The Crest

Tag: General Yakubu Gowon

  • 50 Years of Gowon’s Overthrow, By Eric Teniola

    50 Years of Gowon’s Overthrow, By Eric Teniola

    Eric Teniola
    Eric Teniola

    Tuesday, July 29, 2025 will be the 50th anniversary of the overthrow of General Yakubu Gowon GCFR. He was overthrown in a bloodless military coup on the same Tuesday, July 29, 1975. Most of us remember where we were at 6.00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 29, 1975, when the Commander of the Brigade of Guards made the following announcement.
    “Fellow countrymen and women, I, Colonel Joseph Nanven Garba, in consultation with my colleagues, do hereby declare that in view of what has been happening in our country in the past few months, the Nigerian Armed Forces decided to effect a change of the leadership of the Federal Military Government.
    As from now, General Yakubu Gowon ceases to be head of the Federal Military Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. The general public is advised to be calm and to go about their lawful duties.
    However, in view of the traffic situation in Lagos area, all workers other than those on essential services like NEPA, Medical Services, Water Works, NPA, the P & T, all workers and all Tanker Drivers will observe today, 29th of July, 1975, as a work free day.
    A dusk to dawn curfew is hereby imposed until further notice. Nigeria Airways operations are suspended and all Airports and Borders are closed till further notice.
    Fellow countrymen, this has been a bloodless operation and we do not want anyone to lose his or her life. You are therefore warned in your own interest to be law abiding. Anyone caught disturbing the public order will be summarily dealt with.
    We appeal to everyone to co-operate in the task ahead. Further announcements will be made in due course. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
    On a personal note, on that day I rushed to see my friend, late Richard Tokunbo Amayo of THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER, who was living nearby at Isale Ososami, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, to discuss what Colonel Garba has just announced on the radio. I was then the Western state Chief Correspondent for the Kwara Government state owned newspaper, THE NIGERIAN HERALD.
    Colonel Joseph Garba (17 July 1943 – 1 June 2002) was from Langtang in the then Benue-Plateau state which was near Gowon’s aboriginal village in Angas.
    As a lieutenant in November 1964, Joe Garba was originally handpicked (by then Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon) from the 4th battalion in Ibadan, to the Federal Guards Company where he became the second-in-command to Major Donatus Okafor. He remained there until July 1965 when he was posted to 2 Brigade HQ as GSO III under Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna who served as Brigade Major to Brigadier Zakari Maimalari from the present Yobe state.
    General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd.) (90) GCFR ruled Nigeria uninterruptedly for nine years.
    On October 1, 1970, General Gowon announced a six-year nine-point plan, which he said, must be accomplished “before the government of the country can be handed over with a full sense of responsibility”. The points were as follows: reorganization of the armed forces; implementation of a national economic development plan, including reconstruction of war damaged areas, eradication of corruption; establishment of more states; adoption of a new constitution; introduction of a formula for allocating revenue; completion of a national census; organization of national political parties; and elections at federal and state levels.
    However, in another nationwide broadcast on October 1, 1974, General Gowon announced that the 1976 date was ‘unrealistic,’. He failed to announce a new date.
    He was overthrown because he broke his pledge to the people.
    While declaring a state of emergency, on May 27, 1967, during which he created twelve states, General Gowon declared “My duty is to all citizens. I propose to treat all sections of the country with equality. The main obstacle to future stability in this country is the present structural imbalance in the Nigerian Federation. Even Decree No. 8 or Confederation or Loose Association will never survive if any one section of the country is in a position to hold the others to ransom.”
    General Gowon then appointed twelve governors of which only two of them are still alive. Those alive are Brigadier General Christpher Oluwole Rotimi (Rtd.) of defunct Western state (90) and Lt Commander Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff (Rtd.) of defunct Rivers state (82), the Amayanabo (King) of Twon-Brass, Bayelsa State.
    The other governors he appointed from time to time and who have answered the final call were Mr. Joseph Dechi Gomwalk (13 April 1935– 15 May 1976) (Benue/Plateau), Brigadier Musa Uman (Rtd.) (1940-1991), North East, Brigadier Abba Kyari (Rtd.) (17 November 1938 – 25 November 2018), North-Central, Brigadier Femi David Lasisi Bamigboye (7 December, 1940-21 September, 2018), Kwara state, Brigadier Jacob Udokaha Esuene (1936-1993), South Eastern state, Anthony Ukpabi Asika (28 June 1936-14 September 2004), administrator, East Central state, Brigadier Mobolaji Olufunso Johnson (Rtd.) (8 February, 1936- October 30, 2019), Lagos state, Major General Robert Adeyinka Adebayo (9 March 1928 – 8 March 2017) Western state, Alhaji Usman Farouk (1932-18 December 2020), North West, Lt. Colonel David Akpode Ejoor (10 January 1932 – 10 February 2019) and Colonel Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia (17 September 1932 – 9 March 2017), Mid-West State and Alhaji Audu Bako (1924-1980), Police, Kano state.
    The interesting thing is that General Yakubu Gowon survived them all including most of his Ministers, who were then classified as Federal Commissioners.
    Those of the Federal Commissioners still alive are Brigadier Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR (Works and Housing) (88), Colonel Ahmadu Alli (Education) (89) and Alhaji Lateef Olufemi Okunnu (Works and Housing) (92).
    Those of them who are now deceased were Major-General Eyo Okon Ekpo( Agriculture and Natural Resources), Professor Adebayo Adedeji (Economic Development and Reconstruction), Dr Okoi Arikpo (External Affairs), Alhaji Aliyu Usman Shehu Shagari (Finance) GCFR, Brigadier Emmanuel Olumuyiwa Abisoye (Health), Colonel Mohammed Inua Wushishi (Industries), Chief Edwin Kiagbado Clark(Information), Mr Adamu Suleman(Internal Affairs), Brigadier Henry Edmund Olufemi Adefope (Labour), Mr Gabriel Chukwuemeka Akwaeze(Trade) and Captain Olufemi Olumide (Transport).
    Others were Colonel Dan Suleiman(Special Duties), Chief Anthony Enahoro (Special Duties), Alhaji Shettima Ali Monguno (Mines and Power), Major General Hassan Usman Katsina (Labour), Mallam Aminu Kano (Health), Chief Joseph Sarwan Tarka (Communications), Brigadier Murtala Mohammed GCFR (Communications), Chief Abudu Yesufu Eke (Education), Chief Obafemi Awolowo(Finance) GCFR, Dr. Taslim Elias (Justice), Mr. B.O. Mafeni (Agriculture and Rural Development), Chief Wenike Opurum Briggs (Education and later Trade), Colonel I.D. Bisala (Defence) and Mr. Russel Aliyu Barau Dikko (Mines and Power).
    During General Gowon’s tenure, for the first ten months there was no FEDERAL CABINET. Permanent Secretaries dealt directly with General Gowon. That was during the era of Super Permanent Secretaries. Except for Chief Phillip Chikwuedo Asiodu (91) almost all of them have passed on.
    Under General Gowon, there was the Central Planning Office, under the Ministry of National Planning and Reconstruction. That office was the engine room of the second and third development plans.
    Other top government officials who worked with General Gowon in that Planning office were Owelle Gilbert Prince Obiajulu Chikelu (94), Chief Samuel Oluyemisi Falae (87), Chief John Odigie Oyegun (86), Chief John Dikenwiwe Edozien (born April 20, 1943), Boye Ilori, Wole Okunfulure, Gbenga Tiamiyu, Chief Ayo, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife (20 November 1937 – 14 December 2023) and others.
    There were other Permanent Secretaries who worked directly with him including the then Secretary to the Government, Chief H. A. Ejueyitchie, an Itsekiri from the then Mid-West, Chief Ufot Ekaette (his private secretary for 8 years), Alhaji Yusuf Gubir, Chief Allison Ayida, Chief Charles Olatunde Lawson, Ime James Ebong, Alhaji Musa Daggash, Abdul Aziz Atta, Chief Stanley Olabode Wey, S.S. Waniko, Chief Eniolorunda Ojumu, Mr. B. Popo, Imafidon Akade, Prince Solomon Akenzua, M. A. Tokunboh, Chief B.M. Okagbue, Chief Edwin Ogbu, Chief Victor Adegoroye, E. E. Nsefik, Alhaji Umaru Sanda Ndayako, who later became the 12th Etsu Nupe from 1978-2003 and others.
    General Gowon also worked with the members of the Federal Public Service Commission in which Alhaji Sule Katagum was the chairman. Other members were Dr. Samuel Manuwa, Alhaji Yusuf Jega and Dr. L.O. Wochia.
    During General Gowon’s tenure, Nigeria had the finest civil servants that any country could boast of. At that time, they were the envy of Africa and the Commonwealth of nations.
    Mention must be made of Chief Jerome Oputa Udoji, Chief Augustus Oladipo Adebayo, Chief Peter Odumosu, Chief Simeon Olaosebikan Adebo, Chief Christopher Sunday Olatunde Akande, Chief Samuel Oyewole Asabia, Chief Sam Epelle, Mr. M.I. Alege, Mr. L. A. Nsefik, Mr. Benjamin Akinnusi Osunsade, Dr. Christopher Kolade, Chief N.U. Akpan, Chief D.P. Lawani, Alhaji Ali Akilu, Chief (Mrs) Folayegbe Akintunde-Ighodalo (17 December 1923 – 14 February 2005), the first woman Permanent Secretary and lots of them.
