How Gowon's
Leadership Style Saved Nigeria
By
Chief Sunday
Awoniyi
October 22, 2004
This is to honour a man whose life
should be a lesson
to all of us. Power is intoxicating, and probably more
so in Nigeria, with our ever present battalions of
praise singers and flatterers. But General Gowon
exercised power and authority at the dizzy height of
military Head of State of our beloved country,
Nigeria, and he did so with unsurpassed humility. This
humility is firmly anchored on his never forgetting
that he is human and in absolute dependence on his God
before whom he believes he would have to answer for
every thing he does or fails to do.
He has experienced great triumph and wide public
adulation of his countrymen and earned himself sincere
respect internationally. But he never allowed success
and praise to go to his head. The greatest attribute
of truly great leaders is their ability to make it
possible for others, the high and the lowly, to feel
that they are part of their leader's success. General
Gowon possessed this attribute abundantly. He never
failed to give credit generously and spontaneously to
others who deserved such credit.
The great man we know today as General Dr. Yakubu
Gowon GCFR, PhD was born on 19th October 1934; the
fifth of eleven children born to a devout Christian
Pastor and Preacher, Mallam Yohanna Gowon and Mama
Saraya Kuryan Gowon, who took pride in having been
married on the same day as Her Majesty the late Queen
Elizabeth the Mother, spouse of King George VI.
He attended St. Bartholomew CMS School, Wusasa, Zaria,
1939-49, Government College (now Barewa College),
Zaria, 1950-53. At Barewa College, Zaria, he was
House Captain of one of the six Houses. A good and
painstaking student, an all-round athlete, college
football goal keeper, college pole vaulter, college
long distance runner who broke the college mile
record in his first year at college, the college
boxing captain who in our 4 years at college never
exchanged blows with anyone in anger.
He enlisted in the Nigeria Army and trained at the
Officer Cadet School, Teshi, Accra, 1954; Royal
Military Academy, Sandhurst, UK, 1955-56; Staff
College, Camberley, UK, 1962; Joint Staff College,
Latimer, 1965.
He had two spells in the Congo (Zaire) on United
Nations Peace Keeping Force, first in 1960-61 and
later as Brigade Major in 1963. He saw at first hand
in the Congo how a country can easily descend into
chaos when leaders lose their heads and foreign
powers take advantage to promote their own economic
and political interests. The lesson was not lost on
him when he had to cope with the Nigeria crisis in
1966.
His progress in the army was rapid. Promoted Major,
1962; Lieutenant Col., 1963; the first indigenous
Adjutant-General of the Nigeria Army, 1963-65; Chief
of Staff, Army, 1966. He served as a member of the
Federal Executive Council and the Supreme Military
Council from January 1966 until he became Head of the
Federal Military Government and Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces, July 1966.
NATIONAL CRISIS AND DESCENT TO CIVIL WAR
A staunch Christian whose exertion has always been to
spread peace and harmony amongst his fellowmen, as his
Lord Jesus Christ taught him; this man of peace who
hated strife and hated war even more, by a queer turn
of fate had the leadership of the country thrust upon
him in July 1966 at a point when the total
disintegration of the country seemed irreversible.
He was a young likeable Lieutenant Colonel, handsome
and impeccable in his bearing and conduct. He was good<
to behold in his immaculate military uniform. But he
was only 32, inexperienced and dangerously trusting of
his fellowmen in the intrigue-ridden atmosphere of
1966. I recall in those dark days in Kaduna, a British
journalist looking at me with pity in his eyes in the
Governor's Office where I worked and then asking me:
"I gather you know this fellow, Col. Gowon. How do you
expect a boy scout like that, to keep together, this
complex and difficult country of yours?" The sceptical
journalist had a point.
We all knew that Gowon's love of peace was absolute;
his abhorrence of violence almost equal to that of a
pacifist. Regrettably also, we all knew that he had
to negotiate with people whose programmes were
diametrically opposed to his commitment to save the
country. He made concessions after concessions and
some costly compromises for peace. The most topical in
those dark days being the concessions made at Aburi
in Ghana.
But when it became absolutely clear and certain that
it was impossible to save the corporate existence of
his beloved Nigeria without a fight, he went to war.
Moving from Police action to full-scale war. The
slogan: "To keep Nigeria One Is A Task That Must Be
Done" encapsulated the purpose of the struggle. By
sheer act of Providence, his very name translated to
the acronym for the Nigeria Enterprise and Objectives
-- GOWON -- GO ON WITH ONE NIGERIA.
Throughout those difficult war years, he was always
conscious, and more so than many of the people around
him, that after the thunder and fire, after the fury
and the bitterness of a civil war, there must follow
the equally arduous task of reconciliation. He
therefore tried to fight the war with minimal venom.
He issued a Code of Conduct to his troops. He allowed
the unprecedented introduction of International
Observers to take to the field to ensure that his
field commanders prosecuted the war in a humane way.
