Today, 19th of October is the birthday of former military ruler, Yakubu Gowon.
General Yakubu
Gowon, head of state (1966-75) and the man who taught Nigerians humility
and forgiveness, will be 82 years today, General Gowon's remarkable
personal story is quite intriguing. If he had not happened on Nigeria on
July 29, 1966, the story of this country would probably have taken a
different trajectory. Though born in Plateau State, his parents moved
very early in Gowon's life to Wusasa, Zaria, as Christian missionaries.
There, Gowon had both his primary education at St Bartholomew's School
and secondary school at Barewa College, Zaria. He was from a very poor
home and joined the army in 1954 with the sole aim of escaping poverty.
He reasoned that, with his salary in the army, he would be able to take
care of his indigent parents. On his 21st birthday in 1955(October 19),
he became a second lieutenant. From that time, he attended the best
military institutions in the world. He went to the Royal Military
Academy in Sandhurst and Staff College, Camberley, both in the United
Kingdom.
From quite early
in life, it was clear that Gowon had unusual grace and favour. One of
his classmates in Sandhurst, Alex Madiebo, who was commissioned on the
same day with him into the Nigerian Army, said even as cadets in the UK,
their British instructors treated Gowon differently. It was as if they
sensed he was predestined for high office. And it has also been said
that even fellow northern officers of the same rank always felt jealous
when Gowon was singled out for most of the courses and was treated
differently by senior northern politicians. Gowon, for his part,
dismissed the insinuation that he was being favoured: he said he was
nominated for most of the courses because he was a bachelor for a long
time, unlike most of his mates. Whichever was the case, Gowon was
clearly a man of destiny.
.
Happy birthday to a national icon.
Happy birthday to a national icon.
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