    There were other top officials like Mr. C. Olumese, Mr. Gboyin Alabi, Mr. Olufemi Akande, Mr. Nyalander, Chief Olu Awotesu (Registrar of Ships), Mr. Felix Bankole Cardoso (Accountant-General at that time), father of the present Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chief (Mrs.) Ebun Oyagbola (Accountant), Mr. Adeyinka Samuel George Nelson (government’s Printer) and others.
    On January 2, 1975, General Yakubu Gowon appointed the following as Permanent Secretaries. A.S.N.Egbo (Cabinet Secretariat), Yaya Abubakar (Political), Dr. J.O. Adekunle (Economic), Mrs. F.Y. Emmanuel (Public Service), M. Saidu Gwarzo (Police Affairs), B.S. Oloruntoba (Agriculture and Rural Development), F.M.C. Obi (Civil Aviation), I. Akade (Co-Operatives and Supply), S.A. Musa (Health), Festus I. Adesanoye (Housing, Urban Development and Environment), A. Fika (Internal Affairs), J. Taggert (Social Development, Youth and Sports), J. A. Adeyeye (Trade), M.E.P. Udebiuwa ( Works) and J.D. Ogundele (Justice).
    Others were S. O. Williams (Communications), Sunday B. Awoniyi (Defence), I.J. Ebong (Economic Development), A. Lima Ciroma (Education), G. A. E. Longe (Establishments), J.T.F. Iyalla (External Affairs), I.M. Damcida, Ahmed Joda (Industries), A. Tatari-Ali (Information), S.O. Koku (Labour), G.A. Ige (Mines and Power), P.C. Asiodu (Petroleum and Energy), Y. Gobir (Transport) and Dr. Bukar Shaib (Water Resources).
    In overthrowing General Yakubu Gowon, on the evening of July 30th, 1975, Brigadier General Murtala Ramat Mohammed (8 November 1938 – 13 February 1976) declared “Fellow Nigerians the events of the first few years have indicated that despite our great human and material resources, the government have not been able to fulfill the legitimate expectations of our people. Nigeria has been left to drift. This situation, if not arrested, would inevitably have resulted in chaos and even bloodshed.
    “In the endeavour to build a strong,k united and virile nation, Nigerians have shed much blood.
    The thought of further bloodshed, for whatever reason must, I am sure, be revolting to our people. The Armed Forces, having examined the situation, came to the conclusion that certain changes were inevitable. After the civil war, the affairs of state hitherto a collective responsibility, became characterised by a lack of consultation, indecision, indiscipline and even neglect.”
    “Indeed, the public at large became disillusioned and disappointed by these developments. This trend was clearly incompatible with the philosophy and image of a corrective regime. Unknown to the general public, the feeling of disillusionment was also evident among members of the armed forces whose administration was neglected but who, out of sheer loyalty to the Nation, and in the hope that there would be a change, continued to suffer in silence.”
    “Things got to a stage where the head of administration became virtually inaccessible even to official advisers; and when advice was tendered, it was often ignored. Responsible opinion, including advice by eminent Nigerians, traditional rulers, intellectuals, et cetera, was similarly discarded. The leadership, either by design or default, had become too insensitive to the true feelings and yearnings of the people. The nation was thus plunged inexorably into chaos.”
    It was obvious that matters could not, and should not, be allowed in this manner, and in order to give the nation a new lease of life, and sense of direction, the following decisions were taken: 1. The removal of General Yakubu Gowon as Head of the Federal Military Government and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. 2. The retirement of General Yakubu Gowon from the Armed Forces in his present rank of General with full benefits, in recognition of his past services to the nation. 3. General Gowon will be free to return to the country as soon as conditions permit; he will be free to pursue any legitimate undertakings of his choice in any part of the country. His personal safety and freedom and those of his family will be guaranteed.”
    General Yakubu Gowon GCFR was overthrown in Uganda while attending the meeting of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).
    Mr. Nowa Omoigui, a renowned Journalist and an authority on Nigeria issues described the plight of General Gowon after the overthrow. He declared “Nevertheless, General Gowon, far away in Kampala, had friends. Many offers of residence came to him in Kampala from various African countries.
    General Gowon notified the new regime in Lagos that he would leave Kampala for Lome in Togo. Since he was financially broke, teary-eyed members of the Nigerian delegation along with staffers at the Nigerian High Commission in Kampala donated 3000 pounds sterling to enable him begin a new life. He was flown to Lome – via Garoua in Cameroon – aboard President Idi Amin’s executive jet. Part of the flight passed through Nigerian airspace and Gowon took the opportunity to transmit a radio message reaffirming loyalty to and support for Brigadier Muhammed’s new regime. Although offered permanent domicile in Togo he chose to join his family in the United Kingdom. He received an additional 10,000 pounds sterling donation from General Eyadema. Following a telephone call to Brigadier Muhammed, during which he made requests for elementary federal assistance, he left for London.
    When General Gowon got to London, he was offered official accommodation by the Nigerian government which he, however, turned down for a variety of reasons. After some weeks at the Portman Hotel, he moved into the house of an old friend – Mr. Emmanuel Otti – at 472 Finchley Road, London. The delay was to enable the house to be redecorated by Mr. and Mrs. Otti and Brigadier Sam Ogbemudia (who had been in the UK when the coup took place in Nigeria). Other friends came to the assistance of the family. It was not until September 1975 that he began to get his pension and gratuities as a retired Four-Star General.
    In the nine years he had been Nigeria’s ruler he had not built himself a single house, inside or outside the country, nor did he expropriate one kobo of government money. Unlike some of those who served under him, his TOTAL savings throughout his service years as well as his years as Nigeria’s leader was N75,000 – all of which was inside Nigeria. In time to come this would stand in stark contrast to the conduct of and personal fortunes of most of those who conspired to remove him from office – or benefited from it.
    Once settled in with his family, the General, who was offered several Masters Degree programs, signed up for undergraduate studies in Political Science at Warwick University. Newspapers in Nigeria later carried news items and photographs depicting the former Nigerian leader carrying trays in a student cafeteria in the UK. The Muhammed regime was embarrassed and therefore dispatched Brigadier TY Danjuma (who, took Kano born Col. Wali along) to ask Gowon adopt a supposedly more dignified stance. Gowon rejected the overture and reassured his “embarrassed sympathizers” that he was comfortable with his situation. (Conceivably nothing could have been more embarrassing than to be overthrown while attending an OAU summit).
    He made friends among the Nigerian students at Warwick, including a family friend of mine, Desmond Guobadia, now a legal practitioner in Lagos. Meanwhile his spouse, the former First Lady, Mrs. Victoria Gowon (who was a nurse) registered as a catering student at a University College in London.”
    After his overthrow, there was a commission of enquiry to probe General Gowon. At the end of it all, he was never found guilty of corruption. Also, two of his governors, Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson and Brigadier Oluwole Rotimi were cleared of corruption charges.
    In foreign affairs, he excelled.
    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is one of the achievements of the leaders of West African in the seventies. It has just celebrated its 50th anniversary. Unfortunately, today, the ECOWAS is in comatose, whereas it was designed to strengthen cooperation and unity among the West African sub-region.
    It was formed on May 28th, 1975.
    General Gowon was one of the founders of that body. The President of Republic of Dahomey, Lt-Colonel Mathieu Kerekou, the President of the Republic of Gambia, Sir, Dawuda Jawara, the President of the newly independent Republic of Guinea- Bissau, Mr. Luiz Cabral, the President of Ivory Coast, Mr. Felix Houphouet Boigny, the President of Liberia, Dr. William R. Tolbert Jr. and the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mr. Moktar Ould Daddah personally led their countries’ delegations to the historic summit and signed the treaty.
    Other personal signatories were the Head of State of the Republic of Niger, Lt-Colonel Seyin Kountche, the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Siaka Stevens, the President of the Republic of Upper Volta, General Elhaj-Abubachar Sangoule Lamizana, the President of Togo, General Gnassingbe Eyadema and the Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Yakubu Gowon- the last two pioneers of the final successful effort at forming ECOWAS.
    Plenipotentiaries at the summit were Major Amadou Bala Diarra, Vice-President, representing President Moussa Traore of the Republic of Mali, Dr. Lansana Beavogui, Prime Minister, representing President Ahmed Sekou Toure of the Republic of Guinea, Mr. Abdou Diof, Prime Minister, representing President Leopold Sedar Senghor of the Republic of Senegal and Lt-Colonel R.J.A. Felli, Commissioner for Economic Planning, representing the Head of State of the Republic of Ghana, Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong.