In addition to prosecuting the war as humanely as
possible, the day-to-day administration of the country
and the management of its economy had to continue. He
ensured that the daily lives and welfare of the people
remained, as far as possible, undisrupted.
He ensured that the war was financed without external
borrowing or deficit financing. A volunteer force
fought the war. No conscription. No emergency laws.
When at the end of the war he pronounced "No Victor,
No Vanquished," he truly meant it. It is to his
eternal credit that in spite of great pressures, he
stood his ground and refused to be vengeful. There
were no trials, no executions. No legal encumbrances,
and no political disabilities were imposed on any one,
or on any parts of the country. Such magnanimity, such
large heartedness is unprecedented in the history of
civil wars.
With great zeal and urgency he set about the task of
Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation. He
showed great courage and resilience and often, when
the interest of the Federation and its people were
involved, he displayed a stubbornness, which many
never knew he was capable of. He took the very brave
step of creating 12 states. He appointed governors for
11 of the states and an administrator for one of
them. He restored true federalism, by allowing the
states to operate as true federating units, as the
old regions did, without undue interference by the
Federal Government even in a Military Administration.
He thereby put an end to the distortion of the
Federal/State relationship by ending the unitary
system, which the preceding regime had sought to
impose.
Into his Federal Executive Council, he appointed men
of ability and distinction as Commissioners with
powers to run their ministries without hindrance.
They were carefully chosen for their patriotism,
experience, representation, open mindedness,
credibility and courage. They were all older than he
was. He respected them for their ability,
forthrightness and devotion to the country, and they
reciprocated with loyalty to him and to the noble
course he had set for the country.
SECOND NATIONAL PLAN -- 1970-74
After the widest possible consultation, he drew up and
launched a bold, farsighted Second National
Development Plan, 1970-74. It has to be said that
never has there been a clearer and more succinct
definition of our national objectives than those
spelt out in that Plan some 34 years ago. The
objectives bear repetition even today. They are:
i. A united, strong, self-reliant nation.
ii. A great and dynamic economy.
iii. A just and egalitarian society.
iv. A land bright and full of opportunities for all
citizens.
v. A free and democratic society
That plan was not just TV and radio talk; platitude
and rhetoric, and photo opportunity. General Gowon
backed up the plan objectives with a large number of
enabling Decrees followed by pragmatic actions to
enhance the success of the Nigeria Enterprise, which
he envisaged.
An Annual Capital Budget, which flowed from the
National Plan, was drawn up, always on time, every
year, and meticulously executed. Planning and
budgeting touched the lives of all Nigerians. There
was something in them for everybody and for all parts
of the country.
He quickly gave legal authority to consolidate the
states he had created. He introduced or established
the National Institute for International Affairs, the
River Basin Authorities, the International Institute
for Tropical Agriculture, the National Commission for
Rehabilitation, the National Insurance Corporation of
Nigeria (NICON), Decimal Currency, Steel Authority,
Public Safety Laws, Offences Against Persons Laws,
Flags of Nigeria Ships Laws, Investigation of Assets
(Public Officers and other Persons) Laws, Recovery of
Public Property Laws, National Library, Right Hand
Change Over Laws, Standard Organisation of Nigeria
(SON), Administrative Staff College of Nigeria
(ASCON), Federal Government Staff Housing Board,
Corrupt Practices Laws, Nigeria Pilgrims Board, etc.
The Unity Schools and the National Youth Service Corps
(NYSC) were established to give the Youths
opportunities to know themselves and their country<
better and to foster national cohesion and
integration.
Aided by his knowledgeable Federal Executive Council,
a loyal Supreme Military Council, a bold, dedicated
and patriotic Civil Service, all of whom he carefully
listened to, General Gowon turned out a series of
people oriented policies, established institutions
and organs of administration and government, and
created an atmosphere for the development of a middle
class. A strong middle class is the bedrock of all
democracies and he wanted a middle class capable of
playing more than cosmetic roles in the nation's
economy.
THE ECONOMY
Throughout the war years, the day-to-day
administration of the country and its non-military
pursuits continued. General Gowon paid great
attention to the management of the economy,
particularly its finances. National Income was
carefully watched and expenditure stringently
monitored and controlled. The provisions of the
finance laws were enforced. There were systems and
procedures to follow and adhered to by all, high and
low, thus preventing rash, ad hoc, impulsive,
ill-thought out episodic and costly decisions. The
result was that Nigeria had a strong and stable
economy.
Our foreign reserve grew and Nigeria became a grade
"A" country, able to finance its imports up to seven
months.
Our rate of exchange was carefully monitored and the
naira strengthened and became at par with the British
pound. Our people were well fed and well clothed.
Money was poured into development of new industries
and the rehabilitation of damaged ones. Airports,
Railways, Seaports were planned and built. New
Universities and new Federal Polytechnics were planned
or established.
After an extensive over flight of the area in which we
are now gathered today, he decided that the area be
studied as the site for the new Federal Capital.
