluctant to go to war against the secessionist state of Biafra because he regarded the rebel leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and his compatriots as brothers and sisters. That was why at the initial stage, he regarded it as a police action. He resolved to go into full scale war as a last resort, to keep Nigeria one. That was after the so-called Biafran authorities overrun the Mid-West and threatened to attack Lagos. His words: “It was at that time that the police action was changed to full military action, not war, because I knew I was not fighting against a total enemy. It was only a family quarrel. We were fighting brothers and sisters.”

    Unlike many former military Heads of State, Gowon’s lifestyle is a study in humility, simplicity and how to be a true statesman. He pursues and leads a life of moderation and modesty, while selflessly engaging in genuine pursuit of the common good. He lives above the fray of partisan politics and inordinate chase after pecuniary gains, which appear the major reason why people go into politics today. His ‘Nigeria Prays’ initiative assists in uniting all religions in the country, while through the Yakubu Gowon Centre for National Unity and International Cooperation, the octogenarian intervenes for the purpose of good governance and the wellbeing of ordinary Nigerians via programmes to combat such diseases as HIV/AIDS, guinea worm and malaria, etc., in many states.

    While in power, Gowon’s regime was criticised for the flawed implementation of the National Development Plan put in place; as well as lapses in giving effect to the Indigenisation Decree of 1972 meant to ease the vice grip of foreigners on the nation’s economy at the time. As was the practice in Africa during the post-independence period, Gowon also courted the ‘sit-tight’ syndrome. This was demonstrated by his failed transition to civil rule project in 1976, which was the major reason why he was overthrown in a military coup. His lax leadership style led to the notorious ‘cement armada’ of the 1970s; when 20 million tonnes of cement were imported in one year, while the ports had the capacity to handle only one million tonnes. He was toppled on July 29, 1975 by his closest subordinates. Gowon then proceeded on exile to the UK, where he acquired a Ph.D in political science at the University of Warwick. He returned to Nigeria in 1983; and formed his non-denominational religious group – Nigeria Prays – in the 1990s.

    The fifth of 11 children, Gowon, originally an Ngas from the village of Lur in present Kanke Local Government of Plateau State, was born on October 19, 1934. Shortly after his birth, his parents, who were missionaries of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) left for Wusasa, Zaria in present Kaduna State. It was in Zaria, his new hometown that he grew up and had his early education.

    After his secondary education, Gowon, who initially wanted to become a teacher, was lured into the army through peer influence: he had joined 12 others for the interview, and came out as the only one from that bunch that was accepted for military training. He got enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1954, and a year later on his 21st birthday on October 19, 1955 got commissioned as Second Lieutenant. In the next 11 years, Gowon settled for a strictly professional soldier career that saw him attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, in the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1956; the Staff College, Camberley, also in the UK  in 1962; and the Joint Staff College, Latimer, in 1965. Before Staff College, Gowon had taken part in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force, both in 1960 to 61 and in 1963. Thereafter, while still a Lieutenant Colonel, he moved on to become battalion commander in 1965.

    Gowon’s involvement in the country’s political affairs was fortuitous. The immediate post independence era was enmeshed in serious crisis of confidence and escalating mass discontent among Nigerians, including a section of the military, concerning the management of the country by the ruling political class. Through an act of fate, in 1966, at the age of 31, the mantle of governing the country fell on him, following the military coup and counter coup that displaced the regime of Gen. Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, which had taken up the leadership of the country after the bloody coup that terminated the First Republic in January 1966.Gowon wasthen a Lieutenant Colonel.

    But, it would be a misnomer to classify Gen. Gowon as a military dictator in the strict sense. He was not part of the counter-coup; but was called upon to lead after the coup. Indeed, he was a military leader at a time of war, but he remained a democrat at heart.

    His conduct as the wartime leader was exemplary. He successfully prosecuted the civil war between 1967 and 1970. It was while attending an Organization of African Unity (OAU) summit in Kampala on July 29, 1975, that Gowon was overthrown. He lived in exile in the United Kingdom from 1975, after he was overthrown, till 1983, when he returned home. Since 1990, he has been praying for peace and unity in the country, through his non-denominational religious group, Nigeria Prays. He personally coordinates the national prayer project to promote peace and unity in the land. His abiding faith in the indissolubility and indivisibility of the country was recently underscored at the 17th Wole Soyinka Annual Lecture when he unequivocally stated: “No matter what happens, I am confident that this nation will not fall. I have a great belief and faith that the younger ones will do it better”.