    It is no exaggeration that General Yakubu Gowon was the brain behind the establishment of the following companies.
    These companies with their locations and the percentage of Federal Government shareholding are as follows: Anambra Motor MFG. Co. Ltd.-Anambra-35 per cent; Nkalagu Cement Co. Ltd. (Expansion)-Anambra-10 per cent; Steyr Nigeria Ltd.- Bauchi-35 per cent, Ashaka Cement Company Ltd.-Bauchi-30 per cent; New Nigeria Salt Company Ltd-Bendel-100 per cent; Delta Steel Company Ltd.-Bendel-100 per cent; Nigerian National Shrimp Co Ltd.-Bendel-51 per cent; Nigeria National Fish Co Ltd-Bendel-66 per cent; Benue Cement Company Ltd.- Benue-39 per cent; Calabar Cement Company Ltd.- Cross River-40 per cent; Nigeria Newsprint Mfg. Co. Ltd.-Cross River-80 per cent; Serwood Industries Ltd.- Cross River-20 per cent; Opobo Boa Yards Ltd.-Cross River-43.75 per cent; Savana Sugar Company Ltd.-Gongola-72 per cent; Aba Textile Mills Ltd- Imo-70 per cent and Electricity Meters Company Ltd.-Kaduna-80 per cent.
    Others were Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Ltd.-Kaduna-35 per cent; Batagarawa Steel Rolling Mill-Kaduna-100 per cent; Super Phosphate Fertilser Co.-Kaduna-100 per cent; North Brewery Ltd.-Kano-50 per cent; National Truces Manufacturing Co. Ltd.-Kano-35 per cent; Nigeria Sugar Company Ltd.-Kwara-19.7 per cent; Ajaokuta Steel. Ltd.-Kwara-100 per cent; Nigeria Paper Mills Ltd-Kwara-100 per cent: Lafiagi Sugar Company Ltd.-Kwara-90 per cent: Nigeria Yeast and Alcohol Manufacturing Co. Ltd.-Kwara-51 per cent; Flour Mills of Nigeria-Lagos-12 per cent; West Africa Distillers Ltd.-Lagos-100 per cent; Volkswagen of Nigeria Ltd-Lagos-35 per cent; NICHEMTEX Industries Ltd.-Lagos-9.23 per cent, Sunti Sugar Company Ltd.-Niger-90 per cent; West African Portland Cement Co. Ltd.-Ogun-20 per cent; National Salt Company Ltd.-Ogun-100 per cent; Nigeria National Paper Manufacturing Co. Ltd.-Ogun-70 per cent; Nigeria Transformers Ltd.-Ogun-65 per cent; Nigeria-Romania Wood Industries Ltd.-Ondo-25 per cent; Leyland Nigeria Ltd.-Oyo-35 per cent; Oshogbo Steel Rolling Mill-Oyo-100 per cent; Jos Steel Rolling Mill-Plateau-100 per cent and Sokoto Cement Company Ltd-Sokoto-31 per cent.
    If I may ask, how many of these companies or industries are still operating today?
    In the domestic front, bodies like the National Bank for Commerce and Industry established on April 2, 1973, the National Insurance Cooperation of Nigeria established on July 1, 1969, the National Oil Corporation, now NNPC established on April 1 1971, the Nigerian Standard Organisation established on December 1, 1971, the Industrial Research Council of Nigeria established in June 1971, the Nigerians Enterprises Promotion Board established February 22, 1972 and the Nigerian National Supply Limited established in January 1972. These are some of the initiatives established by General Yakubu Gowon.
    Mention must be made of the indigenisation decree promulgated in December 1972 by General Yakubu Gowon. By December 1974, the Capital issues Commission had fixed prices for the ordinary shares of 24 companies. Ordinary shares totaling 54,051, 000 were transferred to Nigerians—13 companies in the manufacturing sector transferred 18,8331,000 ordinary shares: eight commercial companies transferred 31,987,000 while three services companies transferred 3,233,000 ordinary shares.
    However, the National Youth Service Corps Scheme (NYSC) was established by General Gowon on May 22, 1973 under Decree Number 24. The concept of the National Youth Service Corps was first broached in the Second 4-Year Development Plan, in which it was announced that the Federal Military Government planned to establish a Youth corps organization during the period covered by the Plan.
    General Yakubu Gowon, subsequently announced in the course of his broadcast to the nation on the occasion of the 12th Independence Anniversary Celebration on October 1, 1972, that the proposed NYSC was meant “to transcend political, social, state and ethnic loyalties and to form the basis of fostering loyalty to the nation.” At the various University convocations, he disclosed that a lot of work had already been done on the project and invited the public, the students and university lecturers for discussions and suggestions on the scheme.
    The facts having being collected, the FMG subsequently announced that the scheme would begin at the end of the 1972/1973 academic session. The NYSC was thus created by Decree No. 24 of 22nd May, 1973 and launched by General Yakubu Gowon, on June 4, 1973, at the first meeting of the Directorate of the NYSC.
    The objectives of the NYSC include: to inculcate discipline in Nigerian youths by instilling in them a tradition of industry at work and of patriotic and loyal service to the nation in any situation they may find themselves; to raise their moral tone by giving them the opportunity to learn about higher ideals of national achievement and social and cultural improvement; to develop in them attitudes of mind acquired through shared experience and suitable training, which will make them more amenable to mobilization in the national interest and to develop common ties among them and promote national unity.
    Others are to encourage members of the services corps to seek, at the end of their corps service, career employment all over the country thus promoting the free movement of labour, to induce employers partly through their experience with members of the Service Corps, to employ more readily qualified Nigerians irrespective of their States of Origin: and to enable Nigerian youths to acquire the spirit of self-reliance.
    Under the decree, any Nigerian who is up to the age of 30years, and who, at the end of the academic year, unless exempted under section 15 of the decree, has successfully completed his or her first degree at any university in Nigeria, shall be liable to be called upon to serve in the Service Corps. But graduates who have exceed the prescribed age may volunteer for service. The duration of service is one year.
    General Yakubu Gowon established the Federal Housing Authority which built many housing schemes across the country including FESTAC in Lagos. With no debt to pay and with full implementation of the first and second development plan piloted by Professor Adebayo Adedeji (21 December 1930 – 25 April 2018) from Ijebu-Ode and Professor Ojetunji Aboyade (September 9, 1931 -December 31 1994) from Awe, at full speed, the country was moving forward. Suddenly, the movement stopped. And here we are, fifty years after. This great country deserves the best. No doubt Nigeria was designed for greatness.
    Three Newspapers namely Nigeria Tribune, The New Nigeria and The Daily Times wrote different editorials after the fall of General Yakubu Gowon’s government.
    The Nigerian Tribune in its editorial on August 1, 1975, “the tenth reason for the fall of Gowon’s Federal Military Government is that it had over-stayed its welcome. A miliary regime should be a transitional Government and its tenure of office should be short and effective. For, by their very training and temperament, soldiers do not possess qualities of politicians. What Gowon has demonstrated is that it takes much more than money, civil servants and economic plans to govern a country.
    The art of government is purely practical politics. And it is best left for those who have the necessary training, public confidence, temperament, experience, ability and the stomach for it.
    Finally, let it be said to his credit, that General Gowon was not a ruthless dictator. He tried occasionally to respond to public opinion and resisted the temptation to use his authoritarian powers as brutally as some of his sub-ordinate extremists would have wished. There were times when his inaction saved him and the nation from disasters that could have arisen from rash and precipitate action. But the greatest achievement for which he will be remembered is the creation of twelve state in the Federation.
    It was a courageous Act and it has removed for all time the main obstacle to lasting unity”.
    The Daily Times wrote on August 2, 1975, “Let it be said in fairness to him that General Gowon is a sincere and well-meaning man; the creation of 12 states; the indigenization of foreign businesses; and the formation of Economic Community of West African States are all credits to his administration. But power is delightful and absolute power is absolutely delightful.”
    In its own Editorial, The New Nigeria wrote, “Foreign commentators who thought that Nigeria was doomed to face a fresh round of violence, and even another civil war, have been proved woefully wrong. The acknowledgement of the change, and the pledge of loyalty to the new government, made in Kampala by the former Head of the Federal Military Government, General Yakubu Gowon, must have sealed their expectations.”
    No doubt, that was Nigeria’s golden period but General Gowon’s inability to hand over power was his greatest undoing. The road he took that led to the civil war during which millions died was another stain on his tenure for many still bear today the scars of that civil war especially in the South East. General Gowon had survived till today, it is left for history to judge him accordingly.
    At the beginning of the Civil war the popular slogan WAS TO KEEP NIGERIA ONE IS A TASK THAT MUST BE DONE. AT THE END OF THE WAR IT BECAME GO ON WITH ONE NIGERIA (GOWON). I think General Gowon’s lasting legacy is that he kept this great country one for nine years.
    On December 16 last year, President Bola Tinubu GCFR, renamed University of Abuja after General Yakubu Gowon. That is a fitting tribute.

