When I turn 90, if I had the choice, I would like to be like General Yakubu Dan-Yumma “Jack” Gowon: in good health, full of joy and with my better half whispering sweet nothings in my ear while she enjoys the distinguished audience of Your Excellencies, Highnesses, Lords, Eminences and other movers and shakers of society, temporal and spiritual.
It is unusual for many people to be able to look back happily on an illustrious life lived for nine decades and still enjoy the adulation of a grateful society. At 90 years old, General Gowon appears to still be in the middle of Nigerian history despite his best efforts to remain anonymous. A man of destiny, he found himself at crucial moments in Nigeria's national life. At the age of 33, his colleagues entrusted him with the leadership of the country and placed heavy responsibilities on his shoulders.
Many of us fondly remember General Gowon as that young military officer with an affable smile who led Nigeria through three harrowing years of civil war. His “neither victor nor vanquished” speech at the end of the war to promote healing and reconciliation is a classic in social reintegration and wound healing. The Nigerian Civil War may have been labeled one of the deadliest in modern history, but those on the “federal side” insist that Gowon's leadership saved the country. Had the leadership fallen into different hands, perhaps the history of the war would have been different in terms of sheer brutality and casualty figures. But General Gowon was a humanist in the midst of a human tragedy. He made it clear that his mission was to keep Nigeria united, not to extirpate the people of the Eastern Region. That position put him in direct collision with some of his feisty war commanders. That story was told by the commanders themselves after the war.
To crown its humanistic character, Gowon's post-war program encompassing the 3Rs: reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction was a lesson in reintegration and repairing barriers. He has the distinction of having served for the longest continuous period as Nigeria's military head of state, ruling for almost nine years.
Since his return to the country after a long stay abroad during which he obtained a doctorate in Political Science, he has essentially shown himself to be a man of peace. His Yakubu Gowon Foundation has been involved in human development interventions, while his 'Nigeria Prays' initiative is a non-governmental and interdenominational prayer organization. The former head of state has stayed away from partisan politics and is therefore generally considered a father to all.
The other day in Abuja, the general was all smiles as the crème de la crème of society gathered to honor him on his 90th birthday. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, one of the war commanders during the civil war, acknowledged his boss's humanistic stance and revealed that Nigeria's history could have been more tragic with a less compassionate man at the helm.
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Former President Goodluck Jonathan said he too could marvel at the wonders of God because he was in fifth grade when General Gowon became head of state. As President when he chaired the meetings of the Council of State (incorporating former presidents, heads of state, vice presidents or their equivalents during the military government, former presidents of the federation, former presidents of the senate, et al.et al.) he said that He usually marveled every time he looked at General Gowon. Fate had brought two men of destiny together: a former fifth grader was presiding over a meeting in which his former military head of state was but an ordinary member!
However, the greatest gift anyone could give to General Gowon on his 90th birthday was penned in prose by Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB). At the birthday lecture titled “Building a Global Nigeria”, Dr. Adesina charted the course that could steer Nigeria away from underachievement, underdevelopment and perpetual poverty. Only an intellectual discourse of such seriousness could have done justice to the significance of General Gowon's 90th birthday. Adesina, Nigeria's former Minister of Agriculture, now generally recognized as Africa's optimist-in-chief, dug deep to discover the compass Nigeria needs to fulfill its destiny as a global player. There can be no substitute for the full text. In the meantime, here are excerpts:
historical duty
“When the Gulf region was going to develop, it was necessary for Saudi Arabia to set the pace…. For Africa to develop, it needs Nigeria to develop faster.
Food safety
“To ensure food security, the Federal Government, together with state governments, should return to the successful Growth Enhancement Plan and e-wallet scheme that was launched when I was Agriculture Minister….
Transformer ports
“Recently, the Financial Times reported that congestion at the port of Lagos has become so bad that it could cost more than $4,000 to transport a container 20 kilometers inland, almost as much as it costs to ship the same container 12,000 nautical miles from China. …
Japa syndrome
“The pace and speed at which Nigerians are leaving the country, the so-called “Japa” syndrome, risks undermining Nigeria’s drive towards economic rejuvenation and its positioning for global dominance. Nigeria's top talents, including doctors, nurses, lawyers, engineers, architects, computer programmers, artists and cultural entrepreneurs, sportsmen and even bankers, are voting with their feet and leaving Nigeria en masse due to economic difficulties, high unemployment and a corrosive rate. inflation that daily eats away at the value of their assets, insecurity….
“PwC estimates that the exodus of talent from Nigeria will cause a loss of close to $5 billion a year. However, this is happening against the backdrop of rapid global growth in Artificial Intelligence that offers enormous opportunities to shape and transform the global economy. In a recent analysis, PwC estimated that Artificial Intelligence will add $116 trillion to the global economy by 2030 and $316 billion annually to the economies of just four African countries: Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana by 2030. Nigeria is well prepared to take the initiative. Take advantage of this opportunity as the nation is one of the leaders in the fintech industry and companies like Flutterwave, Palm Pay, MTN Mobile Money, Piggyest are among the top 250 Fintech companies globally. Nigeria also has five of Africa's top seven Unicorn Fintech companies, including Interswitch, Flutterwave, OPay and Andela, demonstrating the ingenuity and entrepreneurship of Nigerians to lead, innovate and dominate the competitive fintech industry. That is why the African Development Bank, together with its partners, is investing $614 million in the i-DICE program in Nigeria. This is a bold initiative designed to develop digital and creative businesses, which will help add $6 billion to Nigeria's GDP and create 6.4 million jobs….
“…We must become a global Nigeria, brimming with talent, skills and entrepreneurship, driven by clear, strong, consistent and sustainable government policies to be globally competitive and retain our young talents, if we are to drive growth. and global competitiveness. A Global Nigeria will turn “Japa” (“we are leaving”) into “Ja Pada” (we are going back)! To get there, I have good news! I am pleased to announce that three days ago the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank approved $100 million for the establishment of the Nigerian Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank…”
Let's continue with a Nigeria. Happy birthday, General Gowon!
Wole Olaoye is a public relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be contacted at wole.olaoye@gmail.com, Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021.