    In terms of institution-building, Gowon’s government initiated infrastructural development and industrialization in Nigeria, for the increased earnings occasioned by the oil-boom of the 70s propelled an unprecedented growth in the socio-economic activities of the Federal Government. To further his philosophy of post-war reconciliation and national re-integration, he established the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as a platform for youth development; he also established Unity Schools, and gave universality to Nigeria’s economic image. Unfortunately, this modest achievement as Head of state has been eroded steadily by successive governments.

    In spite of the hullabaloo over 2015, Gowon is not worried about all the talk about Nigeria breaking-up. He insists that it is either disgruntled politicians or interest groups that are promoting hate among Nigerians. “You find that if it does not benefit them, they would not make such statements,” he said in an interview to mark his birthday. He says all the country needs is good leadership, which is able to attend to the needs and wishes of every part of the country with justice and fairness.

    Many eminent Nigerians, including President Goodluck Jonathan, heaped encomiums on the former Head of State, describing him as a study in humility, simplicity and dedication. Jonathan said in a congratulatory letter he wrote to Gowon to celebrate his 80th birthday that Nigeria owes Gowon a huge debt of gratitude, for “successfully managing and guiding it through an unfortunate civil war’’. In the letter, signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, Jonathan described the celebrant as a worthy, steadfast and iconic feature of Nigerian history. He said the country came out of the war even stronger and more united. “I also thank Almighty God for the unique and richly fulfilled life He has blessed you with in these past 80 years. Over the years, you have continued to use your exalted position to engender bridges of love and harmony across the country,” the President added.

    The Governor of his home state of Plateau, Jonah Jang, expressed great admiration and respect for Gowon, saying: “He symbolises the Nigerian working relentlessly yesterday, today and tomorrow for the unity of our dear nation. He’s God’s gift to us. We celebrate an ever smiling and available vessel of the Almighty, full of wisdom at 80 years.” Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has equally congratulated General Gowon welcomed him to the club of “the oldies”. He added: “There are not many people whose lives, notwithstanding their share of human frailty, can be truly described as exemplary in as many milieus as that of General Dr Yakubu Gowon, GCFR.”

     

  • Has the NYSC run its course?

    On 22nd May, 1973, the regime of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon promulgated decree 24 of 1973 which subsequently set up the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to involve the country’s graduates in the development of the country. Since we are not in a state of war and there is no military conscription in Nigeria, the NYSC- which I see as one of the most strategic moves to foster national unity – somewhat filled the gap. At the initial stage, it only involved only 3,000 universities graduates, but later polytechnics and colleges of education graduates were later included in the national service which runs into hundreds of thousands annually.

    As most are aware, what stands the scheme out was that corps members are posted to states other than their states of origin. The ideology was simple: They are expected to mix with people of other tribes, social and family backgrounds, to learn the culture of the indigenes in the place they are posted to. This action is aimed to bring about unity in the country and to help youths appreciate other ethnic groups and the complex cultural dynamics of Nigeria.

    The ideologues of the program also envision that beyond unity, it would also help in creating entry-level jobs for many Nigerian youth. An NYSC forum dedicated to members was set up to bridge the gap amongst members serving across the country which also serves as an avenue for corpers to share job information and career resources as well as getting loans from the erstwhile National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

    Just like most things Nigerian – like we oftentimes say – the programme started running into murky waters years later. Members started complaining of being underpaid, paid late or not paid at all, there were also issues of welfare of corps members. But the most serious of these challenges that rocked the scheme to its foundation is that several members have been killed in the states they were sent to due to religious, ethnic or political violence.

    The first major blow came during the post-election violence in April 2011 when 11 corps members were killed in Bauchi State. Prior to the election, several other corps members employed as ad hoc staff by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were also killed in Suleja, Niger State, as well as in Jos, Plateau State. That of Jos was quite pathetic as the father of one of the victims was called by one of the assailants and told point blank that they are about to kill his son, which they eventually did while the phone was still on!