  • Understanding the Nonsense About State Creation, By Azu Ishiekwene

    Understanding the Nonsense About State Creation, By Azu Ishiekwene

     Many years ago, when my son was completing paperwork for a job with the Lagos State government, he was required to fill out a form that included his State of Origin. He paused.

    It had been marked a compulsory field, and he wanted to know if not filling it would affect his chances. I said it would. He replied that he wouldn’t fill it, even if it meant losing the job. It didn’t make sense to him that his chances might come down solely not to his competence, merit, or the fact that he was born in Lagos where he has resided all his life – but to the state where he is from.

    He didn’t fill it and didn’t get the job, though I cannot remember if there were other reasons. Nigeria is the only country I know where a citizen or resident is compulsorily required to fill out their state of origin and local government and provide details of their forbears to the fourth and fifth generation as a basis for getting a job or contract.

    Map of Nigeria showing 36 states (Credit-Nigerian Finder)
    Map of Nigeria showing 36 states (Credit-Nigerian Finder)

    In the beginning

    It’s mainly a public sector thing – the sector that has been our blessing and bane. In its original form, “state representation,” apart from being a core unit of the federation, was also supposed to be a form of affirmative action. It was supposed to be a tool to encourage fair representation and protection, especially for ethnic minorities. The colonial government laid the foundation with the Sir Henry Willink Commission in 1957 to examine the agitation of minorities on the eve of Nigeria’s independence.

    But like all good things politicians touch, they have managed to debase it. It’s convenient to argue that it was not politicians but the military that started it. States have been created five times since former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon created 12 from the four regions in 1967 to weaken Biafra.

    But Gowon did it at the behest of politicians, as has every other military leader after him, including military President Ibrahim Babangida, who loved it so much he did it twice.

    Growing obsession

    Nigeria has since grown from 12 to 36 states. Former Head of State General Sani Abacha delivered the last set of sextuplets of states in 1996. Yet, the urge for more has not only become a national pastime. It is perhaps the next single biggest obsession of politicians after “budget padding”, a practice that permits lawmakers to inflate the annual appropriation bill to gratify themselves.