The international hostility of the war years changed
to international respect.
Nigeria was on the march to a great future.
The man called the Boys Scout by the sceptical British
journalist had saved Nigeria!
HIS OVERTHROW
When in July 1975 he was literarily stabbed in the
back while attending an OAU meeting in Kampala,
Uganda, and toppled from power by the very people
whose lives, progress and careers he had helped to
nurture, he bore the treachery with exemplary
long-suffering dignity.
His reaction to those events showed his unique
strength of character and fortitude, and his love of
peace and country. In a portion of the brief
statement he made to the world press in Kampala, he
said:
"From all indications, a new government had been
established in Nigeria. I wish to state that I on my
part have also accepted the change and pledged my
full loyalty to my nation, my country and the new
government.
"Therefore, in the overall interest of the nation and
our beloved country, I appeal to all concerned to
cooperate fully with the new government and ensure
the preservation of the peace, unity and stability of
our dear motherland."
He then made only one off-the-cuff remark to the
pressmen. He quoted the famous lines in William
Shakespeare's play: "As You Like It":
All the world is a stage,
and all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances
and one man in his time plays many parts.
Even at the height of his powers, he maintained that
unique Christ-like generosity of spirit, which made it
possible for him to bear gratuitous insults and
injury and to endure unpleasant graceless people with
patience and forgiveness, when he could have wreaked
cold malice and vengeance on those who maligned and
betrayed him. To General Gowon everybody makes
mistakes and everyone who offends can be reformed by
exhortation, by good example and patience. Those are
his distinguishing attributes right from college. He
could never knowingly and or deliberately do anything
wrong or plot evil against his fellow man.
UNDERGRADUATE
With typical humility, he enrolled as an undergraduate
at Warwick University, UK, to read for a degree;
carrying meal plates like any other student. He
subsequently earned his doctorate degree and he is
today a visiting professor in Political Science to the
University of Jos.
This surely must qualify for mention in the Guinness
Book of Records for a former Head of State.
MRS. VICTORIA GOWON
At this point it is fitting to express great tribute
and gratitude to Mrs Victoria Gowon for providing the
domestic tranquillity needed in the great task thrust
on our leader and friend, General Gowon. Sharing with
him the long nights of worry and uncertainty; shoring
him up in the loneliness of overall command and
responsibility. Madam, we thank you also for sharing
with him moments of joy and triumph, in private and
in public, with a calm, low profile, self-effacing
dignity devoid of arrogance and conceit. Mrs. Gowon
we salute you.
WATER SHED
In retrospect the overthrow of General Gowon on 29th
July 1975 marked a watershed in the history of this
country. A benchmark of what we had been and what we
can still become given the right leadership. He is a
watershed between humane, predictable, carefully
planned governance on the one hand, and arbitrariness,
insensitive rulership masquerading as dynamism on the
other hand. Today, nearly three decades down the
years, we have experienced a decline in probity in
governance. Everything that is honourable in us
individually and collectively has all been compromised
through duplicitous, self-serving manipulative
leadership. We have witnessed the destruction of time
tested systems and procedures which are indispensable
to orderly, transparent governance. The purpose of
systems and procedures in government is to ensure
orderly, predictable and quantifiable progress and
development. To do away with them is to destroy the
basic ingredients for transparency and accountability
and to facilitate the enthronement of corruption in
the conduct of public affairs through arbitrariness,
impulsive decisions and actions.
GOOD CAUSES
Since his return from exile, General Gowon has devoted
himself, full time, to good causes. His Nigeria Prays
Programme draws people closer to God and encourages
religious harmony. Through his international contacts,
he established a Guinea Worm Eradication Programme in
collaboration with the former United States'
President's Carter Centre, and an HIV Programme with
Global Fund of Geneva.
Today, the call on him to support one good cause or
individual or community or other is so great that his
engagement diary is probably more chocked up than
when he was Head of State. His presence in any
gathering in Nigeria invests the gathering and the
proceedings of the gathering with a degree of aura of
integrity and worth which no other person in Nigeria
can confer today.
Finally, I wish to leave you to ponder the following
thoughts on this great man.
· If General Gowon had been a self-seeking man, a
self centred man with selfish ambitions, a man who did
not care to what level he was prepared to stoop to
attain his selfish ends, where would Nigeria have been
today?
· If General Gowon had been a duplicitous leader
rather than a clean honest leader of true transparency
in words, thought and deed, a leader who is known to
be incapable of dissembling, how would he have earned
the trust of millions of his country men and women
who fought with him to save the country from
disintegration?
· If General Gowon had been a vengeful, unfeeling,
unforgiving, malicious man, what colossal and
irreversible mischief could he not have unleashed
against reconciliation and national togetherness in
this country at the end of the civil war?
General Gowon is worthy of emulation and he merits our
deepest and undying appreciation.
General Gowon, God bless you and all those who love
you.
