President Bola Tinubu says Yakubu Gowon, former head of state, helped Nigerians to heal after the Civil War of 1967 to 1970. In a tribute to commemorate Gowon’s 90th birthday celebration on Saturday, Tinubu said the former head of state’s ‘no victor, no vanquished’ mantra helped to heal the nation and restore peace.
He described Gowon as the ‘father of national infrastructure,’ noting that his most incredible legacy was the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which was founded in 1975.
“He was there for us when we had a misunderstanding with some of our Sahelian states, calling for moderation from all sides for the sake of ECOWAS unity,” Tinubu said.
Nigeria entered into a war with separatist Biafran soldiers from the South-East who wanted to create their own nation. Gown, who was the head of state at that time, did not want the country’s disintegration and engaged Bifran forces for nearly three years. He delivered a ‘no victor, no vanquished’ speech at the end of the war to provide room for healing and reconciliation among Nigerians. However, he is still being accused of war crimes today.
According to Tinubu, however, “His life story has inspired many Nigerians. As the nation’s head of state, he significantly contributed to nation-building and development and can be rightly called the father of national infrastructure.”
“Since I became President, General Gowon has been my counselor, offering advice when needed.
“He was there for us when we had a misunderstanding with some of our Sahelian states, calling for moderation from all sides for the sake of ECOWAS unity.”
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