    All 10 National Assemblies since 1999 have never failed to mention and pursue the creation of more states. Committees on state creation have traveled the country at substantial public expense, selling new states as the snake oil to “marginalised” communities.

    At the end of such jamborees, including the collection of tonnes of memos that only feed the public a false hope, the politicians leave expectant communities high and dry until the following memo collection by a new set of politicians who lie to themselves that state creation is the medicine for social injustice. Not exactly true.

    Not a joking matter

    State creation is a serious business. For example, the request for a new state in Nigeria must be supported by at least two-thirds of the representatives from the area, from the councils to the state and National Assembly.

    That’s the first step. After that, it must undergo a referendum that must be ratified by a simple majority of all the states in the federation and by a simple majority of members of the National Assembly. Military governments in the country created states without much resistance because of their unitary command and control structure. Even at that, deadly disputes among splintered states lingered and still linger on for years.

    The assets-sharing dispute between Kano and Jigawa States lasted 18 years, while the boundary dispute between Cross River and Akwa Ibom continues after 38 years, with many lives lost. The Oyo-Osun post-state creation clashes rank high on the violent dispute ladder, stoking agitation for the creation of the New Oyo State. The case between Bauchi and Plateau remained a low-intensity dispute that later morphed into ethnoreligious clashes.

    States abroad

    It’s not for nothing that none of the world’s most prominent federations, such as India, the US, Canada, or Brazil, has created a new state in the last 50 years. This is not because of a lack of demand or because these countries have no ethnic minorities who feel endangered. Instead, they are evolving ways of managing their diversity that reduce the salience of statism as a basis for social justice, such as prioritising merit and competence.

    Agitation for more states remains a recurring problem in Nigeria because politicians have managed to frame it as perhaps the most viable route to development – the channel connecting neglected communities to Abuja’s drunken sailors.

    Many governors have praised state creation not necessarily for the opportunities they have created from the exercise by looking inwards but because of their access to Abuja’s monthly pie. For being a state, however miserably governed, Nigerian states are entitled to 26.72 percent of the monthly revenue from the federation account, which can run into billions of naira. Among politicians, the lust for a share of this pie or monthly allocation is at the heart of the relentless demand for new states.

    Making it 67?

    The House of Representatives’ bill to create 31 additional states to bring the number to 67 is a joke. As far as demands for new states go, the most rigorous effort in the last 20 years was in 2014, when President Goodluck Jonathan’s government set up the National Conference to discuss mainly structural issues facing the country.

    The conference recommended 18 additional states to bring the number to 54. The main arguments were the arbitrariness in previous exercises by the military. In the case of the South East, the point was made that the region has remained maliciously underserved in political representation, making it look like a continuation of Nigeria’s Civil War by other means.

    A fundamental difference between the conference’s recommendation and others before and after it is the suggestion for six equipotent zones (with the same number of states), which would form the basis of the federating units with the centre. The conference further recommended that each zone could create more states if it deemed desirable and could finance it.

    An unlikely adventure

    There was no final agreement. “My experience at the conference,” Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, one of the members representing the South West, wrote in a paper in 2017, “suggests that it is highly unlikely that the establishment of zonal governments now or in the near future can be achieved through voluntary, peaceful negotiations.”

    It’s even more unlikely now that the Federal Government is almost broke and only four of the 36 existing states are solvent. A 2023 report by the public sector transparency watchdog, BudgIT, said 32 states relied on Federal Allocation for at least 55 percent of their monthly revenue.

    What matters

    Are politicians genuinely interested in social justice, inclusiveness and development for their communities? They must look beyond the random creation of new states, quotas, privileges and other forms of affirmative action, often a disincentive to merit, resourcefulness and innovation.

    States are not in short supply, yet because of primordial greed, the campaign for more will not abate until each of Nigeria’s 350 ethnic nationalities has one. Politicians know the difference between greed and necessity but will not dare to make the right choice. They earn a living by feeding their communities false hope.

     

    • Ishiekwene is Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the book Writing for Media and Monetising It.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • I Reconciled with Ojukwu Before He Died-Gowon, By Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe

    I Reconciled with Ojukwu Before He Died-Gowon, By Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe

    Interviewed by Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe

     

    Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe
    Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe

    The good thing is that Ojukwu and I reconciled before his death.  He came to see me in the UK, he found out where I was, he called my home, my wife answered and she told me about it and when I came back at the weekend, I went to see him at the hotel where he was staying in London.  If I was afraid of anything, what if he had somebody there to shoot me dead in the hotel?  And people would say it is an accident that happened.  And I believe on that day, his friend and biographer Frederick Forsythe was there when I went there.  I can remember seeing this white man sitting quietly in one corner, seeing me as I went to see Ojukwu.  And later on, I learnt he was the one.  He was the one who said all sorts of things about me and even wrote a book about me, making me look so small.  But for me, it doesn’t matter.

    Gowon and Ojukwu
    Gowon and Ojukwu

    Going back to my roots, my father was a very religious man who converted from his traditional religion to Christianity.  He was a great believer in God and in the words of the Lord.  He tried to bring us up in way of the Lord.  There is always something we take from our parents.  And of course, there is the mission where my father in the end worked and we grew up in Wusasa, Zaria.  The people that brought us up, that taught us at school were teachers from various parts of the country.  We had Ibo teachers, we had Yoruba teachers, we had Hausa teachers and other teachers all bringing us up in the proper and true Christian way of how to behave.  Then later on came my military training which certainly didn’t teach me to be bigheaded, to be haughty and naughty, but I can assure you that I am trained to be a soldier.  If I have to fight, I will fight.  I will not be afraid.  This is a joke.  I am told that Ojukwu told people at one time when this crisis was going on that he knows that Jack (my nickname) will not fight.  That Jack is most of the times going on courses.  He has not commanded a unit or a battalion as some of them have done or as he has done.  The first thing Jack carries in his suitcase, his only weapon, is the Bible.  So with that one they thought I will not fight, but I can assure you that the strategies that we used in order to contain Ojukwu were the strategies I learnt at the various Staff Colleges—one of them which Ojukwu also went to.  I was just coming back from the Joint Services Staff College with all the knowledge of how to employ all the services—the army, the navy, the air force in an operation.  And the opportunity came and I gave a directive on how all these things should be done, irrespective of the command of Obasanjo.

    OBASANJO

    Obasanjo may have written his memoir, My Command but he was also under my command.  Whatever he did in his command was commanded by me, even though my system of command is that I give you instructions on what to do and you do it.  I leave it to you because you are on the ground and you determine how you carry out that operation.  Let me ask once again:  Who appointed Obasanjo to his command?  I did.  Not because anyone asked me to.  I decided to do that when his predecessor Benjamin Adekunle was battle fatigue and there was need for change.  There was need for change and rejuvenation because this great winning division of Third Marine Commando all of a sudden started to lose the battle.  They got right up to Owerri, they were almost at the gate of Uli Ihiala but I had to tell them to stop.  Because we didn’t have enough weaponry and ammunition to be able to do battle.  My thinking was: Assuming that became the final battleground and they had more weaponry than you have and your weaponry failed you, what would be the outcome?  Great disaster!  And that was what really happened.  We started to lose ground in Owerri, Oguta, then going right down back to Port Harcourt.  We lost Aba as well.  So I thought something needed to be done.  And so I had to change command and I had to think: With whom do I replace Adekunle?  I had to replace him with somebody from that particular area so that it would not be seen as the war is being fought by only northern officers and no one else.  So I sent him there with instructions on what to do to regain the winning streak of that division and then to return to Aba and Owerri.

