Celebrating Gen. Dr. Yakubu Gowon, ‘Last Good Man Standing’ at 88
By Dr. Mayowa Afe
General Dr. Yukubu Gowon, clocked 88 years old on Wednesday, 19 October, 2022. In 2013, while celebrating him as the ‘Leadership Person of the Year’, The Guardian described him as the ‘last good man standing.’ Since he became theChairman, Danvic Petroleum International where I am currently the Managing Director, I have been privileged to have very close interactions with this great man who became the Head of State and Commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria July 19, 1966 at the youthful age of 31. General Dr. Yakubu Gowon, GCFR is a bundle of history and special gift from God to Nigerians. His name is tied to his destiny with Nigeria, because the name is also a well-known acronym which means ‘Go On With One Nigeria.’ Interestingly, from his early life through his stint in the military and later, as Head of State, C-in-C, as well as in post-service life, his actions revolved around his guiding philosophy of a one and united Nigeria.
On his birthday, I did not notice any advert celebrating this great man and this says so much about the Nigeria of today and our values. If it were a serving public officer, the dailies would have been full. Despite all these, I choose to write this piece to highlight his life and celebrate this great man of value at 88.
General Yakubu Gowon was born in Garam of the then Pankshin Division on 19 October 1934 and hails from Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau State, now Kanke Local Government. He is a product of Barewa College (now Government Secondary School) Zaria where he obtained the Senior Cambridge School Leaving Certificate. He was a good all-round athlete – he was the school’s football goal-keeper, pole vaulter, and long-distance runner. He broke the school’s mile record in his first year. He was also the boxing captain.
In 1954, he enrolled in the Nigerian Army and was sent to the Regular Officers’ Special Training School at Teshie in Ghana. The following year he joined the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, United Kingdom for officer cadets’ training. On successful completion of the course, the Guest Lecturer was granted Permanent Regular Army Commission into the West African Forces on 21 December 1956 in the rank of second lieutenant with seniority in the same rank effective from 19 October 1955. He was a proud and highly professional Infantry officer.
General Gowon was one of the finest officers who led this country in the most turbulent periods of our history. Throughout his years of service in the military, he was speedily promoted and rose to the admirable rank of General in a record time of 15 years. He is the first 4 Star General in the history of the Nigerian Army. While in the service, General Gowon served in various capacities and challenging appointments as an officer as well as a national leader. Some of these appointments were Adjutant 4 QONR, Staff Captain (A) HQ RNA before serving as BM 3 NG Bde in Congo. He was also the Adjutant General of the RNA and later served as Chief of Staff Nigerian Army. By divine intervention, he was named the Head of State of the Federal Military Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 19 July 1966.
In recognition of his meritorious service, he was decorated with various honours and awards, some of which were: pass staff course (psc), Congo Medal, Independence Medal, General Service Medal, Defence Service Medal, National Service Medal, Republican Medal and Grand Commander of the Federal Republic. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom.
General Gowon has achieved so much as a national leader. Some of these achievements include the execution of the Nigerian Civil War without indebting Nigeria to borrowing funds throughout the period of the war. During his nine years in power, he 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 on the oil boom and followed well laid out development plans.
He also helped to ensure the unification of Nigeria to remain as a single country by bringing an end to the Nigerian Civil. His mantra and directive principle during and after the Civil War was ‘to keep Nigeria one was a task that must be done;’ the reconstruction of National Infrastructure without plundering the treasury for personal gains; the introduction of Federal Scholarship Board and in-service training for Nigeria’s bureaucracy. Today, Nigeria’s bureaucracy is one of the best trained in Africa; the transformation from the Regional to the State System by creating 12 States in the federation.
He played a significant role in the establishment of ECOWAS due to his firm belief in the integration of the sub-region as well as the establishment of the National Youth Service Corps to engender patriotism, industry and sacrifice amongst the Nigerian youth.
Since Gen. Yakubu Gowon retired from public life, he has been playing the role of father of the nation as he continued to selflessly serve his country. It is to his credit that Nigeria is no longer considered the world’s most guinea worm infested country. He teamed up with his US counterpart, former President Jimmy Carter, to fight against this scourge. He visited and mobilized 132 endemic communities. Today, Nigeria can boast of having eradicated guinea worm, as certified by the World Health Organization. He is the National Goodwill Ambassador on the Elimination of Hepatitis in Nigeria, to do the same magic as was done with guinea worm.
In 1992, Gowon founded his own organization called the Yakubu Gowon Centre for National Unity and International Cooperation which is working on issues of good governance in Nigeria as well as infectious disease control including HIV/AIDS, guinea worm and malaria amongst others. Its main objective is to ensure a strong and united Nigeria, free of disease and poverty, where every citizen has an opportunity for self- expression and the realization of their full potential. In 1990s, he formed a non-denominational religious group ‘NIGERIA PRAYS.’
Today Gen. Gowon is playing the role of an elder statesman not only in Nigeria but in African politics. For example, in 2008, he served as Head of ECOWAS Observer Mission at the Ghanaian Presidential Election, Head the Carter Center Observer Mission in Guinea General Election in 2010, Head the Commonwealth Observer Mission in Zambia Tripartite Elections in 2011, Head the Carter Center Observer Mission in Liberia in 2011 and the Parliamentary Election in Lesotho as Head of the African Union Observer Mission in 2012.
General Gowon is a member of the Africa Forum, an informal network of former African Heads of State and Government and other African leaders designed to support the implementation of the broad objectives of the African Union (AU) and its initiative for advocacy and think tanking, helps harness the experience, moral authority and good offices.
The Guardian described him as the ‘last good man standing’ and in 2013; he was named ‘Leadership Person of the Year 2013.’ The amiable General is happily married to Victoria Gowon and their union is blessed with children.
A fierce defender of Nigeria unity and mankind, It is an honour, pleasure and privilege to invite this uncommon global leader: A humble, honest, compassionate, accommodating, wise, intellectual, hard-working, loving, caring, revolutionary, social reformer, and God-fearing leader and father, a new vision of leader as servant who is able to be relevant to his world and community, through the intensity of life of service and through the love of his people, country and Africa of quiet and cam dignity.
In the book of Job chapter 42 and verse 12 the bible says ‘So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning…’ This is my wish and prayers for His Excellency, General Dr. Yakubu Gowon, GCFR. I wish you a long life and happy 88th birthday sir!
Dr. Mayowa Afe, is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, Boston, USA and Managing Director, Danvic Petroleum International.