    As a result of this development, the NYSC Directorate was forced to redeploy prospective corps members previously posted to “volatile states” in the North. This followed a media campaign mounted by parents and several stakeholders against posting corps members to states that have been prone to serious security threats. By that directive, prospective members, who were earlier posted to Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Kano and Kaduna States, were directed to report to the NYSC headquarters in Abuja for redeployment. Those posted to Yobe and Borno States also carried out their orientation exercise at the NYSC camps in Nasarawa and Benue States respectively.

    As compensation for the attacks, President Goodluck Jonathan presented N5 million to families of those who lost their lives in these states. He also promised to give jobs to the other affected corps members immediately after the mandatory one-year service to the nation. But years later, the promised jobs are still in a shelf somewhere and most of the affected graduates still roam the streets looking for elusive jobs.

    The attacks and the rapidly changing dynamics in the country have ignited a very passionate debate on whether the scheme is still relevant. At the forefront of the scrapping of the programme are understandably those who lost loved ones in the senseless killings. These calls were further spurred by unguided statements made by some government functionaries who appear to spit on the graves of those killed. Some public analysts and commentators also joined the call for the scrapping of the programme because they felt it has lost its relevance due to intolerance and lack of understanding of why it was set up in the first place.

    This, I believe, was what compelled the NYSC in 2010 to come up with a policy not to post corps members to “volatile states” with weighted indicators to categorise states into red, yellow and green zones. The indicators used were incidents of bomb explosions and targeted attacks on corps members, etc.

    From a personal point of view however, I believe the programme is still relevant and can still achieve some of the reasons why it was set up in the first place. There is clear consensus that NYSC is an ideal worth preserving. What is at issue in making the scheme continue to serve the nation is the security situation that now calls for a total overhaul and minimise the probability of corps members being physically harmed wherever they may be posted to in the country. If we allow the NYSC to go, I’m afraid that will be the beginning of the disintegration of the country. Agreed, there have been enormous challenges, but these challenges are definitely man-made and can be corrected if there is the political will.

    Two weeks ago, the new Director-General, Brigadier-General Johnson Olawumi, at a forum, unfolded a four-point agenda to directors, deputy directors, state coordinators and camp directors of the 36 states of the federation. It includes: improving the service content of NYSC for national development; enhancing the welfare and safety of corps members and staff; expanding partnership for greater impact, funding and support; and increasing the visibility and relevance of the scheme.

    Olawumi wondered why the structures and methods of 1973 are still being used “to drive a 21st century organisation that manages the most vibrant and dynamic segment of the Nigerian society.” Some of the questions he posed at the session were: “What can the NYSC do better to recapture the goodwill of the critical stakeholders? How fast can its staff and management work to regain the trust of both the Nigerian parents and the young men and women that are annually enlisted in the programme? Should the scheme wait for changes to be imposed upon it from outside, with attendant consequences?”

    I was made to understand that barely two months in office, the new DG has already met with the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry with a view to building a partnership for the empowerment of corps members, he has visited the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the bid to ensure health insurance coverage for corps members and he wants to meet the INEC chairman on a broad range of issues concerning the security of corps members when they are deployed for election management. These – I was also told – are besides several other initiatives he is already working on and planning to announce in soon.

    With these plans in the kitty, there is no doubt in my mind that the DG is effectively armed with an ambitious vision to revamp the scheme and make it relevant to our national development in this rapidly changing and technologically driven 21st century. But I do not believe that he would be naïve enough not to recognise that he needs the buy-in of the entire NYSC leadership. These are the guys on the ground, they know all the tricks in the books and they have the capacity to mar any well intended plan. I believe by seeking their buy-in he has put his right foot forward.

    I am convinced that if Olawumi can pull this through he will help to reposition the NYSC as a vital tool for national cohesion and development. This is why I am throwing my weight behind him, and will urge well-meaning Nigerians who truly love this country to support him because of the critical nature of the scheme to our unity and cohesion.