    FINAL OPERATIONS AND LESSONS OF HISTORY

    After that, we would organize the final operations whereby one division from the north and then the Third Marine Commando from the south would be able to move mid between Aba and Umuahia.  And then from there, once they got the rebel forces cut into two, then I would give instruction on who is to go where.  All through the war, I called them rebels, not enemies, because they rebelled.

    The good news about the operation was that Obasanjo really obeyed my instructions with his very capable young men who were really doing the ground operation.  They were able to do the linkup between Aba and Umuahia.  One of the things that I told him was: “Once you get the rebels on the run, lesson of history, don’t follow up.”  Because after Enugu, if we had followed on after the capture of Enugu on the 3rd or 6th of October, if we had followed up, probably the war may not have lasted three or six months at the most.  But we had to halt until we were able to get sufficient reinforcement, both material and men.  So that we do not go on follow-up operations and in the end you have nothing to fight with.  If that happens, lesson of history: those boys would have started running and not only evacuating Enugu but even Nsukka and probably running back to Benue across the bridge—the only railroad bridge there in Makurdi.  Because probably they would be chased.  So there we are.  Lessons of history.

     

     

     

  • 40 Years After, Gowon Returns to Warwick University

    40 Years After, Gowon Returns to Warwick University

    Mr. Richard Olumakaiye, a Ph.D student of Warwick University, is organising a symposium in honour of the former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, himself an alumnus of the university.

    General Gown bagged his doctorate degree from the same university 40 years ago.

    A release issued by the organisers informed that the symposium tagged, Nigerian Reforms: What They Mean For The Economy, Happiness and Social Existence, will hold on 21 June, 2024, at 2p.m.. at the OC.1. 04, The Oculus Building, in the university.

    Flier for the symposium
    Flier for the symposium

    According to Olumakaiye, the one-day syposium “is aimed at engaging Nigerian students to discuss and share opinions about their vision for our beloved country. This is to get perspectives from our speakers on what a Nigerian reformation would look like and what it promises for the state of our economy, happiness, and social existence.”

    The keynote speaker is Dr. Akinyemi Oyawale and panelists are: Alabi Usman, Afeez Shittu and the host, Richard, son of the late Archbishop Humphrey Olumakaiye. The symposium would be both physical and virtual.

    “We must say it is indeed a great privilege to be involved in this project,” the press statement continued. ” We are organising a symposium in honour of General Dr. Yakubu Gowon, who obtained his Doctorate degree in Political Science at the University of Warwick (1984), incidentally 40 years ago. General Gowon was not just the youngest Head of State Nigeria has ever had, he was a prominent leader and played a key role in Nigeria’s history.

    “Recognising his PhD heritage at the University of Warwick, this one-day symposium is aimed at engaging Nigerian students to discuss and share opinions about their vision for our beloved country. This is to get perspectives from our speakers on what a Nigerian reformation would look like and what it promises for the state of our economy, happiness, and social existence.

    “It would also offer a great networking opportunity to bring African students together, to promote dialogue, support and promote friendship. We hope this would inspire new generation of leaders from all spheres and ignite our patriotism.”

  • Femi Adesina’s Book, Honest Account of Buhari as President-Osinbajo

    Femi Adesina’s Book, Honest Account of Buhari as President-Osinbajo
    Femi Adesina Presenting the book to Prof. Yemi Osinbajo
    Femi Adesina Presenting the book to Prof. Yemi Osinbajo

    Former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has described the book by Femi Adesina, former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former President Muhammadu Buhari, as “very wise and proactive”, as it gives the “the most reliable account” of his experiences at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Professor Osinbajo made the comment in Lagos over the weekend when Adesina formally presented a copy of the book, entitled: Working With Buhari; Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015-2023), to the former Vice President.

    The book will be launched on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja from 10a.m. prompt.

    Receiving the work, published by Safari Books, Osinbajo commended its quality and the speed at which Adesina churned it out, coming just seven months after they left office.

    On the idea of the author coming up with the publication at this point in time, Osinbajo said:

    “I think it is a very wise and proactive approach. I think it is wise to do so especially because he was an insider. He has all the information about the personal issues, personal details that are covered in the book. It is the right thing to do, so that he defines the narrative ahead, and anyone else who wants to write would have to use this as their soft material. Obviously, this is the most reliable account of his experiences in there.”

    Lauding the quality of the book, and the richness of information in it, Osinbajo posited that it is “in many ways a personal discussion or conversation with Nigerians about who President Buhari was.” And Adesina is “possibly the person who would best represent who the (former) President was.”

    According to Osinbajo, this is more so as Adesina has all the “the kind of care and attention that would be required to do a proper and in-depth analysis” of the era.

    The former Vice President added everything up and described the book “an honest account”.

    Expected at the launch on January 16, are President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is the Special Guest of Honour; the subject of the book, former President Muhammadu Buhari, as Special Guest; while former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, and General I.B.M. Haruna are Chairman and Co-Chairman, respectively.

    A royal delegation from the Saudi Arabia Royal Family, led by HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Faisal Al Saud, will grace the occasion that will have Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, billionaire businessman and founder/chairman of Oriental Energy Resources Limited, as Chief Launcher.

     

  • Tinubu, Buhari, Gowon to Grace Femi Adesina’s Book Launch, January 16

    Tinubu, Buhari, Gowon to Grace Femi Adesina’s Book Launch, January 16

    Femi Adesina's memoir
    Femi Adesina’s memoir

    Confirmed! President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari, and former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, will attend the public presentation of a book written by Femi Adesina, former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the immediate past President, on Tuesday, January 16, 2024.

    A release by the Chairman of the Planning Committee, Malam Garba Deen Muhammad, disclosed that the book, entitled: Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, (2015-2023), will be presented to the public in Abuja that day with President Tinubu as the Special Guest of Honour.

    The event, which would be held at the Transcorp Hilton, would be the first time that both Buhari and Tinubu would appear publicly together since the handover of power on May 29, 2023.

    Also expected at the event are former Head of State and chairman of the epochal occasion, General Yakubu Gowon, while the co-chairman would be General I.B.M Haruna, among other dignitaries.

    A royal delegation from Saudi Arabia, led by Prince Abdulaziz Bin Faisal Al Saud, has also confirmed attendance, while billionaire businessman, Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, would be the chief launcher.

    The Planning Committee Chairman, Malam Garba Deen Muhammad, described the event as a “historic moment.”

    He said, “The book will provide insight unlikely to be found anywhere else; because Femi will be telling his story from a morally strong position.

    “Those who know Femi are very familiar with his unwavering loyalty to his principal, former president Muhammadu Buhari. The book will reveal Femi’s motivation; why Buhari was, is, and will likely remain his hero. It is, in one sentence, a study in loyalty.”

    The book, published by Safari Books, is a memoir of Adesina’s eight years in office as special adviser to Buhari on media and publicity – an office that afforded him a front-row seat in Buhari’s government.

