Skip to main content

I Was Frightened When I Became Head Of State At 31 —Gowon

A former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd), has said that he was scared when he became the nation’s military leader on August 1, 1966 at the relatively young age of 31.

The retired military general became the third Nigerian Head of State and the youngest ever in August 1966. 

At the time, he served the longest tenure in Nigerian history as military head of state between 1966–1975. 


On July 29, 1975, while Gowon was attending an Organisation of African Union summit in Kampala, Uganda, a group of military officers led by Colonel Joe Nanven Garba announced his overthrow.

The coup plotters appointed Brigadier Murtala Muhammad as new Head of State, with Brigadier Olusegun Obasanjo named as his deputy.

Speaking on Friday at Nigeria’s first virtual reality history competition organised by ANISZA Foundation and Gallery to commemorate its second annual anniversary, Gowon said he never planned to become Head of State.

The programme was part of activities marking the nation’s 60th independence anniversary.

At the virtual event, which was moderated by Founder and Curator of ANISZA Foundation and Gallery, Novo Isioro, Gowon added that his ambition then was just to be be a good soldier.

“The former Head of State spent time with hundreds of Nigerian youth who participated in the virtual event which was also the debut of the ‘Heart of the Matter with Novo Isioro,’ an online talk show where the host will raise issues of peace and unity among Nigerians and globally.

“The octogenarian who relived some of his life experiences and counselled young Nigerians on the right attitudes and values further engaged the participants at the virtual event on national issues, especially the role youths can play in national development.

“Among the participants were also select school children who are members of the ANISZA School Club, some of whom sat around Isioro during the conversation with the former Head of State.

“General Gowon also interacted with the participants on issues ranging from their identities, views on ‘one Nigeria’ and their personal commitments to ensure the nation remains united.

“The Plateau State-hailed general also reiterated his faith in the Nigerian youth and the country’s potential for greatness, noting that ‘we can be able to live in peace and unity irrespective of religion and tribe.

“With a lot of wits and humour, he also admonished young people, traditional and religious institutions to take up the responsibility of securing the national identity, saying everyone has major roles to play in harnessing national values that will spur growth and development across all sectors of the Nigerian life,” a statement by Isioro read.

Politics

News

AddThis

: 

Original Author

: 

SaharaReporters, New York

Disable advertisements

: 

from 24HRSNEWS
via 24HRSNEWS



from EDUPEDIA247https://ift.tt/34orp5M
via EDUPEDIA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

These funny food quotes will make you laugh like crazy

Food is not only an essential part of the daily routine but also the most exciting one. We cannot imagine our life without something yummy. How do you make ordinary eating fun and unforgettable? We bring to your attention amazing food quotes which will definitely make you smile. Image: unsplash.com (modified by author) Source: UGC Are you looking for interesting ideas to entertain your interlocutor while having lunch at work or family dinner? Then this article is definitely for you! Good food quotes Below are food quotes, aphorisms and witty statements. This is an exciting and extraordinary collection of the top "pearls of wisdom" on this topic. Here you can find funny jokes and sayings, intelligent thoughts of philosophers and original words of great thinkers and inspiring statuses from social networks, as well as many other things. The best appetite comes without food. I love calories. They are dаmn tasty. An empty stomach is the Devil's playground. Have bre
Post a Comment
Read more

The Transitional Phase of African Poetry

The Transitional Phase The second phase, which we have chosen to call transitional, is represented by the poetry of writers like Abioseh Nicol, Gabriel Okara, Kwesi Brew, Dennis Brutus, Lenrie Peters and Joseph Kariuki. This is poetry which is written by people we normally refer to as modem and who may be thought of as belonging to the third phase. The characteristics of this poetry are its competent and articulate use of the received European language, its unforced grasp of Africa’s physical, cultural and socio-political environment and often its lyricism. To distinguish this type of poetry we have to refer back to the concept of appropriation we introduced earlier. At the simplest and basic level, the cultural mandate of possessing a people’s piece of the earth involves a mental and emotional homecoming within the physical environment. Poems like Brew’s ‘‘Dry season”, Okara’s “Call of the River Nun”, Nicol’s “The meaning of Africa” and Soyinka’s “Season”, to give a few examples,
Post a Comment
Read more

The pioneering phase of African Poetry

The pioneering phase We have called the first phase that of the pioneers. But since the phrase “pioneer poets” has often been used of writers of English expression like Osadebay, Casely-Hayford and Dei-Anag, we should point out that our “pioneer phase” also includes Negritude poets of French expression. The poetry of this phase is that of writers in “exile” keenly aware of being colonials, whose identity was under siege. It is a poetry of protest against exploitation and racial discrimination, of agitation for political independence, of nostalgic evocation of Africa’s past and visions of her future. However, although these were themes common to poets of both English and French expression, the obvious differences between the Francophone poets and the Anglophone writers of the 1930s and 1940s have been generally noted. Because of the intensity with which they felt their physical exile from Africa, coupled with their exposure to the experimental contemporary modes of writing in F
Post a Comment
Read more