 |
| Gowon |
A former Head of State, General
Yakubu Gowon, yesterday, revealed that he was not ready to become the Nigerian
leader after the July 1966 coup d’etat that caused the death of his
predecessor, General Aguiyi Ironsi.
Gowon stated this during an
interactive session on mentorship with youths, organised by Stand Up Nigeria to
celebrate his 80th birthday.
The former military ruler also
stated that the decision to become Head of State was made by junior military
officers who had mistrust about senior officers, and he rejected the offer.
He, however, added that he was bent
on discharging his constitutional role as an officer to defend the territorial
integrity and sovereignty of Nigeria, and also to maintain law and order at
that time.
He narrated: “Honestly, it was not
my intention to be a Head of State. It was by providence. I never planned to be
Head of State. If there was anything I planned to be, it was to rise to be
General Officer Commanding the Nigerian Army but not becoming the
Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian armed forces.
“The next six months was a period of
anxiety after the coup that took place in Lagos and Kaduna, and we did
everything to hold back that reaction, but, unfortunately, that reaction could
not be kept back. In July, we had another crisis that took the life of the GOC
and for two days there was no Head of State.
“In the midst of all these, there
was so much mistrust between the senior officers and junior officers, and they
said they wanted me, but I told them I did not want that; let them give it to
any other officer that was interested and disciplined to restore law and order
in the country, but they insisted it should be me.
“The civil servants demanded who was
now the person they should take instructions from, and, in consultation with
senior army officers, endorsed me to take over as Head of State. I must tell
you the fear that came over me at that time. I was not trained to be in
government. I had to go on my knees and prayed to God, because it was never my
intention, and I asked God who protected me from being killed in the coup to
give me the courage of David and wisdom of Solomon to do what was right. After
the prayer, that fear vapourised.”
Meanwhile, the octogenarian was
against the creation of additional 19 states as part of the resolutions reached
at recent National Conference, describing the decision as destructive to the
nation.
“At the moment, states are demanded
based on ethnic groups. The 36 states are reasonable but creating states to
take care ethnic nationalities is destructive,” he said.
Gowon, defending his
administration’s decision to balkanise the then four regions into 12 states,
said it was to remove the fear of political domination that was threatening the
unity of the country.
The celebrant, who received an award
as Grand Custodian, Nigeria Unity Football Tournament from Youth for Unity for
Peace Sport Development Initiative, said he welcomed the negotiation between
the Federal Government and Boko Haram. He expressed optimism on the release of
the kidnapped of the Chibok school girls.
Vanguard
No comments:
Post a Comment