     

  • Tinubu Celebrates Gowon at 89

    Tinubu Celebrates Gowon at 89

    President Bola Tinubu has congratulated former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), on his 89th birthday, eulogising the visionary leadership provided by the elder statesman during the time he ruled Nigeria which, the President said, shaped major milestones in nation’s history.

    A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale,  said Tinubu specifically extolled General Gowon for “institutionalizing the peace process in Nigeria with lasting legacies, such as laying the foundation for Nigeria’s federation through the creation of states; fostering cohesion, encouraging inter-ethnic warmth and understanding by establishing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and sustaining the pillars of harmony between Nigerians with the National Prayer Movement, which continues to inspire good neighbourliness and a high degree of patriotism.”

    “His love and passion for Nigeria, as well as his determination to see into manifestation the unique gifts and combined strengths of all Nigerians, irrespective of faith, tribe or any other difference, remains a pace-setting attribute of leadership that all present and future Nigerian leaders must emulate,” the President said.

    Tinubu also affirmed that the courage, passion, and wisdom that General Gowon has consistently exuded from his youth, being Nigeria’s youngest leader at 32, has kept him steadfast and relevant at 89, as he continues to provide counsel to leaders, within and outside of the country, while enjoying every measure of God’s amazing grace in enduring strength and health.

    The President joins Mrs. Victoria Gowon, wife of the former Head of State, his family members, and many friends in celebration, the statement concluded.

     

    C

  • Stop the Fake News! Gowon is not Dead!

    Stop the Fake News! Gowon is not Dead!

    Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, is alive and well!

    Those were the words of the media aide to the former Nigerian leader, Adeyeye E. Ajayi, who moved swiftly Monday night to rubbish a viral report that Gowon had passed on.

    The Punch newspaper which published the rebuttal, quoted Ajayi’s statement which said the General was “still around and well”.

    “General Gowon is not in a hurry to go anywhere,” Ajayi declared.

  • Why are more Nigerians getting poor? By Ray Ekpu

    Why are more Nigerians getting poor? By Ray Ekpu

    Ray Ekpu
    Ray Ekpu

    The descent by Nigerians into the poverty hole seems very rapid despite the country’s fabled wealth. In the 70s we were swimming in wealth. That was why the Yakubu Gowon government approved the windfall called Udoji awards. With the Udoji bonanza, workers were catapulted from being pedestrians to the adorable class of car owners in one swift jump. The government spread its wings to the West Indies as a Father Christmas picking up the bills of civil servants in a couple of those countries. That was the time that the government felt that money was not a problem. What was a problem was how to spend it. And did we spend it? Yes, we did. That is how we had the rice and cement armada, which choked our ports and proved to be a curse rather than a cure for our existential problems.

    The windfall haunted Nigeria up to the end of that decade. By 1980 poverty had put its ragged shoes on and had arrived at our shores. By that year an estimated 27% of Nigerians were living in poverty. By 1999, poverty had shown its delicate teeth as 70% of our people had an income of less than $1 a day. At that time $1 could not possibly fetch anyone one decent meal when exchanged for the naira.

    Since then we have been sliding down the slope. Data from the World Bank shows that since 2016, four out of 10 Nigerians have been living in poverty, earning less than $1.9 per day. In 2018, the Brookings Institution declared the country the poverty capital of the world. According to the Brookings report, “at the end of May 2018, our trajectories suggest that Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty compared with India’s 73 million. What is more, extreme poverty in Nigeria is growing by six people every minute while poverty in India continues to fall.”

    A few weeks ago, our National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its latest National Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index showed that 133 million Nigerians are poor due to a lack of access to health, education, living standards, employment and security. The report also showed that the following states are the top poorest states: Sokoto (90.5%), Bayelsa (88.5%), Gombe (86.2%), Jigawa (84.3%), Plateau (84%). The least poor states are: Ondo (27.2%), Lagos (29.4%), Abia (29.8%), Edo (31%) and Anambra (32.1%). The report also added that 65% of poor Nigerians (85 million) are in the north while 35% are in the south. Also, it noted that 72% of people in the rural areas are poor while 42% of people in the urban areas are also poor. The report also indicates that about 70% of Nigeria’s population live in rural areas while only 30% live in urban areas. This report is perhaps the most comprehensive done by the NBS. Its survey covered 56, 610 people in 109 senatorial districts in the 36 states.

    The report has expectedly generated some heat. While the Federal Government blames the state governors for the rise in the poverty level, accusing them of swallowing up the funds meant for local governments in their states, the state governments put the blame on the doorstep of the Federal Government. They accuse the Federal Government of failure to contain the rampant insecurity that has affected farmers, traders and other persons. They said: “ The Federal Government which is responsible for the security of life and property has been unable to fulfill the covenant with the people, thus allowing bandits, insurgents and kidnappers to turn the country into a killing field, maiming and abducting people in schools, market squares and even on their farmlands.”

    Mr Clement Agba, Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning has joined the blame game from the Federal Government perspective. He blames the growth in poverty on what he called the “misplaced priority of governors.” He says that governors spend their state resources largely on the state capitals, not on the rural areas where most of the population live. He mentioned that they build airports even where there are other airports nearby and that they are “competing to build flyovers all over the place.” He suggested that they should build rural roads so that farmers can get their products to the market cheaply.

    From my perspective, both the Federal and State Governments are guilty of contributing to the growth of poverty. Apart from the insecurity mentioned by the governors, the Federal Government receives more than 50% of the nation’s revenue. It therefore deserves to take a higher share of the blame for the increasing level of poverty in the country. Besides, the failure by the Federal Government to stem the tide of serious clashes between herders and farmers in various parts of the country has affected agricultural production in a number of states.

    However, the Federal Government is correct in accusing the state governors of swallowing up local government funds. Most local governments are located in rural areas and if their funds are usurped by the governors then the Local Government Chairmen have no wherewithal with which to develop these rural areas. Besides, it is also true that some governors have been embarking on conspicuous consumption and in the erection of monuments that are of no use to anybody. This happens because most of the State Houses of Assembly are weak and live only in the pockets of state governors. So in many states there are no checks and balances, only mutual chopping which allows the governors to do almost anything they want while the State Houses of Assembly look the other way.

    Over the years, both the Federal and State Governments have embarked on various poverty alleviating programmes such as Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), the Green Revolution, Directorate of Employment, Better Life for Rural Women, New Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), National Accelerated Food Production Programmes, National Poverty Eradication Programme etc. Most of these programmes are either dead or moribund or are on their sick beds, another evidence that Nigerian governments lack the capacity for efficient management of even life transforming programmes.

    The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicates that the world should end extreme poverty by 2030. President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to lift 100 million people out of poverty by 2030. The cost of implementing this programme is estimated to be $1.6 trillion over 10 years between 2021 and 2031. This is a very tall order because Nigeria is in a deep debt hole already and its crude oil production level is below the approved OPEC quota. The high level of insecurity has been a major roadblock to high productivity. Of course, there is the problem posed by COVID-19. Now there is rampaging inflation and high prices of essential goods, which affect the poor very severely. Nigeria’s inflation level jumped to 21.09% in October this year. On February 4 this year, the World Bank had in its national development report warned that, “inflation shock alone had pushed about eight million more Nigerians below the poverty line in 2020 and 2021.” Higher prices of food and fuel are eroding the real value of workers wages and savings leaving households poorer. Giving N5000 to the vulnerable may provide some temporary relief but that doesn’t help him much. There is the Chinese proverb that says that it is better to teach a man how to catch fishes instead of giving him fishes to eat. The gift of fish will not last long but being able to catch fishes will last as long as the man lives.

    The truth, however, is that several governments in the past had tried to rehabilitate beggars and destitutes. They packed them out of the streets to where they were to be taught some crafts. Many of them escaped and ran back to the streets to beg for a living because begging is easier and fetches money without work. So the orientation of the poor is important in solving the problem.

    Poverty offers the poor the opportunity to either sink or swim. Many poor people seem to prefer to sink rather than swim. As Plutarch said many years ago “poverty is not dishonourable in itself but only when it comes from idleness, intemperance, extravagance and folly.” When an English Judge was asked what contributed most to success at the bar he said: “Some succeed by great talent, some by the influence of friends, some by a miracle but the majority by commencing without a shilling.” That means extreme hard work but many Nigerians do not want to go through the grind to get to the palace of success.

    It is a fact that the Federal and State Governments can do a lot to ameliorate poverty if the political will is there. But the other fact is that most of them do not consider the alleviation of poverty to be a major issue to which they should pay serious attention. Opportunities must be created for start-ups to exist and thrive; Entrepreneurship must be incorporated into curriculum of our secondary and tertiary institutions; government businesses that are not making profit should be privatised so that serious-minded private sector persons can take them over, expand them and create more employment opportunities.

    Government must take a multi-pronged approach to the alleviation of poverty and unemployment; all the political parties and their candidates who are asking for our votes must pay special attention to the reduction of poverty and increase of employment opportunities particularly by the private sector. This would involve creating tax incentives, encouraging the export of finished and semi finished goods and putting more items under the import restriction list so that local industries can thrive.

    Incoming governments in 2023 must adopt measures that can stimulate the economy, improve agriculture, solid minerals and expand the exportation of crude oil and gas. We have no reason to be poor considering the huge resources under our feet. It is a crying shame that many young Nigerians are queuing up every day at the embassies of developed countries looking for visas with which to escape from the country, which has enough potential for accommodating our educated young people.

    It should worry our government that some of our youths trained with the country’s resources are willing and ready to go abroad and contribute to the building of those countries rather than their own. They feel that there are not many choices left for them. But the ugly part of it is that our governments do not consider this exodus as a serious problem that they should be worried about. But it is.

  • ‘History will always be kind to Awo,’ says Gowon, By Mike Awoyinfa

    ‘History will always be kind to Awo,’ says Gowon, By Mike Awoyinfa

    Mike Awoyinfa
    Mike Awoyinfa

    Anytime I am lucky to interview Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s wartime leader or listen to him making a speech, I end up with a rich harvest of inspirational quotes and wisecracks on leadership.

    Just listen to this “6Cs of Awo’s leadership” which I coined from a recent speech by Gowon: “Chief Awolowo as a leader displayed a heart that was consistent, contrite, courageous, convictional, committed and captivating.”

    Gowon who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Awo Foundation was the Special Guest at a virtual lecture to mark the 30th year of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation and the posthumous birthday of the revered sage Chief Awolowo who would have been 113 years old were he to be still living.  The anniversary lecture titled VALUES FOR AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT was delivered on Sunday March 6, 2022 by the Right Reverend Professor Adedapo Asaju.  The event was chaired by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana.

    Experience has taught me as a journalist that even when he is not the Guest Speaker, General Gowon should be the main focus news-wise in his capacity as Nigeria’s wartime leader, particularly at a time when the world is watching an ugly war, the Putin War or Ukraine War.  A horror movie that many fear can easily escalate into World War Three, if care is not taken.  At this virtual Awo gathering, the only person who addressed the issue of the Putin versus Ukraine War was the former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama who as the chairman took us on an excursion or a panorama into events in world history.  What a cerebral man of world affairs!  Hear his opening remarks delivered professorially and off-the-cuff:

    “We had the Second World War which ended in 1945 and post-Second World War we had decolonization movements starting.  Of course, we had the Pan-African movements and all that.  Nation states started to fight for their independence both in Africa, in Asia and in Latin America.  Of course, Ghana got independence in 1957.  But by the time we got independence, we had moved into another phase which was the Cold War.  And we had a bipolar world with the Easter bloc and the Western bloc.  Later, the Iron Curtain fell and ushered in the era of globalization where the world became a global village and people could travel from one part of the world to the other unrestricted.  After that we experienced the issues of climate change, we had the issue of pandemics and epidemics, we in West Africa had Ebola and now the world is going through the pandemic of Covid.  We hope we are coming out of it but still Covid has affected global affairs in a very major way.

    Currently, we are trying to understand what kind of new world we are going in with the current turbulence in geopolitics in respect of re-drawing the boundaries of nations.  We currently have the Ukraine and Russian War which is affecting all nations across the world.  We have to begin to analyze into what shape the world is going so that we as African countries can adjust to be able to make sure that our people are not disadvantaged.

    Gen. Yakubu Gowon
    Gen. Yakubu Gowon

    But let’s talk specifically about Awo’s role in decolonization.  Awo stands tall with President Nkrumah of Ghana in terms of the fight for independence and also in terms of shaping their nation state after independence.  As a social democrat, I associate with him because being the President of Ghana and leader of Social Democratic Party and having governed as a social democrat, Awo is one of the leaders we identify with.  It’s no coincidence that he was born 6th March, the day Ghana gained independence.  So for us March 6 holds a special significance.

    Former Ghana President John Mahama
    Former Ghana President John Mahama

    Awo’s daughter and Executive Secretary of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu painted her legendary father as “first and foremost a thinker.  He is generally acknowledged to have brought out standing erudition and critical analysis to bear on the art of governance.”  She talked about the Awo Foundation setting a record in inclusiveness.  According to her, “Obafemi Awolowo Foundation made history with the appointment of General Gowon as Chairman of a board of trustees whose membership included Lt. Col. Ojukwu.”

    On his part, General Gowon borrowed from the greatest writer in English literature in his portrait of Chief Awolowo, saying: “Although it is often said as Mark Anthony did in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, that the evil that men do lives after them, while the good is oft interred with them, the converse is the case with Chief Awolowo. The good he did as a politician, as a legal luminary, as a leader and as a statesman, loomed large, not just in Nigeria but in Africa and indeed in the history of mankind.  His good works stand as a standard reference in the annals of our nation.”

    Gowon and Awo
    Gowon and Awo

    Among the good works, Gowon says, is the fact that he established the first TV station in Africa while he was the premier of Western Nigeria.  “He abhorred illiteracy, ignorance and disease for which reason he made free education and free healthcare the pillars of his programme as a political leader in the Western Region at the time.  His programmes were carried through by his political family and have remained a benchmark of public service in Nigeria.  The Federal government adopted it for the whole country in later years during my time.

    “His unparalleled contributions to the building of a strong and united Nigeria remain by far his most outstanding legacy.  He was a strong believer in the unity of Nigeria.  And he did the necessary to keep the country one.  As Commissioner or Minister of finance, his economic wizardry contributed in no small measure to the Federal government’s prosecution of the 30-month war of unity without borrowing a dime or a penny from any source.  History will always be kind to him in this regard.  Just as I will personally continue to appreciate his decision to serve his nation under me at a most inauspicious time of our history.”

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